Shameless Audacity in Love (A Homily based on the Gospel of Luke 11: 5-13)

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or my first point: In this parable, Jesus does not simply call us to receive; He calls us to act. Love, as St Ignatius of Loyola reminds us, “ought to manifest itself in deeds rather than in words.”

The man who knocks on his neighbor’s door at midnight acts out of love—not for himself or his own household, but for another who is in need. The New International Version captures this vividly through a single Greek word used only in Lk 11:8: anaídeia (ἀναίδεια)—meaning without shame (aidṓs). It literally means shamelessness or unembarrassed boldness.

It would have been enough to say the man simply asked or pleaded for bread, but Jesus adds this striking qualifier. He is teaching us something precious: that true faith and love often require shameless audacity—a persistence that dares to go beyond comfort or convention. Jesus calls us to this same boldness, not only in prayer and in seeking God but even more so in our love for others.

He says, “Even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need” (Lk 11:8). Such faith refuses to be restrained by fear or social expectations. It is a love so insistent that the world may see it as overdone, excessive, or extravagant, yet in the eyes of God, it is powerful faith—faith that can move mountains.

For my second point: The first reading reminds us that faithful love does not always appear rewarded right away. “You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God... for evildoers prosper,’” says the Lord through the prophet Malachi. These words reveal a familiar human murmer of complaint—when we are tempted to think that our efforts in prayer, fidelity, and goodness do not seem to bear fruit, especially when others, even the unjust, seem to thrive.

But God’s response is clear: “Those who fear the Lord spoke with one another, and the Lord listened attentively.” Even when love seems unseen outwardly, God keeps record of every act of faithfulness. There is a “book of remembrance” written before Him, as the reading says, of those who continue to trust in His name.

If the first point calls us to anaídeia—shameless audacity in love—then this reading deepens it: God honors not only bold action, but enduring faithfulness. Shameless love is not reckless; it is steadfast. It keeps knocking even when the door seems closed. It keeps serving even when others mock the effort as “vain.”

In the end, God assures us: “They shall be mine, my own special possession… for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with healing rays.” The world may reward pride and cunning, but God remembers the quiet perseverance of the just. The blazing fire that consumes the proud becomes the same fire that purifies the faithful.

Was there a time when you were invited to remain steadfast in love—to keep serving, praying, and giving, even when it felt nothing was happening? Because in the eyes of God, no act of love—however small, however hidden—is ever forgotten in the "book of remembrance."

For my third and final point: Jesus shows us that the ultimate proof of love is sacrifice. Love, as St Ignatius reminds us, must be shown more in deeds than in words—and no deed speaks louder than the giving of one’s life. Jesus became our Bread of Life, broken and given for all. To become food is to accept the cost of love, for as He said, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13).

But notice too—Jesus Himself was shameless in His love. He was anaídeia incarnate: shamelessly audacious in begging us to love Him back. Again and again, He reached out—through parables, through forgiveness, through His very presence—persistently knocking at the door of our hearts. And yet, even as God, He respected our freedom to say yes or no.

In His life, we see the same boldness He taught: a love that dares to go beyond comfort zones, a love unashamed to suffer, a love that gives itself completely. This is the love that endures, the love that bears fruit unto eternal life. Amen. Fr JM Manzano SJ