Teach us how to pray

Meditation for Monday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Jonah 4:1-11; Lk 11:1-4)

One of the disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” In response, Jesus said to them, “Father, hallowed be thy name, Thy Kingdom come. Give us this day our daily bread; forgive us our sins…” At this time, we need to ask Jesus anew to teach us to pray. As we meditate on Jesus’ teaching on prayer, we see how He described prayer as a relationship, where we communicate with God as our Father. So, prayer positions us as CHIDLREN OF GOD, and opens us to His divine providence. That means His rulership, sovereignty and righteousness becomes our desire as we say, ‘Your kingdom come.’

Prayer is more about God and His kingdom of righteousness than about our needs. But our needs are part of prayer as we say, “Give us each day our daily bread.” While our needs extend all the days of our life, in prayer we ask only for ‘this day,’ which enables us to look up to God in hope for the days to come as His children. Having asked for ‘daily bread’, then we request for spiritual healing and sustenance as we say, “Forgive us our sins…and lead us not into temptation.” Prayer becomes a lived experience as we share the bread we ask for with the hungry, and forgive those who sinned against us as we ask God for forgiveness.

 

Meditate on how prayer is a wholesome communication that transcends words; it extols God and elevates us above our needs. From the words of Jesus, it is obvious that prayer is a lifestyle, which brings keeps us in touch with both God and our neighbor. The interaction between God and Jonah gives us an example of a man who prays to God, but does not want to assimilate the communication he has with God, and position himself as a child of God. That is why it is not for us to use prayer to ‘impose’ our ideas as Jonah tried. But God, the merciful Father, taught him a lesson that transformed him. So, we join our voices with the disciple to say to Jesus, “Teach us to pray.” Yes, one of the qualities of prayer is that we cannot stop learning about it; and we learn by praying. And every answered prayer is a new lesson in prayer.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria.

Wednesday October 11, 2023.

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