Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”

 

Gospel Reading: Luke 11:1-4

 

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say:  Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”

 

Have you ever heard someone speak and marveled at how eloquently the words came from their mouth. They seemed to have everything just right. That’s how the disciples must have felt when they watched Jesus pray to his Father. The love that flowed between the two must have been overwhelming to those watching. The disciples wanted to learn how to pray with the same expression of love that was evident in the relationship between God the Father and Jesus the Son. This may seem like a very strange request, especially since Jews were very devoted to prayer. But Jesus must have been awesome to watch pray. His praying must have been inspirational to those who saw him. I’m sure they were expecting some long drawn out teaching, but Jesus responds with a simple response.

 

Jesus responds to his disciples with the Lord’s Prayer; a simple yet confident prayer. It begins with a recognition of who God is - “Father, hallowed be thy name.” In the introduction, we recognize that God is Lord of All and that He is sacred. Then we recognize the fact that God’s kingdom is here among us on earth – “your kingdom come.” It is here among us! We just need to open our eyes and see it.  This is more than a statement, it is a request to bring forth the Kingdom that we may experience it for ourselves. In this statement, we recognize that we are building the Kingdom of God through the will of God. In the end, we must recognize what creates a barrier to the Kingdom of Heaven; sin.  We must acknowledge not that we are sinners, but at the same time we must be willing to forgive those who have trespassed against us.  How can we truly express the love between the Father and Son unless all barriers of hatred are removed?  To help us in our activities, we must also humble ourselves to understand where our treasures comes from.  It is our father in heaven who provides us the nourishment we need to go forth into the world to do his will.  The Lord’s Prayer is simple, yet confident. Pray with confidence in the words our Father gave us. Listen to the words and understand what you are asking. God’s unending grace will free us from the traps and snares which cause us to sin.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread and

Forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and

Do not subject us to the final test.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon