Lk. 11:1-4: “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Today’s Gospel begins with a very simple request from the disciples; “Lord, teach us to pray.” They perceived that the strength of Jesus’ life and mission was born from the intimate dialogue with his Father and they wanted to learn from Him.

Jesus responds with a few sentences in which the life of a Christian is contained. The first thing is trust: we call on God the Father who loves us and listens to us. Prayer begins with the certainty that we are his sons and daughters, which is why we put God at the center: “Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.” Before we ask for our needs, we recognize that the most important thing is that God reign in the world. Then come our human requests; daily bread, which is both material food and the bread of the spirit; the forgiveness of our sins, which is linked to the forgiveness we give to others; and the strength not to fall into temptation, because alone we cannot sustain ourselves.

The Lord’ s Prayer is not just a prayer to be recited, but a program of life. It teaches us to live trusting in God, in solidarity with our brothers and sisters, reconciled and hopeful. Every time we pray it, let us try to do so with our hearts, renewing our commitment to live as children of the same Father and as brothers and sisters among ourselves.