We are all very familiar with St. Matthew’s version of the Lord’s Prayer. This weekend, we hear St. Luke’s. Matthew’s version is given in the context of the Sermon on the Mount while St. Luke’s is set after Jesus had prayed. Matthew’s version is longer and St. Luke’s is shorter. Nonetheless, both version gives us the essentials of prayer, as taught by Jesus himself.

The first part teaches us to praise and worship God. “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.” We express our ardent desire to let Jesus reign in our hearts. We commit ourselves to embracing His will and allowing it to be the focal point of our lives. The second part teaches us to present our needs. We ask that he gives us our daily bread, forgiveness of our sins, and protection against temptations. We have faith that whatever we ask from God, He will grant them in His own perfect way and time.

But more than asking and receiving, prayer is a school – of virtues. Prayer teaches us to be humble and patient. It allows us to be increasingly comfortable with silence and stillness, in the midst of a noisy and active world. It puts us in a disposition of listening rather than talking. It increases our sensitivity to the voice of God, and therefore to the unspoken messages of people around us. Prayer is a school because it awakens the divine in us.

We say, “give us each day our daily bread.” We do not ask the Lord to give us bread that’s good for a month or a year. We ask only for bread that will be enough for the day, and we do the same every day. The tendency of hoarding and amassing things is prevented. We dispel greed, envy and jealousy. Contentment is awakened in us.

Then we say, “forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive.” It is a huge temptation to live in the darkness of our sinful past. We cannot even forgive ourselves. We are ashamed to come to Jesus because we (wrongly) think our sins are too terrible to be forgiven. In effect, we think that there are people that should not be forgiven. But our God is a God of forgiveness and mercy. There is no sin that He cannot and is not willing to forgive. When we discover this, forgiveness will flow from our hearts. We can learn how to forgive others. Freedom and peace are awakened in us.

Finally we say, “do not subject us to the final test.” We recognize that trials and temptations are parts of our earthly life. When we try to get closer to the Lord, the more the devil will try to pull us back. It is a constant struggle against the lures of the enemy. The struggle itself unleashes courage and strength in us. The enemy is working harder so we learn to rely on the supernatural help from God called grace.

Friends, pray and pray intentionally harder. St. John Marie Vianney recommends: “Spend three minutes praising and thanking God for all you have. Spend three minutes asking God’s pardon for your sins and presenting your needs before Him. Spend three minutes reading the Bible and listening to God in silence. And do this every day.” Amen.