“ Ask and you will receive …Knock and the door will be opened to you.” Luke

As I write this, I’m finishing “Grace Will Lead Us Home,” an outstanding book by Jennifer Hawes about the white supremacist who killed nine blacks attending Bible study in a Charleston church.  Knock. Knock. Knock. Where were you that awful night, God?

The news is full of horrific pictures of the migrants including children that our government has locked into packed cages. Knock. Knock. Knock. Where are you God?

On a more personal note, my cousin’s husband is undergoing chemo instead of taking their dream trip to Japan. Knock. Knock. Knock. Can you hear us pounding, God?

In a world like this, it’s hard to believe what Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel. “Ask and you will receive …Knock and the door will be opened to you.” If only it were so simple! But other than despair, what choice do we have but to hope and believe?

Many of us routinely ask God to help solve our problems, especially in the way we want them solved. If this doesn’t happen, is God is turning a deaf ear to our pleas? People can be forgiven for thinking so.

I have lived through a couple of life-altering episodes that give me faith that God is responding but not always in the manner I urged. Doors have closed and new doors have opened.

A year ago, I told a close friend experiencing a health crisis to remember the old cliché that “God writes straight with crooked lines. ”IF she recovered, she would be healthier than before. So far so good but there are no guarantees.

I also believe that if we DON’T ask, we are less likely to receive and that if we fail to knock, doors of any sort are less likely to open. Our own attitude can make some difference. A wise Jesuit once asked, “Am I drowning in bad news because I am failing to be good news?”

Even when things are awful, we can usually find SOME way to be good news to other people. Hint: if you are disturbed by those pictures from the border, send a donation to the Sisters of Mercy for their work in El Paso.

Blessings to all who are knocking on God’s door. May he write straight on your crooked lines.