Ben Sirach, in today's First Reading, speaks at length in praise of Elijah and Elisha for they exemplified and reflected the glory of God. To Ben Sirach "...all wisdom comes forth from the Lord" (1:1). To explain the concept of Divine Wisdom, in its various manifestations and applications, he summarises salvation history by listing most of the Jewish Founding Fathers. Through the experiences of these successive personalities e.g. Elijah and Elisha, he illustrates the operation of Divine Wisdom: these Fathers had a reverential awe of God which expressed itself in worshipping Him according to the Law, and in doing His will in their moral conduct.

In the Gospel Reading today is an account of another teaching of Divine Wisdom, this time by Jesus Christ who is described by St Paul as ..."in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Col: 2:3). This teaching is that of the perfect prayer.

This perfect prayer, the Lord's Prayer, is short and yet all-encompassing. In this way it is unlike most Hebrew prayers of that time. Brief as it is, it contains seven petitions, and each petition comes with a praise of God, an expression of what God means for the person praying, while each petition reveals what that person needs, to be what God wants him to be.