Teach Us to Pray
June 19, 2025 - Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Matthew 6:7–15
Don’t pray like the Gentiles,
Jesus says.
Don’t perform.
Don’t pile up words.
Don’t try to convince God with volume or vocabulary.
He already knows.
He already sees.
He already cares.
Instead, Jesus gives us a prayer
that begins not with need,
but with relationship:
Our Father.
Not a distant ruler.
Not a divine accountant.
Not a harsh disciplinarian.
But a Father—
who feeds the birds,
clothes the fields,
and watches over every anxious heart.
He knows what we need
even before we ask.
So we don’t pray to inform Him—
We pray to be formed by Him.
The prayer Jesus taught
has two parts,
joined by a bridge of longing:
“On earth as in heaven.”
In heaven,
God’s name is holy.
His kingdom is the only one.
His will is the only way.
But on earth?
We hear other names.
We chase other kingdoms.
We live by our own wills.
This is no gentle wish—
“Let Your name be hallowed,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done…”
is a cry,
a holy demand:
Change this world, Lord—
starting with me.
Then come our human needs:
Give.
Forgive.
Deliver.
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Not luxury.
Not excess.
Not tomorrow’s storehouses.
Just today’s bread.
And not just food—
but grace.
Strength.
The Bread of Life
that carries us through the wilderness.
“Forgive us… as we forgive.”
This line could break us.
Because forgiveness is hard.
And Jesus makes it clear:
If we want mercy,
we must show mercy.
We cannot hold grudges
and still open our hands for grace.
Forgive,
as the Father forgives.
As Jesus forgave His enemies.
As Stephen forgave while being stoned.
As Paul forgave in Corinth.
Anything less,
and we close the door to heaven.
“Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
Temptation will come—
Jesus knew it.
Peter faced it.
We all do.
But we are not left alone.
“I have prayed for you,” Jesus says.
And still prays.
Still strengthens.
Still shields.
The spirit is willing.
The flesh is weak.
But God is faithful.
And He will always make a way.
So when you pray—
don’t perform.
Just breathe.
Call Him Father.
Speak simply.
Trust deeply.
And believe this:
He already knows what you need.
But He still loves to hear your voice.