Matthew 6:7-15

2 Corinthians 11:1-11

Psalm 111:1b-2, 3-4, 7-8

Matthew 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples:

“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,

who think that they will be heard because of their many words.

Do not be like them.

Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This is how you are to pray:

‘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 trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.’

“If you forgive others their transgressions,

your heavenly Father will forgive you.

But if you do not forgive others,

neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, I ask today that your name be hallowed throughout the whole world, that your reign be extended to all peoples, and that your will be accomplished here on earth. Grant me the bread of life, forgive my sins, strengthen me in time of tribulation, and deliver me from all evil.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Give Us: The Lord’s Prayer has been called by an early Christian writer, “the summary of the whole Gospel” (CCC, 2761). The proclamation of the Good News is summarized by Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount and the “Our Father” is at the center of this proclamation. It is the most perfect of prayers, because we ask not only for the things we can rightly desire, but also in the sequence that they should be desired (Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, II-II, q. 83, a. 9; CCC, 2763). After making three petitions that carry us toward the Father – that the Father’s name be hallowed, that his kingdom come, and that his will be done – the next four petitions move from the Father toward us and our needs in this world: “the fourth and fifth petitions concern our life as such – to be fed and to be healed of sin; the last two concern our battle for the victory of life – that battle of prayer (CCC, 2804-2805). When we pray, “give us this day, our daily bread,” we are asking God to give us the material and spiritual nourishment we need to live. It invites us to contemplate our responsibility in alleviating the material and spiritual hunger of those around us. Our “daily bread” or “supernatural bread” refers to both earthly nourishment and the Bread of Life – the Word of God and the Eucharistic Body of Christ.

2. Forgive Us: Just as the fourth petition is connected to a Sacrament we can receive often, so also the fifth petition is connected to a Sacrament – that of Reconciliation. The Sacrament of the Eucharist feeds us, while the Sacrament of Reconciliation heals us. Our sins build up debt, and this debt needs to be forgiven. We ask God to forgive us insofar as we forgive the debt of sin of others. “The fifth petition begs God’s mercy for our offences, mercy which can penetrate our hearts only if we have learned to forgive our enemies, with the example and help of Christ” (CCC, 2862).

3. Lead and Deliver Us: The sixth petition does not mean that God tempts us, but does acknowledge that God permits us to be tempted and tested. Life on Earth is a battle and a test. The sixth petition is a request for guidance, that of the Spirit, who can guide us through the wilderness to the Promised Land, up the mountain to encounter our Father, and into the cloud of God’s glory. “When we say, ‘lead us not into temptation,’ we are asking God not to allow us to take the path that leads to sin. This petition implores the Spirit of discernment and strength; it requests the grace of vigilance and final perseverance” (CCC, 2863). Like the sixth petition, the seventh acknowledges that God does not cause evil, but does permit it. There is evil at work in the world as well as the “evil one.” “In the last petition, ‘but deliver us from evil,’ Christians pray to God with the Church to show forth the victory, already won by Christ, over the ‘ruler of this world,’ Satan, the angel personally opposed to God and to his plan of salvation” (CCC, 2864).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for teaching me how to pray and giving me the model of all prayer. I humbly recognize that prayer is a gift from God and that I do not know how to pray as I ought. I trust in you and your Spirit to guide me as I pray so that I may enter into deeper communion with the Father.

Living the Word of God: Can I spend some time today or this week reflecting on the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer? Can I read over and reflect on some or all of the numbers of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Lord’s Prayer (CCC, 2759-2865)? Is God asking me to use the Psalms more frequently to guide my prayer?