There is a deep-rooted desire in each of us for connection with our God. This is not surprising, since God made us for himself. Some people, of course, are more aware of it than others; you all would not be here for Mass this morning if you were not aware of it. The answer to that connection, as we have been taught, is prayer. And the kind of prayer that Jesus teaches us today is not an ethereal prayer to a distant deity. Instead, it is a prayer of love to God our Father, relying on his will for us, begging his forgiveness, and asking him to make of us a repentant and forgiving people.