Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư tuần 27 Thường
Niên
Tại sao các môn đệ xin Chúa Giêsu dạy cho họ cách cầu nguyện ?. Có phải họ xin Chúa day họ cầu nguyện vì họ cũng giống rất nhiều người như chúng ta, những người giống như thánh Phaolô và Thánh Phêrô và Thánh Barnaba. Chúng ta tha thiết cầu nguyện và hành động nhưng hai việc này có thể làm trong sư mâu thuẫn!
Làm thế nào để chúng ta có thể biết và làm theo như thánh ý của Thiên Chúa?
Một số người cho rằng lời cầu nguyện mà không bao giờ thất bại là lời cầu xin cho "Ý Cha được thể hiện" như những lời cầu xin của chúng ta, trong khi thực hiện những ước muốn của chúng ta là để được hiểu biết Thiên Chúa, chúng ta nên luôn luôn tin tưởng và đạt niềm tin của chúng ta trong ý muốn và kế hoạch của Thiên Chúa. Trong lời cầu nguyện của chúng ta, chúng ta phải lắng nghe Thiên Chúa, dành nhiều thời gian trong sự hiện diện của Thiên Chúa. Điều mà chúng ta cần phải cầu nguyện trước tiên là chúng ta cầu xin cho chúng ta biết thay đổi. Để lời cầu nguyện được thành sự thật, chúng ta phải mang theo trong mình, những nhu cầu của chúng ta, kẻ thù của chúng tôi và nỗi sợ hãi của chúng ta với Thiên Chúa và lắng nghe những gì Thiên Chúa muốn nơi chúng ta để Thiên Chúa có thể ban cho chúng ta những gì chúng ta thực sự cần thiết.
"Lạy Cha ở trên
trời, Chúa đã ban cho chúng con một tâm trí để nhận biết Chúa, một ý chí để
phục vụ Chúa, và một trái tim để yêu Mến Chúa. Xin
hãy cho chúng con hôm
nay những
ân sủng và sức mạnh để chấp nhận thánh ý Chúa và lấp đầy
trái tim của chúng con với tình yêu của Chúa rằng tất cả những ý
định và hành động của chúng con để có thể làm Chúa được hài lòng. Xin giúp chúng con có lòng
thương và tha thứ cho
những người thân cận, bạn bè láng giềng của chúng con như Chúa đã dành cho chúng con".
Wednesday 27th Ordinary Time
Why did the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray? Even if these men were not particularly pious, they would have at least a rudimentary knowledge of Jewish prayers. They must have been to the synagogue or perhaps the temple in Jerusalem a time or two. They had to be interested in God or knowing and associating with Jesus would not have held much of an attraction for them. Perhaps they ask because they are so much like us who are like Paul and Cephas and Barnabas. We earnestly pray and act but can be at odds! How can we know and do God’s will?
Some say that the prayer that never fails is: “Thy will be done.” Our prayers, while making our desires known to God, should always submit to God’s will and plan. In our prayer we must listen to God, spend time in God’s presence for just as we cannot be outside during daylight and be unaffected by the radiation of the sun, so we cannot be unaffected when we come into God’s presence. The first thing prayer always changes is us.
In order to really pray we must bring ourselves, our needs, our enemies and our fears to God and listen to what God wants from us so that God can give us what we truly need. May Your Kingdom come!
Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.” Luke 11:1–4
Imagine witnessing Jesus in prayer. Every word and gesture would radiate a sacred intimacy, a divine communion of love shared with the Father from all eternity. Though He is fully divine, Jesus, in His humanity, prayed not to acquire grace, but to manifest His perfect obedience and filial love toward the Father. His prayer is a revelation, showing us both how to pray and who God is—a loving Father who listens, provides, forgives, and protects.
For Jesus, prayer was not an external act added to His life; it was an eternal movement of love between Him and the Father in the Spirit. By assuming human nature, He did not abandon this divine communion. Rather, He drew our human nature into that eternal exchange, enabling us to speak to God as Abba, just as He does.
