June 22.    “This is becoming one of my pet hates,” Georgina declared, “empty phrases, words that have lost their meaning.  We seem to just babble on.  I think we’ve fallen into the same trap that Jesus warned us about.   It does worry me but when my friends from the Pentecostal church pray they seem to talk about real things.” “I have discovered that if I slow down and think about the phrases they’re not nearly as empty as all that, but I can apply them to my situation.  But the one about forgiving others is one that catches me when I do think more about it.” “I think praying is a learning curve. Pope Francis also tells us to speak to Jesus as a friend, about what is real in our lives.”    

Reflect, share, act. Scripture:.     When you pray do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do for they think they will be heard for their many words. Say ‘Our Father………….’  Matthew 6:7-15.  Pope Francis.   Prayer in the family, how is that done?   After all prayer is something personal.   But it is also a matter of humility, of realizing that we need God, like the tax collector. And all families need God.  We need his help, his strength, his blessing, his mercy, his forgiveness.   And we need simplicity to pray as a family.  Praying the “Our Father” together around the table is not something extraordinary.    Also praying for one another. That is what it means to pray in the family and it is what makes the family strong. From homily on Family Day 2013