"Ask and you will receive..."

I am more than familiar with scripture. So when I attend mass, I read the selected passages with an eye for its greater context. And while I am no expert, I am confident to the extent that I can intelligently debate whether the priest giving the homily is spot on, or worlds off- base.

Because there have been many occasions that I have sat in mass where I thought that the priest must have read a different passage than I did in my missal. The priest’s message either had nothing to do with what scripture was illustrating, or was too parochial in scope.

And the bit in Matthew, from the Sermon on the Mount that I have always found inspirational, yet often misinterpreted is this: Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.

For me that piece of wisdom extends beyond the principal that God answers all prayers. I do not think that prayer requests are answered as simply as an I Dream Of Jeannie blink-blink sit-com moment. God cannot be reduced to a genie in a bottle.

I believe the greater intention of the ask and you will receive phrase is to prod people into taking charge of their own situation—to be proactive—not to complacently wait for God or others to do things for them. I do not believe the message of that statement is wishfulness reaps progress. I think the message is: If you want or need something, go after it—seek it. Do not remain idle—ask for guidance. Prepare yourself with knowledge and/or skills—and if you research, you will find direction. And if you put yourself in the path of opportunity, opportunity will show itself—the door will open. There is no reward without work first.

In short, this piece of scripture boils down to: God helps those who help themselves.

The famous Chinese proverb reads: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. So if you are hungry, do not ask God for a fish; rather, ask for good instruction.

Pray for guidance and invest yourself.

Because no one wins the lottery without buying a ticket first. You have to be in it, to win it.