Tradition

Today’s Gospel Text: "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; 26 truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.

27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

31 "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33 "Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.

38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; 40 and if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; 41 and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' Matt 5:21-43

Reflection:  All the sayings of Jesus has one thing in common; "You have heard that it was said” and somewhere else Jesus adds; “to the men of old”.  

All these while I thought Jesus was referring to the Law or the commandments, instead he was pointing out to the extended interpretation of the law.

This extended interpretation is what we also call, the tradition.

If you thought that all that talk about tradition and following it was a Catholic invention then here it is; Jesus is not only referring to tradition but further, either correcting or adding to the tradition.

If it was not Jesus, then some would have even condemned him for adding to the Law and changing the meaning of the law. They would have said; look, he is behaving like a Catholic.

In the light of this, I want to throw a challenge:  Get me any protestant who denies the value and importance of tradition and I will prove to them that they too have a tradition.  Though they may deny or even renounce tradition and may strictly claim that they go only by scripture, yet their tradition is as old as their founder who first interpreted the word to them and taught them to protest.  

Here in Jesus’ case, it was not the law that Jesus was referring to but the interpretation of the law which in many instances were not written in the Old Testament. It was an oral tradition carried for generations; from men of old to the men now.  (Which latter, in written form, was referred to as the Talmud)

Prayer:  "With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding. If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open.”  Job 12:13-14

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Faith in Jesus

Scripture/Bible: As he entered Caper'na-um, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him 6 and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." 7 And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." 8 But the centurion answered him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." 10 When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth." 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; be it done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment.  Matt 8:5-13

Reflection:  We all hold some job or the other, if not then we may have our own businesses. Even if we are sick or handicapped we still are able to do some work or the other.  The least we can do by way of labor, is pray.

Work either helps us grow or can make us stagnant, some shrivel up or even become worse in the labor they undertake.  

The human being creatively expresses through his daily work and may learn from it things that are good for his progress. They, more so, learn to relate with one another and their superiors and friends through their various interactions in the work place.

No matter how talented one may be, one of the chief qualities one carries and learns is the ethics of life; sound character, the aspect of charity and endurance, bearing up with those colleagues who are difficult to interact with, etc.   

All these action are made beautiful, if it begins with the creator and ends with seeking the glory of him who makes it possible for us to be perfected in our surroundings.  If only we knew how to draw from his presence the life, which is only him and give it to others according to the capacity of the vessel we are.

In the Gospel we have a beautiful example of learning from one’s work, which is then made beautiful in the holy presence of God:

The centurion has through his daily work learnt at least one thing and that is the power of human words to command and bring to fruition what it means.  At the same time we see in his interaction with Jesus, the limitation he must have seen in his own words to accomplish or help a person in distress.

How often we may have heard that we need to reach out to people who are suffering and in pain, just as Jesus did and went home carrying a guilt, because we have realized that somewhere deep down it is not possible in our hands, no matter how powerful we may be.

The faith of the centurion is also the absence of faith in himself and in  his own authority and might. It is a faith in Jesus who is able to accomplish all things beautifully and in his time.

Prayer:  Lord, help me not to be wise in my own eyes and teach me to fear you and turn away from evil.  So that It may be healing to my flesh and refreshment to my bones. (Cfr.Prov 3:7-8)

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How to be Happy?

Scripture/Bible: Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matt 16:13-19

Reflection:  Who does not want to be happy and blessed?

I believe that all people draw their happiness from some relationships or the other:

Some are happy because they relate with a lot of wealth and property, some are happy because they relate with their hoarded wealth and bank balance, some are happy because they have access to the powerful men in positions of power, some are happy because they hold positions of power and authority, some are happy because they have found the partner of their dreams or have parents, brothers, sisters or friends who care.  Some are happy on account of their pets.

Our happiness cannot be in isolation, except in situation when one is in love with oneself and relates only to the self. It is dependent heavily on the relationship we live and hold on to.  The key thing about this relationship is that they animate our lives and it is as if they speak to us.

In the gospel text Jesus speaks about a happiness or blessed state and yet it could only be the beginning of one’s life journey: "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (vs.17)

If only humanity learns to relate with the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, then they would be blessed and happy, because, He the almighty God does communicate to us the truth and the intricacies of life, even eternal life and thus we shall be happy.