From a distance, one of the disciples observed this sacred exchange. Moved by the depth of Jesus’ prayer, he longed to enter into that same communion. He asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” This humble request is one that should become our daily petition.
The fact that this disciple needed to be taught how to pray reveals that prayer is not automatic. It is a grace we must learn, desire, and receive. Even those closest to Jesus required formation in lifting their hearts to God. In response, Jesus offers not only a set of words, but a divine structure for transforming our whole life into a living prayer.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus begins by addressing God as Abba. This expression conveys tenderness, intimacy, and trust, like a child resting in the security of a parent’s love. The first two petitions—“Hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come”—express eternal desires. In Heaven, the saints and angels eternally hallow God’s name and rejoice in His Kingdom. Thus, every earthly prayer should direct us to these everlasting realities.
But how do we glorify God’s name and bring forth His Kingdom here and now? Through the Eucharist. The prayer for “our daily bread” refers not only to our physical sustenance but, more profoundly, to the Bread of Life. In the Mass, God provides for every need—spiritual, emotional, and material—because the Eucharist is Christ Himself.
The greatest obstacle to receiving God’s providence is sin. Sin incurs a debt to divine justice—a debt we cannot repay on our own. But God, in His mercy, pays that debt with His own blood. We can only receive this gift, however, if we imitate His mercy. That is why we pray, “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us.” Refusing to forgive others closes our hearts to God’s forgiveness.
Lastly, we pray, “Do not subject us to the final test.” This final petition acknowledges our human weakness. We express a confidence that we will not be led into trials that exceed our strength. The “final test” may refer to any great trial, temptation, or persecution, especially those that threaten to shake our faith. God permits trials, but He also provides the grace to endure them. This prayer is one of complete trust in God’s protection during every dark hour, whether caused by suffering, illness, loss, or the snares of the evil one.
Reflect today on this perfect prayer. Because we pray it often, it’s easy to treat the Our Father merely as a formula of words rather than a model for our lives. Pray it slowly and intentionally, allowing each petition to shape your heart. Let it direct your desires, express your childlike affection for God, put your reliance on His providence in the gift of the Eucharist, help you embrace the call to forgive and be forgiven, and strengthen you to endure every trial with patient trust. Pray with the sure and certain hope that you are being drawn into God’s Kingdom, where He will be eternally glorified by angels and saints.
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Jesus, I trust in You.
Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, hallowed be your name. Establish your Kingdom in my heart and in my family. Give me each day the grace and nourishment I need, forgive my sins as I forgive others, and preserve me from whatever would lead me away from you. Teach me to seek your will above all things and to trust your loving providence.
Encountering the Word of
God
1. Teach Us to Pray: “When Jesus prays he is already teaching us how to pray. His prayer to his Father is the theological path (the path of faith, hope, and charity) of our prayer to God. But the Gospel also gives us Jesus’ explicit teaching on prayer. Like a wise teacher he takes hold of us where we are and leads us progressively toward the Father. Addressing the crowds following him, Jesus builds on what they already know of prayer from the Old Covenant and opens to them the newness of the coming Kingdom. Then he reveals this newness to them in parables. Finally, he will speak openly of the Father and the Holy Spirit to his disciples who will be the teachers of prayer in his Church” (CCC, 2607). In his teaching on prayer, Jesus insists on conversion of heart. We need to be reconciled with our brothers and sisters, we need to love our enemies, and pray for our persecutors. We need to pray to the Father in secret, not heap up empty phrases, seek forgiveness from the depths of our hearts, and seek the Kingdom before all else (CCC, 2608). “Once committed to conversion, the heart learns to pray in faith. Faith is a filial adherence to God beyond what we feel and understand. It is possible because the beloved Son gives us access to the Father. He can ask us to ‘seek’ and to ‘knock,’ since he himself is the door and the way” (CCC, 2609).
