Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 463
Lectionary: 463
Jonah was greatly displeased
and became angry that God did not carry out the evil
he threatened against Nineveh.
He prayed, "I beseech you, LORD,
is not this what I said while I was still in my own country?
This is why I fled at first to Tarshish.
I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God,
slow to anger, rich in clemency, loath to punish.
And now, LORD, please take my life from me;
for it is better for me to die than to live."
But the LORD asked, "Have you reason to be angry?"
Jonah then left the city for a place to the east of it,
where he built himself a hut and waited under it in the shade,
to see what would happen to the city.
And when the LORD God provided a gourd plant
that grew up over Jonah's head,
giving shade that relieved him of any discomfort,
Jonah was very happy over the plant.
But the next morning at dawn
God sent a worm that attacked the plant,
so that it withered.
And when the sun arose, God sent a burning east wind;
and the sun beat upon Jonah's head till he became faint.
Then Jonah asked for death, saying,
"I would be better off dead than alive."
But God said to Jonah,
"Have you reason to be angry over the plant?"
"I have reason to be angry," Jonah answered, "angry enough to die."
Then the LORD said,
"You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor
and which you did not raise;
it came up in one night and in one night it perished.
And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city,
in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons
who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left,
not to mention the many cattle?"
and became angry that God did not carry out the evil
he threatened against Nineveh.
He prayed, "I beseech you, LORD,
is not this what I said while I was still in my own country?
This is why I fled at first to Tarshish.
I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God,
slow to anger, rich in clemency, loath to punish.
And now, LORD, please take my life from me;
for it is better for me to die than to live."
But the LORD asked, "Have you reason to be angry?"
Jonah then left the city for a place to the east of it,
where he built himself a hut and waited under it in the shade,
to see what would happen to the city.
And when the LORD God provided a gourd plant
that grew up over Jonah's head,
giving shade that relieved him of any discomfort,
Jonah was very happy over the plant.
But the next morning at dawn
God sent a worm that attacked the plant,
so that it withered.
And when the sun arose, God sent a burning east wind;
and the sun beat upon Jonah's head till he became faint.
Then Jonah asked for death, saying,
"I would be better off dead than alive."
But God said to Jonah,
"Have you reason to be angry over the plant?"
"I have reason to be angry," Jonah answered, "angry enough to die."
Then the LORD said,
"You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor
and which you did not raise;
it came up in one night and in one night it perished.
And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city,
in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons
who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left,
not to mention the many cattle?"
Responsorial
PsalmPS 86:3-4, 5-6, 9-10
R. (15) Lord,
you are merciful and gracious.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O Lord,
and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O Lord,
and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.
R. Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
AlleluiaROM 8:15BC
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 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."
He 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 final test."
one of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
He 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 final test."
Meditation: "Lord, teach us to pray"
Do you pray with joy and confidence? The Jews were
noted for their devotion to prayer. Formal prayer was prescribed for three set
times a day. And the rabbis had a prayer for every occasion. It was also a
custom for rabbis to teach their disciples a simple prayer they might use on a
regular basis. Jesus' disciples ask him for such a prayer. When Jesus taught
his disciples to pray he gave them the disciple's prayer, what we call
the Our Father or Lord's Prayer. (See longer
version in Matthew 6:9-13).
God treats us as his own sons and daughters
What does Jesus' prayer tell us about God and about ourselves? First, it tells us that God is both Father in being the Creator and Author of all that he has made, the first origin of everything and transcendent authority, and he is eternally Father by his relationship to his only Son who, reciprocally is Son only in relation to his Father (Matthew 11:27). All fatherhood and motherhood is derived from him (Ephesians 3:14-15). In Jesus Christ we are reborn and become the adopted children of God (John 1:12-13; 3:3).
What does Jesus' prayer tell us about God and about ourselves? First, it tells us that God is both Father in being the Creator and Author of all that he has made, the first origin of everything and transcendent authority, and he is eternally Father by his relationship to his only Son who, reciprocally is Son only in relation to his Father (Matthew 11:27). All fatherhood and motherhood is derived from him (Ephesians 3:14-15). In Jesus Christ we are reborn and become the adopted children of God (John 1:12-13; 3:3).
