Matthew 6:7-15
This reading, despite its brief
length, has a lot to be understood. The short dialogue and casual nature make
this gospel very important.
Jesus is addressing his disciples
in conversation. He goes to talk about the characteristics of prayer. Jesus
states that we, “do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be
heard because of their many words. Do not be like them.” He then goes on to
recite the “Our Father” prayer. I myself am already familiar with the prayer, but reading it word for word in this gospel gave me a new perspective on the
prayer we all know.
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| No matter what we pray to the Lord, it will be heard. |
In itself, the prayer is simple
to read and recite. The words and requests we send up to God are clear and can
be felt when saying them. With that said, the “Our Father” is one of the more
powerful and personal prayers that can be said. This makes the connection with
what Jesus is telling his disciples at the beginning of the Gospel. We don’t
need to give God a speech to be heard. We do not need to emphasize the words we
say in order to give them power. Jesus only asks us to speak to God in the way
we mean from the heart. No matter what we pray to the Lord, it will be heard.
The “Our Father” is a perfect example of that. It is not an extended dialogue.
It does not contain difficult and excessive wording. It is simple and personal.
I think this gospel is very
relatable today. We may not feel we are heard. We may feel all the noise in our
lives drowns out the prayers we send up each day. But on the contrary, Jesus
wants us to understand why we pray at all. Prayer is the simplest form of
communication we can have with God. With that said, this reading is a reminder.
A reminder that no matter what we request of God, no matter what it is, He
wants to hear from us in the most personal way. That way is from the heart,
simple and personal.
Dillon D’Andrea
‘22
Major in
Communications, Concentration in Digital Media
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