2. Five Petitions: The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Luke contains five petitions. The first two petitions “carry us toward God” (CCC, 2804) and ask that God’s name be hallowed and that God’s kingdom be made present. The last three petitions draw down upon us the eyes of the Father of mercies (CCC, 2805) and request good things from our Father: we ask for our daily bread, the forgiveness of our sins, and to be spared from the final tribulation. The third and fourth petitions concern our life as such – to be fed and to be healed of sin. The fifth and last petition concerns our battle of prayer for the victory of life (CCC, 2805). The Lord’s Prayer is a perfect prayer and a model for our every prayer. By the first two petitions, “we are strengthened in faith, filled with hope, and set aflame by charity” (CCC, 2806). We recognize in this prayer that we are creatures who need bodily and spiritual sustenance from our Father and Creator, that we are sinners who need to be forgiven by God and who need to forgive others, and that we are participants in the unfolding of God’s plan of salvation that he accomplishes for us and for the whole world (CCC, 2806).
3. The Rosary: A
School of Prayer: The Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary invites us to consider
how the Rosary helps us put Jesus’ teaching on prayer into practice. Each
mystery begins with the Our Father, the prayer Jesus himself taught us. The Our
Father introduces us into the mystery by directing our hearts first toward the
Father, his name, and his Kingdom, and then toward the needs of our daily
lives. We ask for the grace to enter more deeply into God’s plan as we
contemplate the mysteries of Christ’s life. The ten Hail Marys that follow
provide a repeated rhythm for contemplation. As we pray them, we are invited to
remain with the mystery – to contemplate Christ’s Incarnation, his public
ministry, his Passion, or his glory – with Mary, who pondered the mysteries of
her Son in her heart. The repetition is not meant to distract us from the
mystery but to help quiet our minds and hearts so that we can remain with it.
Each decade concludes with the Glory Be, directing everything we have
contemplated toward the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. Thus, the
Rosary is both vocal prayer and contemplation. The Our Father teaches us to ask
according to God’s will, the Hail Marys help us contemplate the mystery of
Christ with Mary, and the Glory Be reminds us that every mystery ultimately
reveals the glory of the Triune God. In this way, Mary leads us into the school
of prayer taught by her Son.
Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1
What a great prayer for us to pray also, “Lord, teach us to pray…” Jesus’ response to this disciple was to present him with the “Our Father” prayer. Of this prayer, Saint Andre Bessette said, “When you say the Our Father, God’s ear is next to your lips.” The great mystical Doctor of the Church Saint Teresa of Ávila gave this advice while praying the Lord’s Prayer: “Much more is accomplished by a single word of the Our Father said, now and then, from our heart, than by the whole prayer repeated many times in haste and without attention.” And Saint Thérèse of Lisieux said that the “Our Father” prayer was one of the prayers she prayed when she felt so spiritually barren that she could not summon up a single worthwhile thought.
At the Holy Mass, when the priest invites the people of God to pray the “Our Father,” he says, in part, that this prayer is one that “…we dare to say.” This is an interesting statement which especially reveals the childlike boldness we are called to have as we pray this prayer sincerely from the heart. It is exceptionally bold to call God our “Father.” Chapter 11 of My Catholic Worship, which offers a teaching on this perfect prayer, states the following about this boldness:
Each
Christian is to see the Father as my Father. We must see ourselves as
God’s children and approach Him with the confidence of a child. A child
with a loving parent is not afraid of that parent. Rather, children have
the greatest trust that their parents love them no matter what. Even when
they sin, children know they are still loved. This must be our
fundamental starting point for all prayer. We must start with an
understanding that God loves us no matter what. With this understanding
of God, we will have all the confidence we need to call on Him.
Since many of us are very familiar with this ideal prayer taught to us by our Lord Himself, there is a temptation to pray this prayer in a somewhat rote way. We can easily fail to say it from the depths of our hearts, making each word our own, offered with the utmost confidence to our loving Father in Heaven.
