Today's Gospel reading focuses on the essence of 'Prayer' and the Our Father forms part of the Church's instruction on 'prayer' in Matthew's Gospel. The Jewish Christians in Matthew learnt to pray from childhood and they needed to be instructed anew about the quality of prayer and the proper disposition when praying.

Jesus asked His followers to avoid lengthy recitation of prayers and He gave them the Lord's prayer as an example of a short prayer which expresses complete trust in God's knowledge and providence.

To pray is not a question of words which we use to talk to or about God. It is a matter of the heart and so it is said 'when the heart is full, words are few.' The more prayerful we are, the less wordy we become in prayer. Jesus shows us this by presenting 'Prayer' as a loving experience of the relationship with God as 'Abba, Father' and surrendering ourselves to Him, to His plan and to His Kingdom.

Let us not take for granted the privilege God has given us to call Him 'Father' and pray the Our Father reverently. Let us have the confidence in our relationship with God as is so well described by Prophet Isaiah in the first reading.'* the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent out to do.'