Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 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.”
To pray is to speak with our heart
1) Words. There are times when we seem to baffle the Lord with our words, but God sees and hears our heart. Don’t reduce your prayer solely to a list of requests. Prayer is more than asking, it is having a conversation with God: it is telling the Lord what is happening in your life, what you are going through and what you are feeling. Prayer consists of sharing your life with the Lord. Because God is your friend and the destination of your journey. You shouldn’t consider Him an ATM that you just go to so as to obtain what you want. God is our companion both in good and in bad times.
2) Our Father. It is the key prayer of our Christian life; everything is contained in the words of the Lord’s Prayer. When we pray, we must ponder on each word since this is what opens the conversation with God. When we start by saying “Our Father”, a close, simple relationship is established. There is a bond with God that we must cherish. Today, I invite you to say the words slowly and ponder what words you express because these will stay in your heart. Which words will remain in your heart today? For my part, I will meditate on “and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” This is very deep. Are we able to forgive those who offend us? Am ‘I’ included in the ‘we’?
3) Close to God. Jesus continues showing you that He does not want you as a youtuber, or an influencer, being exposed 24 hours a day, much less does he want you to show off your Christian life to others. God is always looking to get closer to you, He wants a personal relationship with you.
God bless you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Remember, Heaven is our goal!