We can approach God confidently as a Father who
loves us
Jesus teaches us to address God as "our Father" and to confidently ask him for the things we need to live as his sons and daughters. We can approach God our Father with confidence and boldness because Jesus Christ has opened the way to heaven for us through his death and resurrection. When we ask God for help, he fortunately does not give us what we deserve. Instead, he responds with grace and mercy. He is kind and forgiving towards us and he expects us to treat our neighbor the same.
Jesus teaches us to address God as "our Father" and to confidently ask him for the things we need to live as his sons and daughters. We can approach God our Father with confidence and boldness because Jesus Christ has opened the way to heaven for us through his death and resurrection. When we ask God for help, he fortunately does not give us what we deserve. Instead, he responds with grace and mercy. He is kind and forgiving towards us and he expects us to treat our neighbor the same.
We can pray with expectant faith and trust in the
Father's goodness
We can pray with expectant faith because our heavenly Father truly loves each one of us and and he treats us as his beloved children. He delights to give us what is good. His love and grace transforms us and makes us like himself. Through his grace and power we can love and serve one another as Jesus taught - with grace, mercy, and loving-kindness.
We can pray with expectant faith because our heavenly Father truly loves each one of us and and he treats us as his beloved children. He delights to give us what is good. His love and grace transforms us and makes us like himself. Through his grace and power we can love and serve one another as Jesus taught - with grace, mercy, and loving-kindness.
Do you treat others as they deserve, or do you treat
them as the Lord Jesus would with grace and mercy? Jesus' prayer includes an
injunction (charge) that we must ask God to forgive us in proportion as we
forgive those who have wronged us (Matthew 6:14-15). God's grace frees us from
every form of anger, resentment, envy, and hatred. Are you ready to forgive
others as the Lord Jesus forgives you?
"Father in heaven, you have given me a mind to
know you, a will to serve you, and a heart to love you. Give me today the grace
and strength to embrace your holy will and fill my heart with your love that
all my intentions and actions may be pleasing to you. Help me to be kind and
forgiving towards my neighbor as you have been towards me".
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The privilege and responsibility of calling
God Father, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444
AD)
"For the Savior said, 'When you pray, say, 'Our
Father.' And another of the holy Evangelists adds, 'who art in heaven' (Matthew
6:9)... He gives his own glory to us. He raises slaves to the dignity of
freedom. He crowns the human condition with such honor as surpasses the power
of nature. He brings to pass what was spoken of old by the voice of the
psalmist: 'I said, you are gods, and all of you children of the Most High'
(Psalm 82:6). He rescues us from the measure of slavery, giving us by his grace
what we did not possess by nature, and permits us to call God 'Father,' as
being admitted to the rank of sons. We received this, together with all our
other privileges, from him. One of these privileges is the dignity of freedom,
a gift peculiarly befitting those who have been called to be sons. He commands
us, therefore, to take boldness and say in our prayers, 'Our
Father.'" (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE,
HOMILY 71)
WEDNESDAY,
OCTOBER 11, LUKE 11:1-4
Weekday
(Jonah 4:1-11; Psalm 86)
Weekday
(Jonah 4:1-11; Psalm 86)
KEY VERSE: "Lord teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples" (v 1).
TO KNOW: The disciples observed Jesus praying and they asked him to teach them to pray, as John the Baptist taught his disciples. In response to their request, Jesus taught them the Lord’s Prayer. In Matthew’s Gospel, the Lord’s Prayer is part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 6:9–13). In Luke's gospel, the setting is a time of prayer, characteristic of his gospel. Comparison of the two forms of the Lord’s Prayer reveals that the content is basically the same, though shaped by different community traditions. Matthew’s text was later adapted for liturgical use, and has been used in worship down to our day. The briefer text of Luke may be less familiar, but it probably reflects the original instruction of Jesus. Both begin with Jesus’ distinctive address for God, “Father” (Hebrew: Abba). He prays for the glorification of God’s name on earth and for the full establishment of his reign. Then the prayer turns to the disciples’ needs: God’s providential care and continual protection in the face of the “final test” at the end of time. Both versions relate God’s forgiveness of us, and the necessary forgiveness of others. In order to have a right relationship with God the Father, we must seek him in prayer, as Jesus did.
TO LOVE: Do I spend time each day in prayer to our Father?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, teach me how to pray.
