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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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Today we begin our faith formation summer program. I’d like to begin by welcoming all of our young people who gather with us today. I ask everyone to pray for them, that the Holy Spirit would speak to their hearts and draw them closer to God.
Students, you will learn many things over the next week. One of the “essentials” is the importance of prayer, which is simply your conversation with God.
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I think of prayer like a stoplight.
We begin by telling God what we want: the courage to do what is right; the ability to forgive; the discipline to become a stronger student or athlete; healing from an illness.
Then we await God’s response. Like a stoplight, the answer will be either: red, yellow, or green.
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Sometimes we pray for something and God answers us immediately. A small example might be misplacing your phone. You ask God to help you find it and, suddenly, POOF! It’s right in front of you.
A green light.
Other times, we pray for something and the answer is, “No.” A red light. But remember, even Jesus was told, “No.” During his final night on earth, he asked his Father to stop him from suffering – “let this cup pass from me” – but the answer was, “No.”
Hours later, Jesus suffered and died for us. But three days later he was raised from the dead!
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Most prayers receive a yellow light. We ask God for something and the answer isn’t, “yes” or “no,” but, “wait.”
For example, you may ask, “God, what is your plan for my life?” Or, “God, will you heal this person whom I love?” While the answer may be, “yes,” sometimes God asks us to wait – to keep praying – because that helps to strengthen our faith.
What is a yellow light in your heart? What is a prayer you are waiting for God to answer?
While you wait, Jesus teaches us to pray the Our Father, which we heard in today’s Gospel. Why don’t we pray that now for everyone who has a yellow light, who’s waiting for God to answer.
Our Father…
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Image credits: (1) My Windowsill (2) iStock (3) The Cullman Tribune