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[Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.] (Mt. 7:7-11)

God is more willing to give than we are to ask.  Jesus assures us of this simple yet astonishing fact in our Gospel reading for today.  He leaves no doubt.  If you ask, you will receive.  If you seek, you will find.  If you knock, the door will be opened.

Even though we hear Jesus utter these comforting statements, we still find ourselves hesitant to ask, to seek, to knock.  Why?  Could it be that we’re afraid of being let down?  Do our prior experiences seem to contradict Jesus’s words?

We must ask ourselves one more question.  Can a loving parent remain indifferent to the desires and struggles of their children?  No, any loving parent, a mother, a father, feels the impulse to help their child achieve what they desire.  Every loving parent experiences a deep sadness when his/her child struggles through difficult times.

If this is true of our earthly parents, how much truer is it of our Heavenly Father?     Our Heavenly Father Who is Love itself cannot refuse His children.  He will not give us everything we want, but He will give what is best for us because He knows what we need (cf. Mt. 6:8b).  So ask, seek, and knock with confidence.   If you ask, you will receive.  If you seek, you will find.  If you knock, the door will be opened.