Breaking the Word

11^th Week in Ord. Time, Friday – 17^th June 2022 — Gospel: Mt 6,19-23

Essential Priority

A person’s attention will be where one’s priorities lie. Jesus warns his disciples that earthly wealth is fleeting. He then asked them to build up riches in heaven rather than on earth. Treasure stored on earth is of not much use because it is temporary and passing and gathers rust and also can be stolen. Rather heavenly treasure is permeant and eternal. What is deposited in the heavenly bank will not be stolen or destroyed but will be there when we need it. And the essence of the riches in heaven is our relationship with God. The more we develop our relationship with God, the greater the heavenly wealth we will have.  What is important is the wealth in our heavenly account. Instead of concentrating on the temporary it is better to concentrate on the eternal. If one does not prioritize correctly, one’s whole orientation will be incorrect and one will have a life of futility, concentrating on what is really not essential. An occasional examination of our priorities is required to bring back our focus on what is really necessary.

11^th Week in Ord. Time, Thursday – 16^th June 2022 — Gospel: Mt 6,7-15

Prayer as a Way of Life

Jesus urges his disciples to be men of prayer, by teaching them his personal prayer. He teaches that prayer is not just a multiplication of words, rather a relationship with God and with children of God. The first part of the prayer begins with calling God as Father and then focuses on what belongs to God: God’s holy name, God’s reign, and God’s will. If we focus on these things, we will be in right relationship with God. We will be justified by God because we are seeking to do what God wants, not what we want. In the second part, we find that God provides what we need for each and every day – our daily nourishment. One more thing we need each day is God’s forgiveness. In this model prayer, Jesus teaches that we ask God to forgive us in the same way as we forgive others. This means, our relationship with the Father and with the other children of God are enhanced by our forgiving them and they forgiving us.  Here Forgiveness is received from God and given to others. While we must acknowledge our dependence on God for everything as primary cause, our attitude to others must be one of acceptance and forgiveness. The Lord’s prayer is not just a mere prayer, it is a way of life based on our relationship.