The Holy Martyr Nestor (305); Nestor, writer of the first Chronicle of Rus’ (1114); The Holy Martyr Capitolina and Her Slave Erotheides
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Luke 11:9-13
Read Luke 11:9-13
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
The Gospel selection we have today is just after our Lord taught His followers a prayer and how to pray – the Our Father, the Lord’s Prayer. Ask. Seek. Knock. Many of us may regard these terms as synonymous. Have you ever noticed that these terms present a progression in our discovery of what it means to pray? Our prayer is a continuous action that leads to perseverance in that prayer.
There are times when events in our life lead to a very simple arrow pray to the Lord. There are other times when we really want to seek what the Lord desires for us. (Oh, yes, there are times when we ask the Lord for certain items or certain things to happen, and we can mistakenly make a prayer that directs the Lord to do something according to our will – Lord, let me win a million dollars! But as the Lord already knows our needs, these prayers are frivolous.) And then there are times when our prayer is wholly seeking His will, His desire – just as our Lord Himself prays (e.g. the garden of Gethsemane). If we keep asking, seeking, and knocking, we will be given, find, and the door will be opened.