Contemplating today's Gospel
Today's Gospel + homily (in 300 words)
Jonah then left the city for a place to the east of it, where he built himself a hut and waited under it in the shade, to see what would happen to the city. And when the Lord God provided a gourd plant that grew up over Jonah’s head, giving shade that relieved him of any discomfort, Jonah was very happy over the plant. But the next morning at dawn God sent a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. And when the sun arose, God sent a burning east wind; and the sun beat upon Jonah’s head till he became faint. Then Jonah asked for death, saying, «I would be better off dead than alive». But God said to Jonah, «Have you reason to be angry over the plant?». «I have reason to be angry», Jonah answered, «angry enough to die». Then the Lord said, «You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor and which you did not raise; it came up in one night and in one night it perished. And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left, not to mention the many cattle?».
For you, o Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you. Hearken, o Lord, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my pleading.
All the nations you have made shall come and worship you, o Lord, and glorify your name. For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds; you alone are God.
“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples”
Fr. Austin Chukwuemeka IHEKWEME (Ikenanzizi, Nigeria)Today, we see how one of Jesus' disciples tells Him: “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples” (Lk 11:1). Jesus' reply: “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test” (Lk 11:2-4), may be summarized in a single phrase: the best mental attitude for the Christian prayer is that of a child in front of his father.
We can see right away that the prayer, according to Jesus, is something like a “father-son” kinship. That is, a family matter based on a relation of closeness and love. The image of God as a Father speaks to us of a relationship based on affection and intimacy, not on power and authority.
To pray as Christians means to position ourselves in a situation whereby we see God as our Father and we speak to Him as His sons: “You write: ‘To pray is to talk with God. But about what?’. About what? About Him, about yourself: joys, sorrows, successes and failures, noble ambitions, daily worries, weaknesses! And acts of thanksgiving and petitions: and Love and reparation. In a word: to get to know Him and to get to know yourself: ‘to get acquainted!’” (Saint Josemaria Escrivá).
When children speak with their parents they try to transmit, through their words and body language, what they feel in their heart. We become better-praying men and women when our relationship with God is more intimate, as that of a father with his son. Jesus himself left with us His own example. He is the Way.
And, if you invoke the Virgin Mother of God, master of prayer, it will even be easier! In fact “the contemplation of Christ has in Mary its insurmountable model. The Son's face belongs to her in a very special way (...). Nobody has devoted himself with Mary's assiduity to the contemplation of Christ's face” (Saint John Paul II).
Thoughts on Today's Gospel
"You say that you don't know how to pray? Put yourself in the presence of God, and once you have said, 'Lord, I don't know how to pray!' rest assured that you have begun to do so" (Saint Josemaria Escrivá)
"Take the Gospel, read a small fragment, imagine what happened and discuss it with Jesus. In this way you will have your look fixed on Jesus and not on the soap opera, for instance” (Francis)
"When Jesus prays he is already teaching us how to pray... " (Catechism of the Catholic Church, nº 2607)
