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.”
Today’s Gospel Acclamation is from St. Paul reminding us that God has no spiritual grandchildren we are all first generation spiritually adopted sons and daughters. ”You have received a spirit of adoption as sons through which we cry: Abba! Father! Rom 8:15
Therefore, Jesus begins with the words, “Our Father”, when He teaches us to pray. Jesus teaches us that the point of prayer is to bring us into the presence of God and be in communion with Him. This is why the Eucharist is the Source and Summit of the Christian disciples’ life. Every time we enter a Catholic Church or Adoration chapel we must try as best we can to realize we are truly in the presence of God. When a person reflects on this it is truly amazing! What a great sacrifice by God to allow us to enter His presence on earth without disintegrating. Mercy once again is the center of the Lord’s prayer. We are sinners who need God’s mercy and we in turn must have mercy on others. Jesus taught us by example that prayer is to be a rhythm of our lives. He often went up the mountain or a quiet place to pray. We may need to train ourselves to make it part of our life, but any time we feel God’s presence and feel close to Him it is prayer. The Holy Spirit has moved us to Him. It can be seeing a mom with her baby, a sunrise on the way to work or school or a sunset out on the farm, a struggle that ends in forgiveness, being in a Church, getting along with co-workers or friends and feeling needed in a group, simple things that bring joy and mean the most where love is found. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to bring us into the presence of God. Try to remember to ask the Holy Spirit to bring you to God in prayer and sit in silence without distractions. Focus on a scripture passage from each day’s Gospel or an event in your day that you want to bring to God. I often place myself in Jesus’ presence in two ways: the foot of the Cross or on the beach with a campfire. Talk to Jesus like your are texting a friend, but most importantly listen. Allow the Holy Spirit to bring you in communion with Christ. Once there, we have reached the pinnacle of prayer and just sit in peace and joy with the Lord. If we can do this 15 to 20 minutes a day, our lives will be transformed by Him. Sitting in the presence of our Creator and Savior by the power of the Holy Spirit brings great fulfillment and joy to our lives because we know what we are made for and then we go forth with purpose: to continue the battle for holiness and reach our heavenly home to be with our Creator and Savior with the Spirit forever.
Today’s challenge: Start making prayer a habit by sitting in a quiet place for two minutes trying to allow the Holy Spirit to bring you into the presence of God. Increase your time each week. A habit takes 6 weeks to make or break. This is a very difficult task that I still do not do well. It is difficult to do anything for one week when it is hard and presents a challenge with our time. The rewards are eternal!
Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO
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