Daily Gospel Reflection for February 24, 2026

Babies typically go through different stages of babbling as they gradually develop more control of their mouth, tongue, and breathing. And sometimes, they just like to hear the sounds of their little voices! Remember when your children did that? Their babbling would get louder and louder, even though they didn’t really need anything (and if they did, you probably already knew what they needed).

 

Pagans in Jesus’s day were much the same. They seemed to like to hear the sound of their own voices, thinking that the more words they said, the more likely their gods would be able to hear them. But Jesus points out that we are different; we don’t need to do that. Like any wise parent, the Father already knows what we need, but He wants us to ask, to tell Him. And again, like a wise parent, Jesus then uses this as a teaching moment, helping us to pray without babbling like the pagans.

 

But Jesus doesn’t care how many times we repeat a prayer. He doesn’t care how many times we talk. He wants us to come to Him with our cares and concerns, so of course we might ask Him many times, especially about those things that worry us. What He really desires in our prayers is for us to be honest about what’s going on in our lives. He already knows of course, but we need to articulate and admit it to Him. He wants us to talk to Him about everything—our insecurities, our blunders, our craziness—so that He can heal us. And He wants us to ask questions so that He can give us wisdom. All of this leads to sincere communication with the Father, and that’s how we can build a real relationship, which is the goal of prayer.