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My dear parishioners, a desperate man stands at the threshold of his neighbor's door, his cries shattering the solemn stillness of the sleeping village. His need is urgent for he has nothing to offer his unexpected friend to whom he is bound by hospitality. He begs his neighbor to give him three loaves of bread so that he may fulfill his friendship duty. From inside, the master of the house shouts, “Do not bother me!” [Lk 11:5-10]
Jesus’ marvelous little parable of confrontation is a timeless what if story situated in the present tense. Though the parable is not fact, its story is true. It happens all the time. Will the neighbor return home in despair with nothing for his unexpected visitor? Before we draw our own conclusions, Our Lord presses the answer in our hands, in the future tense. In the midnight hour, a loud knock ricochets up and down the darkened street. The master will arise, open the door to his neighbor and proceed to help him.
Taking refuge in our need for predictability, we may assume that Jesus will resolve the story with an instruction on human friendship. We might further expect Our Lord to say that acting for the sake of friendship should be one's habitual intention. After all, Jesus portrays the two persons in his parable as friends. Although off-stage in the parable, the unexpected visitor also is portrayed as a friend. Did not our Lord teach, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself"? [Mt 12:31]+++