Thursday of the 11th week in ordinary time
Sirach 48: 1-14 Mathew 6: 7-15
Theme: The Lord’s Prayer
In the gospel reading of today, we see Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus was very comprehensive and all-encompassing too, without too much emphasis on the self. This says a lot to you and I as Christians and children of God. Sometimes our personal prayers are self-centred and exclusively for us and our loved ones. Today Jesus gives us a guide on how to pray in a way that is selfless and pleasing to God. Dear friends in Christ, the fact that the disciples of Christ were willing to learn from their master how to pray, simply shows that prayer is important and a necessity in our life. Thus, we are all encouraged on a day like this by our liturgy to be people of prayer; both in our individual life and in our families.
Dearly beloved in Christ, as Christians and followers of Christ, one of our weapons of warfare is prayer, and we must do all within our power to make it part of our life. The more prayerful we are, the more connected we will be with the Divine. We must never allow anything to separate us from our prayer life, not even the challenges and difficulties of life. The importance of prayer in our lives cannot be over emphasized. This is seen in the life of Jesus himself; he took time out to pray before making any major decision in his life. If Jesus who is God, always look for an opportunity to commune with his heavenly father, let alone you and myself that are mortals. The emphasis on pray today does not begin and end with you as an individual, it also involves our families and faith community. We must give each other a helping hand when the need arises, there is power in intercessory prayer. The saying that a family that prays together stays together is very true and should be practiced by our families. It is never too late for us to accept the invitation to prayer that is presented to us today, whether as an individual or as a family.
As you embrace a life of prayer, may almighty God bless his words in our hearts, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, Amen. Peace be with you.