Teach Us to Pray (Week of July 29)
On the Road
In the Gospel reading this week we heard the life-giving words of the Lord's Prayer. Saint Peter Canisius said that the seven petitions of the Our Father contain all the desires and hopes of the human heart. Jesus goes beyond simply teaching us this fundamental prayer. He advises us about the attitude we should bring to our prayer. Christ tells us to, "ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Luke 11:9). How open and generous our God is! He is waiting for us to come to him in prayer, eager to meet us where we are and to speak with us. We are called to pray the Lord's Prayer often, knowing that this prayer strengthens and guides us. Ask, seek, and knock, be secured in faith that our Father will hear and respond to you.
Encounter
"The Lord's Prayer is the most perfect of prayers"¦In it we ask, not only for all the things we can rightly desire, but also in the sequence that they should be desired. This prayer not only teaches us to ask for things, but also in what order we should desire them." Catechism of the Catholic Church 2763 "Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!" Psalm 130:2
Go Forth
Outside of liturgy, when do you most often pray the Lord's Prayer? Reflect on a time when God has opened doors for you after you have turned to him in prayer.