Your will be done, Father

Sir. 48:1-15, Mt. 6:7-15. Today's first reading recalls a glowing description of great spiritual hero to inspire his students to cling to their Jewish heritage. He spares no exaggeration in his portrayal of Elijah, as a prophet like fire, radiant with the light of God who powerfully defended the faith and upheld the traditions of Israelite religion in an era of rampant paganism. Today, Elijah is remembered for his fidelity and compassion towards the widow during the famine. Hopefully in his old age this fiery prophet, tempered by the experience of exile in the wilderness, learned a milder spirit of tolerance, like that urged in today's Gospel from the Sermon on the Mount.

We need tolerance in our relationship with others in acknowledgement of the common Fatherhood of our God, so that we can worship Him from the deepest of our being in prayer. In prayer we acknowledge our dependence on God, for our basic needs, for food, forgiveness and strength to continue living. The Lord’s Prayer is powerful in its simplicity. It is not simply one prayer among many; it is an iconic teaching on how to pray. In the Lord's Prayer, we humbly recognise the reign of God in Heaven, His holiness, Kingship and sovereignty. His reign in us means the enthronement of His values in our lives: Just as God is generous, we are challenged to imitate Him by being charitable. He is merciful, we must learn from Him how to forgive others. He is compassionate, let us bring Him to others through our kindness. He is unconditionally loving: created in His image, let us reflect Him by accepting others as they are. In appreciation of His love for us, we submit to doing His will. We build up the patience that enables us to discern and comply with what God would want to see us do in the given situation. Even, when it deeply challenges our interest and desire, like Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, we re-echo "Your will be done, Father".

May the Lord strengthen us each day, fortify us, redirect our path to the true source of our strength! Amen!! Remain safe and have a wonderful day!!!