Why pray?

Lord My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year II, 18 June 2026
Sirach 48:1-14     ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'> + ><]]]]'>     Matthew 6:7-15

As we move deeper into Ordinary Time,
your words today Lord Jesus Christ
are so appropriate and timely,
answering our perennial question,
"why pray?"

Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:7-8).

Actually,
our question becomes more
pressing: why pray at all if
the Father knows what we need
before we ask him?

Thank you dear Jesus
in giving us the grace to pray
despite our questions on the need
to pray; indeed, the Father knows
very well our needs even before
we pray but we need to pray because
we do not know what the Father needs from us.

Teach us to be like the Father's
two great prophets,
Elijah and Elisha
who prayed deeply in their lives
to know and follow the plans
and will of God;
most of all, 
like Elijah and Elisha,
may we realize that prayer
is primarily a relationship,
a friendship in you, O Lord;
you do not need our prayers,
Jesus but we need you so much;
without you, we are nothing;
without prayer therefore, we die
for it is prayer that sustains us in you.
Amen.