Father Knows

Today’s Gospel Text:  "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: "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (vs. 8)

Whose Father knows what we need before we ask him?

These words of Jesus are addressed specifically to the dedicated disciples; which means, that, to them God is their Father who have accepted the message of Jesus and dared to address him as Father.

In the process, Jesus is also communicating another truth to his dedicated disciples; the Father is concerned about our needs and if our needs are not met in any way then it is no need.

We either believe in this truth or allow ourselves to be deceived by our wants and make these wants our need.

Our wants can never be our need and yet we can always deceive ourselves and as humans we are capable of deceiving ourselves, of making our wants our needs.

For example; how difficult it is with regards to the most essential need such as food to know which of it is need and which is want or how much is need and how much is want and when it is a need and when it is a want.

Nor is it true that God does not supply our wants, but to a dedicated disciple he trains them by not supplying their wants so that they may not be deceived into believing that their wants are their needs.

In the process he also trains the dedicated disciple in trusting God to be the giver and provider.

Thus the Psalmist will acclaim: “The Lord is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant. (Ps 111:4b -5)

It also affirms that if God can take care of the needs of the dedicated disciple then it is also true that he can take care of everything and is with them in all things.  

St. Catherine of Sienna once said: "To the servant of God every place is the right place, and every time is the right time." (Letter)

Prayer:  Lord, I believe that you are able to provide us with every blessing in abundance that we may have enough of everything and provision in abundance for every good work. (cfr. 2 Cor 9:8)

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

To Follow

Today’s Gospel Text: Peter began to say to him, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you." 29 Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many that are first will be last, and the last first." Mark 10:28-31

Reflection: Peter in the gospel claims that he has left everything while following Jesus: "Lo, we have left everything and followed you." (vs. 28)

There are something’s in life in which we can make a choice and some in which we can make no choice.

Can a child make a choice for an ideal parent or to go to an ideal school or can anyone make a choice aas to which country they have to belong and who should be their neighbor?

A cruel parent can make a child desire for the ideal or for a better way of life and so too an adult could opt or desire for something better if a marriage begins to get rocking or a job becomes a burden.

The search for the ideal or a better way of life is what keeps the adult going, either searching or learning or migrating or divorcing or breaking, etc..

With Jesus as the one to follow, Can anyone ever make a statement of wanting more or desire the immeasurable?

Is not Christ the fullness, the abundance, the provider and the creator and much more? Then what could be lacking a man who follows Jesus and what more can a person want if one follows Christ?

How unfortunate it seems that Peter who has made a choice to follow Christ was wanting more than what he had done. 

Yet there are very few in the history of humanity who has followed Christ with complete trust and abandonment.  It is so very much difficult to abandon oneself to the Lord’s providence, assuring presence and comfort with us.

I marvel at the heroic abandonment and trust of some of the saints beginning with the Apostles to give up everything in order to follow the pearl of great price.

Peter had to first learn from the master that to leave everything and follow Christ was to really leave everything and make Christ Jesus the only goal of one’s abandonment to God.

Prayer:  Lord, help me to follow you closely and trust in your providence, even willing to give up everything. 

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