By Sr. Rosalie Pizzo 

This Sunday, the Gospel's message is "Lord, teach us how to pray." Is this not a life-long desire within each of us as it was in the hearts of the disciples of Jesus?

Our earliest recollection of this desire for learning how to pray was initially the task of our parents. Each evening, my siblings and I were led by the hand to the side of the bed, we knelt, clasped our hands and said our prayers. The emphasis was mainly on posture and saying the right words. How then did we transition from the mechanics of prayer to the essence - that loving conversation with the One Who draws our undivided attention to that place of saying less, listening more, so as to engage us in a more profound dialogue?

Recently, I had an experience that changed the way I begin my prayer. I came across the scripture passage of the man born blind when Jesus, with the utmost sensitivity and compassion, asked him "What do you want me to do for you"? For the first time I saw this question directed at me. What an opportune way of consciously giving back to God that rightful place of speaking first. This focus of conversation has kept me ever mindful that the source of all grace is always at God's initiative. What surprising and grace-filled moments this change has brought about in the way I pray!

Gerald Collins, SJ, shares insight into the way that Jesus prayed. He addressed His Father as, "Abba." This expression was that of the God of his deepest experience. Jesus used terms of endearment. In Aramaic, his native tongue, he called on His Father as Abba, "My own dear Father." In the vernacular the word that comes close to this meaning is "Daddy." How authentic our prayer would be if we achieved that level of intimacy with God! The way we pray tells who we are and how we live. The "Our Father" encapsulates the way that Jesus thought, taught and lived throughout His life. Our model is clear! Our desire persists. Like the disciples of Jesus, we ask, "Lord, teach us how to pray."