How do you pray the Lord’s Prayer? Do you pray it out of habit, failing to fully comprehend and mean the words you pray? Most likely this is the case for many.
Reflect, today, upon this most holy prayer given to us by the Son of God Himself. He is the author of this perfect prayer, so we should use it as the foundation of all of our prayer. Try to follow the advice of Saint Teresa of Ávila quoted above. Take each word of that prayer and pray it slowly, intentionally and with love. Begin by acknowledging God as your Father. Ponder the infinite care He has for you as a perfect father would. See Him in a real, intimate, and personal way. This perfect prayer begins by acknowledging Who God is and then continues with seven perfect petitions. After praying the introduction to this prayer, pick one of the seven petitions to meditate upon so that the richness of this prayer will have a transformative effect upon your soul.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Jesus, I trust in You.
Wednesday 27th Ordinary Time 2025
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are all holy, and call me to share in your
holiness. Establish your reign in my heart and in my family. Nourish your
divine life in me, forgive my sins, strengthen my resolve to forgive others,
and guide me safely to my heavenly home with you.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Teach Us to Pray: “When Jesus prays he is already teaching us how to pray. His prayer to his Father is the theological path (the path of faith, hope, and charity) of our prayer to God. But the Gospel also gives us Jesus’ explicit teaching on prayer. Like a wise teacher he takes hold of us where we are and leads us progressively toward the Father. Addressing the crowds following him, Jesus builds on what they already know of prayer from the Old Covenant and opens to them the newness of the coming Kingdom. Then he reveals this newness to them in parables. Finally, he will speak openly of the Father and the Holy Spirit to his disciples who will be the teachers of prayer in his Church” (CCC, 2607). In his teaching on prayer, Jesus insists on conversion of heart. We need to be reconciled with our brothers and sisters, we need to love our enemies, and pray for our persecutors. We need to pray to the Father in secret, not heap up empty phrases, seek forgiveness from the depths of our hearts, and seek the Kingdom before all else (CCC, 2608). “Once committed to conversion, the heart learns to pray in faith. Faith is a filial adherence to God beyond what we feel and understand. It is possible because the beloved Son gives us access to the Father. He can ask us to ‘seek’ and to ‘knock,’ since he himself is the door and the way” (CCC, 2609).
2. Five Petitions: The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Luke contains five petitions. The first
two petitions “carry us toward God” (CCC, 2804) and ask that
God’s name be hallowed and that God’s kingdom be made present. The last three
petitions draw down upon us the eyes of the Father of mercies (CCC,
2805) and request good things from our Father: we ask for our daily bread, the
forgiveness of our sins, and to be spared from the final tribulation. The third
and fourth petitions concern our life as such – to be fed and to be healed of
sin. The fifth and last petition concerns our battle of prayer for the victory
of life (CCC, 2805). The Lord’s Prayer is a perfect prayer and a model for our
every prayer. By the first two petitions, “we are strengthened in faith, filled
with hope, and set aflame by charity” (CCC, 2806). We recognize in this
prayer that we are creatures who need bodily and spiritual sustenance from our
Father and Creator, that we are sinners who need to be forgiven by God and who
need to forgive others, and that we are participants in the unfolding of God’s
plan of salvation that he accomplishes for us and for the whole world (CCC,
2806).
3. Jonah Cares More about Himself than
Others: The conclusion to the Book of Jonah is somewhat
humorous. On the one hand, Jonah is angry that his preaching was effective and
that God did not destroy Nineveh. The Ninevites repented of their evil ways,
and yet Jonah feels like this was an evil done to him. On the other hand, Jonah
is glad that a plant has miraculously grown to give him shade from the sun.
