Thursday February 25, 2021 - First week of Lent - Create in me a pure heart, O my God; give me back the joy of being saved - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 7, 7-12

Jesus shows us that it is necessary to ask in order to receive, to seek to find, to knock to be open, and Lent is the opportune time for that. Often we do not know how to ask, only caring about what is good for ourselves and for those who are directly close, while the others we do not care, it sometimes even happens that we curse them. It is the kind of prayer, if we can say that it is one, which has no meaning, hence the urgency of conversion to be more open, even to enemies, it is a duty to pray for them. May our request be like that of the child to his Father, the One who knows how to give something much better than what is asked of him who asks him.

Then there is also the fact of seeking: it seems that today, we are more in search of something or someone, other than God; because, they say, He does not answer prayers, as if God is at our service and must bow to our whims without any consideration of his will, so that we rely on matter, we indulge in idolatry, we rely on luck and chance, we experience all kinds of religions where we say that the answer to prayer is immediate. In short, we are no longer looking for Christ, but for those illusionists who claim to be able to put pressure on God so that He responds more quickly. However, while looking, why not address the Creator, rather than his creatures. The lazy person does not seek, and the searcher always finds, but let us pay great attention to the direction and purpose of our search.

Finally, the one that knocks will be open. The well-bred person knocks so that it can be opened. It is not good to break in like a thief. Although we are children, being well educated, we will never order before the parents. Our God is neither deaf nor heedless to our requests, on the contrary He is even quick to open up to us and knows better than us what is good for us. Sometimes if we happen to feel like God is not opening the door for us, there is a reason, and it is often because of us. It is neither a stone door nor a steel door and even less a wooden door that He opens to us, but his immense heart, overflowing with compassion and mercy. Jesus concludes clearly, and we resume: "Whatever you would like others to do for you, do it for them, you too: this is what the Law and the Prophets say".