Gospel (Mt 6:7-15)

And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:

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 debts,
As we also have forgiven our debtors;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Commentary

Today we once again hear the words of the Our Father, the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. This prayer, so often repeated by Christians of all times, contains a great depth of teaching.

To listen attentively, we need to realize that the intentions found there are a summary of what Jesus carried in his own heart. The Our Father is like a window into our Lord’s inner world, which enables us to glimpse the content of his dialogue with his Father God, and what his own motivations were and the obstacles he himself faced.

Jesus teaches us that all our requests, whatever they may be, should be addressed to the God who is our Father. Thus he shows us that our prayer should rest on the trust with which we turn to a father who only wants our good.

Today’s liturgy invites us to try to make our own prayer conform to our Lord’s prayer and to learn little by little to have his same desires: that all men and women may come to know the name of God, that his Kingdom may become a reality in this world, that we may attain the true nourishment we need and the strength to fight against temptation and sin, and that if we have been treated badly by others, to know how to forgive them.

These were the things that our Lord saw as important. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us see them as important also for us, and that we may have the same sentiments as Christ, with our heart ever more in harmony with his divine Heart. And above all, let us ask him to help us to address our Father God who is in heaven with great trust.