Reflection on Today’s Gospel Reading: Our Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:7-15.)

by: Bro. Jub Alabastro CFD-Davao

St. Alphonsus De Liguori said, “Our Lord exhorts us to call God FATHER that we may be like a child totally dependent to his parent;” for a child symbolizes humility, and by humility, God gives grace (James 4:6.)

Our prayers may not be immediately answered. Like the Israelites, we may have to pass through the desert of humility for a long time before we arrive at the promise land. We will encounter trials, but nevertheless, we should continue to trust in God. The error of Israelites in the desert was that they never looked up to HEAVEN and asked their FATHER for help, who, despite their rebellion, provided their DAILY BREAD (Deut. 8:3.)

God is telling us in today’s gospel, “I give you mouth not just to feed it with food, but to eat every WORD THAT COMES FORTH FROM MY MOUTH (Mat. 4:4,) so that you may not use it for complains, but TO PRAY TO ME." In a discussion with the Pharisees about food, Christ said to them, “there is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that COME OUT of a person are what defile him. (Mark 7:15.)” The Pharisees have been sipping the soup of pride from the bowl of their hearts (Mark 7:21-22.) It is therefore not surprising what came out from their mouth as to the effect.

The long desert pilgrimage should not surprise us. For from its long, hot and dusty environment, the FAT OF SINS will surely be burned, and from our hunger and thirst, we will all the more long for God, the LIVING BREAD (John 6:51) and the FOUNTAIN OF LIFE (Psalm 36:9, John 4:14.) AMEN.