Gospel (Lk 11,1-4) - Jesus was in a place praying; when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him: "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." And he said to them, "When you pray, say, 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come; give us our daily bread every day, and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us, and do not abandon ourselves to temptation."
The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia
In the confusion and dispersion of peoples the Lord never abandons man. If each people had created a land with defined borders, with its own language, God instead calls Abraham to leave his land, his homeland and his house. The history of salvation, the one that God begins with Abraham, begins with an exodus, with a radical abandonment. It is the paradigm of every Christian story, both personal and community. At the beginning of every religious experience there is always God's firm command: "Go from your land... towards the land that I will show you". This firm and harsh command leads us to say that only by obeying this invitation from God can we receive his blessing, that is, his protection, and in turn be a blessing for others, as God said to Abraham. The heart of Abraham's vocation lies in obedience to God's call. Abraham must first of all give up listening only to himself and thinking about his life within his perspectives. God's call presents him with a universal dream that God entrusts to him as a mission to fulfill. Abraham obeys the Word of God and welcomes God's dream for the world and its peoples. He therefore leaves his land and becomes - as God himself communicated to him - the principle of unity and life for all peoples. Jews, Christians and Muslims call him "father of all believers", of all those who choose to listen to God and walk on the path that the Lord himself has indicated. It is the path of a people to be part of, of meetings to have, of stages to travel until reaching the promised land. The company of God is blessing, life and prosperity. Abraham needs not to forget that God is always with him. This memory, the heart of the life of believers, frees Abraham and every believer from the slavery of idols. There is only one altar to pitch your tent next to. Abraham chooses to live next to his Lord, he does not want to separate from the place of his presence. He knows that the Lord will accompany him on the journey of life, indeed, that he will be in front of him to show him the way. Abraham is also an example for all believers: his home is not being with himself, but with the Lord who accompanies him together with his people in the ways of the world.