“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” (LK 11: 1)

Prayer is the way that we can be in relationship with God, like dialog is the way that we can be in relationship with our family, especially between spouses. Dialog is not easy—we remember subject no. 5 from our Program 1—so many traps and so many mistaken patterns of interpretation in our inner dialog. It could be the same problem with prayer—a wish list, a list of claims about a badly organized world, or an amazing occasion to close our eyes 😉 and rest a bit. What we can do is to ask Jesus—“teach us to pray”! He will lead us, guide us and help us to be with God in real relationship when we respect each other and do everything to be a sincere gift of selves like children of God.

“You have received a Spirit of adoption, through which we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” (Gospel Acclamation) 

“‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.’” (MT 13: 28-30)

One of my favorite scenes from the New Testament speaks about our conditions. We’d love to be perfect, with no weaknesses, always honest, humble, one hundred per cent givers of selves, respecting, gentle, remembering about anniversaries and experts in rituals, fantastic communicators and patient listeners. “Let them grow together until harvest; then I will say to the harvesters, ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.’” The judgment of God alone will eliminate the sins. Until then there must be patient and the preach repentance. God loves us and can see the difference between weeds and wheat in us.

“Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni,’ which means Teacher.” (JN 20: 16)

We are called by name. We are not anonymous believers, members of an organization; we are His children, chosen from our mothers’ wombs; we are known by our names from our beginning. When recognized and called and when in relationship with Him, we can lead others to Him.

“Tell us, Mary, what did you see on the way? I saw the glory of the risen Christ, I saw his empty tomb.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (MT 13: 16-17) 

We received the privilege of discipleship—“many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” The value is not in the ability of seeing or hearing, but in the possibility to look on Jesus’ love for us and to hear His words of love to us. When we celebrate Mass or when we adore Him in the Blessed Sacrament or when we read the Bible, we are eye witnesses of His love.

“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” (JER 1: 5) 

We can listen to these words again and again. It doesn’t matter how it was with our conception from a human point of view; from HIS point of view, we were expected, chosen, loved and important to Him. There were no accidents and no surprises on His side—only God’s love at the beginning—“before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you.” We are loved and we were expected; we were formed by Him to bring forth multiple fruits based on our sincere gift of selves.

“The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live for ever.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

“Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance; who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency, and will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins.” (MIC 7: 18-19) 

Our God looks for any occasion to show us His mercy, compassion and “delight in clemency.” He “removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of His inheritance.” When we bring Him our sins, He knows perfectly what to do with them: He “will cast them into the depths of the sea.”

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

“You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (MIC 6: 8)

God’s expectations for us are so simple—“to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” “To do justice” refers to human behavior in relationship to others. “To love goodness” refers to the kind of love and concern which is at the heart of the covenant between the Lord and Israel; it is persistent faithfulness. “To walk humbly with your God” means to listen carefully to the revealed will of God. Everything is to protect our dignity and our relationship with God and with others. Righteousness and goodness with humbleness protect every kind of relationship, and for sure we will find many occasions to practice it every day.

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.” (COL 1: 24-26) 

The mission of St. Paul and the other Apostles— “to bring to completion the word of God”—now needs our service. With His word we can understand ourselves, our vocations, our assignments and our future. The most basic duty is to “keep the word with a generous heart,” and with God’s help, we will be able to “bring a harvest through perseverance.”

“Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and bring a harvest through perseverance.” (Gospel Acclamation)

“A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory.” ( MT 12: 20) 

It is natural for us to look for victory in many situations: to be right in conflict or to look for the best solution in our business. Even in daily simple situations like looking for directions—we think our option is the best, of course. Our Lord teaches us how to think about victory without fighting, bringing “justice to victory,” not by force.

“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” 

“If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.” (MT 12: 7-8)

The civilization of love and life is based on four principles: the person over thing, to be more over to have more, ethic over technique, and, mentioned today, mercy over justice. When we respect these principles, we respect God and His creation.

“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.