Reflection Date: February 24, 2026 | Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Daily Readings: Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 6:7-15
Children of God:
In his 2004 Lenten message, Saint John Paul II gave a simple but profound invitation to the faithful.
He encouraged everyone to repeat the Lord’s Prayer often during Lent.
He said, “Our Father! Let us repeat this prayer often during Lent; let us repeat it with deep emotion.”
He reminded believers that by calling God “Our Father,” we realize more deeply that we are his children.
He also emphasized that this prayer helps us feel that we are brothers and sisters of one another.
For him, the Lord’s Prayer was a school of identity and communion.
It shaped how Christians see God and how they see each other.
Pope John Paul believed that repeating it with awareness could renew both personal faith and social relationships.
In a noisy world, he pointed back to a prayer that many already knew by heart.
He trusted that its familiar words still had the power to transform hearts.
In the gospel story of Matthew, Jesus taught his disciples how to pray.
What are our inspirations for today?
First, prayer is not meant to impress God but to express dependence.
Jesus cautioned against multiplying words without meaning (Matthew 6:7). He shifted the focus from quantity of words to quality of trust.
When Jesus said, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8), he revealed a God who was attentive and caring.
The disciples were invited to pray with confidence, not anxiety.
Today, we are invited to examine how we pray. Are our words flowing from habit alone, or from a living relationship?
Second, forgiven people forgive people.
After teaching the prayer, Jesus added a strong reminder about forgiveness (Matthew 6:14-15).
He made it clear that receiving mercy from the Father was inseparable from giving mercy to others. Prayer and daily relationships were closely linked.
When we say, “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12), we are making a commitment.
We are asking God to measure us by the same mercy we show. The prayer becomes a mirror of our own heart.
When you pray the Lord’s Prayer, which line speaks most strongly to your current life situation? Is there someone you need to forgive so that your prayer may be more sincere? How can you make your daily prayer less routine and more relational?
Children of God:
The Lord’s Prayer is short, but it contains a whole way of life. It reminds us that we are children before we are achievers.
It calls us to see others as siblings, not rivals. When prayed with the heart, it reshapes attitudes and heals relationships.
Our Father! May we repeat it often, not only with our lips but with our lives.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
