Jesus today (Mt 7: 7-12) tells us in no uncertain terms that we should ask God for what we want. We should "ask," "seek," and "knock." In other words, we should pray. Not only that, but Jesus says that as parents know how to give "good gifts to your children," our Father in heaven will give even more "good things to those who ask him." OK, fair enough. But why the whole prayer thing? We know that God knows our deepest thoughts and desires. God understands what we want and need even before we do. God can give us "good gifts" whether we ask or not. So why the insistence that we go to the trouble of asking? We also know that we don't always get what we seek in prayer. We have all asked for things-- healing in sickness, protection from danger, mended relationships-- which we have not received. I always tell the story of my mother, who died of cancer at age 48. We lived in Edina and I was in school at OLG, and we were pretty active in the parish. Everyone knew of my mom's illness, and tons of people prayed that she be healed. When I came to St. Richard's in 2004 there were people who came up to me and told me they had prayed for my mom, who died in 1967-- that's how extensive the prayer network was. She died of cancer anyway. So if God knows what we want anyway, why do we have to ask, especially if the asking doesn't necessarily get us what we seek and God's will is ultimately what gets done? Perhaps the answer is that the relationship is what matters. The most important thing in our life is our relationship with Jesus, and through Him, with the entire Trinity. You can't have a relationship without some communication. You have to talk and listen. You have to accept the fact that the other person in the relationship has a will and desires that mean you can't insist on getting what you want. You have to "ask," seek," and "knock,"and trust that what the other gives in response to those requests is what the other believes to be "good gifts" -- even if it isn't what we want. So too with God. We talk and listen. We ask for what we want, and seek guidance. Sometimes we even change God's mind-- the Bible is full of stories where that happened. Sometimes we don't, and things happen that don't seem like "good gifts" to us. We have to trust in that instance that God intends what is best for us, even if we can't see it. But it all starts with prayer, with asking, seeking, knocking. Without that, we have no relationship with the Divine. And without that relationship, we are truly alone.