A Gospel according to Mt 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.”
REFLECTION
"This is how you are to pray..."
Many years ago someone close to me told me that they preferred to pray with their own words, and not with repetitions that could or not mean anything to them.
Personal prayer and mental prayer are great ways to contemplate in Our Lord, and to continue that conversation with Him throughout the day.
However, once in a while, especially when things are harder than usual, I find myself at a loss for words or prayers. So I resort to the ancient prayers of the Church: a Hail Mary, the Our Father, a phrase from the Bible: "Jesus Son of David, have mercy of me", or simply invoke His Holy Name: Jes-sus!, etc.
Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan, in his book of spiritual exercises, tells us that during his life there were long periods when he was unable to pray and that he would hold fast to the texts of the Church's prayer: the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the prayers of the liturgy. *
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