Coffee With God

REFLECTION: Matthew 6:7-15

“Women make the world beautiful, they protect it and keep it alive.” “They bring the grace of renewal, the embrace of inclusion, and the courage to give of oneself.” This was the message of Pope Francis on the International Women’s Day in 2019. “Peace, then, is born of women, it arises and is rekindled by the tenderness of mothers. Thus the dream of peace becomes a reality when we look towards women,” said the pope. Today while gratefully remembering all the women who shaped our lives, let us also pray specially for women who suffer abuses in their homes, in society and in the world. Today, we reflect on the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray: But, Do I Really Mean What I Pray?Saint Mother Teresa of Kolkotha gives us a beautiful reflection on the Lord’s prayer. She says: “Praying the Our Father and living it will lead us toward saintliness. The Our Father contains everything: God, ourselves, our neighbours….” Examine how well you live what you pray: I cannot say OUR if I keep my faith only to myself and never share it with others. I cannot say FATHER if I do not trust in His loving and complete concern for me, forgetting that He always answers prayers – how and when He knows is best. I cannot say WHO ART IN HEAVEN if I am so attached to the ways of this world and I neglect to seek God first in everything. I cannot say HALLOWED BE THY NAME if I am unwilling to let His holiness penetrate my life and help me grow in my own holiness. I cannot say THY KINGDOM COME if I am not using my life to bring His love into the world. I cannot say THY WILL BE DONE if I live by my own ideas of morality or choose to follow the world’s standards. I cannot say ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN if I am not devoting my life to serving Him here on earth. I cannot say GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD if I am not willing to be generous with whatever God gives me. I cannot say FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES if I don’t want to put forth enough effort to change. I cannot say AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US if I still hold a grudge, if I’m still angry, or if I still insist that other people change. I cannot say LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION if I deliberately or knowingly place myself in a position to be tempted. I cannot say DELIVER US FROM EVIL if I’m not actively fighting against evil through deeds of love and service for everyone in my life, especially those who cause problems.