This was Jesus’ ultimate purpose in coming into this world and offering himself as a living sacrifice; so that we could be reconciled to our ultimate source of life and happiness and live our life in union with God our Father. The apostle Peter was only an example, the fruit of his work.

Prayer: “Lord you choose to make known to us the great riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in us, the hope of glory, our sure happiness. (cfr. Col 1:27)

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Do His Will

Scripture/Bible:  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.' 24 "Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; 25 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; 27 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it." 28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. Matt 7:21-29

Reflection:  “I rejoice at thy word like one who finds great spoil.”  Ps 119:162

To know another person’s will one has to know what is in the mind of the other. In order to know the mind of the other we could either read about them or ask that person.  In order to know from the person we could either go to him or invite him to come to us.

When it comes to God we often expect him to come to us and reveal to us his will. If he would do that then we would perhaps obey his will and even do what he asks of us.

But how often do we realize and know that there are certain basic facts concerning God’s will for us:

The primary fact about God’s revealed will is Jesus.  In other words Jesus is God’s revealed will for us. This means, when we approach God through Jesus his beloved Son, we become acceptable to God, and his primary will is accomplished in our lives.Believe in Jesus! 

But the greatest block to seek to know God’s will is pride.  Either our pride prevents us from seeking his will and the fear and anxiety thereof makes us afraid of rejections or loosing of friends, relationships, sinful habits and greed can affect our seeking of God’s will. 

Yet the good, acceptable and perfect will of God has to be made known to the world. (cfr. Rm. 12:2)  As Catholics we celebrate this will of God at every Eucharist and we fail him not through our thanksgiving and praise of him. 

Nor should we fail him in proclaiming this will of the Father to others, which is to lead others too to believe in the one whom he has sent. (cfr Jn. 6:29)

Prayer: “Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God! Let thy good spirit lead me on a level path! Ps 143:10

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Hungry Wolves

Scripture/Bible: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. 18 A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will know them by their fruits. Matt 7:15-20

Reflection:  How many of us can confidently say that they can identify a false prophet from a true one?

If you think this question is neither worth pondering nor answering then you are in for trouble? Jesus compares these false prophets, in our midst, to ravenous wolves and that too coming in deceptive form, in sheep’s clothing. 

One of the qualities outlined by Jesus is their hungry nature, as one being ravenous.  It definitely doesn’t mean that they are going to eat us, but rather it definitely means that they are a hungry lot.

What do they hunger for or what is the ravenous nature that we need to be careful about?

Is it not their deep hunger for self glory, increased membership in their pet projects,agenda's and programmes for human emancipation, at any cost, even at the cost of inducing fear or if in authority then imposing their ideologies, increased hunger for attention and publicity, wanting to create a name for themselves at the cost of compromising on the truth and the Gospel of Christ.

Any form of false indoctrination, teaching of erroneous doctrine and instilling a false kind of fear, working through deception and ultimately seeking an increase in their following through cleverly devised and secure plans.

It means a deceptive way of going about, by coming in sheep’s clothing.

They may even hunt in packs and have a common vision, goal and unity which almost camouflage the gospel spirit of unity, love, peace and brotherhood.  They have an insidious plan with a never satisfying appetite and may give the impression that they are in the service of God.

Of such wolves the Lord says this: “Her princes in the midst of her are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain.” Ezek 22:27

Prayer: “deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men. For, lo, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men band themselves against me. Ps 59:2-3

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Dog and Swine Culture

Scripture/Bible:  "Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you…….12 So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matt 7:6, 12-14

Reflection: “Men have goodness in them and they are basically good,” said the preacher, so that all may believe, in what he had to dish out.

On the other hand you have Jesus reminding us: “And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.”  Mark 10:18

And now we have Jesus more explicit and clear and it seems; there could be among humans who are dogs and swine’s.  Though this judgment is not with us but the visible manifestation of these creatures is not a distant dream.

The extreme measure you can follow to identify them is to throw what is holy or throw your pearls to them and see how they trample things under foot and the vicious among them may even charge at you in order to attack you.

Who are these dogs and swine’s? They could be the faithful, either in active service of the Master or a pet in the house of the Lord or could be an unclean one to be shunned lest they make you unclean too.

