Daily Catholic Lectio
Wed, 8 Oct ‘25
Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday
Jonah 4:1–11. Luke 11:1–4
Teach Us to Pray
In today’s Gospel, we hear one of the most beautiful requests ever made to Jesus: “Lord, teach us to pray.” The disciples had seen Jesus performing miracles and preaching powerfully, but what impressed them most was the way He prayed. They had grown up reciting the psalms, repeating temple prayers, and offering sacrifices. Yet, when they saw Jesus at prayer, they realized there was something profoundly different. His prayer flowed from intimacy with the Father. It was not a ritual, but a relationship; not a formula, but a heartbeat. Moved by this sight, they approached Him and said, “Teach us to pray.”
Jesus begins His teaching with a word that must have startled His listeners — “Father.” In the Jewish tradition, God’s name was too sacred even to be spoken. But Jesus breaks that distance. He invites us to speak to God, not as a distant judge, but as a loving parent. When we say “Our Father,” we are not only acknowledging God’s closeness but also confessing our own brotherhood and sisterhood with every human being. This single word transforms prayer into communion. It removes walls and builds bridges. To pray “Our Father” sincerely is to realize that every person we meet is our sister or brother before God.
Then Jesus teaches us to pray, “Hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come.” These petitions turn our attention away from ourselves to God’s glory and reign. We pray not merely that God’s Kingdom will come someday in heaven, but that it will begin now — in our homes, our workplaces, and our hearts. Whenever we speak the truth, forgive an enemy, or lift up the poor, the Kingdom comes closer. Prayer is not only what we say to God; it is how we allow God to reign in our daily lives.
When Jesus tells us to pray, “Give us each day our daily bread,” He teaches us to trust. We often want tomorrow’s bread today — security, plans, and certainty. But this prayer is a call to dependence. It recalls the manna in the desert — bread given one day at a time. The people who tried to hoard it lost it by morning. God wants us to live in faith, not in fear. Daily bread is not only food for the body but also grace for the soul. Each morning, God gives us enough strength to face that day’s burdens. We need not worry about tomorrow’s.
The heart of this prayer lies in the line, “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us.” Forgiveness is the most divine of actions. It is not easy; it demands courage. But Jesus links our forgiveness from God with our willingness to forgive others. If we hold grudges, we block the flow of God’s mercy. Prayer that does not lead to forgiveness remains incomplete. The true test of prayer is not how long we pray, but how deeply we forgive.
The final petition — “Do not bring us to the time of trial” — reminds us that God does not tempt us but strengthens us in moments of testing. We pray for wisdom to discern right from wrong and for courage to stand firm when life is difficult. The Christian life is not the absence of suffering, but the presence of grace. When we rely on God, every trial becomes an opportunity to grow in faith.
The Lord’s Prayer is more than words to be repeated; it is a way of life to be lived. Each phrase calls us to action: “Our Father” invites communion; “Your Kingdom come” demands justice; “Give us our daily bread” urges generosity; “Forgive us” calls for reconciliation. To pray this prayer with sincerity is to allow our hearts, minds, and actions to be shaped by God’s will. The prayer that Jesus taught is not meant to end in our lips but to begin in our lives.
The first reading from the Book of Jonah offers a striking contrast. Jonah prays, but his prayer lacks mercy. He becomes angry because God spares the people of Nineveh. He cannot accept a God whose compassion extends beyond his own limits. The Lord patiently teaches Jonah that His mercy is universal. If Jonah can pity a plant that gives him shade, can God not pity a city full of people? Jonah’s story warns us that prayer without compassion becomes self-centred. The “Our Father” calls us out of that narrowness into a heart as wide as God’s own.
When we pray, we must remember that God is not impressed by long words but by a humble heart. Prayer is not about changing God’s mind; it is about letting God change ours. The more we pray like Jesus, the more we begin to think, speak, and act like Him. And when that happens, our lives themselves become a prayer — a living “Our Father” spoken in the language of love, mercy, and trust.
Let us therefore pray today not only with our lips but also with our lives:
“Our Father… make me more like Your Son.
Let Your Kingdom come through my deeds,
Your forgiveness flow through my heart,
and Your will be done in all that I am.”
May the Lord who taught us to pray, teach us also to live what we pray.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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