Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 18, 9-14
Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity–greedy, dishonest, adulterous–or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Prayer comes from the heart
1) To pray. Prayer is the manifestation of your relationship with God. It is the ability to express yourself with freedom before God. You can tell Him everything you have in your heart and everything you feel because He will listen to you and understand you. Let Him lead you, knowing that the conversation with God must be humble and authentic. It should be an open dialogue to tell God what is happening in your life and what you are going through and feeling.
2) Structure. There are times when we impoverish prayer trying to comply with a specific structure. We tend to say words for mere compliance. Many reduce prayer to a structure, as if they could check a list: pray the Rosary, visit the Eucharist, listen to the Gospel… check, check, check. Following only the structure makes prayer hollow and purposeless. Prayer cannot fall into empty structures, we must seek the depth of God.
3) Lectio. I would like to take advantage of today’s meditation to invite you to pray like the first Christians used to. They used the “lectio divina” process, where they took the time to talk with God in silence and meditation, thinking about the word of God. This process takes a daily passage from the Bible, like we do every day in these meditations. After reading attentively, you try to answer three great questions: 1) What is this passage saying? Think about what catches your attention, what words are said and what actions are taking place. 2) What is this passage saying to you? This is where you try to understand what God’s message is for you. 3) What is your answer? This is a daily lesson that remains in you, and you propose something for your daily life. These aspects can help improve prayer to deepen our connection with God.
God bless you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Remember, Heaven is our goal!
