The duty and art of asking

In our spiritual and Christian life, we are expected to always ask God for all our needs, from the smallest to the biggest, from the most material to the most spiritual. We can never say that there are moments and situations when we don't have to bother God about anything.

We need to realize more sharply and abidingly our total dependence on Him even as we should also be completely responsible for everything in our life. That's just how the cookie crumbles.

We should not be deceived by the thought that just because we have some talents, wealth, power, and other resources, we can be on our own, feeling totally independent from God. We have to explode the myth that we can be self-sufficient.

As creatures, we can never be completely on our own. Our lives will always be associated with our Creator who has given us not only certain things, but our very own existence which he will always maintain. Otherwise, we would cease to exist.

And since, as creatures, we have been made in God's image and likeness, endowed with a spiritual soul, we are expected to live our life for all eternity also, and not just for a time. We have the power, with God's grace, to transcend our material and temporal limitations.

We have to realize in fact that all these resources that we may happen to possess come from God and can only be used properly with him and never without him. Thus, St. Paul tells us clearly: “Whether you eat

or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10,31) This is the attitude proper to us.

This kind of attitude would certainly require a radical spirit of humility, of self-denial, which actually is what would bring out our true dignity. Let's remember what Christ has been telling us repeatedly. “Whoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled, and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” (Mt 23,12) Let's realize that this is precisely the divinely mandated way to gain our greatness.

This was the way Christ himself lived his life here on earth. His total self-abasement by dying on the cross, obeying the will of the Father and out of love for us, resulted in his resurrection, our redemption, the coming of the Holy Spirit and many other things.

And Christ wants us to follow him, because he is “the way, the truth and the life” for us. He is supposed to be the vine to whom we, as branches, should be attached if we want to be what we ought to be.

We need to meditate on these words and start to make the necessary adjustments in our attitudes and, in fact, in our whole lifestyle. I am sure we have a lot to dismantle, purify and cultivate. Let's not be blinded by the many passing earthly forms of joys and pleasures that would diverge us from the true path of our true joy.

We need to look more closely into our personal temperaments and character, the different conditionings that somehow influence the way we are—cultural, social, historical, etc.—and see what need to be adjusted so as to effect in us the attitude of always relying on God even as we try to be responsible personally in all our actions.

Not even our so-called brilliant accomplishments, no matter how personally we feel we have attained them, should make us think we can just be on our own. Our persistent problem is actually our tendency to feel self-sufficient, a tendency that often is reinforced by our cultural and social conditionings.

We have to learn how to do battle against these conditionings. This, of course, is not going to be easy. That's why, Christ told us to be insistent. “Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and you shall find.

Knock, and it shall be opened to you.” (Mt 7,7)

We have to acquire the attitude of a persistent beggar. Such attitude is never demeaning to our dignity. It is actually what is expected of us. Relevant to this is that episode of that Gentile woman who approached Christ begging for a cure for her daughter who was possessed by the devil. (cfr Mk 7,25-30)

Despite being rebuffed at first if only to test her, she continued begging Christ, even making smart justifications for her persistence.

Christ was impressed with her determination and so, he told her: “For this saying, go your way, the devil is gone out of your daughter.”

We have to learn to beg God for all our needs!*

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