Babbling Pagans

Today in the gospel Jesus’ disciples inquire about how to pray. Jesus could have answered in many different ways and He gives us this prayer. We should probably pay attention to what He has to tell us! The Our Father is a prayer we pray so often, every Sunday at Mass, in our rosaries, and daily prayer times. Yet, how often do we just “babble like the pagans” which Jesus warns against and not really know what we are truly praying? I know I do it often. This Lent is perhaps an invitation for us to take a closer look at this familiar prayer. 

“This is how you are to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven,

     Immediately we are reminded of our Divine Sonship, we are sons and daughters of a most High King which makes us royalty!! We address Our Father who is in heaven- this reminds us that if Our Father is in Heaven, then that is our home too! It invites us to look where we are headed -- we are pilgrims, this isn’t it!

hallowed be thy name, 

        Do you even know what hallowed means!? I sure didn’t. It means to “honor as holy.” From the beginning we are are called to recognize and praise He who is all power, knowledge, mercy, beauty, goodness, and love.

thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, 

      Notice here it’s about building His Kingdom and doing His will. The task of the Christian is to unite our life so closely that we can say with St. Paul, “it’s no longer I, but Christ that lives within me.”

on earth as it is in heaven.

        We’re called to bring the reign of Jesus Christ as Lord here and now!

Give us this day our daily bread; 

       Here Jesus does not say, “our daily steak and lobster,” but daily bread. Bread is what we need, not all about what we want. It is about being content with what we have and trusting that He will provide all that we need.

and forgive us our trespasses,as we forgive those who trespass against us; 

        We are called to extend the same mercy that Christ Himself bestows upon us when people hurt, ignore, lie, and chastise us.

and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 

         Left to our own devices we would be unable to withstand the temptations and evil of the world, the flesh, and the Devil so we beg the Lord to "lead us not" and "deliver us from."

Amen!

-Caitlin Mulcahy