Optional
Memorial of Saint John XXIII, Pope
Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli , the firstborn son of a farming family in northern Italy, was always proud of his roots. After his ordination in 1904, Angelo went to Rome for canon law studies. He soon worked as his bishop’s secretary, as a church history teacher in the seminary, and as publisher of the diocesan paper. In 1921 he was made national director in Italy of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. In 1925 he became a papal diplomat. During World War II, Archbishop Roncalli helped save an estimated 24,000 Jewish people. Named a cardinal, he was he was elected pope a month short of entering his 78th year. He was the first pope in more than 500 years to take the name of "John" upon election. His wit soon became proverbial, and he began meeting with political and religious leaders from around the world. His most famous encyclicals were Mother and Teacher (1961) and Peace on Earth (1963). Pope John XXIII surprised those who expected him to be a caretaker pope by calling the historic Second Vatican Council (1962–65). On his deathbed he said: “It is not that the gospel has changed; it is that we have begun to understand it better. Those who have lived as long as I have . . . know that the moment has come to discern the signs of the times, to seize the opportunity and to look far ahead.” Pope John died on June 3, 1963. Saint John Paul II beatified him in 2000, and Pope Francis canonized him in 2014 alongside Pope John Paul II. His feast day is not celebrated on the date of his death as usual, but on 11 October, the day of the first session of the Second Vatican Council.
Wednesday 11
October 2017
St John XXIII
Jonah
4:1-11. Psalm 85(86):3-6, 9-10. Luke 11:1-4.
Lord, you
are tender and full of love — Psalm 85(86):3-6, 9-10.
‘Lord,
teach us to pray.’
Luke speaks about Jesus’ teaching
on prayer. Let us ponder a while on this important part of our lives.
Benedictine sister Joan Chittister says prayer is about the immersion in the
mind of God. She describes it beautifully:
‘Prayer restores the soul that is
dry and dulled. It heals the wounds of the day and reminds us who we want to be
at the deepest, truest part of us … Clearly it is not the sum of prayers we
pray that counts. It is the way our prayer life changes our own hearts and
lives that determines its quality.’
(The Monastery of the Heart)
POPE SAINT JOHN XXIII
Born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli at Sotto il Monte, Italy on 25
November 1881, Pope John XXIII was elected Pope on October 28, 1958.
He died June 3, 1963 in Rome and was beatified by Pope John Paul II
on September 3, 2000.
Angelo was the fourth child of 14, born to pious parents. His religious education was entrusted to his godfather, who instilled in him a deep love and admiration of the mystery of God.
He entered the minor seminary in 1892 at the age of 11, became a Secular Francsican in 1896 and in 1901 he entered the Pontifical Roman Seminary. On being ordained in 1904, he was appointed secretary to the bishop of Bergamo and taught in the seminary.
His great friends among the saints during this formative period were St. Charles Borromeo and St. Francis de Sales, two outstanding intellectuals and also formidable pastors.
He served as a military chaplain during the First World War, served as spiritual director of a seminary, and in 1921 served as the Italian president of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
In 1925 Pius XI made him a bishop and sent him to Bulgaria as the Apostolic Visitator. For his Episcopal motto he chose Oboedientia et Pax. In 1935 he was assigned to Turkey and Greece where he ministered to the Catholic population and engaged in dialogue with Orthodox Christianity and with Islam.
During the Second World War he used his diplomatic means to save as many Jews as he could by obtaining safe passage for them.
He was created cardinal and Patriarch of Venice in 1953 and was a much loved pastor, dedicating himself completely to the well being of his flock.
Elected Pope on the death of Pope Pius XII, he was an example of a ‘pastoral’ Pope, a good shepherd who cared deeply for his sheep. He manifested this concern in his social enyclicals, especially Pacem in Terris, “On peace in the World.”
His greatest act as Pope however was undoubtedly the inspiration to convoke the Second Vatican Council, which he opened on October 11, 1962.
Pope John’s spirit of humble simplicity, profound goodness, and deep life of prayer radiated in all that he did, and inspired people to affectionately call him “Good Pope John.”
Angelo was the fourth child of 14, born to pious parents. His religious education was entrusted to his godfather, who instilled in him a deep love and admiration of the mystery of God.
He entered the minor seminary in 1892 at the age of 11, became a Secular Francsican in 1896 and in 1901 he entered the Pontifical Roman Seminary. On being ordained in 1904, he was appointed secretary to the bishop of Bergamo and taught in the seminary.
