In the audio, both lessons are read, and are followed by a homily by yours truly.

A Lesson from the Gospel according to S. Luke 11.1

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.’” And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

A Lesson His Commentary on S. Luke by the Ven. S. Bede

The Saviour not only teaches the form of the prayer when asked by the disciple, but also the urgency and frequency of praying. Therefore, the friend to whom we come at midnight is understood to be God Himself, to Whom we must kneel down in the midst of tribulation, and we must urgently beg for three loaves of bread, that is, an understanding of the Trinity, whereby the labours of the present life are lightened. The friend who has come from his journey is our spirit, which withdraws from us as often as it wanders outside in search of earthly and temporal things. But it returns, and desires to be refreshed with heavenly nourishment, whenever it returns to itself and begins to meditate on divine and spiritual things. Concerning this, he who begged added (and it is lovely that he did) that he had nothing to set before him, since after the darkness of the world, nothing pleases the soul sighing for God except to think about Him, to speak about Him, to contemplate Him. It is enough to do just to contemplate the joy of the most high Trinity and for that purpose to arrive at contemplation more fully. . . . And, accordingly, lest the friend coming from his journey perish from fasting, that is, lest the spirit, newly recovering from the falsity of its error, waste away any longer from the lack of spiritual desire, let us ask for a feast of the Word, by which it may be nourished.

If you find this edifying, please consider (if you haven’t already) becoming a paid subscriber. Your support goes directly to supporting the ministry of Akenside Institute for English Spirituality, a project I started 12 years ago to help to rebuild the Anglican tradition.

Get full access to Anglican Ascetic Podcast at frmcdallman.substack.com/subscribe