THE WORD IN LENT - 1st week, Tuesday
March 03, 2020: Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 6: 7-15
Point for Dialogue #5: the Word and our words
Prayer is not about well-worded phrases and ultra decorated utterances; it is about turning one's heart to God. It is not about saying things, nor about making things clear to God - for the Lord knows it all, even before we say. It is all about laying bare ourselves before the Lord, right from the core of our hearts.
The Word today teaches us how our prayer should be, drawing inspiration from the very Word of God and its nature. The prayer that we make should rise from the heart, it should be a self-communication that brings us close to God! When it happens so, every word we use will have its effect; the words will not be empty phrases but concrete commitments to the Lord and our relationship with God. Each word we use will be modelled after the Word.
We are invited to look at true Christ-ian prayer as a challenging dialogue between the Word of God and our words. Our words are the expressions of our heart and the Word of God is the self-communication of God - when these two meet and the Word influences every word of ours, there is the most beautiful of all prayers.
Jesus presents us with a model for this dialogue in the 'Our Father' - glorifying God's name, desiring God's Reign, submitting to God's will: aren't they concrete commitments? true acknowledge of the Word made flesh in my daily life situations?
Let not our prayer be empty phrases, legalistic performances and rigorous rituals, but a total self-surrender and a concrete commitment as children of God and disciples of the Lord. In simple terms, prayer is a constant and daily effort to turn away from things that distract us and getting in touch with the living Word, thus making every word and action of ours worth of our Lord!
Point for Dialogue #5: the Word and our words
The Word today teaches us how our prayer should be, drawing inspiration from the very Word of God and its nature. The prayer that we make should rise from the heart, it should be a self-communication that brings us close to God! When it happens so, every word we use will have its effect; the words will not be empty phrases but concrete commitments to the Lord and our relationship with God. Each word we use will be modelled after the Word.
We are invited to look at true Christ-ian prayer as a challenging dialogue between the Word of God and our words. Our words are the expressions of our heart and the Word of God is the self-communication of God - when these two meet and the Word influences every word of ours, there is the most beautiful of all prayers.
Jesus presents us with a model for this dialogue in the 'Our Father' - glorifying God's name, desiring God's Reign, submitting to God's will: aren't they concrete commitments? true acknowledge of the Word made flesh in my daily life situations?
Let not our prayer be empty phrases, legalistic performances and rigorous rituals, but a total self-surrender and a concrete commitment as children of God and disciples of the Lord. In simple terms, prayer is a constant and daily effort to turn away from things that distract us and getting in touch with the living Word, thus making every word and action of ours worth of our Lord!