THEY THINK THAT THEY WILL BE HEARD…

Isaiah 55:10-1
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,11 so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Matthew 6:7-15 

7 “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.9 Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us this day our daily bread;12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors;13 And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you;15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

MEDITATION 

ISAIAH PROPHETISE That the Word of God shall not fall on deaf ears or return empty handed, moreover it shall nourish, feed and accomplish what it seeks to achieve.

THE GOSPEL READING: Jesus makes the point that the Father knows what we need before we even express our needs in prayer, wherefore He caution His followers to not utter meaningless hollow words and phrases as the non Jewish people do, implying that the prayer of a Gentile is of no effect if they do not assent to the truine God of Israel, nevermind if it is devoid of acts of humility, repentance and a desire to be reformed into God’s image and likeness.

With this said, Christ formulated and decreed the “Our Father” prayer calling us to pay obeisence to the Prince of the universe, by Hallowing His name. Moreover this prayer call us to desire and partake of the Holy Eucharist and be fed daily by the bread of life whereby our venial sins are forgiven. Secondly we must plead with God to forgive us for our moral or ethical failures which hinges on our need to also forgive anyone who have injured us in any way shape or form. Thirdly, we must continually seek Gods indulgence to prevent Satan from corrupting, tempting or compromising our conscience and by implication, our soul. Finally, we must not think that our prayers will be heard if we continously dwell or harp on the past ‘like a dog who goes back to his vomit’! Prov 26:11 To be clear, we must be forward-looking whilst we prepare our heart, mind and soul for when Christ return to call us to His heavenly kingdom!

LET US PRAY:Psalms 34:4-7,16-19

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed.6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
16 The face of the LORD is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.