The worst is the swine class who sometime reign in the church of God, who fail to see the value of the pearls and have gone for any types of food as long as it is food; any types of spirituality as long as it is spirituality.

So we have unbridled inculturation, theological syncretism, new age as world views, compromised dialogues, proclamation of one’s achievements, practice of eastern spiritual techniques and Psycho-Social spirituality and  Marxist-liberationist ideologies – unclean food of the swine!

Like the swine; as long as it is food that fills the stomach, and keeps them and those who follow them, alive for the day of slaughter.   

Prayer: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." Isa 2:3/ Mic. 4:2

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Judge not

Scripture/Bible:  "Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Matt 7:1-5

Reflection:  Why is human nature so notorious that it refuses to see the log in its own eyes instead of making every effort to see the speck in other people’s eyes?

Why? 

Where did this problem originate? Is it not at the time of our first parents, their fallen nature sought to blame each the other as if there was a log in the others eye when it is only a speck there and log here in one’s own eye.

We need not go down to history to see the many wrongs people have been subjected to, by those sitting in judgment with logs in the eyes, over those with a mere speck. 

If one reflects, the situation appears grim as men with their craftiness hide their misdeeds with creative intelligence and usurped power. 

Thus we arrive at a new class of poor; not just the material but those who are victims of such atrocities unleashed by the wicked or the rich.

Here the rich here are those who wield power and authority or have the power of seduction, either on account of wealth, money, influence, beauty, gift of the gab, and bully about by taking advantage of their apparent poor and weak position in society towards a devious end.

What a depressing world it would be if not for the hope of an eternal life and the intervention of God in the life of those who trust in him.

    

“For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life? Will God hear his cry, when trouble comes upon him?” Job 27:8-9

Prayer: “Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. O let the evil of the wicked come to an end but establish thou the righteous.” Ps 7:8-9

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Divine Plan

Scripture/Bible: Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a son. 58 And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they would have named him Zechari'ah after his father, 60 but his mother said, "Not so; he shall be called John." 61 And they said to her, "None of your kindred is called by this name." 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." And they all marveled. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea; 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him. …. 80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel. Luke 1:57-66, 80

Reflection: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.”  Prov 19:21

First we need to understand the meaning of the proverb lest we incorrectly understand that good and evil comes from the Lord or what is pre-determined and destined will happen.

The case of Elizabeth in today’s Gospel text is a very good example in understanding this proverb and its meaning. 

In this it is not that God is bulldozing his way irrespective of the plans of men but rather it means that what he had intended by way of advice to Elizabeth will be established irrespective of what plans the men and women around may make, basing themselves on their own reasoning’s and logic.  

In other words if God is allowed his place in the company of believers by at least one of his instrument then his plan and purpose will definitely be accomplished and Elizabeth is an example of it.

The message is clear to all; we may likewise plan many things through logical reasoning’s and well drawn out plans but it is important and necessary that we seek his wisdom which may at times may not be reasonable to our limited human comprehension.  

It is not by bread alone that we live; the bread of human labor and sweat, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

That would be the difference between walking by faith and not by sight (2Cor. 5:7).  Sometimes this trust in God means a blind leap which our modern education and exposure quells and destroys.

No wonder we find that the faith of the Apostle’s is waning among the educated and intellect of the world who have given their minds up in the service of unbridled reason rather than the service of sure lasting divine and eternal wisdom.

Prayer: Forever, O Lord, thy word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Thy faithfulness endures to all generations. Ps 119:89-90

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Serving a Master

Scripture/Bible:   "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. 34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day. Matt 6:24-34

Reflection: There seems to be something wrong with this statement of Jesus; "No one can serve two masters.” Take for example the whole concept of multitasking and you will find that there are people who do better than some in more than one task simultaneously, if not two. 

Some of us at work place can have two masters and or a master at home, head of the family and the master at work place.

The spiritual realm where his teaching needs to be implemented, it becomes more complicated: we are one thing in the Church and the other outside. We devoutly pray in the church and once out we are full of filth, cursing, abusing and quarreling with the same tongue.

The wicked; we see them flourishing and some even doing well, becoming the envy of the others who struggle to walk in righteousness, in the footstep of the one master.  They steal, rob, gossip, slander, hurt, abuse, practice immorality, drink and make merry and yet never seem to be in misery.

