📖 Today's Gospel 18 June 2026 · Thursday 11th Week in Ordinary Time Matthew 6:7–15 Jesus said to His disciples: "When you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." Then Jesus taught them to pray: "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." And then Jesus added something that demands our full attention: "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ✨ Reflection Notice what Jesus does not teach. He does not give a complicated formula. He does not require perfect words. He does not ask us to impress God. Instead, He teaches a simple prayer that has sustained Christians for two thousand years. Seven simple petitions. Praise. Trust. Daily bread. Forgiveness. Protection. Everything we truly need. This prayer has been prayed in cathedrals and cottages, in monasteries and mission fields, in times of joy and in moments of great suffering. Yet one line stands at the center: "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." Jesus is not teaching that we earn God's forgiveness. Rather, He reveals that those who receive God's mercy are called to extend that same mercy to others. Forgiveness is not pretending the wound never happened. It is choosing not to let the wound have the final word. A heart that clings to resentment struggles to open itself fully to the mercy God desires to give. When we release our grip on bitterness, we make room for God's healing grace. That is not weakness. It is freedom. 💡 Context — Important This prayer comes immediately after Jesus' teaching on prayer in secret from yesterday's Gospel. It is given as the model for all Christian prayer. In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Our Father (Pater Noster) is prayed at every Mass, forms a central part of the Rosary, and remains the most universally known prayer in Christianity. It is the only prayer recorded in Scripture that Jesus explicitly taught His disciples to pray. 💡 Truths to Remember • God already knows what we need — prayer is relationship, not persuasion • "Daily bread" teaches us to trust God one day at a time • Forgiveness given and forgiveness received are deeply connected • This prayer is simple enough for a child and deep enough for a lifetime • Praying it sincerely changes the one who prays it 🙏 Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. 💬 Is there someone you have been finding difficult to forgive? Pray the Our Father slowly today, and ask God for the grace to release them. #DailyGospel #Matthew6 #OurFather #RiseWithTheWord