asking only for things we ourselves are ready to give - 1st week lent tuesday 2019

Notice again the gospel.  Jesus is not teaching us what to pray but how to pray, he is teaching us a manner of praying. And how do we pray?  Two things.

First, when we pray we are addressing a Father not a deity, not a supreme being, not an unapproachable God, but a Father who knows what is in our heart even before we ask, a Father who knows what is good for us.  Is this also how we pray?  In our prayers are we addressing the Father?  In formulating our prayers, is this with the disposition of a son or a daughter?  

Second, when we pray we cannot ask for those things that we ourselves are not ready to give to others – forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  As I often say to the seminarians, pila ka adlaw kon ara kamo sa parokya indi kamo mangayo para makasupot kita, pangayo ka para may ihatag ka sa nagakinahanglan.  The Father will always give in abundance those who give in abundance to those in need.

This season of lent we challenge ourselves to imbibe the how of praying as Jesus would want us to pray.