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T
UESDAY OF
THE
F
IRST
W
EEK OF
L
ENT
Reading 1:
Isaiah 55: 10-11
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalms 34: 4-7, 16-19
Gospel:
Matthew 6: 7-15
S
UMMARY
The essence of these three readings focuses on our use of words and the
essence of grace, especially in the area of prayer. Isaiah makes us aware
that our words and sharing have great impact and therefore, should be
carefully chosen when spoken revering the declaration of the truth accord-
ing to the Word of the Lord. The Responsorial Psalm works to drive home
the point that God will save us from our fears, troubles and hardships if we
simply ask and honor Him. His grace is unending and our prayer to Him
always heard. And, finally, in this reading from the Gospel of Matthew, we
are provided with a clear suggestion as to how to pray…the Lord’s Prayer
is used as the good example. We must realize that the Lord knows what
we need before we ask. Therefore, the emphasis should focus on being
direct, and not wordy. It furthers the message by acknowledging that for-
giveness is granted by God to those who forgive others. Grace is
a powerful attribute that while God bestows it upon us when we
request forgiveness…we, too, must grant the gift of grace with
those who acknowledge they’ve hurt us and request pardon for
that wrong doing.
R
EFLECTION
Prayer is a very individual art that we constantly are honing along
side our spiritual relationship with our Lord. It is personal and it
is our own. These readings have provided the foundation to help
us create our individual communications with God so that we can
effectively let our hearts be known…in times of joy and hardship,
realizing the endless grace for which God grants us! As we work
daily to develop our personal art of prayer, we must also keep in
mind the importance of forgiveness—that which we ask of God
personally and that which we are asked by those who, in our hu-
manness, wrong us. We must also be mindful of the selection of
our words when we communicate, for their impact is great and