Jesus said to his disciples:
“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“This is how you are to pray:
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
“If you forgive men their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”
Hmm, ironically I that many people might argue that a memorized and rehearsed prayer like the Lord's Prayer can end up sound like babbling if the person praying it is just going through the motions. I think it is so important to stop as much as possible and think about the words as we say this prayer. Prayers like this are important and something we need to be a part of our daily lives.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I think the point that is trying to be made in this passage is that when we pray we should mean it...however that is manifested for each person individually. As a convert Catholic I find a lot of peace and solace in God through the many written prayers that are part of the Church. The rosary, novenas, etc. I find God in those and I think they are good for my soul. I don't necessarily believe that is the case for everyone though. Everyone prays in his or her own way. What is important is that we are trusting God and seeking goodness in our prayer.
The prayer that is recommended in this passage implies ACTION.
"Thy Kingdom come": God needs his people to be vessels of His love for that to happen.
"Thy will be done": we have to consciously take action to allow God to work in our lives.
"Give us this day our daily bread": sometimes WE have to be and provide that daily bread for our brothers in Christ. God doesn't just go around waving a magic wand.
"...as we forgive those who trespass against us.": Pretty obvious actions to be taken there.
"lead us not into temptation": WE have to take action to not give in to temptation by way of using God's grace.
We pray so that our actions can validate our words. We pray for the grace from God to carry out these actions.
WHEN YOU PRAY, MOVE YOUR FEET.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this, it really makes you think…how many times have I simply “gone through the motions” when I’ve prayed the Our Father, the Hail Mary, been at church stating responses but not really thinking about what I’m saying...it’s been too many times to count. I have to admit that it’s embarrassing to admit that fact, but this passage sort of snaps me back into place. We HAVE to think about what we’re saying when we say it, especially when they are words directly taken from our Lord and given to us. This prayer is so powerful…chalk full of praise, and asking God for his grace. I think the most powerful lines for me are these...
ReplyDeleteforgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Forgiveness. Everyone has a certain way they deal with people who have done them wrong. I always grew up with the notion of forgive and forget quick...I would tend to get into heated arguments and be fine a few moments after. To say I was / am passive would be an understatement...I always tried to be as transparent as possible. However, there is an exception, I suppose you could say, to this way of being. When people really hurt me, I hold that type of pain and suffering in...I let it fester and try to deal with it internally instead of speaking my mind outward, making it extremely hard for me to forgive fully. I think I tend to do this because maybe I don't want to deal with the person, or that I don't think they'll really understand fully what they did, or that I will just make things worse by trying to make amends...I'm not sure exactly. But it's not the right way to deal with things. The point is it is something I'm trying to change, day by day. After all, Lord knows I'M sure not perfect...I have definitely hurt people in the past as well. So just like we ask God to forgive us; our broken down, beaten souls, we need to learn to turn around and follow His example.
As far as temptation goes, I think it's appropriate this comes during a time in Lent when we try to give up things that tempt us...and the devil hides temptation in so many different shells to throw us off. Alcohol and facebook: one that impairs my ability to really be fully present, and another that sucks up time like a vacuum when I could be doing so much more, like prayer...they are something that I am giving up, along with thinking about how they work in my life and where I want to take them. I think it's so important to take in what we can go without, and in that same token, think about what really guides and helps us along. The Our Father guides us along to that goal, and so does this period of Lent...a period that is so important in our lives.