Word of the day

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Date20/02/2018

Reading of the day

IS 55:10-11

Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
And do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.

Gospel of the day

MT 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
"In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

"This is how you are to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

"If you forgive men their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."

Words of the Holy Father

"To whom do I pray? The almighty God? He is too far away. (…) The God of the cosmos? (…) We must 'pray to the Father', who begot us. We must pray 'our' Father, that is, not the Father of a generic and too anonymous 'all', but the One 'who begot you, who gave you life, who gave life to you and me'. (…) Jesus has taught us: 'He says that the Father who is in heaven 'knows what you need before you ask him'. In order to pray, there is no need to make noise or believe, that it is better to use more words. There is no need to trust in noise, the noise of worldliness which Jesus pointed out, 'to sound the trumpet' or 'making oneself seen while fasting'. To pray, there is no need to heap up empty phrases: Therefore, let our first word be ’Father’. This is the key to prayer. Without speaking, without feeling this word, praying is not possible”. (Santa Marta, June 20, 2013)