My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are nineteen (19) In Brief articles in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which treat the Lord’s Prayer or “Our Father.” The following reflection considers CCC, 2857.
In order to better appreciate the Lord’s Prayer the saints throughout the centuries have broken the prayer down into smaller pieces. Following the introduction, which reminds us to Whom we are praying and where we want to go, the tradition divides the Lord’s Prayer into seven petitions. Here we consider the breakdown in general. Latter we will look at the individual petitions. The seven petitions are grouped under two main headings: the glorification of God the Father and our desires.
The first three petitions regard the glorification of the God the Father such that:
When we pray the Lord’s Prayer we ask that the divine Name be made holy or sanctified. While the Holy Name of God is holy in itself, this petition actually has us ask that the Name of God which we bear as Christians, adopted children of the heavenly Father and brothers and sisters to Christ, be made holy in us.
When we pray the Lord’s Prayer we ask that the Divine Kingdom come. This is an “eschatological” way of prayer, asking for the return of Christ the King to judge the living and the dead. Another way of saying this is maranatha, Come Lord Jesus (cf. Revelation 22:20)!
When we pray the Lord’s Prayer we ask that the Divine Will be accomplished. The Divine Will has been made known in the Law delivered on Mount Sinai, the Ten Commandments, which are a revealed expression of the Natural Law which has been inscribed upon our very hearts as a part of our human nature.
The last four petitions present our desires such that:
When we pray the Lord’s Prayer we ask that our lives be nourished. The petition for “daily bread” has both spiritual and material meanings. While the prayer primarily refers to the Eucharistic Bread which is Christ whole and entire, body, blood, soul and divinity, it also refers to basic human sustenance like breakfast, lunch and dinner.
When we pray the Lord’s Prayer we ask that we be healed of sin. It is important to note that this is a conditional request in that we must forgive those who sin against us. Our inability to forgive others interferers with our ability to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness.
When we pray the Lord’s Prayer we ask that we be made victorious in the struggle of good over evil. Temptations and the Devil are both included as parts of our lives of prayer. The Devil does not want us to pray, nor does he want us to be victorious when confronted by temptations. God, however, is greater than the Devil and God wants us to pray and gives us the graces we need to overcome temptations and to rise through repentance should we succumb. Always persevere in prayer.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr