June 17, 2021 – Thursday of the 11^th Week in Ordinary Time

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061721.cfm)

Why the need to ask when the Father knows what we need?

There is a need for us to identify and recognize what we truly need. To be able to see our own realities will bring us closer into humility. This helps us to also own our imperfections and failures, our issues and problems. Then, once we have become aware of our needs and true concerns, we are also able to name the grace that we need.

This has been presented to us in both readings from the letter of Paul and the Gospel. Let us see them a bit.

In the letter of Paul, we find him as if scolding the Corinthians because of their situation. Many have become confused because of the acceptance of the Corinthians of other preachers. They seemed to preach the Gospel of Christ but they only brought the people far away from the true Gospel. The “super-apostles” whom Paul called made preaching a profitable career. What they were after was not the Gospel but personal gain. Though he may have sounded angry in his letter, but his love for this Church was greater. He exhorted them to listen well and seek the will of God for them.

Paul was making them aware of their situation and making them see the problem. Only in recognizing the problem that we will be able to respond accordingly. Thus, it is only when we also become aware of our true needs that we will be able to ask the grace from the Lord.

The Gospel today leads us into this kind of response. Jesus taught his disciples on how to truly ask the Father and pray sincerely. Jesus also warned the disciples not to babble but of empty words meant to only impress people.

This means that our prayers and other forms of devotions are not meant also to impress others or to flatter or manipulate the Lord because of our long, wordy and unintelligible prayers. What the Lord wants from us is our sincere and humble hearts.

The Lord’s Prayer brings us into sincerity and humility because it acknowledges first God, our Father whose “divine will” takes priority than our own. Thus, we seek and recognize the will of God for us and not our wants. This brings us to be more aware of our needs of the present moment, of today, and not to be burdened by our past or to be anxious of tomorrow.

Indeed, the Jesus invites us and teaches us on how to seek God’s desires for us because God knows what is best for us by praying the way he prays. May this simple but powerful prayer of our Lord gives us more confidence in the presence of God dwelling among us whose only desire is the best for us. Hinaut pa.