Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Lectionary: 225
Reading 1
Isaiah 55:10-11
Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
And do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19
R. (18b) From all their distress God rescues the just.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. From all their distress God rescues the just.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. From all their distress God rescues the just.
The LORD has eyes for the just,
and ears for their cry.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
R. From all their distress God rescues the just.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
R. From all their distress God rescues the just.
Verse Before the Gospel
Matthew 4:4b
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Gospel
Matthew 6:7-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“This is how you are to pray:
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
“If you forgive men their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Praying the Our Father
Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Matthew 6:7–8
Recall that Jesus used to go off by Himself at times and spend the whole night in prayer. Thus, it’s clear that Jesus is in favor of long and sincere times of prayer, since He gave us His own example as a lesson. But there is clearly a difference between that which our Lord did all night and that which He criticized the pagans for doing when they “babble” with many words. After this criticism of the prayer of the pagans, Jesus gives us the “Our Father” prayer as a model for our personal prayer.
The Our Father prayer begins by addressing God in a deeply personal way. That is, God is not just an all-powerful cosmic being. He is personal, familial—He is our Father. Jesus continues the prayer by instructing us to honor our Father by proclaiming His holiness, His hallowedness. God and God alone is the Holy One from which all holiness of life derives. As we acknowledge the holiness of the Father, we must also acknowledge Him as King and seek His Kingship for our lives and for the world. This is accomplished only when His perfect will is done “on earth as it is in Heaven.” This perfect prayer concludes by acknowledging that God is the source of all of our daily needs, including the forgiveness of our sins and protection from all evil.
Upon the completion of this prayer of perfection, Jesus provides a context in which this and every prayer must be prayed. He says, “If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” Prayer will only be effective if we allow it to change us and make us more like the Father in Heaven. Therefore, if we want our prayer of forgiveness to be effective, then we must live what we pray for. We must also forgive others so that God will forgive us.
Reflect, today, upon this perfect prayer, the Our Father. One temptation is that we can become so familiar with this prayer that we gloss over its true meaning. If that happens, then we will find that we are praying it more like the pagans who simply babble the words. But if we humbly and sincerely understand and mean every word, then we can be certain that our prayer will become more like that of our Lord’s. Saint Ignatius of Loyola recommends pondering every word of that prayer very slowly, one word at a time. Try to pray this way, today, and allow the Our Father to move from babbling to authentic communication with the Father in Heaven.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
BABBLING PRAYER
“In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do.” —Matthew 6:7
In today’s Gospel, it’s not the babbling that Jesus is emphasizing, but babbling like the pagans (Mt 6:7). As a father, it was a delight to hear my infants happily babble. Likewise, our Father in heaven loves to hear His children babbling — if it is babbling in faith, hope, and love. Jesus reveals to us that the heavenly Father does not want His children to babble as the pagans do — who “think they will win a hearing by the sheer multiplication of words” (Mt 6:7).
As a father, I loved to hear my children communicate with me. The heavenly Father loves His children infinitely more than any human parent loves their children. Even though our heavenly Father knows all we need before we ask Him (Mt 6:8), He still wants us to ask, as Jesus makes clear (Mt 7:7).
What the Father does not want is human babbling which leads to pride. The earliest humans were so filled with pride that their very city was “called Babel” (Gn 11:9). In long vocal prayers or repetitive prayers like the Rosary, it’s important that we pray like a loving child to our Father, rather than reciting “long prayers for appearance’ sake” (Mk 12:40).
Many love to sit beside a babbling brook. Spouses love to hear their beloved repeat the endearing words, “I love you.” These are soothing, joyful sounds. The priest’s prayers at Mass are repeated day after day, yet they express perfectly the love of Jesus’ sacrifice. This is the kind of babbling that the Father loves. Bring joy to the Father by your loving babble.
Prayer: Father, Abba, may my prayers be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.
Promise: “I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” —Ps 34:5
Praise: Miranda offers up her fasting for those struggling with addiction.
Reflection 3
by Tamora Whitney
Creighton University's English Department
“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” How many times have we said this prayer? It may be the first prayer we learned. Today we see where it comes from. And in a bit of irony, this formal prayer almost everyone knows seems to come from Jesus telling the disciples not to rely on formal prayers, but to pray simply, familiarly, and from the heart.
When he is asked about prayer, Jesus says not to use lots of words but to speak simply, to call God our father, to speak to him like family, because he is our father in heaven, and like our father on earth, wants to help and protect us. We should call God Father. I called my father “Daddy.” We can say, “Daddy, how are things in heaven?” And we should respect God, like we respect our parents. His name is holy, and we honor our father. We call on him for what we need. And like a good parent, he knows what we need even before we ask for it. We ask for our bread. If an earthly father cares for and supports his family, how much more will our heavenly father? When we ask for what we need to live, he will provide. He is a good father to us. Our earthly parents don’t abandon us if we do something wrong, nor will our heavenly father. God wants to teach us right from wrong and protect us from danger, like any good parent. We’re not perfect. We sin, even when we try not to, and we probably don’t try hard enough not to. And if we imperfect beings are still good parents to our children, how much better is our perfect heavenly father. And he is our role model. Like our Father loves and forgives us, we should love and forgive each other. We should help our friends in need like our Father provides for us. We should forgive each other like our Father forgives us.
The prayer has become standardized and formal. We say it every day (or maybe we should say it every day). And when we do, we should think about what it means and what we are saying. In these or other words, we are talking to our father. We are acknowledging that we love and respect him. We are asking for our basic needs, asking for his forgiveness when necessary, and promising to love and care for each other like he loves and cares for us.
Prayers
Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Jesus, I trust in You.
Father in heaven, you have given me a mind to know you, a will to serve you, and a heart to love you. Give me today the grace and strength to embrace your holy will and fill my heart and mind with your truth and love that all my intentions and actions may be pleasing to you. Help me to be kind and forgiving towards my neighbor as you have been towards me.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 51: Pure Love
Do you love with a pure love? What does this form of love look like? Pure love is one that flows directly from the Heart of Christ to and through your life. This holy love has beautiful characteristics. First, it is plentiful. When we love with the Heart of Christ we love in abundance. There is no limit to how much love we can share. It’s like the brightness of the sun at noon casting rays on all below. Second, it’s ingenious, doing what is pleasing to God. It is not cautious or calculated. It does not hesitate or evaluate. Rather, the wisdom of love is immediate and knows in each moment how to radiate God’s love. And third, it is happy. Even when love calls one to heroic sacrifice there is great delight in this total self-giving (See Diary #140).
Reflect, today, upon how fully you love with a pure and generous heart. Do you give of yourself in abundance? Is it a delight to serve without counting the cost? Do you easily find ways to show Mercy to others and delight in doing so? Ponder these questions today and pray that the Lord shines through all you do.
Lord, please purify my heart and make it holy. Let my heart be joined to Yours so that I may radiate all that You are. Shine through me in abundance and guide me in a pure love. Jesus, I trust in You.
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