Ask and it shall be given, and some of my favorite people.

For What Shall I Ask?

We live in a culture that pushes us to strive for what’s new, what’s next, and what’s better. It’s tempting to think that I never have enough and I never am enough. Not so, Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ, tells us: “You are exactly who God had in mind when God created you … you could not be one bit better.”

Today’s Gospel is not about asking God for more, like one might imagine a genie granting wishes. It is instead a reminder to trust that God provides exactly what we most deeply desire. When we feel restless, it’s actually a blessing, an indication that we cannot be fulfilled by things. “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You, O Lord,” St. Augustine wrote. God never tires of giving Godself to us. This gift—which we call grace—not only fulfills us, but it makes everything possible; it builds on and perfects our human nature so we can cooperate with God in the world. Today’s Gospel invites me to ponder: How can I be more attentive and responsive to grace so I can cooperate with God this day?

This passage concludes with the Golden Rule: treat others the way you would like to be treated. Since we don’t always know how others would like to be treated, some have suggested a revised version, the so-called Platinum Rule: treat others the way they would like to be treated. (I like Wendell Berry’s version: treat those downstream as you would like those upstream to treat you.) It’s easy to get stuck thinking about how others have wronged me or to become preoccupied by thinking about how others might take advantage of me, if I’m not careful. But today’s Gospel interrupts that defensive mentality and calls us to be agents of grace and courtesy. If I trust that I am enough—and I don’t have to prove it or be protective all the time—then how can I help others see that they, too, are enough?  

—Dr. Marcus Mescher is Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics at Xavier University in Cincinnati, and is a graduate of Marquette University High School, Marquette University, and Boston College.  

I like this article/meditation not only for what it says, but it also mentions some of my favorite people, Father Greg Boyle, SJ, and Wendell Berry. (Augustine's great, too, but I don't "know" him as well.)

The verse (ask and it will be given you and so on) always reminds me of the song based on that verse, "Seek Ye First," I have many good memories of singing that with old friends and family. 

First memory: There was a cute, precocious little girl in my church who loved this song. She picked it whenever we asked for favorites. I loved watching her joyfully sing.

Second memory: We were visiting my husband's family in Fremont, MI, and went to church with them. They sang this song and on the last verse I sang the descant (I think this is the only song where I can do that). My niece, around 7 or 8 at the time, told her mom, "Aunt Mavis is singing different words!"