Our Father

I love praying the Lord’s Prayer. Biblical scholars agree that the ‘Our Father’ are the very words (ipsissima verba) of Jesus himself. They reflect the mind and heart of Christ. I get to see a glimpse of the person that Jesus Christ is. And what do i see?

I see the one-ness of all life and creation. Everything that is alive and everything that exists come from one source – the Lord and the Giver of Life. Everything in heaven and on earth has been willed by him into existence. By His Word, we were designed, done and delivered into life. And yet this creative force is not some inanimate principle that operates automatically. This force is a person that beats and exists for love. The very act of creation is an expression of that love. This person cares for each and everyone of us. He is not some distant power not really caring for us. But someone who cares deeply and infinitely for us moment by moment. In fact, he is very much like . . . . our Father.

This oneness of the cosmos and the interconnectedness of this grand creation that is the universe also happen in my daily ordinary existence. I rely on the fruits of the earth for my daily bread. These have been designed, done and delivered by the many  people who make it possible for me to have food on my table. I do my share in sustaining this life we share in anyway I can. And the others I share this earth with, we live together, we laugh and we love one another. There are times we fight and have disagreements. I pray for forgiveness as I am ready to give it to those who have offended me. For always, there are temptations and there is the evil one who would frustrate the divine will for us to love one another.

I image all these words and all the thoughts coming from Christ and I am awed by the gentle greatness and indeed the divinity of his person, summing up in these few words the awesome adventure we all share that we call life, existence, creation.

The Lord’s Prayer has always been my favorite prayer. I try to pray it at least once a day. From now on, I will pray it as often as I can. When sleep is hard to come by, I will recite it instead of counting sheep. When I am angry, I will pray it instead of counting up to 10. When caught in traffic, I will say it instead of automatically reaching for my cell phone as I often do.When I am happy I will pray it in gratitude. When I am sad, I will pray it for strength and comfort.

Jesus said, “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.”
Matthew 6:7-15