‘Lord, teach us to pray’
Prayer re-connects us to our true purpose in life: intimate communion with our loving Creator. The ministry of Jesus himself was rooted in prayer. It began after a prolonged period of prayerful solitude in the desert. It ended with a final loving prayer imploring forgiveness, not only for those who sought to end Jesus’s life, but for all of us when we fail to acknowledge the graces we have been given.
Abraham (First Reading), demonstrating an almost cheekily confident relationship with God, calls on God’s infinite mercy for his people.
The Psalm is a song of gratitude for God’s loving mercy and forgiveness. Despite still facing trials, the psalmist feels full of life.
Paul reminds the Colossian community (Second Reading) that Christ has forgiven all of their (and our) trespasses. Through his forgiveness, we are made alive with him.
The disciples ask Jesus for guidance on prayer (Gospel). Jesus teaches them that God is not some distant, absent father-figure, but rather a loving Daddy: ‘Abba’. When we ask for our ‘daily bread’, we are not praying to a grumpy, sleepy friend, but to one who is always ready to respond by pouring out the Holy Spirit for us, upon us, and in us. This abundant answer to our prayer is indeed all that we will ever need.
As Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee Year, let us pray for a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation within ourselves, our families, our communities, and wherever there is conflict in the world.
