Here is a reflection coming from the Gospel of St. Matthew 6: 7-15 from Tuesday of the 1st Week of Lent. The topic is on: Jesus teaches us how to pray.
Some people like to talk. They demand to be listened to, but they don’t have the same interest in listening. However, you usually can’t listen if you aren’t used to silence. St. Theresa of Calcutta once wrote that prayer is the fruit of silence. Jesus wants us to understand that prayer is more about listening than about talking. When you are with someone who knows much about a topic that interests you, you limit yourself to asking questions and dedicate yourself to listening. Jesus is the revealer of God the Father. That means our main interest in prayer should be asking Jesus, our Lord, about his Father and then dedicating ourselves to listening.
Jesus tells us that God the Father knows what we need before we ask him. Still, we should ask, because in asking we become aware that we have needs that only God our Father can grant us. We learn to ask God what we most need for our salvation. That is why Jesus taught us the “Our Father.” Praying the “Our Father” reminds us that he is the father of all, and therefore every human person is truly our brother. In praying the “Our Father,” we essentially ask for three things: that God have the first place in our lives, that he give us our material and spiritual sustenance, and that he grant us his forgiveness.
Jesus emphasizes the importance of forgiveness. As the First Letter of John reminds us, we are all sinners (cf. 1:8). One of the essential characteristics of the Christian life is seeking to encounter Christ’s loving mercy. We can experience it only when we put it into practice ourselves. We can admire a person who parachutes off a plane, but we won’t understand the experience until we skydive ourselves. We grasp the true meaning of mercy when we forgive others. Our mercy will not be the same as Christ’s: He never sinned, and therefore he forgives us even though we don’t deserve it. If Christ has forgiven us, how can we dare not to forgive others?
Lord, we thank you for teaching us to pray to the Father. We don’t always pray as much as we should. Please help us to pray more and better. Please help us to want with all our hearts to give God the first place in our lives, preferring his will to ours. Help us to treat others as we would like them to treat us, forgiving them when they offend us. Amen.
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Aquí tenemos alimento para nuestras almas que recomendamos durante nuestra segunda semana de Cuaresma, desde la lectura del jueves en la misa diaria.
Las lecturas y el salmo de la Misa de hoy describen “dos maneras”. La primera lectura y el Salmo responsorial tienen una imagen vívida de un desierto y un lugar bien regado. La persona que confía en Dios es como un árbol plantado cerca del agua corriente; florece y da buenos frutos. La persona que confía sólo en este mundo es como un arbusto en el desierto, árido y sin vida. La persona que confía en Dios sigue los caminos de Dios, y no los del hombre. Él no sigue el camino de los pecadores, sino el camino del Señor.
El evangelio es la historia del hombre rico y Lázaro. El hombre rico tenía todo; Lázaro no solo no tenía nada, sino que también los perros lamían sus llagas. Después del juicio, Lázaro “descansa en el seno de Abraham”; el hombre rico sufre del tormento. ¿Estamos dispuestos a hacer penitencia en esta vida por la felicidad futura?
Lo que el hombre rico buscaba con vestimentas hermosas y cenas suntuosas, era estar destinado a encontrar al mendigo en la puerta de su casa.
Por cada persona que Dios pone en nuestro camino se convierte en una manera de alcanzar la realización que buscamos.
Oh Señor, ayúdanos siempre a estar abiertos a todas las formas inesperadas en que te haces presente en nuestras vidas. Amén.
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