Ecclesiasticus 48:1-14 / Matthew 6:7-15
The 1st reading mentions two figures of the Old Testament - Elijah and his successor Elisah.
Both were prophets and together with other famous figures of the Bible, they were renowned for their deeds, which the 1st reading gave an account of.
But the famous figures of the Bible were not just famous for their deeds. There is one common factor that made them famous in word and in deeds, and that is, they were also men of prayer.
At times, the Bible mentioned them in the act of prayer. At other times, their prayers were also recorded.
But when Jesus came along, the gospels noted that He often went to a lonely place to pray, and in today's gospel, He also taught us how to pray with the "Lord's Prayer" or the "Our Father".
The Lord's Prayer can be said under half a minute. Or it can take as long as an hour if we meditate upon it and let the prayer stay in our hearts.
One thing for sure is that the prayer is short and not that many words, such that it can be remembered by heart.
But whether we take one minute, or one hour to say it, the prayer must bear fruit in our lives.As Jesus emphaized after teaching the prayer, one of the first fruits of that prayer must be forgiveness.
Without forgiveness and without prayer, we are like dust in the wind, and our words and actions won't count for anything.