Gospel: Matthew 6:7-15
When you pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do; for they believe that, the more they say, the more
chance they have of being heard. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need, even before you ask him.
This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, holy be your name, your kingdom, come, your will, be
done on earth, as in heaven. Give us today, our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive those who are in debt to us.
Do not bring us to the test, but deliver us from the evil one. If you forgive others their wrongdoings, your Father in heaven will also
forgive yours. If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you.
Reflection:
Being the International Day of Women, we shall listen to an
extraordinary woman. Here is Simone Weil speaking of her
practice of reciting the Lord’s Prayer, in her book Waiting for God:
“The effect of this practice is extraordinary and surprises
me every time, for, although I experience it each day, it
exceeds my expectation at each repetition. At times
the very first words tear my thoughts from my body and
transport it to a place outside space where there is neither
perspective nor point of view. The infinity of the ordinary
expanses of perception is replaced by an infinity to
the second or sometimes the third degree. At the same time,
filling every part of this infinity of infinity, there is silence,
a silence which is not an absence of sound but which
is the object of a positive sensation, more positive than
that of sound. Noises, if there are any, only reach me after
crossing this silence.”
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