The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the message of the Lord’s Prayer trusting Providence to grace us with the “Daily Bread” of forgiveness and openness to deliverance from evil.
The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is An Invitation to Grace.
* [55:10–11] The efficacy of the word of God recalls 40:5, 8. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 55 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 34 proclaims God will make “the Poor” powerful.
* [Psalm 34] A thanksgiving in acrostic form, each line beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this Psalm one letter is missing and two are in reverse order. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Ps 34:5, 7), can teach the “poor,” those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone (Ps 34:4, 12). God will make them powerful (Ps 34:5–11) and give them protection (Ps 34:12–22).
Psalm 34:14
Keep your tongue from evil,
your lips from speaking lies. (Psalms, PSALM 34 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew presents The Lord’s Prayer.
* [6:7–15] Matthew inserts into his basic traditional material an expansion of the material on prayer that includes the model prayer, the “Our Father.” That prayer is found in Lk 11:2–4 in a different context and in a different form.
* [6:7] The example of what Christian prayer should be like contrasts it now not with the prayer of the hypocrites but with that of the pagans. Their babbling probably means their reciting a long list of divine names, hoping that one of them will force a response from the deity.
* [6:9–13] Matthew’s form of the “Our Father” follows the liturgical tradition of his church. Luke’s less developed form also represents the liturgical tradition known to him, but it is probably closer than Matthew’s to the original words of Jesus.
* [6:9] Our Father in heaven: this invocation is found in many rabbinic prayers of the post-New Testament period. Hallowed be your name: though the “hallowing” of the divine name could be understood as reverence done to God by human praise and by obedience to his will, this is more probably a petition that God hallow his own name, i.e., that he manifest his glory by an act of power (cf. Ez 36:23), in this case, by the establishment of his kingdom in its fullness.
* [6:10] Your kingdom come: this petition sets the tone of the prayer, and inclines the balance toward divine rather than human action in the petitions that immediately precede and follow it. Your will be done, on earth as in heaven: a petition that the divine purpose to establish the kingdom, a purpose present now in heaven, be executed on earth.
* [6:11] Give us today our daily bread: the rare Greek word epiousios, here daily, occurs in the New Testament only here and in Lk 11:3. A single occurrence of the word outside of these texts and of literature dependent on them has been claimed, but the claim is highly doubtful. The word may mean daily or “future” (other meanings have also been proposed). The latter would conform better to the eschatological tone of the whole prayer. So understood, the petition would be for a speedy coming of the kingdom (today), which is often portrayed in both the Old Testament and the New under the image of a feast (Is 25:6; Mt 8:11; 22:1–10; Lk 13:29; 14:15–24).
* [6:12] Forgive us our debts: the word debts is used metaphorically of sins, “debts” owed to God (see Lk 11:4). The request is probably for forgiveness at the final judgment.
* [6:13] Jewish apocalyptic writings speak of a period of severe trial before the end of the age, sometimes called the “messianic woes.” This petition asks that the disciples be spared that final test.
* [6:14–15] These verses reflect a set pattern called “Principles of Holy Law.” Human action now will be met by a corresponding action of God at the final judgment. (Matthew, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)
Tamora Whitney comments that the prayer has become standardized and formal. We say it every day (or maybe we should say it every day). And when we do, we should think about what it means and what we are saying. In these or other words, we are talking to our father. We are acknowledging that we love and respect him.
We need to acknowledge the words and the importance of the words. The prayer is simple but meaningful, when we are deliberate and mean what we say. We are asking for our basic needs, asking for his forgiveness when necessary, and promising to love and care for each other like he loves and cares for us. (Whitney, 2026)
Don Schwager quotes “Pardon your brother and sister,” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Pardon, that you may be pardoned. In doing this, nothing is required of the body. It is the will that acts. You will experience no physical pain - you will have nothing less in your home. Now in truth, my brothers and sisters, you see what an evil it is that those who have been commanded to love even their enemy do not pardon a penitent brother or sister." (quote from Sermon 210,10) (Schwager, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that in the ending verses of Second Isaiah, the Word of God is like the fertilizing rain. If we don’t listen we will be like a desert. The Our Father in Luke’s Gospel is a series of disjoined petitions. Friar Jude suggests Luke is closer to Jesus' actual prayer. Matthew gives us a well developed liturgical “Our Father” prayed in his day. God is our Father and we praise Divine goodness. We surrender with our whole heart and soul. We petition God for bread for life and in the Eucharist. We have to be willing to forgive to be able to open our hearts to accept forgiveness. Friar Jude comments that the bad behaviour we forgive in others has hurt them more than us. In Luke’s prayer, we ask for deliverance from the trial. God allows temptation to offer us an opportunity to grow in love. Everything is an opportunity to show love. When we mess up we can depend upon God all the more.
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 6:7-15 comments that just as a child working with his father almost naturally learns how to think and act like his father. That’s why Jesus doesn’t just tell us to go and do God’s will; he tells us to do it prayerfully, with a heart open to him. He knows that we can’t fully grasp it on our own. We need to hear and learn from him.
So whenever you pray for God’s kingdom to come, picture yourself and the Father building that kingdom side by side. Be open to him working in your heart as he teaches you what his kingdom looks like. Pay attention to what he is already doing in the world. And then wholeheartedly declare, “I delight to do your will, my God!” (Psalm 40:9).
“Father, thy will be done through me!” (Meditation on Matthew 6:7-15, n.d.)
Fr Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Estelle Frankel, a teacher of Jewish mysticism, who describes how the story of Exodus reveals our human preference for what is known, even if something new may be better for us.
The compulsion to repeat the past is apparent in the biblical myth of the Exodus. When Moses led the Israelites to freedom, they often yearned to return to Egypt. Though they were miraculously provided for throughout their forty years of wandering in the desert, the Israelites were often nostalgic for the “good old (bad) days” in Egypt: “We remember the fish we ate free in Mitzrayim—also the cucumber, melons, leeks, onions and garlic” (Numbers 11:5)…. They missed the predictability and sense of control they felt in Egypt—where everything was known. Though in actuality they were oppressed and enslaved by the Egyptians, the Israelites looked back on their time in Egypt with nostalgia because they could not bear the uncertainty they faced as a free people.
Freedom is, ultimately, uncertain and unpredictable. One of the first lessons we all must learn in order to be free is how to “bear” uncertainty and trust in the unknown. In the biblical myth of the Exodus, the manna was a vehicle for learning this lesson. Each day for forty years, the Israelites would have to go out and gather their daily supply of manna—just enough for that day….
The manna provided the necessary preparation for becoming a free people, for freedom requires an ability to bear uncertainty, to not know what is going to happen next, and to trust in the unfolding journey. (Rohr, 2025)
We let the closing petition of the Lord’s Prayer inspire us to reject evil and surrender to God’s desire for us to forgive those who trespass against us.
References
Isaiah, CHAPTER 55 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/55?10
Matthew, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/6?7
Meditation on Matthew 6:7-15. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved February 24, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/02/24/1508049/
Psalms, PSALM 34 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved February 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/34?4
Rohr, R. (2025, March 13). Manna: An Invitation to Something New. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 24, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/manna-an-invitation-to-something-new/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Your Heavenly Father Knows What You Need. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 24, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
Whitney, T. (2026, February 24). Daily Reflection February 24, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved February 24, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-february-24-2026
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