Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. – Matthew 6:8

       I was buying something online but I couldn’t complete my transaction.

      I called my credit card company and a recorded message asked me to select among five options. Then it asked me to select among another four. Then enter my credit card number. Then choose among another set of options. Finally, there was an option to speak to someone! When I chose it, I was asked to wait for someone to be available to talk to me.

     When I finally heard a live voice, I was asked for my credit card number and a bunch of questions to confirm it was really mine. By the time she understood and addressed my concern, I had been on the phone for 30 minutes.

    I’m so glad talking to God is not complicated. No queue, no veri-fication, no complex process just to be heard. He taught us just how easy it is to pray. Plus, He already knows exactly what we need, so there’s no need for the long drawn explanation. We are certain He understands clearly. Kitty D. Ferreria (kittydulay@yahoo.com)

Reflection: How has the quality of your prayer time improved over the years?

Chapters 48-50 of Sirach are a beautiful eulogy for many of the great figures of Jewish history. Elijah is featured as the first of the prophetic stream and probably the greatest of the prophets. The question we need to ask ourselves is, “What legacy do we want to leave behind after we die?” There is a price to pay — the greater the legacy, the greater our life of service and self-giving has to be.

1 Like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah whose words were as a flaming furnace. 2 Their staff of bread he shattered, in his zeal he reduced them to straits; 3 By the Lord’s word he shut up the heavens and three times brought down fire. 4 How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! Whose glory is equal to yours? 5 You brought a dead man back to life from the nether world, by the will of the Lord. 6You sent kings down to destruction, and easily broke their power into pieces. You brought down nobles, from their beds of sickness. 7 You heard threats at Sinai, at Horeb avenging judgments. 8 You anointed kings who should inflict vengeance, and a prophet as your successor. 9You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with fiery horses. 10You were destined, it is written, in time to come to put an end to   wrath before the day of the Lord, to turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons, and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob. 11 Blessed is he who shall have seen you and who falls asleep in your friendship. For we live only in our life, but after death our name will not be such. 12 O Elijah, enveloped in the whirlwind! Then Elisha, filled with a twofold portion of his spirit, wrought many marvels by his mere word. During his lifetime he feared no one, nor was any man able to intimidate his will. 13 Nothing was beyond his power; beneath him flesh was brought back into life. 14 In life he performed wonders, and after death, marvelous deeds.

Psalm 97:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7

R: Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

1 The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice; let the many isles be glad. 2 Clouds and darkness are round about him, justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne. (R) 3 Fire goes before him and consumes his foes round about. 4 His lightnings illumine the world; the earth sees and trembles. (R) 5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory. (R) 7 All who worship graven things are put to shame, who glory in the things of naught. All gods are prostrate before him. (R)

Jesus teaches His disciples to pray. He tells them (and us, too) to praise God and acknowledge Him as their Father, pray for the coming of His Kingdom here on earth, ask for their daily bread, and pray for the forgiveness of their sins as they forgive those who sin against them. Finally, He teaches them to pray that they will be protected from temptation and evil. This pattern for prayer is valid for all time and all ages.

You have received a spirit of adoption as sons through which we cry: Abba! Father!

7 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. 8 Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 This is how you are to pray: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, 10 thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread; 12 and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; 13 and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ 14 If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

think: What legacy do you want to leave behind after you die?

Thank You Lord for: __________________

THE GREAT VALUE OF THE LORD’S PRAYER

One of the observations on the new English edition of the Roman Missal, which came out some years ago, is regarding the introduction to The Lord’s Prayer. What used to be several options have been reduced to only one, which is for us the best of those former choices. It goes by a literal translation of the original Latin: “At the Savior’s command, and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say...”

       It’s true. In front of the greatest Christian prayer of all, we actually have three distinct things: 1) a command of Jesus Himself; 2) a model instructing us what and how to pray to God the Father; and 3) a bold, daring act on our part. The reasons for these are as follows:

       1. There is a certain importance and urgency to the matter, such that Jesus commands us to pray. We cannot take lightly the whole business of prayer, nor can we just drag our feet.

     2. In our possible weakness and confusion, Jesus comes to our assistance by providing us with a template, an example or model for our prayer. It is not only a sample of what we can pray for (the content), but more importantly a pattern of how we are to pray (the underlying attitudes and outlooks).

       3. Come to think of it, we really do not have the right to face up to God and talk to Him head on. And so, in an attitude of humility and at the same time fortitude (a certain cheekiness or pluckiness), we marshall our guts and approach the Lord — yes, even in our weaknesses and needs.

      Such then is the great value of the “Our Father.” May we ever treasure it, use it, and allow it to guide us in life. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: Which part of The Lord’s Prayer has a personal significance for you?

Thank You for teaching us what to pray for and how to pray, dearest Jesus. Amen.