“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” (Lk 11:1)
FIRST READING: Gal 2:1-2, 7-14
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians
Brothers and sisters:
After fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas,
taking Titus along also.
I went up in accord with a revelation,
and I presented to them the Gospel that I preach to the Gentiles–
but privately to those of repute–
so that I might not be running, or have run, in vain.
On the contrary,
when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Gospel to the uncircumcised,
just as Peter to the circumcised,
for the one who worked in Peter for an apostolate to the circumcised
worked also in me for the Gentiles,
and when they recognized the grace bestowed upon me,
James and Cephas and John,
who were reputed to be pillars,
gave me and Barnabas their right hands in partnership,
that we should go to the Gentiles
and they to the circumcised.
Only, we were to be mindful of the poor,
which is the very thing I was eager to do.
And when Cephas came to Antioch,
I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.
For, until some people came from James,
he used to eat with the Gentiles;
but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself,
because he was afraid of the circumcised.
And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him,
with the result that even Barnabas
was carried away by their hypocrisy.
But when I saw that they were not on the right road
in line with the truth of the Gospel,
I said to Cephas in front of all,
"If you, though a Jew,
are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew,
how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"
GOSPEL OF THE DAY: Lk 11:1-4
From the Gospel according to Luke
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test."
27th WEDNESDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Lk 11:1-4)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In today's Word of God, God the Father teaches people how to pray to please God the Father. This is the only way of praying that Jesus Christ left to the children of mankind: the Lord's Prayer, a prayer that pleases God the Father.
God said: In any prayer that people offer to God the Father, believe that that prayer has been answered by God the Father; but with the condition: that person must practice according to the prayer that God the Father teaches, and not read it on the lips, on the mouth without putting it into practice.
In today's world, when people have to live with all the evil, the temptations of Satan, and the sins of the world, people must be awake to their temptations and put the Word of God into practice, like the prayer that God the Father teaches His children today: always glorify God the Father, and believe that: in this world, there is only one God the Father, the common Father of all mankind, when everyone says: "Our Father in heaven." God the Father invites people to practice God's ways, and when asking for anything, to put absolute trust in God, He will answer. But if there is still doubt when praying, He will not listen. He teaches people how to practice like this when living among the passions of the world and the temptations of Satan: people must be awake! We must believe and trust in the love and power of God the Father.
Pray to Him: 'Please keep and protect my body and soul; please nourish my body and soul according to Your holy will; please protect, preserve, and defend me from the temptations and traps of Satan'. When that person believes and practices according to that request, God the Father will always accompany them, give them more strength, and be with them.
Another important thing that God the Father said is that Satan tempts people a lot about hatred and unforgiveness. God the Father warns people that: no matter how moral and holy people are before God the Father, people still cannot compare with the love, mercy, and holiness of God the Father.
Therefore, be humble, humble yourself, and recognize yourself as a lowly sinner before God the Father and before your brothers and sisters. Every day, we must call upon God the Father: ‘Please have mercy on me, please forgive my mistakes and sins’. But in order for God the Father to hear our prayers, He requires us to do this: to truly forgive our brothers and sisters, to support and forgive each other with love. Only by living like this can we receive God’s love and forgiveness for our bodies and souls. That is what God the Father teaches His children today. By listening and doing exactly what God the Father asks of us, our bodies and souls will be happy in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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