How to Pray?

Today’s Gospel:  "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come.Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread; 12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; 13 And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.

14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matt 6:7-15

Reflection:  ‘Comparison of religions in multi-religious society’, and Jesus does just that!

The Gentile way of doing things and the way his followers are supposed to do things would be different. Since their concept of God is different.  One has to appease the gods the other has to only turn to the God who cares with sincere prayer from the heart.  

Why should his followers not do things differently? Jesus clearly indicates to us that if we pray the right way God will hear our prayers; for he has revealed to us who God is. He is our Father and he cares for us. May be we may not pray the Lord's prayer which Jesus taught us but it is a model prayer for his disciple to follow and base their prayers on.  


The Greatest truth about who God is and what one should do to please him so that he or she is heard is contained in the Lord’s Prayer.

It is important to mention here the Catholic Rosary prayer, since the many so called wise consider the Rosary to fall in the category of what Jesus is saying in the gospel.  They have got it all wrong.

The Rosary is primarily a contemplative prayer, aimed at contemplating the mystery of Christ as revealed in scripture and tradition.  This labour of contemplation could then be offered for the salvation of souls and thus it becomes an intercessory prayer too. All this action is worth twice and multiplied, because we have the Most Holy presence with Mary as our mother with us as we pray it.  

Yet as in any prayers we could approach God in the wrong sense and pray as if they are magic formulae’s.  Similarly, we may not be praying the Rosary as it is supposed to be prayed and thus loose out on its many blessings.

Prayer:  Thy will be done!

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