Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.” In today’s Gospel reading (Matthew 6:7-15), Jesus presents us with the most perfect of prayers, the Lord’s prayer. One of the three pillars of Lent is a focus on prayer and prayerful life. It is interesting how this readings starts out, “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” He goes on to tell them, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” God in heaven already knows our needs. We are told not to show off with prayer, but to be simple with our request. Do not ramble, the simpler the request, the better. Any time you think that you need something, it should always be preceded with “If it is your will, …” Of all the prayers we say, the Lord’s prayer is the most perfect prayer of all because it was given to us by Christ. It encompasses everything Christians should stand for. It is truly a prayer formed from the Words of God.

No matter how bad the transgressions we have committed, God is waiting for us with open arms. In the Lord’s prayer, we ask for so much with so few words. First, we call forth God, not as a deity but as a paternal person when we say “Our Father”. This means that we have a loving relationship with God. God is the Father who protects us. We them give homage to his deity, “Hallowed by thy name.” We recognize that he is almighty. We also recognize that the kingdom of God is here among us and that it is God’s will that is important, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.” We call forth the kingdom to be here with us. We should desire eternal life with God and that must begin today. You cannot wait until the last day. It is through our actions today and our fulfillment of the sacraments that leads us to heaven. We ask God in this prayer to give us all that we need to survive the day, “Give us our daily bread.” God provides all that we need to survive. But likewise, we should only ask for what we need to survive that day otherwise greed and gluttony begin to consume our lives. We thank God for providing our daily needs by being sorrowful for our sins. However, not only must we be sorrowful for our own sins, we must also forgive those who have sinned against us for Jesus says, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Lastly, we ask God to be the light of our life. We ask him to lead us out of the darkness of sin and to deliver us from evil. During Lent, say the Lord’s Prayer as often as you can. If you made a Lenten promise to God and you stumble along the path, say the Lord’s prayer to help you get back on your feet.

A Simple and perfect Prayer Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy 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 lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.

Yours in Christ Michael Marcon