Do not pray as the pagans pray

 Today's gospel reminds us of the deep gulf that sets the revelation of Jesus apart from the pagan religions that shaped the world into which He was born. We are right to look to find the Seeds of the Word that are scattered throughout the world in other religions or philosophies, and we try to encourage them to take root and grow so that those who bear them can be led towards the one source of light who is Father and Lord of all: ultimately, to full communion with the Mystical Body of His Church. Nevertheless, this act would be a rose-tinted act of naivety if we forgot that the cockle of Satan grows everywhere, and that all falsehood, especially when erected into a religious system, is an obstacle to the grace of God.

Probably the predominant pattern of religion in the ancient world was that of trade with the gods. Men offered them sacrifices, hoped for their blessings, and feared their anger when things went badly. Ancient religions developed elaborate ceremonies and practices to grapple with the unseen, spiritual world that they perceived behind the appearances of nature. Jesus' command today - "do not pray like the pagans pray" - is an invitation for us to purge from our minds and hearts all the remaining clutter of those earlier pagan practices which were superficial (full of babbling prayers) and, above all, devoid of intimacy with God.

And then, Jesus gives us His own prayer, a foundation stone of the Christian life and a monument to the greatest truths of Revelation: the fatherhood of God, the holiness and eternity of His reign, the all encompassing nature of His will, our dependence on Him for material and spiritual gifts, especially those of forgiveness and protection from evil.

We should not babble like the pagans do! But St Paul teaches us that the Holy Spirit prays in us with unutterable groanings. Our prayers should be more intimate not only because we address God as Father, but because in doing so, we are open to being moved by the Spirit into the communion of love offered to us by the Blessed Trinity. 

Our prayers are often those of petition, and the risk of remaining in the mode of petition is that we tend to think of God like the pagans do - a god of the slot machine. In turning towards adoration and thanksgiving, we are not abandoning petition but allowing it to find its place in the wider and richer relationship that the Father calls us to. He knows we have need of so many things, and of course we should pray for them. Just not in desperation; not as if He were a merchant, rather than a Messiah.  

Perhaps, therefore, the first thing we pray for should simply be the grace to pray in the way He wishes us to pray. And all the rest follows from there.