Praying the Communion Antiphon Series: Thursday First Week Lent Mt7:8

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series.

Praying the Communion Antiphon 

A Time Set Apart – Thursday, First Week of Lent

Ask. Seek. Knock.

Communion Antiphon (Matthew 7:8)
Everyone who asks receives;
the one who seeks finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

 

Thinking About the Words

There is movement here.

Ask.
Seek.
Knock.

Lent is not passive waiting. It is active turning.

To ask requires humility. It means to ask without an expectation but with hope.
To seek requires effort. We must have the desire to seek what it is we want to find.
To knock requires persistence. It also implies that we think that someone is there on the other side. When the door is opened, Jesus is always read to receive us.

And notice the promise:
“Everyone.”

There is no narrowing clause. No spiritual elite. The door is not reserved for the already perfect.

In the Gospel context, Jesus is teaching about trust in the Father. The One who invites us to knock is the One who intends to open.

And this is prayed at Communion.

We approach the altar having asked for mercy.
We have sought reconciliation.
We knock at the door of grace.

And the door opens.

Lent is not about proving ourselves worthy to enter.  It is about learning to ask more honestly.

 

Reflection

• What am I truly asking God for this Lent?
• Am I seeking Him — or simply solutions?
• Where have I grown tired of knocking?
• Do I believe the door will open — even if not as I expect?

Activity today 

Keeping this gospel in mind and keeping an inner awareness of what you are thinking and feeling, try:

ask someone for something that you might like ( or not). What do you notice about your thoughts and how does your body feel? How does these thoughts and feelings creep into our relationship with Jesus.

Seek:Look for something you desire. Notice the feelings and the drive/motivation you may have to find what you are looking.   How do I respond when I am seeking Jesus?

Knock on a door today..what do you notice about yourself just before you knock and whilst waiting for a response 'come in'.. take note of these thoughts and feelings.  How do they relate to your relationship with Jesus? 

Prayer

Lord, teach me to ask with humility,
to seek You with perseverance,
and to trust that Your door will open in mercy.