HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 27TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II
THEME: Lord, teach us how to pray, just as you taught your disciples.
BY: Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA
HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 5 2022
*READINGS OF THE DAY*
Galatians 2:1-2,7-14
Psalm 116
Luke 11:1-4
*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
GREEN
*FROM THE FIRST READING*
In our first reading of today, we heard the Apostle Paul recounting his past experiences, as he grew in the faith and followed what the Lord asked him to do. He recounted his works and his interactions with the other Apostles, and how the Lord worked through their interactions, as they helped and assisted each other, and St. Paul himself reminded St. Peter in the spirit of fraternal correction, that he should not give in to those who advocated for the imposition of un-Christian rules and regulations on the Gentiles.
*FROM OUR GOSPEL READING*
Today’s Gospel reading suggests for us that, Jesus Christ often went to a lonely place to pray. And so, His own prayerfulness inspired his disciples with a desire to become people of prayer, like himself, Therefore one day they said to Jesus ‘Lord, teach us to pray’. The disciples seemed to recognize that if they were to pray they would need the Lord’s help. Prayer is not just a human activity; it is the Lord’s activity in us, through the Spirit. The disciples’ request is, in itself, a valuable prayer, ‘Lord teach us to pray’ or to express that prayer in different words, ‘Lord, help me to pray; Lord, pray within me’
*CONCLUSION*
Dear brethrens, the ‘Our Father Prayer’ has been rightly called the ‘Lord’s prayer’ because it is a prayer that the Lord himself has given us. The prayer begins with a focus on God and on God’s purposes for our lives and the world, and it then shifts to a focus on our primary needs as human beings and the Lord’s disciples. There is a pattern there that is valid for all of our prayer. We attend first to God and to whatever God desires and then to our needs before God.
Because we are God’s children, we are called to trust him, just as a child trusts a good father who cares for and loves his children. This prayer also teaches us to rely on God the Father to provide for us in earthly and spiritual needs.
We ask All this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.