There is humor in the contrast between the Lord and Jonah: “The Lord shows
himself generous and merciful, while Jonah comes across as callous, selfish,
and foolish – as someone out of touch with God’s desire to save the nations
beyond Israel. This unflattering picture of the prophet centers on a key
contrast: Jonah’s personal discomfort (4:7-9) concerns him more than 120,00
people being rescued from destruction (4:11). Even God jokes with Jonah at the
very end, telling Jonah, “I know that the Ninevites are morally confused, that
can’t tell their right hand from their left, but if you can’t be happy that 120,000
people repented, at least be happy that the cattle were spared!”
Tại sao các môn đệ xin Chúa Giêsu dạy cho họ cách cầu nguyện ?. Có phải họ xin Chúa day họ cầu nguyện vì họ cũng giống rất nhiều người như chúng ta, những người giống như thánh Phaolô và Thánh Phêrô và Thánh Barnaba. Chúng ta tha thiết cầu nguyện và hành động nhưng hai việc này có thể làm trong sư mâu thuẫn!
Làm thế nào để chúng ta có thể biết và làm theo như thánh ý của Thiên Chúa?
Một số người cho rằng lời cầu nguyện mà không bao giờ thất bại là lời cầu xin cho "Ý Cha được thể hiện" như những lời cầu xin của chúng ta, trong khi thực hiện những ước muốn của chúng ta là để được hiểu biết Thiên Chúa, chúng ta nên luôn luôn tin tưởng và đạt niềm tin của chúng ta trong ý muốn và kế hoạch của Thiên Chúa. Trong lời cầu nguyện của chúng ta, chúng ta phải lắng nghe Thiên Chúa, dành nhiều thời gian trong sự hiện diện của Thiên Chúa. Điều mà chúng ta cần phải cầu nguyện trước tiên là chúng ta cầu xin cho chúng ta biết thay đổi. Để lời cầu nguyện được thành sự thật, chúng ta phải mang theo trong mình, những nhu cầu của chúng ta, kẻ thù của chúng tôi và nỗi sợ hãi của chúng ta với Thiên Chúa và lắng nghe những gì Thiên Chúa muốn nơi chúng ta để Thiên Chúa có thể ban cho chúng ta những gì chúng ta thực sự cần thiết.
Wednesday 27th Ordinary Time
Why did the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray? Even if these men were not particularly pious, they would have at least a rudimentary knowledge of Jewish prayers. They must have been to the synagogue or perhaps the temple in Jerusalem a time or two. They had to be interested in God or knowing and associating with Jesus would not have held much of an attraction for them. Perhaps they ask because they are so much like us who are like Paul and Cephas and Barnabas. We earnestly pray and act but can be at odds! How can we know and do God’s will?
Some say that the prayer that never fails is: “Thy will be done.” Our prayers, while making our desires known to God, should always submit to God’s will and plan. In our prayer we must listen to God, spend time in God’s presence for just as we cannot be outside during daylight and be unaffected by the radiation of the sun, so we cannot be unaffected when we come into God’s presence. The first thing prayer always changes is us.
In order to really pray we must bring ourselves, our needs, our enemies and our fears to God and listen to what God wants from us so that God can give us what we truly need. May Your Kingdom come!
Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.” Luke 11:1–4
Imagine witnessing Jesus in prayer. Every word and gesture would radiate a sacred intimacy, a divine communion of love shared with the Father from all eternity. Though He is fully divine, Jesus, in His humanity, prayed not to acquire grace, but to manifest His perfect obedience and filial love toward the Father. His prayer is a revelation, showing us both how to pray and who God is—a loving Father who listens, provides, forgives, and protects.
For Jesus, prayer was not an external act added to His life; it was an eternal movement of love between Him and the Father in the Spirit. By assuming human nature, He did not abandon this divine communion. Rather, He drew our human nature into that eternal exchange, enabling us to speak to God as Abba, just as He does.
From a distance, one of the disciples observed this sacred exchange. Moved by the depth of Jesus’ prayer, he longed to enter into that same communion. He asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” This humble request is one that should become our daily petition.
