You wouldn’t think that the dialogue between Abraham and God in the first reading was prayer. Yet, we can sense how Abraham’s bromance with God was certainly a lofty dialogue, where tenderness, veneration, and boldness fuse admirably together (Motte). Though Jesus taught His disciples the “Our Father” as a model prayer, His further explanation of prayer depicted a dialogue between two friends, where one was needy and relied on the solicitude of friendship to solve the need. Similarly, Abraham was relying on his friendship with God to petition His mercy on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
What was the problem with these cities? The passage of the Bible we read today does not explicitly tell us, but indicates that it was atrocious, an outcry so grave as to call for the immediate wrath of God. We learn from other parts of scripture that the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah included homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, and necrophilia. I understand that western society has ‘overgrown’ calling some of these acts sinful; and laws have been advanced in many nations to normalize the first two, for now. In the near future, you may end up in jail if you suggest that these acts are sinful. It’ll be negligent of preachers of the word to steer clear of controversies out of fear of the billion-dollar gay lobby and its attacks. And because truth cannot be set aside, we must consistently teach that homosexuality is gravely sinful, just as fornication, adultery, theft, lying, and missing Mass on Sunday are grave sins.
Scripture is clear about sin and its effects on people, cities, and nations. As grave as scripture describes them, people who find themselves struggling with the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah or inclinations to these acts should not lose hope but trust in the love and mercy of God to deliver and free them. Rather than shout at each other, condemn and counter-condemn, we ought to join team-Abraham in bargaining with God to spare His people, for we often pursue foolishly our cravings rather than follow the ways marked for us, which lead to happiness. But choosing to remain hardened in sin ...any sin, and aligning with pressure groups that intimidate others and refer to them as “hateful” because they don’t agree with a particular lifestyle does violence to truth, love, and freedom. Let the shouting match stop!
Abraham was relentless in prayer, hoping to get the best deal he could—not for himself but for a city that was on the verge of facing divine wrath. He’s super-smart! Isn’t he? He didn’t want to ruin his chances or jeopardize the deal; so, little by little, he asks for more and more. It must have surprised him the ease with which he received everything for which he prayed. It shows that there’s something in the asking, in the persistence. Jesus emphasizes this persistence when He tells the story of the friend at midnight who wouldn’t take ’no’ for answer. He encourages us to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking. The English translation creates the sense that you just ask, anyway. The Latin Vulgate says: “petite, querite, et pulsate.” These verbs in Latin are in the continuous tense and reflect better the persistence that Jesus enjoins.
Why wouldn’t God hear it once and act? We sometimes get stuck at “prayer traffic” and only the patient and determined reach the goal-line. In the line before you are the Blessed Mother, the saints and angels receiving benefits for the vast number who send their requests through them. God does not neglect anyone, but we must keep asking, seeking, and knocking. If you lose heart and turn away, you lose out. You could also be asking for sunshine to get a good tan while the farmer is asking for rain to grow the vegetables for you to feed. Judge for yourself which is more important in God’s economy? That’s why an important line in our prayer should say: “Your will be done” (Mtt 6:10).
Fr. Chukwudi Jo Okonkwo