WATCHWORD:
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Meditation:
A Philosophical Saturday
François Fénelon was born in the mid-1600s into a strong Roman Catholic family who held high office in the church hierarchy. When Francois completed his education, he was rewarded with a lesser office, but one that provided a platform for is writings. Overtime he became known for his philosophical writings on faith.
Fénelon wrote these words about prayer: “Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort you; tell Him your joys, that He may sober them; tell Him your longings, that He may purify them. Talk to Him of your temptations, that He may shield you from them: show Him the wounds of your heart, that He may heal them …”
Fénelon closes with this amen — May you grow in your intimacy with God so that you will want to spend more time with Him. I think we would all agree with that.
In your prayer-life, do you converse with God as you would with your closest friend? Or, do you rest on formal rote prayers, prayers that follow the same pattern each day? There is a pattern, almost a formula, in what Fénelon has written. Sharing heart-felt joys and pains. Comforting in trouble, purifying temptations and longings, shielding you from wayward thoughts, and healing for wounded-ness. Not exactly a formula, maybe just a framework, a checklist, a way to keep a focus on the Almighty, with assurance that He wants that closeness to you.
Hold the phone! Back up the turnip wagon! Wait just a minute! What did Jesus teach about prayer? Oh, yes, I remember now, The Lord’s Prayer. We recite that at each worship service. But, did Jesus mean to give us a prayer that tumbles off our tongues, almost without thinking.
I like it when we pray the Lord’s prayer, phrase by phrase, pausing and thinking about what that phrase means for us. The ‘Breath Prayer’ accomplishes some of that. Meditating on each phrase or breath. Taking our time in reverence to God.
Fénelon’s check-list gets to the practical, the everyday elements of our lives and the graces that are showered upon us. Maybe meditating on both the Lord’s Prayer and the graces brings us into closer communion with God. Do you suppose?
Bulletin Board:
Thank you, Beth, for sharing this — “Reading is an act of civilization; it’s one of the greatest acts of civilization because it takes the free raw material of the mind and builds castles of possibilities.” Ben Okri
Heads up – Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, November 1. Remember, we ‘fall back’. Reset your clocks on Saturday, or you will be frightfully early for church on Sunday!
Let’s Close with Jesus’ Words in the New Living Testament:
7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Amen.
