Luke 11:1-4

Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14

Psalm 117: 1bc, 2

Luke 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.”

Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are all holy, and call me to share in your holiness. Establish your reign in my heart and in my family. Nourish your divine life in me, forgive my sins, strengthen my resolve to forgive others, and guide me safely to my heavenly home with you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Jesus Teaches His Disciples to Pray: The Lord’s Prayer is the perfect prayer and summarizes the entire Gospel (CCC, 2761). The version in Luke, with five petitions, is shorter than that of Matthew, with seven petitions, but the essentials are still there. In the prayer, the Lord teaches us what to ask for from our heavenly Father. The prayer also draws us into the mystery of who the Father is (see CCC, 2779). Praying to the Father deepens our desire to become like him through grace and helps our hearts grow in humility and filial trust (see CCC, 2784-85). The first petition asks that the Father’s name be made holy. This draws us into the mystery of his plan of salvation and our call to holiness (CCC, 2807). Luke’s second petition asks primarily for the final coming of the reign of God (CCC, 2818). The Kingdom has been established by Jesus, is in our midst now, and yet awaits its consummation at the end of time. The third petition asks for the nourishment that our physical and spiritual lives require (CCC, 2830). The fourth petition, in Luke’s version, begs for the gift of God’s mercy. It is a “mercy which can penetrate our hearts only if we have learned to forgive our enemies, with the example and help of Christ” (CCC, 2862). The fifth petition asks the Father to keep us from the path that leads to sin. It also is a request for the grace of vigilance and final perseverance (CCC, 2864).

2. The Council of Jerusalem: The First Reading is taken from Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. The Letter is Paul’s defense of the Gospel that he has been preaching for several years. Whether or not the Letter was written before or after the Council of Jerusalem in A.D. 49, the letter makes the same argument as the Council – the Gentiles who now believe in Christ are justified by their faith and are not to be burdened by many things commanded by the Law of Moses. At the Council, Peter spoke about how he preached to the Gentiles and how their hearts were purified by faith (Acts 15:9). James, acting as the bishop of Jerusalem, agreed with Peter and quoted a prophecy from Amos about the Gentiles calling upon the Lord when David’s line was rebuilt in the Messiah (Acts 15:15-18; Amos 9:11-12). While some of the laws of Moses were judged not to be imposed upon the Gentiles who believed in Christ, the law of Moses did remain “a source of moral instruction for the gentiles, however: Jesus commends that gentiles hear it. But concretely the council decides that it is sufficient that gentiles abstain from the impurities associated with idolatry and the sexual immorality pervading the empire (Acts 15:19-29)” (Prothro, The Apostle Paul and His Letters, 149).

3. Paul Has to Correct Peter: In the First Reading, Paul tells us about two different encounters with Peter, one in Jerusalem and one in Antioch. The first encounter was when Paul and Barnabas presented their preaching to the Apostles in Jerusalem. They met with the pillars of the Church – Peter, James, and John – and made sure that their preaching was sound and that their ministry among the Gentiles was not in vain. During the second encounter, in Antioch, Paul had to correct Peter publicly for not acting in accord with the Gospel. By choosing to stop eating with the Gentiles when visitors came from Jerusalem, Peter was acting as though justification and life come by the Law of Moses rather than the grace of Christ (Prothro, The Apostle Paul and His Letters, 154).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for teaching me how to pray and for teaching me what to pray for. Your Father is so good, and I only want to ask for the good things I need to attain eternal life. Guide my prayer always and make sure that I always ask for things according to your Father’s will.

Living the Word of God: Do I model my daily prayer on the Lord’s Prayer? Do I desire holiness? Do I desire God to reign? Do I desire supernatural nourishment? Do I desire mercy? Do I desire to persevere to the end?