Readings: Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14; Psalm 117; Luke 11:1-4
In the Gospel of today, the disciples of Jesus were so touched by the frequency and the manner in which Jesus prayed, that after a session of prayer, one of them asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.
In other words, they wanted to pray like Jesus. They wanted to have a desire for prayer, to know when and how to pray, what to pray for and how they should be disposed after asking.
We also need Jesus to teach us to pray because sometimes we pray as if it is a mere obligation or an unpleasant burden. In some instances, we ask for the wrong things or the right things in the wrong way, and sometimes our disposition becomes an obstacle to our petition.
I shall mention a few indications that we do not know how to pray properly:
A. When we pray without forgiveness we do not pray well.
B. When we pray without believing that God can and will grant what we ask.
C. When we pray without surrendering to God’s will. Prayer is not just wanting what we ask but wanting what He gives.
D. When we ask for things that are not good for us or others, requests that are selfish and unspiritual.
E. Finally when we live like pagans and pray like believers. This is what St. Paul condemned in the First Reading of today. A virtuous life gives efficacy to prayers.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on October 5, 2022.