Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

Today’s Gospel begins with a simple request of the Lord: teach us to pray. Jesus’ answer is very familiar and very simple. the words we know so well. The words of this prayer, the Lord’s own prayer, tell us much about prayer and serve as a model for our prayer.

We know it well. First, we acknowledge who God is. Our Father. We address God, acknowledging the holiness of God, the God who guides all creation and guides our lives. We pray that the kingdom will advance and that the reign of God be ever-present in our world. These are the more universal petitions of the prayer.

Then Jesus’ instruction guides the words to be more specific and address recurring needs. For those things that we really do need.

We ask to receive our daily bread. Nourish us this day. Feed us today. Give us what we need this day to walk in the ways of the kingdom. We ask for nourishment for our bodies and even more so our souls. It’s not just limited to food either. The range of what any of us might truly need on a given day is nearly limitless.

Then something very dear to Jesus’ own heart, we ask for forgiveness of our sins. Equally important, we seek the grace to be forgiving. Forgiveness is at the heart of the Gospel, at the heart of the Paschal Mystery, and at the heart of God’s actions throughout all of history. So, it is important for us to seek forgiveness and to pray and work towards being forgiving ourselves.

Each of us prays for what each of us most needs each day. We all pray – together – as the Body of Christ. Together, we pray for what we need this day. For ourselves. Individually. And as the church. For our world. Thus, we pray for strength. For peace in our world. For an end of violence and hatred. For forgiveness. We pray for healing. For insight. For faith. For love among people everywhere. Let us ponder our needs and the needs of our world as we imitate the Lord who teaches us to pray.

Reflection by Fr. Peter Ullrich, OSB