Mt 6,7-15

Stand in God’s presence. God is present here and now, looking upon you with love.

Ask for the Grace: I will beg God our Lord that all my intentions and actions may be directed purely to the praise and service of His Divine Majesty

Fixing a place, a picture for meditation: Jesus teaches disciples how to pray. Maybe they are in a room, maybe they are sitting around Jesus. See how disciples listen to, how they receive the words that Jesus says. Maybe you are with them …

Ask for the fruit of meditation: let me trust God more and more

1. Our Father …

These are the first and most important words of prayer. It can be said that they determine the kind of relationship between the praying and God – the Father.

See how your relationship with God looks like, how it has developed. Many factors influence on it, but most importantly your relationship with your mother and father: whether there was more anxiety, parental control, punishment and reward system or more tenderness, warmth. It depends on what image of God you carry in you today: is it God – a loving Father, is it a judge God, is it a God – a good uncle from America (giving gifts and also living far away from us), is it God – a policeman constantly watching order.

2. Trust.

Our prayer, spoken very consciously, can arouse various emotions in us, not necessarily those which we would call pleasant. They can be difficult to accept completely, among others words: Thy will be done (we want to, but we are nervous if our plans do not go out), give us our daily bread today (does it sometimes seem to us that we get a different bread than we need?). Only by learning more and more trust can we feel greater and greater consent to the prayers contained in our Father’s prayer. Take a look at yourself as you say the words of this prayer: what do they give birth to you, what does it say about your trust in him?

3. Prayer.

Many times, the Gospel shows us a scene where disciples are witnessing Jesus praying. This means that the relationship with the Father is very important to him. This may be one of the reasons why disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. Maybe they say: we want it too.How is your prayer? Maybe now during Lent it is worth verifying your prayer, your motivations – why do I pray, your perseverance and regularity …

4. If you want to meet Jesus and ask him to teach you how to pray … do it now.

Meditation: St Ignatius encourages in The Spiritual Exercises No. 2 … Because not so much knowledge, but internal feeling and the taste of things please and saturate the soul, that is, we stay where we feel interior movement … and nervously do not try to go on.

The final conversation: Spend a little time at the end, being with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit….as you would with a good friend: sometimes talking, sometimes listening, sometimes being together in silence. Speak to God about your feelings. Remember that times when ‘nothing is happening’ can also be significant. When you’re ready, end your prayer by saying thank you or using words that are familiar, such as the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)–whichever feels right and comfortable. (The Spiritual Exercises No.54)