The fact that this disciple needed to be taught how to pray reveals that prayer is not automatic. It is a grace we must learn, desire, and receive. Even those closest to Jesus required formation in lifting their hearts to God. In response, Jesus offers not only a set of words, but a divine structure for transforming our whole life into a living prayer.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus begins by addressing God as Abba. This expression conveys tenderness, intimacy, and trust, like a child resting in the security of a parent’s love. The first two petitions—“Hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come”—express eternal desires. In Heaven, the saints and angels eternally hallow God’s name and rejoice in His Kingdom. Thus, every earthly prayer should direct us to these everlasting realities.
But how do we glorify God’s name and bring forth His Kingdom here and now? Through the Eucharist. The prayer for “our daily bread” refers not only to our physical sustenance but, more profoundly, to the Bread of Life. In the Mass, God provides for every need—spiritual, emotional, and material—because the Eucharist is Christ Himself.
The greatest obstacle to receiving God’s providence is sin. Sin incurs a debt to divine justice—a debt we cannot repay on our own. But God, in His mercy, pays that debt with His own blood. We can only receive this gift, however, if we imitate His mercy. That is why we pray, “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us.” Refusing to forgive others closes our hearts to God’s forgiveness.
Lastly, we pray, “Do not subject us to the final test.” This final petition acknowledges our human weakness. We express a confidence that we will not be led into trials that exceed our strength. The “final test” may refer to any great trial, temptation, or persecution, especially those that threaten to shake our faith. God permits trials, but He also provides the grace to endure them. This prayer is one of complete trust in God’s protection during every dark hour, whether caused by suffering, illness, loss, or the snares of the evil one.
Reflect today on this perfect prayer. Because we pray it often, it’s easy to treat the Our Father merely as a formula of words rather than a model for our lives. Pray it slowly and intentionally, allowing each petition to shape your heart. Let it direct your desires, express your childlike affection for God, put your reliance on His providence in the gift of the Eucharist, help you embrace the call to forgive and be forgiven, and strengthen you to endure every trial with patient trust. Pray with the sure and certain hope that you are being drawn into God’s Kingdom, where He will be eternally glorified by angels and saints.
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Jesus, I trust in You.
Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, hallowed be your name. Establish your Kingdom in my heart and in my family. Give me each day the grace and nourishment I need, forgive my sins as I forgive others, and preserve me from whatever would lead me away from you. Teach me to seek your will above all things and to trust your loving providence.
1. Teach Us to Pray: “When Jesus prays he is already teaching us how to pray. His prayer to his Father is the theological path (the path of faith, hope, and charity) of our prayer to God. But the Gospel also gives us Jesus’ explicit teaching on prayer. Like a wise teacher he takes hold of us where we are and leads us progressively toward the Father. Addressing the crowds following him, Jesus builds on what they already know of prayer from the Old Covenant and opens to them the newness of the coming Kingdom. Then he reveals this newness to them in parables. Finally, he will speak openly of the Father and the Holy Spirit to his disciples who will be the teachers of prayer in his Church” (CCC, 2607). In his teaching on prayer, Jesus insists on conversion of heart. We need to be reconciled with our brothers and sisters, we need to love our enemies, and pray for our persecutors. We need to pray to the Father in secret, not heap up empty phrases, seek forgiveness from the depths of our hearts, and seek the Kingdom before all else (CCC, 2608). “Once committed to conversion, the heart learns to pray in faith. Faith is a filial adherence to God beyond what we feel and understand. It is possible because the beloved Son gives us access to the Father. He can ask us to ‘seek’ and to ‘knock,’ since he himself is the door and the way” (CCC, 2609).