 

With all these evidences lined up, shall we then conclude that there is no truth in the statement which says; “we cannot serve two masters?”

If we have reflected well on yesterday’s reflection, then we realize and by now would have arrived at the truth behind Jesus’ words: 

All these sinful pleasures and the service of men towards their selfish and wicked goals is ultimately serving the one master; Mammon.   Even if it means the aggrandizement of the self and seeking one’s glory, ultimately it is a service of the Mammon.  Even if it is a service to the poor and the downtrodden done to assuage one’s guilty conscience it is a service of Mammon.

The way of these pleasures is like marinating meat with the most wonderful spices for a great barbecue on fire.  Except that this preparation is for the eternal fire beginning with this life.

“The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want.” Prov 13:25

Prayer: “May we Lord serve thee in your kingdom, and in thy great goodness which thou gavest us, and in the large and rich land which thou didst set before us; and may we turn from our wicked works.” (cfr. Neh 9:35)

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Heart’s Treasures

Scripture/Bible: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; 23 but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! Matt 6:19-23

Reflection: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Think for a while; if you thought that that which is valuable is treasure then you are partially right; for what is valuable to you may not be valuable to everyone. 

Though things that are valuable in terms of wealth or money are considered treasures but for the Lord that definition has no value and it is not useful for our salvation.

It is no treasure even if it is the most costly thing in the world in terms of monetary measure, only when your heart is on it then that is treasure.  Wow! What a definition of the word treasure. a subjective way of looking at and arriving at an objective meaning! 

We may not set our hearts on money or gold but we could be setting our hearts on sinful pleasures and addictions.  We may not set our heart on a house or a bungalow but our hearts could be set on accumulating pseudo knowledge and degrees and qualifications.

Our hearts could be set on pets, and artifacts and designers and branded items.  So also our hearts could be set on power and positions in our work place or society at the cost of compromising on our moral principles and character.

Our hearts could also be set on sinful habits and bondages in its search for freedom and happiness, or it could seek that happiness in fragile human relationships.

Among all these numerable attachments that the heart could be set on, we realize that we can’t be a desire free hermit and run away from this very nature of the human heart, which by its very nature yearns to be set on something or the other. It even leads to much pain, trauma, anxiety, hurt, frustration and guilt when its goal is not achieved.

O the wondering human heart in search of its lost love, how will it be satisfied in the mortal perishable things of life!

No wonder St. Augustine said:  “Our hearts were made for you, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you.”       

Prayer: “Blessed is he whom thou dost choose and bring near, to dwell in thy courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, thy holy temple! Ps 65:4

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What’s Prayer?

Scripture/Bible:  "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:  The only prayer that Jesus taught his disciples was the ‘Our Father’.

That’s the most interesting aspect of the man who taught us to watch and pray always. (Lk. 21:36; Mk.13:33-37; Mt. 24:42, 25:13) Just a few lines of prayer!

If we look at these few lines then we have missed a point.  Jesus in this prayer teaches us the endless, unceasing, eternal and effective prayer and the very first words are more than enough to communicate that. : 

By introducing God as Father he has introduced us into a relationship, that too an eternal relationship unlike the mortal relationships in which we normally find our happiness in.  

Thus he has changed the whole dynamism of prayer, which is no longer an abstract form, a compulsion, that has to exist in our life whether with multiple words or a mantra or some techniques or an exercise in concentration or some magical formula. 

You got to sit and relate or seek to relate with the one whom Jesus introduces to us Father; His Father is now gifted to us as a Holy, almighty, royal, powerful, reigning, merciful, forgiving and providential God as 'Our Father".   

The stranger God is no longer a stranger because Jesus our friend and redeemer introduces him to us as a Father who though powerful and almighty cares to provide us our daily bread, forgives us our sins provided we forgive those who trespass against us and protects us from the evil one and his temptations.

If I know this then I need not recite the prayer again and again in order to enter into a relationship with God but only live out this relationship always and anywhere, in his presence.

Do you really consider God as your Father, then live it out, why are you worked up, anxious and worried, rather seek to know him and his love merciful and providential love for us.   

Prayer:  Recite the Lords’ prayer meaningfully and live out it out beginning with your prayer time.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us