Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where you read the daily Gospels and the Saint of the Day.
Let’s get started! Today is Wednesday, October 8th, and the Gospel reading is Luke 11, 1-4, and the scripture to reflect on is Luke 11, 1.
He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples.
Have you ever had to teach someone something you already know?
How do you usually teach someone?
You usually do it in steps, something like first, second, you would, and last, you, right?
Let’s pretend I’m teaching you how to make a peanut butter sandwich.
First, you get two pieces of bread, spread peanut butter on one, and jelly on the other, put them together, and ta-da! You got a delicious sandwich! This is what Jesus did by giving us the Lord’s Prayer.
He tells us to praise God, hallowed be thy name, means we think God’s name is special and holy.
Second, give us this day our daily bread.
We are asking God to take care of our needs.
We can ask God for help with anything.
Next, we say, and forgive us for our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
This means we are asking God to forgive us when we make mistakes or do things that are wrong.
We also promise to forgive others and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
We are asking God to guide us away from things that might lead us to make bad decisions.
Today’s Saint of the Day, Saint John Leonardi.
He was born in 1541 and died in 1609.
He is the patron saint of pharmacists.
He became a pharmacist assistant in Lucca and studied for the priesthood and was ordained in 1572.
He gathered a group of laymen about him to work at hospitals and prisons.
After John was ordained as a priest, he was exiled from his hometown in Lucca, Italy, for almost an entire remainder for his life.
He received encouragement and help from Saint Philip Neary, who gave him a place to stay and gave him his own cats to keep him company.
Other priests thought John was a great example and excellent teacher.
John helped others to understand and promote truth and the faith.
Not everyone believed what he told him.
Some instead thought that John only wanted to be popular to get personal gain and power.
They would tell lies about him so he would spend time alone away from the church and focus on scripture and praising God.
Saint John Leonardi waited patiently in exile reading and writing.
John knew he hadn’t done anything wrong in the sight of God and that’s what mattered most.
He died in Rome on October 9th of plague contracted when he was ministering to those stricken.
We can say the Lord’s Prayer when we wake up in the morning to start our day with God.
We can say it before we eat to thank God for our food.
We can say it when we are scared or worried to remind ourselves that God is with us.
We can even say it with our friends and family as a way to share our love for God with others.
We don’t need to be in Mass or at a special event to pray the Lord’s Prayer.
God is always with us and he’s always listening.
We can learn from Saint John Leonardi to be righteous in God’s eyes no matter what others may think of us.
We can show others that we are important to God too.
Let’s pray in our Father together.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Saint John Leonardi pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers.
See ya!