GO TO YOUR INNER ROOM I think this is the invitation of Jesus for us in this time of Lent – don’t just
know me. But experience me. Experience my loving presence within you
How are you in this time? Time flies and we are on the 3rd month of the
year already. How has been these two months for you? What was it full of?
Full of challenges? Confusion? Hope? New things? How do you desire this
new month to be since your midterm exam is coming. Do you want it to be
easier? More chill? More relax? Yet in all these, the invitation for us is to
have the eyes of faith to believe that whatever we are experiencing right
now, God is there. Remember the passage that we were praying two weeks
ago? In the midst of fear, Jesus came and stood up for His disciples. To
believe that in the ups and downs, He is there, always present. He is the
one who sees everything and knows anything about us. As the song says, “I
cannot hide from you. You know me all too well.” This is the experience
that Jesus wants to give us in this time of Lent – the experience of what it
means to be known by Him, the experience of knowing Him, the
experience of His presence.
How is your experience in this time with God? When are the strong
moments when you recognize Him and experienced Him? Because to know
that He is present is different from experiencing His presence. It is different
when you know your parents love you, and it’s different when you really
experience that love, right? I remember when I was studying. Our
laboratory equipment were not working. So our laboratory time was just
cleaning and memorizing their function. We know it. But one time, we
were allowed to go to La Salle, and of course their equipment were
working well. When the steam came out, we were shouting, “wow! All of
us were amazed to experience how each equipment works. And it gave us
more enthusiasm to know about it, to study it. Sometimes, we get boring
with our friendship with Jesus because we are contented in knowing Him –
He is God, my savior, good, loving. But do we allow ourselves to experience
it?
when you pray. Experience my presence that strengthens you when you
fast. Experience my presence that provides for you and sustains you when
you give. These three pillars of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving were
introduced to us not to scare us or to make us suffer, but it was given to us
by God out of love, to give us more opportunities to experience Him in a
very concrete way personally and to grow deeper in this relationship with
Him. This is what we are going to deepen in this month.
And today, we will deepen on prayer. We will try to enter in the teaching
about prayer.
5
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and
pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners, so that everyone
will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full.
Why do you pray? Why do you go to mass? To appear holy in front of God?
Just for others to see you fulfilling your obligation as a Catholic? Because
there are people like that , right? We see during election, politicians sitting
in front – to be seen by the constituents. Or I pray because I want to
encounter God. I go to mass because I want to receive Him in the Eucharist?
I go to SOW because I want to listen to Him through His Word? I pray
because I love Him. Do you pray because you love Him? Or simply because
you want to ask Him something? User friendly ka lang din ba? Because
Jesus, yes! He has given us this gift of prayer because He desires to
experience us as well personally. He wants us to experience Him as a God
so near to us. A God who dwells within us.
6
But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your
Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private,
will reward you.
What is this inner room? This inner room is more than just an external
place, but a space within us where God dwells. This inner room is our heart
where God speaks. Have you experienced God speaking inside of you when
you are in silence? Close the door. Because if not, many voice may come in.
Sometimes we cannot pray because of the many other voice that competes
with God’s voice. What could be those voice? Those voices are the things
you are pre-occupied with - school works, responsibilities. Can be worries,
fears, voice of our parents, of friends, teachers, of the devil.That’s why
Jesus said, Close the door. So that it’s my voice that you will listen to. And I
will be the one to take care of your needs. I am not saying that you don’t
study and you just pray all the time. But when you have a chance to pray,
grab it. Make an option to pray. And when it’s time to pray, pray well.
When it’s time to study, study well. And the Father who sees what you do
will reward you.
This is my experience as well. When I was studying, my course demands a
lot of time. Yet, inside me was really that desire to pray. So SOW has been
my way of stopping and praying every week aside from Sunday masses.
Does it mean that I don’t and won’t struggle in my studies? No! But what
was the reward that the Father gave me? It’s the capacity to hope even in
the midst of failures. I pray, I still fail, but I hope. I learned to not give up.
It’s the reward that until now I am carrying, the reward that no one can
take away from me.
So when we pray, make the most out of it. Be present in front of God.
Because it can happen that we are in the chapel, but we are not fully
present for God. It’s like in the class sometimes. You can be there but
mentally absent so when the prof called you, it’s either you don’t say
anything, or you say many things. It can happen in our prayer.
7
“When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do,
who think that their gods will hear them because their prayers are
long. 8 Do not be like them.
I can be in the chapel, saying many words, but still not present. Why?
Maybe because of lack of motivation to pray, or shyness, or feeling of
unworthiness. But sometimes, God does need many of our words, because
it says that He already knows what we need even before we ask Him. He
desires more our sincere presence, our intention. Lord, I will come to you
even if I don’t know what to say, even if I don’t know how to express. God
honors more our sincere heart than our long insincere meaningless words.
The Gospel continues Jesus teaching us what to say. This prayer is
something that most of us know. But each time we pray this, are we aware
of what we asking from Him? Do we believe that it is Him who can give us
our daily bread? Or it’s just another memorized prayer that cannot even
touch your heart? I remember the first moment that this prayer touched
my heart. It was the time when we have financial crisis because my father
got sick abroad, and we don’t have money. I don’t know then what was
happening to him because he was not telling us. And I don’t know if we
have food to eat tomorrow. Because we have to pay the house rental, bills,
and all of us were studying that time. I went to mass and praying with all
my heart – from the moment I utter the word, “Our Father,” I started to cry
like a child that really begs from the Father, then asking sincerely the daily
bread that we need. After this, we still did not have the money, but I had a
hope again that God is the one to provide all our needs. From then on,
praying this is never the same to me anymore. Because each word, each
petition, I sincerely ask from Him and really believe that He is my Father
who can give me my daily bread.

What about you? Do you mean every word in this prayer? In this time of
Lent, we are invited to go deeper in our prayer life. To be firm in our option
to encounter God within us. To be present in front of Him. To be always
sincere in the words that we say. And to experience and believe in Him as a
Father who gives His children their daily bread. Because with that, we can
fight temptation. Our deep relationship with God will save us many times in
temptations.

In the Gospel last Sunday, Jesus was tempted 3 times. But He was able to
overcome because He was very much connected to the Father. In the same
way, we will have many temptations not to pray - like we think Jesus
understands naman eh, or we believe that even if I don’t pray God loves
me the same. But remember, there’s no substitute to presence or to
experience. But our connection with Him will always save us. When we
want tom give up, prayer helps us.

In this time of prayer, ask yourself - how is my prayer in this time? What
are my struggles to pray? Is to give time to prayer because of your school
works and responsibilities? Or you are not motivated? Or you think you
don’t need to pray anymore? And ask Jesus, Jesus how do you want me
grow in my prayer life? How can I deepen my prayer.
 Go to your inner room…
Teaching about Prayer

5 “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on
the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. 6 But when
you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who
sees what you do in private, will reward you.7 “When you pray,do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the
pagans do, who think that their gods will hear them because their prayers are long. 8 Do not be like them. Your
Father already knows what you need before you ask him. 9 This, then, is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven:

May your holy name be honored;
10 may your Kingdom come;

may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today the food we need.

12
Forgive us the wrongs we have done,
as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.
13
Do not bring us to hard testing,
but keep us safe from the Evil One.’

14
“If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. 15 But if you
do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done. (Matthew 6:5-14)

Guide Questions:

1. What Word of God struck you the most? Why?

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2. What are the difficulties you encounter in your prayer? What hinders you from praying?
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3. What are the steps/ways Jesus is asking you to grow deeper in your prayer life?
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