Wednesday, October 8, 2014

GO: Pray

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.