Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the Our Father during his weekly General Audience. In Wednesday’s reflection, the Pope focused on the petition: “Give us this day our daily bread”.
By Christopher Wells
During the General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis began a series of reflections on the second part of the “Our Father”, where, he said, we present our needs to God.
Prayer begins with concrete needs
The first of these petitions, “Give us this day our daily bread”, reminds us that we are not self-sufficient. Prayer, the Pope said, begins with our daily concerns, our most pressing, concrete necessities of life. Pope Francis invited us to consider this prayer from the point of view of those who are in real need: “How many mothers, and how many fathers, even today, go to sleep with the anguish of not having sufficient bread for their children for the next day?” he asked. Seen from this perspective, “the words of Jesus take on new force.”