Jesus was praying in a particular place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. -Lk 11:1-2
Friends, God is good, all the time.
Christians use prayer to express gratitude and glory to God, fortify their relationship with him, and request the things for which they long. At the same time, prayer secures our faithful following and practicing God's commands. For this reason, the best manner of doing prayer is to cultivate a prayer life, a commitment to a routine, that is, a composite practice of time, place, and specific prayer forms. Prayer life guarantees good days, strengths to live and overcome temptations, bumps, and trenches in our life courses.
The gospels suggest that both Jesus and John maintained regular prayer lives. Jesus built a well-structured prayer cycle. He made it a habit to rise and go early in the morning to a quiet place to be alone and speak to the Father. That such behavior as enacted by Jesus became so attractive to the disciples that they considered learning how to pray as he did. Their beautiful and necessary request led the Lord to teach us the "Pater Noster" as a model prayer. We are also to be attracted to the Lord’s prayer pattern. We must learn from him as the disciple sought to do, remembering that it was not only the disciples who were with him that the Lord taught how to pray, but each day he teaches us as well to pray to him.
A good prayer life is magnetic. It sends waves of peace and joy around us; it says something about us that sometimes cannot be expressed in words. It anchors the person who prays in grace and victory. Prayer is the easiest thing to do because the only requirement is deciding to pray. Jesus prayed and so did Mary and the saints.
Today being the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, the request of the disciples about prayer becomes both a good one and the basis to pray the rosary today and often. The Our Father and the Hail Mary are put in one celebration of the liturgy today. Thus, reminding us that prayer generally, and the rosary is a big help and effective way to keep our focus and stay true to God and our faith. Mary’s intercession on this day is available and efficacious.
Prayer blessing: Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death.