5 When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites who love to pray standing in synagogues and at street corners, may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have received their reward.
6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7Pregando then, do not babble like the pagans, who believe will be heard for their much speaking. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Mt from 6.5 to 8
Since prayer is a gathering of people who love each other, Jesus warns us about the importance of interiority. God, as we have seen, is the first star of the prayer. And 'He who loves me, so call the meeting and want to love myself. A personal meeting, intimate, spousal friendship is not realized in the square or the market. A meeting between God, the source of my life and I know that I sprung / a from Him, is in the center of me, not outside. It 'important to understand it well!
We are in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus makes his message of a bright torch that has revolutionized many criteria and ways of being worldly. He threw light on the negativity of just wanting to appear to be seen of men. He lashed with strong humor those who donate money and stuff, but "playing the trumpet before self "to be applauded. The intent to guide the paths of truth and authenticity, Jesus now prepares the ground for teaching the prince: that of prayer. And her put here to focus on the vital importance of interiority - let us look good! - is a precondition to tell her that then, immediately after the prayer par excellence: that of Our Father.
verse 5 "And when you pray do not be like the hypocrites who love to pray (...) to appear before men ". Who is the hypocrite? It is essentially a form of itself, the opposite of authenticity, of truth itself. The hypocrisy is self-centered man: look beautiful figure, with the approval of people, a better image of himself even in his own relationship with God But beware! In truth I just can not to relate to Him in truth the last place to put (cf. Lk 14.2-7), the humility to know and accept what they are: someone who can not love, which often sin, which degl'infiniti gifts is not worthy of God without humility is hypocrisy, not prayer. "To pray," says St. Teresa of Avila, teacher of prayer, it still requires humility and humility "(Job title, 10). However, do not ever mistake: Humility is not humiliation, contempt of one's self deep.
v. 6 "But when you pray, go into your room." Truly the original text says, go into your pantry: an inner room of the house, without windows, where they kept their food. And it is very important! In this pantry or cellar, or "wine cellar" (to quote the Song of Songs) in fact I draw life. And 'in fact the inner part of me, my heart is deep. This is the place "secret" where my "self" is the echo (or image) continually nourished by the great "I AM" which is God, his spousal m'inabita mystery, the secret spring of my " there "forever. This room or basement then is the secret place of prayer more personal and profound. This is the 'bottom of the soul "or" peak ", the" tip of the spirit "- to put it with the mystics -. Just at the bottom of this secret I'm really myself, the image of God, capable of recovering the similarity, are "the man hidden in the heart", "son in the Son" (cf. 1 Pet 3.4 a). E 'to these depths that the Holy Spirit, with unspeakable groaning, stirs in me as Jesus prayed: "Abba, Father" (Rom 8:15, Gal 4:6).
v. 6a "I locked the door ..." It's definitely close the door of the heart to the many distractions, so many cravings and needs often artificially induced by the large superstore in our society. The recollection prepared. If the mind and heart are in jeopardy all day, I can not claim to be free and clear I could relate to God at the time of my specific prayer. "... Pray to thy Father in secret: and thy Father which is in secret ... watch" The prayer is often EU: liturgical prayer, to pray together, turning to God from children who feel themselves brothers and therefore, by reason, appeal to the same Father. But, ahead of the same community prayer there must be praying in secret, that the intimacy of my being unique and unrepeatable person. And "believe" means to be sure that God, in secret of this intimacy, I "searches" and he "knows" because he loves me and I look there, deep down where He is the great "I AM", which if I open just in prayer, sustains and enlivens my little 'I am'. "... I will return" (original text). It means that the person praying to God is returned to itself (himself the truest and most severe), meaning "son in the Son" Jesus, full of glory is in being an icon of God, because of his empty boasting.
v. 7th "Praying not offer many words as the Gentiles ...." Jesus warns us against the risk of robotize prayer. The great spiritual masters teach that the mind and heart must agree with the voice, even when it comes to vocal prayers (Psalms or other). It should also pray a repetitive and rhythmic, but only if we cultivate the attention of the heart, it being present Great Present at the time of our praying. The pagans instead (of all time) do not know this interiority and go on journeys words what do you expect magic.
v.7b "... to be heard." Too often prayer disregards the great highways of praise, adoration, thanksgiving. Many pray only for "token" God in order that they need, perhaps even foolish claims to get foolish things. Praying above is first to establish a contact, listening to Him who first loved us. v.8 "because your Father knows what you need before you ask," God is because God is the Love that knows and can see everything, so provides. But I do not really know what really it should be me and to others. However it is good for me to explain my requirements, like the stuttering child to his mother what he wants. The mother, however, will give what is truly good for him, because not everything your child asks for it should be, indeed! So is God for us. What still matters is that my faith-cry for prayer becomes invincible confidence, always.
We live in an age which for many has eclipsed the prayer, for others it is a confused babble still taking the wrong path in life and wrong. But there is, especially among young people, a great need to learn to pray. "We have many masters in various fields of life," said a young Father Andrea Gasparino, from astrophysics to those teachers of English and swimming. We lack, however, true masters of prayer. "But to learn to pray and to teach our time. Bc of prayer, you have to deal - more than ever - with this powerful call of Jesus to interiority. Bombarded as we are messages, invitations, requests and proposals of every kind (on the phone, internet, TV, other media and calls of the big supermarket of this company) we definitely need to find practical, space and time to enter into ourselves, gather, make silence, really listen to the Word in depth. Without this practice the Gospel and rejected it so urgent now, prayer is not possible. Why can not contact with ourselves, let alone with God must take note and act accordingly.
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