His great friends among the saints during this formative period were St. Charles Borromeo and St. Francis de Sales, two outstanding intellectuals and also formidable pastors.
He served as a military chaplain during the First World War, served as spiritual director of a seminary, and in 1921 served as the Italian president of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
In 1925 Pius XI made him a bishop and sent him to Bulgaria as the Apostolic Visitator. For his Episcopal motto he chose Oboedientia et Pax. In 1935 he was assigned to Turkey and Greece where he ministered to the Catholic population and engaged in dialogue with Orthodox Christianity and with Islam.
During the Second World War he used his diplomatic means to save as many Jews as he could by obtaining safe passage for them.
He was created cardinal and Patriarch of Venice in 1953 and was a much loved pastor, dedicating himself completely to the well being of his flock.
Elected Pope on the death of Pope Pius XII, he was an example of a ‘pastoral’ Pope, a good shepherd who cared deeply for his sheep. He manifested this concern in his social enyclicals, especially Pacem in Terris, “On peace in the World.”
His greatest act as Pope however was undoubtedly the inspiration to convoke the Second Vatican Council, which he opened on October 11, 1962.
Pope John’s spirit of humble simplicity, profound goodness, and deep life of prayer radiated in all that he did, and inspired people to affectionately call him “Good Pope John.”
He
was canonized by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square on April 27, 2014,
alongside the man who beatified him, Pope St. John Paul II.
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 11:1-4
Lectio Divina:
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
your love for us
surpasses all our hopes and desires.
Forgive our failings,
keep us in your peace
and lead us in the way of salvation.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
your love for us
surpasses all our hopes and desires.
Forgive our failings,
keep us in your peace
and lead us in the way of salvation.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 11,1-4
Now it happened that Jesus was in a
certain place praying, and when He had finished, one of his disciples said,
'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.'
He said to them, 'When you pray, this is what to say: Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test.'
He said to them, 'When you pray, this is what to say: Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test.'
3) Reflection
● In yesterday's Gospel, we saw Mary
sitting at the foot of Jesus, listening to his word. Anyone who listens to the
Word of God has to give a response in prayer. In this way, today's Gospel
continues with yesterday’s Gospel . This is the account in which Jesus,
because of his way of prayer, communicates to the disciples the desire to pray,
to learn to pray from him.
● Luke 11, 1: Jesus, example of prayer. "One day, Jesus was in a certain place praying and when He had finished one of his disciples said to him: ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples'". This petition of the disciples is strange, because at that time people learned to pray since they were children. Everyone prayed three times a day: in the morning, at noon and in the evening. They prayed often using the Psalms. They had their devotional practices, they had the Psalms, they had weekly meetings in the Synagogue and daily encounters at home. It seemed that this was not enough however. The disciple wanted more: "Teach us to pray!" In the attitude of Jesus he discovers that he could still advance more, and for this he needed some initiation. The desire to pray was in all of them, but the way of praying needs help. The way of praying attains maturity throughout life and changes through the centuries. Jesus was a good teacher: He taught how to pray with words and with witness.
● Luke 11, 2-4: The prayer of the Our Father. "Jesus answers: "When you pray this is what you have to say: Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come; give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt with us. And do not put us to the test". In the Gospel of Matthew, in quite a didactic way, Jesus summarizes all of his teaching in seven petitions addressed to the Father. Here in Luke's Gospel their are five petitions. In these five requests, Jesus repeats the great promises of the Old Testament and asks that the Father help us to fulfill them. The first three (or two) speak to us about our relationship with God. The other four (or three) speak to us about the relationships among us.
