I recently had a friend give me some wise advice. She said, “Say less in your prayer time. Just sit, lean against Jesus and say, ‘Jesus, you love me.’” Saying less is a difficult concept to understand especially when we think the whole point of prayer is to have a conversation with God; basically “I tell you what I need, God, and you give it to me!” Jesus reminds us today that God already knows what we need before we even ask, and the point of prayer is for the transformation of our own hearts, minds, and wills, not to “babble on like the pagans”. He gives us the “Our Father” as a template, if you will, for our prayer time.
This is how you are to pray…”Our Father…” right away and yet again, Jesus wants to establish that we are to be in communion with one another, hence the use of the word “Our” in regards to the Father. He invites us to be family with Him and with one another as the first order of business in our prayer life. One little word can hold the entire universe! This call to communion is followed by seven petitions that pretty much cover it all:
- Hallowed Be Your Name | First, we acknowledge God as holy, honorable, beautiful, good. Praise, praise, praise.
- Your Kingdom Come | We ask God to be the sovereign of our hearts, minds, and wills so that the kingdom of love will reign.
- Your Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven | We want God’s will to direct our lives.
- Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread | The Greek word for daily is translated “super substantial” and this petition asks God to give us all that we need to be fortified super substantially in body and spirit.
- Forgive Us Our Trespasses As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us | We are asking God to only forgive us as much as we forgive others! Sit with that a minute. It just got real y’all.
- Lead Us Not Into Temptation | Jesus knows that sin and temptation are very much a part of our daily lives and so he wants us to acknowledge that in our prayer so that we will allow grace to win over those tests.
- Deliver Us From Evil | Deliverance from evil is probably one of God’s favorite things to do, but we have to ask Him for it. This deliverance is from all our sins, past, present, and future.
How amazing is it that one prayer can cover all our needs and that one prayer has united all Christians for over two thousand years. The apostles and all the early Christians prayed it and so do we. Jesus is communion.
In Confirmation Class I used these seven petitions as an outline and would have our candidates re-write their own version of the “Our Father.” I encourage you to do this same thing some time in the next week. It is a beautiful exercise. When we know something so well and by memory, we can often fall into the trap of not really praying it with meaning and the very soul of the prayer is lost in our rote recitation. Reworking the words, but keeping the petition in place, is a great way to revitalize this prayer that covers all.
I titled this post “If…Then…” because of the very last line in today’s gospel: "If you forgive others their transgressions,(then) your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others,neither will your Father forgive your transgressions." If Jesus continually emphasizes forgiveness, reconciliation, and mercy, then I will also continue to emphasize it. Peace be with you. Have a super substantial day and it is well with my soul.
Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious
Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious
Lectionary: 368
Reading 1 SIR 48:1-14
Like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah
whose words were as a flaming furnace.
Their staff of bread he shattered,
in his zeal he reduced them to straits;
By the Lord's word he shut up the heavens
and three times brought down fire.
How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
Whose glory is equal to yours?
You brought a dead man back to life
from the nether world, by the will of the LORD.
You sent kings down to destruction,
and easily broke their power into pieces.
You brought down nobles, from their beds of sickness.
You heard threats at Sinai,
at Horeb avenging judgments.
You anointed kings who should inflict vengeance,
and a prophet as your successor.
You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses.
You were destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,
To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons,
and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.
Blessed is he who shall have seen you
And who falls asleep in your friendship.
For we live only in our life,
but after death our name will not be such.
O Elijah, enveloped in the whirlwind!
Then Elisha, filled with the twofold portion of his spirit,
wrought many marvels by his mere word.
During his lifetime he feared no one,
nor was any man able to intimidate his will.
Nothing was beyond his power;
beneath him flesh was brought back into life.
In life he performed wonders,
and after death, marvelous deeds.
whose words were as a flaming furnace.
Their staff of bread he shattered,
in his zeal he reduced them to straits;
By the Lord's word he shut up the heavens
and three times brought down fire.
How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
Whose glory is equal to yours?
You brought a dead man back to life
from the nether world, by the will of the LORD.
You sent kings down to destruction,
and easily broke their power into pieces.
You brought down nobles, from their beds of sickness.
You heard threats at Sinai,
at Horeb avenging judgments.
You anointed kings who should inflict vengeance,
and a prophet as your successor.
You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses.
You were destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,
To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons,
and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.
Blessed is he who shall have seen you
And who falls asleep in your friendship.
For we live only in our life,
but after death our name will not be such.
O Elijah, enveloped in the whirlwind!
Then Elisha, filled with the twofold portion of his spirit,
wrought many marvels by his mere word.
During his lifetime he feared no one,
nor was any man able to intimidate his will.
Nothing was beyond his power;
beneath him flesh was brought back into life.
In life he performed wonders,
and after death, marvelous deeds.
Responsorial Psalm PS 97:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7
R. (12a) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Fire goes before him
and consumes his foes round about.
His lightnings illumine the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
All who worship graven things are put to shame,
who glory in the things of nought;
all gods are prostrate before him.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Fire goes before him
and consumes his foes round about.
His lightnings illumine the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
All who worship graven things are put to shame,
who glory in the things of nought;
all gods are prostrate before him.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Alleluia ROM 8:15BC
R. Alleluia, alleluia.You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 6:7-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
"In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"This is how you are to pray:
'Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.'
"If you forgive others their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."
"In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"This is how you are to pray:
'Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.'
"If you forgive others their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."
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