Today's readings can help us to understand why, sometimes, our prayers may not be real prayers, why they may not meet the minimum requirements necessary to qualify as prayer.

The prophet Hosea is pointing out that prayer of any kind requires a certain minimum internal, accompanying element. For Hosea a purely external ceremony, purporting to honour God is simply not prayer. Even the most elaborate devotional practices are meaningless if they are not based on submission to God's commands or expressed desires.

That statement requires, of course, some qualifications. Very few of us, either as individuals or as members of a group, would deliberately take part in a purely external show of reverence to God and consider it prayer. To put it positively,we could say that a glorious religious procession through the streets of our home town will be all the more glorious if in our hearts are lodged feelings of sorrow for sin, gratitude to God and desires to forgive, help and love our fellow men and women.

One of the Gospel presentations of prayer is almost a deliberate caricature. Shocked by the outrageous sentiments of the Pharisee's prayer we may decide to make our own the prayer of the tax collector.