Our Daily Bread: Rom 11:1-2a, 11-12, 25-29; Luke 14:1, 7-11

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

Do I hold myself above others because of my nationality, religion, good taste or virtuous life? If I seriously believe that I am intrinsically superior to any of God’s children because of the circumstances of my life, especially my citizenship in God’s kingdom, then I am exalting myself and headed for embarrassment. I need to learn humility, which requires that I discard all masks — Halloween or otherwise — in favor of complete honesty and simple gratitude. All my gifts, especially God’s saving grace, are just that: unearned gifts. Lord, thank you for all your gifts.

*Help me always to use them for your glory and the good of my brothers and sisters.

Our Daily Bread: Mal 3:13-20b; Luke 11:5-13

… how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?

We often agonize over asking others for things. We don’t want to appear needy, pushy or reliant on them. At some point as we mature, however, we realize that we might as well be bold in our requests for things we truly desire because the worst that can happen is that the reply is "No." God knows what we want and recognizes what we really long for before we even ask. In giving voice to our desires — even if we cannot fully articulate them — and turning to the one who truly understands what is good and necessary for us, the Lord will recognize what we need. There is no need to fear asking.

*In gratitude that the loving Father looks beyond the clumsy words of our mouths and answers the yearnings within our hearts, we pray.