Daily Liturgy
Thursday 17 June
Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
TRUSTFUL PRAYER
Introduction
Paul pleads to the Corinthians to remain faithful to Christ, who had chosen him to be his apostle and had sent him to Corinth.
In the words of Jesus, Matthew gives us today a catechesis on prayer. The reason and basis of our prayer should not only be merely that we need something and we should not think that our prayer is more powerful when we use a stream of words. We pray because Jesus asks us to and because we have trust in our Father who knows what we need even before we ask him. In our prayer we should also place first things first: God and his kingdom, which is manifested and communicated to us by bread, forgiveness and protection.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
you know what we need
even before we can ask you.
We are sure of this
on account of the human experience
of Jesus your Son, who was one of us.
And so we pray you:
Don’t take it amiss
when we use too many words
to cover the emptiness of our hearts,
and teach us through your Spirit in us
to ask for the things that matter,
you and your kingdom,
that will last for ever and ever.
Reading 1: 2 Cor 11:1-11
Brothers and sisters:
If only you would put up with a little foolishness from me!
Please put up with me.
For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God,
since I betrothed you to one husband
to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning,
your thoughts may be corrupted
from a sincere and pure commitment to Christ.
For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached,
or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received
or a different Gospel:from the one you accepted,
you put up with it well enough.
For I think that I am not in any way inferior to these “superapostles.”
Even if I am untrained in speaking, I am not so in knowledge;
in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.
Did I make a mistake when I humbled myself so that you might be exalted,
because I preached the Gospel:of God to you without charge?
I plundered other churches by accepting from them
in order to minister to you.
And when I was with you and in need, I did not burden anyone,
for the brothers who came from Macedonia
supplied my needs.
So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way.
By the truth of Christ in me,
this boast of mine shall not be silenced
in the regions of Achaia.
And why? Because I do not love you?
God knows I do!
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 111:1b-2, 3-4, 7-8
(7a) Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Majesty and glory are his work,
and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
R. Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
sure are all his precepts,
Reliable forever and ever,
wrought in truth and equity.
R. Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia: Rom 8:15bc
Alleluia, alleluia.
You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Mt 6:7-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“This is how you are to pray:
‘Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.’
“If you forgive others their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”
Intercessions
– For members of contemplative orders, that they may be very attentive to the needs of the Church and of the world and pray for them, we pray:
– For all of us, that we may seek God’s will in our prayer rather than ours, we pray:
– For all of us again, that the Lord may give us a spirit of prayer and intimacy with God, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Father in heaven,
we are certain that you will always hear us
on account of your Son in our midst.
With him we pray
that we may recognize you
and praise your name,
that your kingdom may grow among us
and that we may do your will loyally
together with Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Before the Our Father
Let us do what Jesus told us to do
and pray to our Father in heaven
in Jesus’ own words: R/ Our Father…
Prayer after Communion
Father,
your Son Jesus, alive among us now,
insists that we forgive one another.
Help us to forgive the way you pardon,
completely and without regrets,
because you have forgiven us much
and paid yourself the penalty for our sins
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
Prayer for us is not a flight from life or from commitment to people but a plea to God to give us the courage to face reality and to care for people. May God give you this insight and strength and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
To the Corinthians, Paul insists that he preaches the Gospel free of charge. He either supported himself or was helped by other churches. He preached the authentic Gospel and asked only that his hearers remain faithful to the word he preached and not be seduced by those who teach to the contrary.
The Matthean Jesus today teaches us how to pray. It is not a question of how many words we use, but rather the sincerity of the heart. Jesus teaches us only one prayer to pray daily, and it is composed of two sets of three petitions each. The first three petitions deal with the concerns of God: the holiness of his name, the ushering in of his kingdom, and the realization of his will. The second three petitions deal with our needs: the provisions of daily life, forgiveness, and delivery from temptation and all that is evil.
There is only one invocation about which Jesus adds further comment, the oft-repeated lesson of forgiveness. We can only ask God to forgive our misdeeds if we do the same in our dealings with others. If we bear continued hostility toward others, our prayers for forgiveness ring hollow indeed. If we ourselves are forgiving, God is never far from the yearnings of our own heart.
Points to Ponder
Paul’s willingness to serve
Praying that God’s interests be served
The lesson of forgiveness.