Our Father in Heaven!

Thursday, June 18, 2026

Sir 48: 1-14; Mt 6:7-15

Today’s Gospel highlights prayer as a deepening of a relationship with God.

Jesus’ instruction about prayer begins with recalling our relational identity. We are not praying to a distant, indifferent, or lifeless God. Instead, God is our loving Father, and we are His beloved children. Hence, ‘Our Father in heaven’ is an expression of our identity. Jesus not only called God Father but also wanted all of his followers to share the relationship.

Secondly, Jesus wants us to concentrate on the manner of praying. For Jesus, what is more important for prayer is our disposition of heart rather than our eloquence or fluency. Since God looks into our hearts, He listens to the whispers of the earnestness of the human heart. Hence, it is a heart that communes with God that makes a beautiful prayer rather than babbling lips.

Thirdly, in prayer, everything rests in God’s mercy. This is why we consider prayer an act of surrender. In prayer, we align our hearts with God’s will. We declare our dependence on God. We make a pledge to forgive and be reconciled with others. Thus, Jesus demonstrates how our worship of God is an affectionate, relational, and life-changing experience.

Let us pray that our hearts may be a pleasing offering as we seek to deepen our relationship with God in prayer. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar