The Lord’s Prayer

Today’s Gospel Text: "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. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread; 12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors;  13 And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matt 6:7-15

Reflection: Who could reveal such secrets about God to us and look how ordinary he is made to look by Jesus to the extent of we having a close relationship with God as our dear Father.  

When we approach our God in liturgical worship he is rightly projected as a God who is Holy, at a distance to be honored and feared; approach him with a great reverence as we offer him his the sacrifice of his Son as a thanksgiving. 

The liturgical moment is a different moment and it has to be a sacred moment, where in we are encountering a God who was appeased by the blood of the Lamb, who took away that sin that separates us from God.

Thanks to that moment when Jesus through his death reconciled us to him on the cross that we “.. in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. Eph 3:11-12 Douay-Rheims

Thanks to the work of Jesus, God is now no longer a far distance, angry God, spitting fire when demanding justly the worship of him.

He is now an accessible God,  a dear Father through Christ Jesus. He is not my Father but our Father, which means in union with all who call upon him as Father, we have the right to be children of him.

Jesus reveals to us that he is a Father who though holy and reigning in the highest heaven is willing to establish his kingdom in our midst, in our hearts and willing to work out his perfect will for the humbly disposed.

He is the provident God who provides for our needs and cares for us and expects us to be perfect as he is perfect by being instrument of forgiveness.

In other words we are called to imitate and be like God himself and live with him for all eternity.  He will equip us against the evil one who is a force constantly at work in our midst.

Prayer:  Our Father who art in heaven ……………..

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