✝️ Homily – Thursday, Week XI in Ordinary Time (Cycle II)

📖 Readings: 2 Corinthians 11:1–11 | Psalm 111 | Matthew 6:7–15
Theme: “Our Father, Our Freedom”


😂 1. Introduction 

A little girl once began the Lord’s Prayer at bedtime and said:

“Our Father, who art in heaven… Hello! What’s Your name?”

Her words were innocent—but also profound.
Today Jesus teaches us the Lord’s Prayer—not just a formula of words, but a blueprint for life, a way of living in deep relationship with the Father.

📖 2. First Reading – 2 Corinthians 11:1–11

St Paul is frustrated. The Corinthians are impressed by showy preachers, forgetting the humble love that Paul poured into them.

“Did I sin by humbling myself… so that you might be exalted?” (v.7)

He reminds them that real apostles don’t come to impress—they come to serve.
Like Paul, true spiritual leadership wears the face of sacrifice and sincerity, not stardom.

🙏 3. Gospel – Matthew 6:7–15

Jesus gives us the Our Father, warning against empty repetition and spotlight religion.

“Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

This prayer invites us to:

  • 🫂 Recognise we are one family

  • 🕊️ Live holy lives that reflect God’s name

  • 👑 Seek His kingdom in our actions

  • 🍞 Trust Him for daily needs

  • 🤝 Practice forgiveness boldly

  • 🛡️ Ask for strength in temptation

  • ✨ Hope for deliverance from evil

🇿🇦 4. South African Pastoral Lens – A Call to Real Prayer

In our society—wounded by inequality, crime, and division—the Our Father is not just a personal prayer.
It’s a national prayer, a prayer of healing and transformation.

  • To the anxious: “Give us today our bread.”

  • To the divided: “Forgive us… as we forgive.”

  • To the burdened: “Lead us… deliver us…”

Let this prayer re-shape our homes, our hearts, and our hope.

⛪ 5. The Eucharist – Heaven Touches Earth

Every time we gather at this altar, we pray the Our Father together before Communion.
Why? Because the Eucharist is not for individuals alone—it is for a family.

In the breaking of bread, we remember:

🫱🏽‍🫲🏿 We are one people. One Lord. One mercy. One mission.

✅ 6. Practical Application

Today, try these:

  • 🙏 Say the Our Father slowly and mean every line.

  • 🤝 Reach out and reconcile with someone, even silently.

  • 🕯️ Light a candle and pray for someone who needs daily bread or peace.

💔 7. For the Struggling Soul

Are you tired? Angry? Afraid?
Jesus gave us this prayer because He knew we would need it.

It’s okay to come to God with your doubts.
Just begin with: “Our Father…” — the rest will follow.

🌈 8. Jubilee Year of Hope Connection

The Our Father is our Jubilee anthem.

  • It restores broken relationships.

  • It reminds us that hope is daily, not distant.

  • It strengthens us to become living prayers—not just say them.

We are pilgrims of hope, and this prayer is our daily map.

💬 9. Inspirational Quote

“The Our Father is not just a prayer we say—
it’s a life we live, a revolution of grace in a wounded world.”
– Mathibela Sebothoma

🙌 10. Short Closing Prayer

Abba, Father,
You know my needs even before I ask.
Teach me to trust, to forgive, and to hope again.
Make my life a quiet prayer, and my prayer a loud witness.
In Your mercy, let Your kingdom come—through me.
Amen.

🔚 11. Conclusion – Pilgrims of Hope

Dear friends,
The Lord’s Prayer is not a charm. It is a challenge—to become what we pray.
Let us not just recite it—let us become it.
Be the child who calls God “Father.”
Be the neighbour who gives bread.
Be the Christian who forgives.

Because when we live the Our Father, we are no longer just praying for hope—
we are walking as pilgrims of hope.

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