Galatians 2: 1-2.7-14,
Psalm 117: 1.2,
Luke 11:1-4 Full Readings
Our Lady of the RosaryHow to Pray
Brethren, today Jesus teaches us his disciples how to pray after being asked to teach them. He teaches them what we now call the Lord's Prayer or Our Father. In this way he also taught us how to pray always. Today also, we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of Rosary, the reason why October is called the month of Rosary and so we are encouraged also to pray through Mary our Mother as we reach our Father in heaven during prayer.
Why did Jesus teach his disciples how to pray as we see in the Gospel? Firstly, all Rabbis were expected to teach their disciples how to pray and that's why the disciples tell Jesus to teach them how to pray as John taught his disciples. Secondly, because they asked after seeing Jesus praying many times before he did anything. This is also a challenge for us today. Do our children come to ask us to teach them how to pray after seeing us not missing prayer everyday? Remember our children even other people whom we live with learn from us the parents. A child will ask to be taught how to pray when parents are devoted to prayer, another will ask to be taught how to drink if parents are drunkards. A challenge for us today.
The Lord's prayer is the most common said and known prayer and a prayer which Jesus Himself gave us. However most of us just pray it for sake without paying attention to what it contains and what it means. Luke's version of this prayer is shorter than that of Matthew (Matthew 6:9-13). It is perhaps more likely that Matthew expanded and explained the prayer rather than that Luke shortened it.
This version of the prayer begins with the simple call ‘Father’, rather than ‘Our Father in heaven’, a noble and affectionate simplicity. It is the way Jesus himself addressed his Father; it expresses not baby-love (‘daddy’) but a warm adult relationship. ‘Thy will be done’ does not occur in Luke’s version, for it is Matthew who often insists on doing the will of the Father. Instead of ‘give us this day our daily bread’ Luke gives the insistent ‘give us each day’, which stresses the continuity of our dependence on God. Luke’s version also asks for forgiveness of ‘sins’ rather than of ‘debts’; perhaps to Luke’s gentile audience ‘debts’ would have seemed too narrowly financial. Nevertheless, generally the prayer of Our Father has seven petitions which we are going to reflect on briefly.
The Lord's Prayer prayer starts with the invocation of God as our Father and then divides into halves the Seven petitions. The first three are addressed to God and the last four address human needs. Let us try to look at each one briefly with a reflective mood.
The invocation of invocation of God Our Father has a significant meaning (Matthew). Firstly God is the Father. This is the Father who loves His children beyond telling and even if they sin He is ready to receive them back. He provides His children with whatever they need. He is "Our" Father. God is not the Father of a certain culture or people or country, He is the Father of us ALL. Matthew inserting “Our” in his Lord's Prayer passage denotes that this prayer is a community prayer and ‘in heaven’ to avoid confusion with an earthly father. We have one Father in heaven though we have individual fathers on earth.
The first petition is Hallowed Be Thy Name which tells us that the Sacred name of God has to be revered and glorified. His Name should not be put into vain as we see in the second commandment. It is also the way Ezekiel 36.20-23 describes the complete vindication of God’s name and honour at the re-establishment of God’s people in a free Jerusalem.
The second petition is Thy Kingdom Come. This is central to the first three petitions and it is a prayer for the completion of God’s plan, may the kingdom of God be fulfilled, an eschatological yearning that God’s sovereignty over the world be totally accepted and unimpeded. It is invoking God to be the only sole king over the earth. But also to realise the kingdom of God in us which is justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
The third petition is Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. This is only found in Matthew and invites us to do the will of the Father here on Earth. It stresses that it is not enough to cry ‘Lord, Lord’ without actually doing the will of the Father. It also forms Jesus’ second, heartfelt prayer in Gethsemane, ‘may your will be done’.
We now turn to the human petitions. First Petition is Give us this day our daily bread. This is asking God to keep us fed not just on bread but all foods, for the Hebrew word for bread is often used more widely for food in general. In this period of Corona Virus we are encouraged to help others so that they will get their daily bread, and God will reward us abundantly. Don't leave your neighbor to starve while you have a lot. Luke insists on each day which means everyday we have to rely on God's providence.
Second, is Forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive those who Trespass against us. This is really a dangerous prayer for forgiveness on condition that we forgive others – a petition which must always be accompanied with searching our own consciousness for forgiveness of others. This again is the central petition of the four human petitions, and is further stressed by Matthew by repetition at the end of the prayer, and by the parable of the Unforgiving Debtor. Brethren, if we don't forgive others and we pray this prayer, we are just liars and condemning ourselves in front of God. So we should be careful.
The third and forth petitions are complementary prayers, ‘lead us not into temptation’ and ‘deliver us from evil’ These are prayers for protection against the evil one, and protection against falling into temptation. They confirm that Evil exists and always tempts us and therefore we need the intervention of God to conquer as Jesus did.
Brethren, now we know briefly what The Lord's Prayer contains and that it is a very powerful prayer. Take some time today to reflect on each Petition in a meditative way, try to understand it and see if you have been living what you pray in the Lord's prayer especially that of forgiving others.
Let us pray.
Lord, may you always teach how to pray and may I find meaning daily in the prayer you taught us. May this meaning help me daily to grow closer to you. Amen
Be blessed and Our Lady of Rosary, pray for us.
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