Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:7-15

7 "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us this day our daily bread; 12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; 13 And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus presents us with the most perfect of prayers, the Lord’s prayer. One of the three pillars of good Christian Life is a focus on prayer and prayerful life. It is interesting how this readings starts out, “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” He goes on to tell them, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” God in heaven already knows our needs. We are told not to show off with prayer, but to be simple with our requests. Do not ramble, the simpler the request, the better. Any time you think that you need something, it should always be preceded with “If it is your will, …” Of all the prayers we say, the Lord’s prayer is the most perfect prayer of all because it was given to us by Christ. It encompasses everything Christians should stand for. It is truly a prayer formed from the Words of God.

No matter how bad the transgressions we have committed, God is waiting for us with open arms. In the Lord’s prayer, we ask for so much with so few words. First, we call forth God, not as a deity but as a paternal person when we say “Our Father”. This means that we have a loving relationship with God. God is the Father who protects us. We them give homage to his deity, “Hallowed be thy name.” We recognize that he is almighty. We also recognize that the kingdom of God is here among us and that it is God’s will that is important, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.” We call forth the kingdom to be here with us. We should desire eternal life with God and that must begin today. You cannot wait until the last day. It is through our actions today and our fulfillment of the sacraments that leads us to heaven. We ask God in this prayer to give us all that we need to survive the day, “Give us our daily bread.” God provides all that we need to survive. But likewise, we should only ask for what we need to survive that day otherwise greed and gluttony begin to consume our lives. We thank God for providing our daily needs by being sorrowful for our sins. However, not only must we be sorrowful for our own sins, we must also forgive those who have sinned against us. Jesus says, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Lastly, we ask God to be the light of our life. We ask him to lead us out of the darkness of sin and to deliver us from evil. We should say the Lord’s Prayer as often as possible. Any time you need a little help getting through the day, say the Lord’s prayer.

A Simple and perfect Prayer

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 debts,

As we also have forgiven our debtors;

And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon

Meditation: Do you pray with joy and confidence? The Jews were noted for their devotion to prayer. Formal prayer was prescribed for three set times a day. And the rabbis had a prayer for every occasion. Jesus warns his disciples against formalism, making prayer something mechanical and devoid of meaning, with little thought for God. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray he gave them the disciple’s prayer, what we call the Our Father or Lord’s Prayer. This prayer dares to call God “our Father” and boldly asks for the things we need to live as his sons and daughters.

It is through the gift of the Holy Spirit that we can know God personally and call him “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). We can approach God our Father with confidence and boldness because Jesus Christ has opened the way to heaven for us through his death and resurrection. When we ask God for help, he fortunately does not give us what we deserve. Instead, he responds with grace and favor and mercy. It is his nature to love generously and to forgive mercifully. When he gives he gives more than we need so we will have something to share with others in their need as well.

God is kind and forgiving towards us and he expects us to treat our neighbor the same. Do you treat others as they deserve, or do you treat them as the Lord would treat you with his grace and favor and mercy? Jesus’ prayer includes an injunction that we must ask God to forgive us in proportion as we forgive those who have wronged us. Ask the Lord to free your heart of any anger, bitterness, resentment, selfishness, indifference, or coldness towards others. Let the Holy Spirit fill you with the fire of his burning love and compassion and with the river of his overflowing mercy and kindness.

“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 with your love that all my intentions and actions may be pleasing to you. Give me the grace to be charitable in thought, kind in deed, and loving in speech towards all."