With Confidence We ASK

Last night we reflected on the persistence of a woman. She had a sick daughter and went to Jesus and begged for his help. The companions of Jesus felt that this women was very annoying and they wanted to send her off. Despite the difficulty, she kept asking. Eventually, her cry was heard and her daughter was healed. It's a beautiful story about the persistance to keep asking.

Jaime said that he felt that the beauty of the story was that she wasn't asking for herself but for her daughter. It made me think of Fr. Dean Brackely who is struggling with cancer and writes to all of us to pray for the people of Somalia.

Then Luis brought up the story of our very own Dr. Carlos Alfaro (who is an orthopedic surgeon). When scholarships were made available to study abroad to study medicine, Carlos went everyday to the office where the scholarships were being administered. I don't think the secretary liked him (nor the scholarship committee); he couldn't even get in the door. But everyday he went; and everyday he was told, "NO". The first year went by and he was rejected. The second year he continued - this kid went everyday. He asked and asked. Finally, the director granted him the scholarship (he probably just wanted to get him out of the country at that point)! Because he persisted, today he is a doctor.

So what's the point here? Under this tin roof (our crumbling Tamarindo Shop), we have the confidence to ask for help... we need God and each other. We are not deterred by difficulty, failure, fear, trouble. We are like that woman who kept asking. We will keep asking... and keep working, keep loving, keep creating, keep giving.



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