Catholic Men’s Daily Devotional and Bible Study – 27th Week in Ordinary time – Wednesday – Luke 11:1-4

The Gospel reading from the Mass for Wednesday of the 27th Week of Ordinary Time is Luke 11:1-4.

Following Christ’s joyful prayer to the Father (Luke 10:21-23) and His direction to Martha to seek Him as the one thing needed (Luke 10:38-42), the disciples come to Christ as He is in prayer and beg Him to teach them to pray. Luke offers a shortened version of the Our Father; Matthew (Matt 6:9-13) offers the version used in the Church.

Calling God “Father”, Christ reveals that men are to approach God as a loving “Father” and confirms the essential human need for paternity (the leadership of men as fathers) for protection, guidance and most of all, love. The Father’s name is to be held in the greatest esteem possible for a human, to be “hallowed” (recognized as holy); Christ reinforces the importance of the Holy Name as in 2nd Commandment. Christ reasserts the reality of God’s Kingdom and that men are to pray for God’s Kingdom to be embraced by all.

Christ emphasizes man’s dependence on the Father in daily life. He teaches that men are totally dependent on God for daily bread, including bodily nourishment (i.e. every day food) and spiritual nourishment (i.e. the supernatural bread of the Eucharist). A stunning call to perfection, Christ reveals that God will forgive men for their trespasses in the same way that men forgive the trespasses of other men. Christ ends with the plea to God to not allow men to fall into temptation, a veiled reference to Satan’s action in the world: Matthew’s version ends with “and deliver us from [the] evil [One]”

Awed by Jesus Christ – Son of God, Christ authoritatively asserts that God is to be addressed as “Father” and with special divine omniscience reveals that men must forgive if they hope for God to forgive them.  Almighty King, Christ denounces false prayer, commands men to pray the Our Father, holds men to the incredible standard of forgiveness and warns of the Evil One (temptation by Satan).  Divine Priest, Christ gives the treasure of the Lord’s Prayer with its mysterious reference to the Eucharist.

Being a Heroic Catholic Man

1) Marvel that Christ, who is God, offers men an insight into the perfect prayer by teaching men the Our Father.

2) Rather than God’s mysterious revelation of Himself to Moses in the Burning Bush as the “I AM” (Exod 3), the Son of God reveals that man may approach God as the “Father.” Reflect upon God the Father (CCC 2779-2785) and pray for Christ to help you to draw close to the loving Father who never tires of welcoming you home.

3) The word Greek word, epiousios, translated as “daily” has a mysterious and profound meaning. Epiousios was invented (it is not found elsewhere in ancient Greek) for a word that Christ used that reveals the Eucharist; various translations mysteriously point to the Eucharist include “future bread”, “manna”, “necessary” and “super-essential” (CCC 2837). When praying the Lord’s Prayer each day, recall the Eucharist when repeating “daily bread” and come into union with Christ as often as possible in the Mass, the only source of epiousios Body of Christ.

Spiritual Practices – Include in Today’s Prayers

Sacred Mystery of Rosary – The Glorious Mysteries

Daily Devotion – Saint Joseph

Virtue of the Day – Temperance

Corporal Work of Mercy – To visit the imprisoned

Spiritual Work of Mercy – To comfort the sorrowful