NOTES for Mat 6:7-15

Jesus, in fact, brings about a revolution in the understanding and practice of prayer. It turns out that God has absolutely no need of our petitions. Moreover, the person who asks does not need prayer either. One might object: “As far as God is concerned, that is understandable, but when people pray, they sometimes come to understand their needs by putting them into words and, in a peaceful state, become aware of their inner and, for that matter, outer needs. In the end, prayer itself often becomes the source of the resolve to pursue goals that have been recognized and clearly defined.” All this may be acknowledged as true to some extent, but such inner self-reflection can no longer properly be called prayer; it is more like meditation with elements of verbalization.

Meditation, however, whether understood as reflection or as silence, is not entirely useless. Yet its content, too, should be not so much our isolated mental life as an openness of heart and mind toward God and the circumstances of life. The emphasis here should be placed precisely on God, who gives human life perspective and room to grow.

Jesus speaks of prayer precisely as the orientation of the whole human being toward God, the Source and Foundation of everything. The only real aims of prayer understood in this way are to acquire the inner sensitivity needed to perceive the movements of the Spirit, who alone makes people God’s fellow workers and companions in thought as He reveals Himself in Christ. Then every Christian man or woman has the opportunity to take part in building “His Kingdom” and accomplishing “His will,” and thus to realize their calling and gifts; to receive His forgiveness and freedom, and to give them to those near us who are deprived of them.