I know the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father”) in two languages and can recite it without a thought. Unfortunately, that is sometimes precisely how I say it—without a thought. I rarely stop to consider what the words mean. Sometimes that is a comfort, telling me that the message is deeply ingrained in my heart and I am changed in the saying of it. Sometimes, however, my thoughts are somewhere else and I am moving as if on a treadmill, going nowhere and in danger of falling off/losing my place with every step.
This morning’s gospel (Mt 6:7-15)) has Jesus teaching his closest friends how to best approach God: simply—not babbling with lots of words. There’s no need for that after all, because God already knows what we need. We might ask “why bother then?”
This morning my answer is simple: the recitation wakes me up to what I’m doing/saying and I have that good feeling of connection in my heart. What’s your reason/experience?
The Sophia Center for Spirituality 