Lesson 8
Jesus taught us to pray
No matter where we are or how busy we are, we should always take time to pray. Jesus taught us that we can pray anytime and anywhere and He even taught us the words to pray.
The Gospels tell us that Jesus went to secluded places in order to pray. In prayer, Jesus would pray to His Father in heaven. Jesus knew that His Father was always listening to him.
Jesus and His disciples travelled all throughout Galilee and many people came from all over to listen to Jesus. Some regarded Jesus as a prophet, some regarded Jesus as a miracle worker, but there were also some people who came to believe that He was the Messiah.
This is what Jesus taught His disciples to pray (read Matthew 6:9-13):
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
And forgive us our debts;
As we forgive our debtors;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
We call this prayer The Our Father or The Lord’s Prayer. Jesus taught His disciples that His Father in heaven was their Father too.
We pray The Our Father at every Mass. When we pray The Our Father, we do several things: (1) We call God our Father, (2) We give praise to God, (3) We ask God to do His will, (4) We ask God to give us what we need for today, (5) We ask God to forgive us as we forgive others, (6) We ask God to keep us under His protection, (7) We ask God to save us from evil.
Many people spend lots of time in prayer. For example, monks and nuns who belong to a contemplative order spend many hours each day in private prayer. They live in places called monasteries or convents. They serve God and the Church by praying for others.
Questions:
- Where and when can we pray?
- Who taught us to pray The Our Father?
- True or False. Jesus’ Father in heaven is our Father too.
- Name at least 3 things that we do when we pray The Our Father.
- How do the monks and nuns who belong to a contemplative order serve God and the Church?