Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 20, 2019
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.”
Like most Christians, I learned the “Our Father” as a little kid. However, if I were asked today to recite it out loud, by myself, without the backing of a congregation, there is a strong possibility that the words would tumble out of my mouth with no cadence, as if my brain were attempting to eject them quickly, for fear it would come up dry. How often do we carefully examine each phrase for what it truly is: the precious Word of God? Christ himself gave us the exact formula for communicating with his Father, our Father.
In addition to giving us a simple procedure for how to pray, Jesus presents the goal of our Christian lives right in the center of this commonly recited prayer: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius presents his Exercise’s First Principle and Foundation: “The goal of our life is to live with God forever.” This expresses the same goal presented in the Our Father.
When we hope for God’s kingdom to come and God’s will to be done, we hope to live with God. Heaven is perfect union with God and our neighbor. When we love our neighbors as ourselves, when we listen to God’s Word, when we participate in the Eucharist, we are actively working to bring about heaven on earth. The closer we grow to God, the closer we all collectively grow towards achieving heavenly harmony with God forever.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, your Word is active and alive, effective and enlivening. It achieves the end for which you send it. Transformed by your Word and filled with your Spirit, may our words not be empty, but may we imitate you by speaking true words of forgiveness from the heart to those who sin against us. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Blessed Osanna of Mantua was born in 1449 in the Italian city of Mantua.
By the tender age of six, she reported having seen angels appear to her. She refused to marry, despite her father arranging a marriage to her. Instead, at the age of fourteen, she dedicated herself to the Dominican consecrated life by becoming a Third Order Dominican. Osanna was a great admirer of St. Catherine of Siena, a prolific Dominican, and Catherine's example inspired her to join the Dominicans.
Osanna returned home, having informed her father she had made vows. She waited thirty-seven years before taking final vows, caring for her siblings after their parents' deaths.
Osanna had many visions during prayer—she had one in which she saw her own heart before God, another in which she saw the Blessed Virgin, and another in which she saw images of Christ in his Passion.
Osanna bore the marks of Christ's passion upon her head, side, and feet. Osanna was a spiritual guide to the poorest of the poor, the beggars whom she cared for, and to the ruling elite of Mantua.
Osanna died in Mantua in 1505. Her relics were later transferred to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, where they lie today. She was beatified in 1694 by Pope Innocent XII.
Blessed Osanna of Mantua, stigmatic and mystic—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Bl. Osanna of Mantua is in the public domain. Last accessed March 19, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
