Daily Gospel Reflection for June 22, 2023

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Even if you haven’t been to Mass today, it’s quite possible that you’ve already recited the Gospel reading, at least in part. Today, we read from the Gospel of Matthew the portion in which Jesus gave His disciples the Our Father, AKA the Lord’s Prayer.

Before He gives the prayer, Jesus cautions His listeners not to “babble like the pagans,” but rather to trust that “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” When we pray, we don’t have to worry about using the right words or finding the perfect expression. What we do need to be concerned with is the status of our hearts. What is it that we think we need? Is that in line with the will of the Father? In other words, are we looking out for ourselves, or are our hearts directed toward charity, forgiveness, generosity, and the good of the other?

When my son was in third grade, one of the first things his teacher did was have the class rewrite the Lord’s prayer in their own words. For children, this is helpful because some of the language is written in a more formal tone than how we tend to speak. For us as adults, this is also a worthwhile exercise. We can ask ourselves how, in our daily living, we hallow the Lord’s name (or profane it), when we forgive those who trespass against us (or hold a grudge), and how consistently we remove ourselves from temptation (or let ourselves step closely, thinking we’re strong enough to handle occasions of sin).

When life is busy, living with intention and hope can seem challenging. It doesn’t have to be. Today, the Lord encourages us to honor the Father, follow Christ, and trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

What more could we possibly need?

Ponder:

Reread the Lord’s prayer slowly, asking God to direct to a word or phrase to guide your day. Where is Christ directing you?

Pray:

Lord, You give me everything I need, from my daily bread to the words of my prayers. Thank You for Your generosity; help me to extend the same to others today.

Click to tweet:
We can ask how we hallow the Lord’s name (or profane it), when we forgive others (or hold a grudge), and how often we resist temptation (or step near, thinking we can handle occasions of sin). #DailyGospel

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