Lent - Day Nine - You Have To Ask

Gospel	Matthew 7:7-12 ©

Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Is there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish? If you, then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

  ‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.’

I must confess that I am very lucky,  Samuel, the camel that I am assigned to lead, has probably the sweetest disposition, for a camel that is.  He has never failed to kneel when commanded and has accepted on his back whatever load was assigned.  He seems to like me but he is not afraid to discipline me should I get on his wrong side.  Hercules, on the other hand, is a camel that nobody wants to tend.  He is mean spirited, ready to spit at the drop of a hat, and is stubborn as the day is hot.  We broke camp and began our day's journey.  The Master was in a quiet mood but His smile was ready for anyone that needed to see it.  On we marched and when we came to the end of the day, we found ourselves at another place that looked just like the place we had left this morning.  Monotony and boredom are just as dangerous as heat and lack of water in the desert.  Happy to be done for the day, our Master seemed to want to spend more time around the campfire with us today.  There was laughter and joking and all of us felt at ease with one another.  The Master stood up to speak and all noise around the cheerful fire stopped. 

"Brothers, we are making marvelous progress towards Jerusalem. Only another month or so and we will arrive and what needs to be done will be done.  I am making this trip because My Father asked me to do so,  What the Father asks of Me is what I want to do.  But, at any moment I could ask and the mission I am engaged on could be changed.  I have to say that in my prayers to the Father that I have asked that what is set to happen to Me be taken from Me for I do not want to feel the pain.  But then I realize that the Father's plan is a great good and so I tell Him to ignore My will and I accept that it is His will that must be done." 

"So it is for you as well.  Your Father has such love for you, a love so deep and so personal that I cannot find words to describe it fully.  Go to Our Father, ask Him for what you need, for what you want, remember the two can be quite different!  Ask and you will receive, for the Father knows what is best for you and He will rain down His love for you. "

"Remember too that as the Father loves you, without limits, is how you are to love those you meet.  Treat them the way you would like to be treated.  Be a joyful giver.  Serve those that have less than you.  The Father knows what you have done to others and He Himself will remember.," 

The Master smiled and bid us good night and we all went to our beds.  I spent a goodly amount of time meditating on what He told us tonight.  I asked the Father for deep and peaceful sleep and He gave it to me at once.