THE WORD
Jon 4: 1–11 / Lk 11: 1–4
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” And Jesus said to them, “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 test.’”
IN OTHER WORDS
The rosary is probably the most prayed and best-known devotional prayer, as well as the most carried devotional item, among Catholics. As we celebrate today the Memorial of the Our Lady of the Rosary, let us be reminded once again of the power of prayer. Prayer is our way of communing with God. It is in prayer that we are brought closer to God. The more we pray the more we are united with God. The Apostles who were with Jesus all the time recognized this. They saw in Jesus a man of prayer, a man who was always praying and communing with His heavenly Father. That’s why in today’s gospel the Apostles asked Jesus to teach them how to pray and He taught them a communal and complete/perfect prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer shows us the essential elements of what a prayer should be. It is a prayer of thanksgiving, self-surrender, living in God’s providence, recognizing our sinfulness, asking for forgiveness and forgiving those who sinned against us, and finally asking God to help us fight every temptation of life. This prayer is not just for our sake but also for the sake of our brothers and sisters. We mean to pray not only for ourselves but also for one another since we are a family; we are all brothers and sisters, and God is our Father. This prayer shows us what is our true relationship with God – a “Father and son/daughter relationship.” It also shows us God’s graciousness, mercy, compassion and loving kindness. We should also treat one another in the same way that God treats us so that we can live as true sons and daughters of our heavenly Father.
Let Mary, the Lady of the Holy Rosary, be our model of faith because throughout her life, Mary lived devoutly as an obedient daughter of God. How about us? Do we pray fervently to God? How do we pray? Do we live as God’s true sons and daughters should? Do we allow Jesus to speak to us every time we say the Lord’s Prayer?
- Joey B. Ruega, SVD (DWC, Calapan City)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
