Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
For Christians the season of Lent is a time for renewal and recommitment. At this time of year I find myself thinking more about how to pray. Jesus’ instructions on how to pray in the gospel for today give some concrete advice on how to improve the practice of prayer in our lives.
In the first reading, Isaiah uses the powerful image of rain and snow pouring forth from the sky to depict the word of God. As the water falls from the sky and begins to flow throughout the land it nurtures thirsty plants and crops. This, in turn, allows the people who farm these crops to make bread. Isaiah’s metaphor speaks of God’s promise that his word will not return to him void. The word of God must have an effect, since God’s word is powerful and God does nothing without a reason. Isaiah reminds us of the power of divine speech and the role that it plays in our lives. The reading leads us to consider again the promises that God makes to us. We remember that God has promised that those who rely on God will be comforted and taken care of, and they will find happiness in him.
In the gospel reading, Jesus continues the theme of the power of words, but from the perspective of words spoken by his disciples in prayer. Just as God does not waste words, so too Christians should not treat idly the words they say in prayer. The words we speak in prayer should be meaningful. Jesus contrasts the Our Father to the prayer of the pagans who feel the need to appease their gods with many words. Jesus makes it clear that God does not need us to talk to him that way. What God desires of us is that we lift up our hearts in a sincere way. God knows what we need before we even ask for it. This should give us confidence that God loves us and will hear our prayer. Jesus challenges us to make all of our prayer simple and direct.
I find myself meditating in particular on one line of the Our Father: “Give us this day our daily bread.” I’ve heard people sometimes ask why Christians feel the need to pray for their daily bread. In praying this prayer we acknowledge that all that we have—including our very lives—comes from God. We are committing our lives to God and putting ourselves in God’s care.
As the first week of Lent is drawing to a close, it makes sense to reflect on how Lent is going so far. Has the process begun to focus our attention on and renew our relationship with God? In what ways has it begun to lead us closer to God? Let us pray that we may be led through our Lenten practices into a renewed attitude towards prayer, so that we may learn to offer our hearts to God sincerely and with gratitude.
- Joel Schickel