The Lord's Prayer is known universally, and for good reason. However, its richness is often overlooked when we speak it. When the disciples ask our Lord to teach them to pray in today's Gospel, Jesus not only gives them a simple prayer to remember, but also a template upon which all of our prayer can be modeled:

- "Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come": An act of humility. We must acknowledge God's sovereignty over all. He is God, we are not.

- "Give us each day our daily bread": A petition for His providence. Like children, we must ask our Father to provide us with the things we need. In response, our Lord gives us heavenly food in the Holy Eucharist.

- "Forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us": A petition for mercy. Our Father loves us, but often we don't reciprocate that love; we choose sin. We must ask His forgiveness in order to build, and rebuild, our relationship with Him.

- "Do not subject us to the final test": A petition for deliverance. Not only will we experience the Final Judgement at the end of time, but we experience difficult trials, or "tests", daily in this life. We must ask God for the strength and faith to endure all of these trials, big and small.

Today, take time to say the Lord's Prayer slowly and meditate on what you are actually speaking to God.

How can I apply what Christ taught his disciples in the Lord's Prayer to my own prayer life?

Lord, teach me to pray as you taught your disciples. Amen.