10-08-14, WEDNESDAY GOSPEL LUKE 11:1-4 MEDITATION AND REFLECTION Meditation: 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 disciples prayer, what we call the Our Father or Lords Prayer. 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). 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. We can pray with expectant faith and trust in the Fathers 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. 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 that we must ask God to forgive us in proportion as we forgive those who have wronged us. Gods grace frees us from every form of anger, spite, resentment, envy, and hatred. Are you ready to forgive others as 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. The following reflection is courtesy of Presentation Ministries (c) 2014. Their website is located at presentationministries TEACH US TO PRAY (Lk 11:1) When you pray, say: Father... Luke 11:2 (Editors note: This is a reprint of a teaching written a few days before Fr. Al Lauer died in October of 2002.) This morning I attended Mass in the bedroom of Father Al Lauer, the founder and long-time author of One Bread, One Body. Father is dying of liver cancer and has only days left to live. Father couldnt rise out of bed and could barely talk, but he still wanted to give a short homily on todays Gospel. I am passing on his words to you, for the words of those dying in Jesus carry special credibility (see Ps 116:15). I thought of Jesus gasping out His precious last words on the cross as I listened to Fathers homily. Father said: This section of Lukes Gospel is really not so much about the persistence of prayer as it is about the certainty of our prayers being answered. Jesus wants us to trust in God the Father as our Abba. Jesus wants us to be certain when we pray that either our prayer will be answered as we requested or God will answer it even better than we asked (even though it may initially seem as if the Lord is saying No). God is our Abba (Lk 11:2). Have confidence in Abba as One Who always answers our prayers and is vitally concerned (cf Lk 10:40) about every prayer we bring to Him. Then Father Als strength was spent, and he had to close his eyes and rest as the Mass continued. When you pray, say: Abba... Prayer: Father, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come (Lk 11:2). Promise: Steadfast is His kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the Lord endures forever. Ps 117:2
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 23:44:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015