Daily Catholic Lectio
Thu, 18 June 2026
XI Week in Ordinary Time
Sirach 48:1-15. Matthew 6:7-15
Prayer
In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus warned His disciples not to perform acts of piety in order to be seen by others. Whether it is almsgiving, prayer, or fasting, the disciple must seek God’s approval rather than human admiration. Today, Jesus continues this teaching by showing us how to pray.
One of the first lessons Jesus teaches is simplicity. Prayer does not depend on many words. He warns against empty repetitions and endless speaking, as though God could be persuaded by the quantity of our words. Our heavenly Father already knows what we need before we ask Him.
This does not mean that words are unimportant. Rather, it means that prayer begins with trust. True prayer is not about informing God of something He does not know. It is about opening our hearts to the God who already knows and loves us.
The Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus teaches today, reveals the heart of all prayer. At its deepest level, prayer is the recognition of our human limitations and our dependence on God and on one another. We acknowledge God as our Father. We seek His Kingdom and His will. We ask for daily bread, forgiveness, and protection from evil.
Notice that every petition combines trust in God with human responsibility. We pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” yet we must still work for our bread. We pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” yet we must also avoid situations that lead us into sin. Prayer does not replace responsibility; it strengthens it.
For this reason, prayer is not merely a list of requests. Unfortunately, many people reduce prayer to presenting demands before God. Others recite familiar prayers mechanically, as though repeating words were enough. Jesus invites us to something deeper. Prayer is meant to shape our priorities, purify our desires, and transform our lives.
The first reading offers us two beautiful examples: Elijah and Elisha. The Book of Sirach praises them because they lived entirely centred on God. Their power did not come merely from occasional prayers but from a life rooted in God’s presence. Their relationship with God became a continual prayer.
This is perhaps the highest form of prayer. Prayer is not only something we do. Prayer is a way of living. When God becomes the centre of our thoughts, decisions, actions, and relationships, our whole life becomes a conversation with Him.
Today’s Gospel therefore invites us to examine our prayer. Do we pray merely to obtain things from God? Do we repeat words without attention? Or do we allow prayer to deepen our relationship with Him and guide the way we live?
Jesus teaches us that authentic prayer is simple, trusting, and sincere. It reminds us that we are not self-sufficient. We depend on God, and we depend on one another. Through prayer, our hearts gradually learn to seek not our own will, but the will of the Father.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
A Yesni Prays Initiative
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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