“Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” MT 6:8

 

These words from Today’s Gospel are shared to us by Jesus in response to His disciples’ request to learn how to pray. Jesus says not to babble with a lot of words so as to be heard because Our Father knows what we need before we ask.  To babble is to come across as foolish, unintelligible, or impossible to understand.  Thank You Jesus for showing us how to avoid fighting against ourselves, the temptations of the devil and to have humility and trust in our prayer.

 

Prayer is the elevation of our mind and heart to God in praise of His Glory.  Prayer is an opportunity to petition God for some desired good for ourselves, or others, and then, in thanksgiving, giving praise for the good received.  It is the Our Father, or The Lord’s Prayer, the title given to the prayer Jesus entrusted to us and the Church by our early Christian Sisters and Brothers, that represents the most perfect way to talk and share ourselves with God.

 

One of our first Church Fathers, Tertullian, said that the Lord’s Prayer “is truly the summary of the whole Gospel.”  He further describes the importance of saying this prayer first as the appropriate way to lay the foundation for further petitions and desires.  St Augustine showed how the psalms, while the principal food of Christian prayer, actually flow together in the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer.  Perhaps it is the words of St Thomas Aquinas that best illuminates the importance and understanding of the Our Father when he says, “The Lord’s Prayer is the most perfect of prayers…In it we ask, not only for all the things we can rightly desire, but also in the sequence that they should be desired.  This prayer not only teaches us to ask for things, but also in what order we should desire them.” (STh II-II, 83,9)

 

These words, from Jesus in the Gospel, are God’s words.  Do we believe that God's word has power to change and transform our life today? In today’s First Reading, the prophet, Isaiah, says that God's word is like the rain and melting snow which makes the barren ground spring to life and become abundantly fertile (IS 55:10-11). God's word has power to penetrate our dry barren hearts and make them springs of new life. If we let God's word take root in our heart it will transform us into the likeness of God Himself and empower us to walk in His way of love and holiness.

 

God wants His word to guide and shape the way we think, act, and pray.  Our Father wants us to know that we can approach Him confidently because He is waiting with arms wide open to receive us.  That is why Jesus gave us, His disciples, the quintessential prayer that dares to call God, Our Father. This prayer teaches us how to ask God for the things we really need, the things that matter not only for the present but for eternity as well. We can approach God our Father with confidence and boldness because the Lord Jesus has opened the way to Heaven for us through His Death and Resurrection.  Let us start with the Lord’s Prayer and then say…

 

"Father in heaven, you have given me a mind to know you, a will to serve you, and a heart to love you. Give me today the grace and strength to embrace your holy will and fill my heart and mind with your truth and love that all my intentions and actions may be pleasing to you. Help me to be kind and forgiving towards my neighbor as you have been towards me."

 

May God’s Grace and Blessings Always be with you and yours!!  Our Lady of Guadalupe – Pray for us!!  

Yours in Christ,

Deacon Bob

St. Clare of Assisi

Houston, Tx

P.S.

URGENT ALERT!!!

Apprently, scammer is hitting me up again, if you receive emails or text messages using my name asking for help or trying to get you to respond, PLEASE delete it. Thank you for your attention! Fr. Vincent