Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

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.

— Matthew 6:7-14



The peace of the Lord be with you. So much has been written about the Our Father that there is nothing I could write here that could further us spiritually. However, a couple of things about this passage stuck out for me that may be worth taking some time to think about.

First, that prayer is so important for us that Jesus made it a point to teach us how to pray, so that our prayer glorifies God and helps us express our concerns to Him.

The second point is that Jesus emphasizes that we should not get caught up in lengthy vocal prayer because God already knows what is on our hearts. Perhaps this why the early Christian community spent time in quiet, reflective prayer so that they could hear God speaking to them.

May our prayer life always be thankful, restorative, and transforming. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Readings for Thursday, June 18, 2020