Gospel (Lk 11,5-13) - At that time, Jesus said to the disciples: «If one of you has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says: “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend has come to me from a journey and I have nothing to offer him”, and if the one inside replies: "Don't bother me, the door is already closed, my children and I are in bed, I can't get up to give you the loaves", I tell you that, even if he doesn't get up to give them to him because he is his friend, at least because of his intrusiveness he will get up to give him as many as he needs. »Well, I say to you: ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you. For whoever asks receives and whoever seeks finds and whoever knocks it will be opened. Which father among you, if his son asks him for a fish, will he give him a snake instead of the fish? Or if he asks him for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? If you therefore, who are evil, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Jesus insists on the need for the disciples to pray with faith and insistence. And he tells two parables for this purpose. The first, that of the importunate friend, is almost a comment on the fourth invocation of the Our Father, that is, "give us our daily bread every day". With it, Jesus seems to push the disciples to also be "annoying" with the Father in prayer. Yes, the disciples must insist on asking. «Well, I say to you: ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you», he repeats. He reassures them: what happens in the parable will happen to them too. Insistent prayer seems to force God to "get up" and grant our request. And God, Jesus continues with the second parable, will not only respond, but will always give good things to his children. He always listens to those who turn to him with trust. Truly prayer - that of the son who abandons himself entirely to the Father - has incredible strength, it manages to "bend" God towards us. For this reason, in the entire tradition of the Church, insistence on prayer is one of the indispensable cornerstones of spiritual life. Unfortunately - also due to the alienating rhythms of today's life - we struggle to pray and are often not at all persevering in it, especially in common prayer. And more than a few times our trust is truly limited. Let us let this evangelical page touch our hearts and we will discover the strength and effectiveness of prayer in our lives and in that of others for whom we pray. Prayer saves lives.