"Our Father..."

One of the three hallmarks or pillars of Lent is "Prayer." That is the theme of our gospel for today, Matthew 6:7-15. Jesus tells his disciples how they are to pray and not be like the pagans who keep going on and on with words. He even says, "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him." That line should not deter anyone from prayer. Yes, the Father knows what we need before we ask, but He wants to hear it from us. We need to keep those communication lines open with God. I always like the analogy that one of my seminary professors gave to our class one day. He said, "Prayer is like an electrical outlet. Each time we pray we plug into the continuous conversation that is going on between the Father and the Son." We need to stay connected to our Heavenly Father and be persons of prayer. In the gospel, Jesus teaches the disciples and us how to pray, the "Our Father..." There are many things that we are praying for in this prayer: the kingdom to come, that God's will be done, our daily bread, God to forgive us, the grace to forgive others, and to stay away from all temptation and evil. These are petitions that we voice to the Father and we know the He listens to us. The answers to our prayers are not what we always expect but God knows what is best for us. Let us stay connected to the Father and stay close to the pillar of prayer, not just during this Lenten Season, but every day of our lives. Have a blessed and prayerful day!!!