Ask God: Homily for Thursday, March 13, 2026

Sometimes we hate to ask. We don’t want to bother anyone. But today Jesus tells us to ask, to seek, to knock. Readings for Today.

Ask God

When I was a younger child, I in fact, remember that my mother often went door to door for various charities seeking donations. I think it probably started with what we called the Bishop’s Fund, which is done much differently today, much better I would argue, but anyway, she’d go door to door with the people on her list and ask them if they’d be willing to make a donation to support the diocese.

Well, that led to the American Heart Association. I suspect that somewhere in the midst of this there were other charities too. And she’d moan and groan like this was a huge burden, but I know that deep inside it was a way for her to manifest her generosity.

Now, I saw this as a little kid, and one of the things that I thought was, “Oh, I could never ask people for money.” How ironic was it then that my first assignment as a Dominican was as president of Fenwick High School, where I had to ask for money.

I did learn in that job many things, but here are a couple. The first is that it is true, the number one reason that people do not give is because no one asks. But it’s not just asking. That’s not enough. We have to really get to know the person that we are asking. And so the adult me learned some things about how to ask.

And the first thing that I learned was how important it was to get to know the person that you were asking, to know their story, to know what their experience was when I was at Fenwick, for example, of Fenwick. What were the things that stood out to them? What were the things they were nostalgic for? What were the things that made a difference?

Because if I didn’t know those things, it was very difficult to establish the credibility to ask. I even found myself, much to my surprise, at some times with some donors, when they suggested a certain amount. I was there during a capital campaign, and they suggested some amount saying, “Oh, you know, I was thinking more of this figure” because I thought they were capable of giving more.

And it may seem counterintuitive. We may seem that we shouldn’t be insulting the person that’s giving. But I learned that by doing my homework and knowing what the capacity was, that the donor was actually providing a test. Did I know them? Did I know what they were capable of? Now, sometimes it didn’t work out, but a lot of times it did. They did get, if not to my number, at least much closer to my number.

Today, Jesus gives us a lesson in prayer about asking, seeking, knocking. I think there are some people that I could say to them, “Well, the reason that you don’t experience God’s blessings is that you don’t ask.” In asking, in knocking, in seeking, we really make a bold statement that we are dependent upon God.

The readings today help us to understand the power of relationship. Queen Esther, through a wide variety of events, becomes queen. The important part of this story, I would argue, though, occurs before in what we don’t hear. The man who raised her, Mordecai, comes to her when it becomes clear that the Hebrew people are going to be destroyed. And he asks.

He asks Queen Esther. And in the way in which he explains it to her, we get a sense how important it is for the power of relationship, because it’s clear that Mordecai knew what to ask. He knew how to speak. He understood what would touch the depths of Esther’s heart. And despite the legitimate fear about what might happen, Queen Esther asked God.

And we see that in the asking, great blessings are given. Jesus reminds us in the gospel how important it is to recognize this relationship with God that we are called to trust more and more. In some ways, I think that’s what Lent is all about. It’s deepening our trust in God so that we can exhibit the signs of that trust and that belief.

Why is it we don’t ask? Well, sometimes I don’t want the answer. If I ask God for something, God may give it to me in a way that I don’t expect. God might ask me to do something I don’t want to do or to let go of something I don’t want to let go of. And so I don’t ask.

Sometimes I may not ask because I don’t think that I’m worthy of God’s blessing. I don’t think that God really, really loves me. If he really, really knew me, he would really, really not love me.

But this season of Lent focuses our eyes on the concrete sign that each one of us is loved more than we can even understand by God. How do we know that? Because of the cross. That’s the concrete statement that Jesus loves us.

And I will take it even a step farther. If you were the only human being that God ever created and you sinned and needed redemption, Jesus would have died on the cross. That’s how powerful his love is, how strong it is, and how deep it is.

What is it that you need today? What is a blessing that you need to receive from God today? Where is it in your life that God is calling you, inviting you to knock, to seek, to ask? We can do so with confidence because God has already asked of us a deeper relationship. He’s knocked on the door of our hearts to let us in, to let him in. And he has, in fact, helped us to realize that while we do seek God, he has already found us.

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