7-Oct-15

Gospel LK 11:1-4
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.”
He 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:
For many of us, prayer can be challenging; it certainly was for the disciples of Jesus. They asked him, "Lord, teach us to pray.........."
Many people are not aware that there are two similar but different versions of the Our Father in the gospels. One appears in today's gospel by Luke, the other in the gospel of Matthew.
It is through Jesus' words in Matthew 6:5-8 which precede his teaching of the Our Father that Our Lord not only tells us what words to pray, but "how" to pray:
"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward."
There have been times when offering petitions at public prayer that I have struggled to find just the right words, just the right phrase. Then, in embarrassment, I have thought, "Why am I trying so hard to phrase it perfectly? Who am I praying to and for? God? Or those who are standing here with me?"
Jesus goes on to say, "Pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
When praying privately, I begin by centering myself on how much God loves me. He loves me as a parent loves their child; not simply because of any goodness I may have, but in spite of my many failings.
When I am able to tune myself into God's love for me, I feel my spirit responding in love of Him. I become acutely aware of the words in the gospel of John 4:19, "We love because he first loved us."
It is only then that I can pray the one truly unselfish prayer, Jesus, as you commanded, help me to love you and to love others.

"This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections." Saint Augustine