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Gospel Reading for June 19, 2025 – Matthew 6: 7-15
SINCERITY
Jesus said to his disciples: “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 who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.’
“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.”
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When we look at the Our Father, we will realize that in the first part, we give glory to the Father. We recognize his Kingdom. However, recognizing God’s Kingdom is possible only if we make his Kingdom come on earth by following his will.
The second part starts with asking for our temporal needs and asking for his forgiveness for our sins. However, it is not enough to ask for forgiveness. If we are truly sorry for our sins, we should be able to recognize that those who do us wrong have to be forgiven by us too. Otherwise, we do not have the right to ask for forgiveness.
There are so many forms of prayer, but they all have to come from our hearts because it is communicating with God. We need to communicate with SINCERITY, otherwise, they cannot really be called prayers.
Lord, it is our fervent and sincere prayer to help us live our lives according to your will always!