Mt - Lc: Introduction: Our Father who are in heaven
Mt - Lc: 1st request: Hallowed be your Name
Mt - Lc: 2nd request: Your Kingdom come
Mt: 3rd request: Your will be done
Mt - Lc: 4th request: Our daily bread
Mt - Lc: 5th request: Forgive our offences
Mt - Lc: 6th request: Lead us not into temptation
Mt: 7th request: Deliver us from evil
● Father (Our): The title expresses the new relationship with God (Father). It is the basis of fraternity.
a) To sanctify the Name: the Name of Yahweh I am with you! God with us. God made himself known with this name (Ex 3, 11-15). The Name of God is sanctified when it is used with faith and not with magic; when it is used according to its true objective, and not for oppression, but for the liberation of the people and for the construction of the Kingdom.
b) Your Kingdom come: The only Lord and King of human life is God (Is 45, 21; 46, 9). The arrival of the Kingdom is the realization of all hopes and promises. It is the fullness of life, the overcoming of frustration suffered with the kings and human governments. This Kingdom will come when the will of God is completely fulfilled.
c) The daily bread: In Exodus, the people every day received manna in the desert (Ex 16, 35). Divine Providence passed for fraternal organization as well as for sharing. Jesus invites us to fulfill a new Exodus, a new way of sharing in a fraternal spirit which will guarantee bread for all (Mt 6, 34-44; Jn 6, 48-51).
d) Forgiveness of debts: Every 50 years, the Jubilee Year obliged everybody to forgive their debts. It was a new beginning (Lev 25, 8-55). Jesus announces a new Jubilee Year, "a year of grace from the Lord" (Lk 4, 19). The Gospel wants to begin everything new! Today, the external debt is not forgiven! Luke changes "debts" for "sins".
e) Not to fall into temptation: In Exodus the people were tempted and fell (Deut 9, 6-12). They complained and wanted to go back. (Ex 16, 3; 17, 3). In the new Exodus, the temptation was overcome thanks to the grace and strength that people received from God (1Co 10, 12-13).
● The witness of the prayer of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke:
- At twelve years old, He goes to the Temple, in the House of the Father (Lk 2, 46-50).
- When He was baptized and He assumes his mission, He prays (Lk 3, 21).
- When He begins his mission, He spends forty days in the desert (Lk 4, 1-2).
- At the hour of temptation, He faces the Devil with texts from Scripture (Lk 4, 3-12).
- Jesus usually participated in the celebrations in the Synagogues on Saturday (Lk 4, 16)
- He looks for the solitude of the desert to pray (Lk 5, 16; 9, 18).
- On the day before He chose the twelve Apostles, He spent the night in prayer (Lk 6, 12).
- He prays before meals (Lk 9, 16; 24, 30).
- He prays before presenting the reality and before speaking about his Passion (Lk 9, 18).
- In time of crisis, He goes up to the mountain to pray, is transfigured while He prays (Lk 9, 28).
- When the Gospel is revealed to the little ones, He says: "Father I thank you!" (Lk 10, 21)
- By praying He awakens in the Apostles the desire to pray (Lk 11, 1).
- He prays for Peter so that his faith will not fail (Lk 22, 32).
- He celebrates the Paschal Supper with his disciples (Lk 22, 7-14).
- In the Garden of Olives, He prays while his sweat fell like drops of blood (Lk 22, 41-42).
- In his anguish He asks his friends to pray with Him (Lk 22, 40.46).
- When He was nailed to the cross, He asks for pardon for the bandits (Lk 23, 34).
- At the hour of his death, He says: "Into your hands I commit my spirit!" (Lk 23, 46; Ps 31, 6)
- Jesus dies sending out the cry of the poor (Lk 23, 46).
● Luke 11, 1: Jesus, example of prayer. "One day, Jesus was in a certain place praying and when He had finished one of his disciples said to him: ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples'". This petition of the disciples is strange, because at that time people learned to pray since they were children. Everyone prayed three times a day: in the morning, at noon and in the evening. They prayed often using the Psalms. They had their devotional practices, they had the Psalms, they had weekly meetings in the Synagogue and daily encounters at home. It seemed that this was not enough however. The disciple wanted more: "Teach us to pray!" In the attitude of Jesus he discovers that he could still advance more, and for this he needed some initiation. The desire to pray was in all of them, but the way of praying needs help. The way of praying attains maturity throughout life and changes through the centuries. Jesus was a good teacher: He taught how to pray with words and with witness.
● Luke 11, 2-4: The prayer of the Our Father. "Jesus answers: "When you pray this is what you have to say: Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come; give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt with us. And do not put us to the test". In the Gospel of Matthew, in quite a didactic way, Jesus summarizes all of his teaching in seven petitions addressed to the Father. Here in Luke's Gospel their are five petitions. In these five requests, Jesus repeats the great promises of the Old Testament and asks that the Father help us to fulfill them. The first three (or two) speak to us about our relationship with God. The other four (or three) speak to us about the relationships among us.