2. Five Petitions: The Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Luke contains five petitions. The first two petitions “carry us toward God” (CCC, 2804) and ask that God’s name be hallowed and that God’s kingdom be made present. The last three petitions draw down upon us the eyes of the Father of mercies (CCC, 2805) and request good things from our Father: we ask for our daily bread, the forgiveness of our sins, and to be spared from the final tribulation. The third and fourth petitions concern our life as such – to be fed and to be healed of sin. The fifth and last petition concerns our battle of prayer for the victory of life (CCC, 2805). The Lord’s Prayer is a perfect prayer and a model for our every prayer. By the first two petitions, “we are strengthened in faith, filled with hope, and set aflame by charity” (CCC, 2806). We recognize in this prayer that we are creatures who need bodily and spiritual sustenance from our Father and Creator, that we are sinners who need to be forgiven by God and who need to forgive others, and that we are participants in the unfolding of God’s plan of salvation that he accomplishes for us and for the whole world (CCC, 2806).
Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1
What a great prayer for us to pray also, “Lord, teach us to pray…” Jesus’ response to this disciple was to present him with the “Our Father” prayer. Of this prayer, Saint Andre Bessette said, “When you say the Our Father, God’s ear is next to your lips.” The great mystical Doctor of the Church Saint Teresa of Ávila gave this advice while praying the Lord’s Prayer: “Much more is accomplished by a single word of the Our Father said, now and then, from our heart, than by the whole prayer repeated many times in haste and without attention.” And Saint Thérèse of Lisieux said that the “Our Father” prayer was one of the prayers she prayed when she felt so spiritually barren that she could not summon up a single worthwhile thought.
At the Holy Mass, when the priest invites the people of God to pray the “Our Father,” he says, in part, that this prayer is one that “…we dare to say.” This is an interesting statement which especially reveals the childlike boldness we are called to have as we pray this prayer sincerely from the heart. It is exceptionally bold to call God our “Father.” Chapter 11 of My Catholic Worship, which offers a teaching on this perfect prayer, states the following about this boldness:
Since many of us are very familiar with this ideal prayer taught to us by our Lord Himself, there is a temptation to pray this prayer in a somewhat rote way. We can easily fail to say it from the depths of our hearts, making each word our own, offered with the utmost confidence to our loving Father in Heaven.
How do you pray the Lord’s Prayer? Do you pray it out of habit, failing to fully comprehend and mean the words you pray? Most likely this is the case for many.
Reflect, today, upon this most holy prayer given to us by the Son of God Himself. He is the author of this perfect prayer, so we should use it as the foundation of all of our prayer. Try to follow the advice of Saint Teresa of Ávila quoted above. Take each word of that prayer and pray it slowly, intentionally and with love. Begin by acknowledging God as your Father. Ponder the infinite care He has for you as a perfect father would. See Him in a real, intimate, and personal way. This perfect prayer begins by acknowledging Who God is and then continues with seven perfect petitions. After praying the introduction to this prayer, pick one of the seven petitions to meditate upon so that the richness of this prayer will have a transformative effect upon your soul.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Jesus, I trust in You.
Wednesday 27th Ordinary Time 2025
1. Teach Us to Pray: “When Jesus prays he is already teaching us how to pray. His prayer to his Father is the theological path (the path of faith, hope, and charity) of our prayer to God. But the Gospel also gives us Jesus’ explicit teaching on prayer. Like a wise teacher he takes hold of us where we are and leads us progressively toward the Father. Addressing the crowds following him, Jesus builds on what they already know of prayer from the Old Covenant and opens to them the newness of the coming Kingdom. Then he reveals this newness to them in parables. Finally, he will speak openly of the Father and the Holy Spirit to his disciples who will be the teachers of prayer in his Church” (CCC, 2607). In his teaching on prayer, Jesus insists on conversion of heart. We need to be reconciled with our brothers and sisters, we need to love our enemies, and pray for our persecutors. We need to pray to the Father in secret, not heap up empty phrases, seek forgiveness from the depths of our hearts, and seek the Kingdom before all else (CCC, 2608). “Once committed to conversion, the heart learns to pray in faith. Faith is a filial adherence to God beyond what we feel and understand. It is possible because the beloved Son gives us access to the Father. He can ask us to ‘seek’ and to ‘knock,’ since he himself is the door and the way” (CCC, 2609).

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