"Lord, teach us to pray..."
Dear Friend,
You are a disciple of Jesus to your family (and other families). From the Gospel of last Sunday, the disciples learned that Mary had chosen the right thing -- she sat down at the feet of the Lord and listened to His teaching. As a disciple to your family, this is also the right thing to do in the presence of Jesus while in prayer. This could have been in the minds of the disciples when they asked Him, to teach them to pray -- to listen in prayer.
Please read the Gospel (Luke 11:1-13) before going to Mass this Sunday and prepare the family to participate in the Celebration. Then, request the family talk about these teachings.
"When you pray, say this: Father, hallowed be your name," -- The Lord is our Father and verses 11 to 13 describe how our Father loved us. He gives no less than the Holy Spirit who reveals the truth about Him. We shall honor Him as His sons and daughters by truly listening to the Holy Spirit.
"may your kingdom come," -- The Father sent His Son to us to bring us to His kingdom, to follow His will. We pray that whatever we do shall bring us closer to the kingdom.
"give us each day our daily bread," -- Bread is what we need to have life. What the Father will give will give us life. The Father will attend to the needs of His sons and daughters everyday.
"and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive all who do us wrong," -- We admit that we are not perfect and are sinful. The Father who forgives, wants us to forgive others to become like Him.
"and do not let us fall into temptations." -- And in our imperfections, we can fall into temptations. Only the Father can protect us, by guiding us a way out of temptations.
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you." -- Our Father knows what we need, but do we know? He wants to hear from us before He gives it. Remember the time when a blind beggar cried out to Jesus? Jesus had to ask, "What do you want me to do for you?" (Luke 18:41) Also to Bartimaeus in Mark 10:51. Knowing what we want, we shall find when we seek it and have the decision to "knock" -- to act.
Prayer and Reflection ~
Request the family to pray the "Our Father" with these teachings to the disciples in their mind and heart. Pause after every sentence to reflect on the words of Jesus.
After the prayer, ask anyone to share his/her reflections.
The essence of a family prayer is to be able to pray and support each other in the family's journey to the Father.
Joe & Charito
THE CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF MANILA'S
ONLINE RESOURCE FOR FAMILY MINISTRIES
www.simbahayan.org
servants@simbahayan.org
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