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Gospel: 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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Prayer is essential to the life of a disciple. But sometimes we don’t know how to pray… or what to say.
Let me share what I prayed this morning:
“I thank you, Father, that I’ve not been greedy; I’ve not been selfish; I’ve not been rude to my neighbor; I’ve not spoken ill of anyone; I’ve not coveted what isn’t mine.”
“But now I must get out bed!”
(I’m only kidding).
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I’m sure we all start the day with good intentions, but they become harder to keep once we put our feet on the floor, which is why Jesus gives us the Lord’s Prayer. It contains every petition we need to live holy lives.
We all know it, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name…”
It’s something we’ve said thousands of times, but by virtue of routine, may take it for granted.
Still, it’s quite profound.
Consider the final two petitions – “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
If every Christian who prayed those words took them seriously, then our world would be a very different place. We’d have a society rooted in the virtues of love and forgiveness, with people constantly striving to be better versions of themselves.
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“I thank you, Father, that I’ve not been greedy. I’ve not been selfish; I’ve not been rude to my neighbor; I’ve not spoken ill of anyone; I’ve not coveted what isn’t mine.”
“But now I must get out bed!”
As we recite the Lord’s Prayer this morning, may we mean what we say – give us the grace to love, to forgive, and to be the best version of ourselves.
Because God will only give us what we’re willing to extend to our neighbor.
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Image credits: (1) St. Pius X First Communion, by Andrea Pruyn (2) NIV Bible (3) Common Grace