"And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Luke 11:9)
In today's reading, Jesus answers his disciples' request to teach them to pray. "When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test." (Luke 11:2-4)
"The Lord's Prayer is the most perfect of prayers...[It] not only teaches us to ask for things, but also in what order we should desire them" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2763, citing St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, II-II, 83, 9). With this in mind, we should ask to:
- BELIEVE
- SERVE
- SURRENDER
- ASK & SEEK
- FORGIVE
- PERSEVERE
I recently gave a presentation on the Transformational Power of the Lord's Prayer at my parish. Over the course of this next week, I will share some insights from that presentation.
Today, I invite you to reflect on your own prayer life. How do you pray? For what do you pray? When do you pray? Why do you pray? What is your favorite prayer or way to pray? What do expect to receive from your prayer?
Faith Chat:
Adults/Youth: Do you really believe prayers make a difference? Share an example of how prayer has made a difference in your life.
Children: How do you pray - talk and listen to God? What is your favorite prayer? When is your favorite time to pray?
Faith Response: Ask family members to share what they typically pray for. Challenge one another to not only pray for personal matters, but also for others, including your neighborhood, parish, city, state, and world. Make a prayer list and post it on your refrigerator door. Invite family members to add petitions to the list. Include these petitions in your family prayer.
Pray: Lord, teach us to pray. May our prayers draw us closer to you and connect us to other people and all of creation. Amen.
