Do You Really Mean That...?

Today's Gospel is the one where one of the disciples asks Jesus to teach them how to pray. And so, Jesus says the words we know today as the Our Father.

But these words seem to have lost their meaning today for many of us...

We say the words without thinking...
We say the words in a hurried rush, doing our Christian duty or keeping up at Mass...
We say the words because that's what we were taught - that is a prayer we have memorized since we were small children...

But what are we saying...?

I used this version of the Our Father as a hook to the lesson with my 8th graders when we learned about the meaning of the prayer. It really makes you stop and think - Do I mean what I say? or am I merely doing my Christian prayer obligation?

And so, I would like to start this Wednesday by offering up a simple prayer:

Dear God, Please help us to take the time to pray with meaning and to work to live out our prayers and relationship with you in our daily lives. Amen.