Perhaps we pray better when we say nothing at all!

Good morning, happy Tuesday, and many blessings.

Today’s Gospel (Matthew 6:7-15) reading begins with Jesus telling his disciples that they should not babble their prayers like the pagans do. The pagans may think that more words are better and they may hope that many words will bring them a favorable response from their gods.

Are you having difficulty praying just now? Maybe you are confused, annoyed, day-dreaming. Try to be still for a few moments. Do you not know what to say? Try the prayer that Jesus offers here, the Our Father, praying it slowly, or just be still and silent in the Lord’s presence. Prayer is a time of relaxing into the mystery of God’s love, letting go of tensions and worries for this period of time.

What does this prayer tell me about who God is? Which is my favorite phrase?

Which do I have most difficulty with? Let that be my prayer.  Talk with Jesus about how I am. ‘Thy kingdom come’? Can I dare to dream that God has s dream for me, for us? Talk to him about this.

‘Your will be done?’  Do I have a sense of being held in the hollow of God’s hand? When I am in difficulty, how quickly can I ‘involve’ God in my prayer?

Maybe we pray best when we say nothing at all! Our words can be sparing. Often we don't know what to say in our prayers, or we tire of saying the same things over and over. Maybe then we can go into silence before God, with each breath a grateful receiving of life and love; or just say some of the words of the Our Father, the prayer he uses to put words on our desire to pray.

Jesus gives a model for prayer in the Our Father. I pray for those who taught it to me, for all who helped me to understand it.

I take the prayer in the words that are familiar to me and pray that God's way of being and seeing be evident in me.

As I pray for forgiveness, I dispose myself to be forgiving. I make myself ready for healing by not harboring resentment.

I am reminded by Jesus not to let my prayer time become too wordy, I might use a favorite phrase from the Our Father and let it guide me through this day.

This short and simple prayer is rich, but profound in its simplicity. Today I invite you to find a quiet place and pray (truly pray) the Our Father slowly and deliberately. Be aware of the words. Pray them from your heart, not your head! Then sit quietly for three to five minutes.

As you go about the rest of your day, notice if there is something different for you today? I pray there is. You may even sense Jesus’ presence with you and within you throughout the day. What a gift that would be!

Blessings

Fr. Luis+