Mt - Lc: Introduction: Our Father who are in heaven
Mt - Lc: 1st request: Hallowed be your Name
Mt - Lc: 2nd request: Your Kingdom come
Mt: 3rd request: Your will be done
Mt - Lc: 4th request: Our daily bread
Mt - Lc: 5th request: Forgive our offences
Mt - Lc: 6th request: Lead us not into temptation
Mt: 7th request: Deliver us from evil
● Father (Our): The title expresses the new relationship with God (Father). It is the basis of fraternity.
a) To sanctify the Name: the Name of Yahweh I am with you! God with us. God made himself known with this name (Ex 3, 11-15). The Name of God is sanctified when it is used with faith and not with magic; when it is used according to its true objective, and not for oppression, but for the liberation of the people and for the construction of the Kingdom.
b) Your Kingdom come: The only Lord and King of human life is God (Is 45, 21; 46, 9). The arrival of the Kingdom is the realization of all hopes and promises. It is the fullness of life, the overcoming of frustration suffered with the kings and human governments. This Kingdom will come when the will of God is completely fulfilled.
c) The daily bread: In Exodus, the people every day received manna in the desert (Ex 16, 35). Divine Providence passed for fraternal organization as well as for sharing. Jesus invites us to fulfill a new Exodus, a new way of sharing in a fraternal spirit which will guarantee bread for all (Mt 6, 34-44; Jn 6, 48-51).
d) Forgiveness of debts: Every 50 years, the Jubilee Year obliged everybody to forgive their debts. It was a new beginning (Lev 25, 8-55). Jesus announces a new Jubilee Year, "a year of grace from the Lord" (Lk 4, 19). The Gospel wants to begin everything new! Today, the external debt is not forgiven! Luke changes "debts" for "sins".
e) Not to fall into temptation: In Exodus the people were tempted and fell (Deut 9, 6-12). They complained and wanted to go back. (Ex 16, 3; 17, 3). In the new Exodus, the temptation was overcome thanks to the grace and strength that people received from God (1Co 10, 12-13).
● The witness of the prayer of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke:
- At twelve years old, He goes to the Temple, in the House of the Father (Lk 2, 46-50).
- When He was baptized and He assumes his mission, He prays (Lk 3, 21).
- When He begins his mission, He spends forty days in the desert (Lk 4, 1-2).
- At the hour of temptation, He faces the Devil with texts from Scripture (Lk 4, 3-12).
- Jesus usually participated in the celebrations in the Synagogues on Saturday (Lk 4, 16)
- He looks for the solitude of the desert to pray (Lk 5, 16; 9, 18).
- On the day before He chose the twelve Apostles, He spent the night in prayer (Lk 6, 12).
- He prays before meals (Lk 9, 16; 24, 30).
- He prays before presenting the reality and before speaking about his Passion (Lk 9, 18).
- In time of crisis, He goes up to the mountain to pray, is transfigured while He prays (Lk 9, 28).
- When the Gospel is revealed to the little ones, He says: "Father I thank you!" (Lk 10, 21)
- By praying He awakens in the Apostles the desire to pray (Lk 11, 1).
- He prays for Peter so that his faith will not fail (Lk 22, 32).
- He celebrates the Paschal Supper with his disciples (Lk 22, 7-14).
- In the Garden of Olives, He prays while his sweat fell like drops of blood (Lk 22, 41-42).
- In his anguish He asks his friends to pray with Him (Lk 22, 40.46).
- When He was nailed to the cross, He asks for pardon for the bandits (Lk 23, 34).
- At the hour of his death, He says: "Into your hands I commit my spirit!" (Lk 23, 46; Ps 31, 6)
- Jesus dies sending out the cry of the poor (Lk 23, 46).
4) Personal questions
● Do I pray? How do I pray? What does
prayer mean for me?
● Our Father: I go over the five petitions and examine how I live them in my life
● Our Father: I go over the five petitions and examine how I live them in my life
5) Concluding prayer
Praise Yahweh, all nations,
extol him, all peoples,
for his faithful love is strong
and his constancy never-ending. (Ps 117,1-2)
extol him, all peoples,
for his faithful love is strong
and his constancy never-ending. (Ps 117,1-2)
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