My secret is very simple: I pray. Through prayer, I become on in love with Christ. I realize that praying to him is loving him - Mother Teresa.

Mother Teresa devotes  herself entirely to the people who suffer and doesn't waste time in meetings and fundraisings. And she prays - this is her secret. For her, action and contemplation are inseparable. At the same time, she is both Martha and Mary. Praying is to love Jesus and to be loved by him.

Matthew 6, 7-15

In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is how you are to pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one." If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.

Meditation

By teaching us the "Our Father," Jesus makes us participate in his own prayer. Thus, we are in the same dispositions as Jesus towards his Father. It expresses the authentic relationship to God. It is not a mere formula to recite, but the expression of the spiritual attitude of a disciple of Jesus. 

The prayer starts with an invocation; we are talking to God as to a father who loves us - "Our Father in heaven." The first requests are vows regarding the implementation of God's will and the coming of the Kingdom. It's only then that we petition for our human needs: the daily bread, the forgiveness of sin, and the rescue in temptation. Jesus shares with us his intimacy with the One he calls "my Father," and calls us to enter the life of God.

Prayer

"Lord Jesus, help me offer this upcoming year to the Father, with confidence. Grant me a deeper understanding of what entering the life of God really is. May the daily recitation of the "Our Father," the prayer you taught us, remind me that God is my Father, that He gives me everything I need in both body and soul. Amen."

Follow this prayer by one "Our Father," one "Hail Mary," and the daily prayer of Mother Teresa, which can be accessed by clicking on "Pray" below.

Today's little resolution: I will choose an adequate time during the week for ten minutes of prayer. I'll keep this habit regular, and maintain it yearlong. 

Artwork: Mother Teresa, by Ajay Kumar Samir.