GOSPEL
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had
finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as
John taught his disciples.”
Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for
we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final
test.”
REFLECTION
The Internet has changed the nature, scope and method of
communicating information. Most specifically, the answer to just about any
question rests at our fingertips. Want to know the answer to something?
Google it.
Want to know how to do something?
YouTube it.
Want to know something completely useless about your
favorite celebrity?
Become a “Follower” on Twitter or “Like” them on Facebook.
A wealth of information and an entire team of experts wait
patiently to be called into service by each and every one of us.
Despite the multitude of viral videos, though, and blog
posts that rise from unknown to overnight Internet sensations, if we want to
learn how to pray we should turn directly to Jesus. We should turn to God’s
Word, the Bible.
God’s Word lives in the Bible. When the Gospel is
proclaimed, we transcend time and participate in that moment alongside Jesus.
He speaks to us through the Bible. It is, literally, His Word.
Want to know more about Jesus? He will speak to you through
the Bible.
Want to come to know Jesus’s plan for your life? Meet Him in
the Gospels.
Want to know how to pray? Jesus, the world’s foremost expert
on prayer, tells us in today’s Gospel. He gives us the words, His Words, to
use. That’s why we call it the Lord’s Prayer. We don’t need anything fancy. We
don’t need anything cute or more poetic. We don’t need anything longer. We just
need these words, His Words:
Father in heaven, your name is above all other names.
Your Kingdom reigns above all others; Your Will be done both
on earth and in heaven.
Humbly we ask for food for our journey, physically and
spiritually.
We are sorry for our sins and we forgive those who have
sinned against us.
Please don’t let evil come to us, but when it does (because
it will) give us Your Strength to overcome it.
GO: Pray.
