20210223 PRE-REQUISITES OF THE DISCIPLE’S PRAYER
23 February, 2021, Tuesday, 1st Week of Lent
First reading | Isaiah 55:10-11 © |
The word that goes out from my mouth does not return to me empty
Thus says the Lord: ‘As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 33(34):4-7,16-19 © |
The Lord rescues the just in all their distress.
Glorify the Lord with me.
Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me;
from all my terrors he set me free.
The Lord rescues the just in all their distress.
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress.
The Lord rescues the just in all their distress.
The Lord turns his face against the wicked
to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
The Lord turns his eyes to the just
and his ears to their appeal.
The Lord rescues the just in all their distress.
They call and the Lord hears
and rescues them in all their distress.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;
those whose spirit is crushed he will save.
The Lord rescues the just in all their distress.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt4:4 |
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Gospel | Matthew 6:7-15 © |
How to pray
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this:
‘Our Father in heaven,
may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test,
but save us from the evil one.
‘Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.’
PRE-REQUISITES OF THE DISCIPLE’S PRAYER
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ISA 55:10-11; PS 34:4-7,16-19; MT 6:7-15]
Becoming a true disciple of Christ is what Lent seeks to achieve so that we can truly renew our baptismal vows with confidence at Easter. To help us to be a true disciple of Christ, like the disciples, we must ask the Lord to teach us how to pray correctly, with simplicity and confidence. In the gospel, Jesus made it clear, “In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this …”
The Lord’s Prayer is in truth not the Lord’s Prayer. It is the prayer of His disciples. He did not use it Himself but taught the disciples to pray it. He addressed His Father in the most intimate way, a relationship with His Father that is unique and irreplaceable. Of course, the Lord’s Prayer in many ways sum up His attitude towards His Father, life and relationships. It is the model prayer of a true disciple of Christ because it is not simply just a list of petitions to God but it expresses our desires to become what we pray. Furthermore, the petitions are to be seen in the context of the Kingdom message. It is a prayer of the disciple who wishes to live in the kingdom already on this earth.
Indeed, when we consider the Lord’s Prayer, it is Jesus’ invitation to share in the prayer life of our Lord Himself. Jesus provided guidelines and the principles of a true prayer. It does not mean that we should just recite it the way it was formulated but all other prayers must be modelled on some aspects of the Lord’s Prayer. It is therefore presented as a template to formulate our own prayers. All prayers must be directed to the praise and honour of God our Father, seeking to do all things for the glory of His name by doing His will and asking Him to reign in our lives. Only then do we ask for our temporal and spiritual needs, especially the Bread of Life, the Word of God so that we can find strength to forgive our enemies and withstand the onslaughts of the Evil One. All the psalms in the Bible reflect some of these dimensions.
The Lord’s Prayer, which is called the “Our Father”, suggests a relationship of intimacy with the Father. Jesus related with His Father like a child to his daddy. Calling God, Abba, Father is an invitation to share in Christ’s intimacy with the Father. St Paul understood this well when He wrote, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” (Rom 8:14-16) St John also wrote about this invitation to experience God as our Father when he wrote, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.” (1 Jn 3:1)
In calling God our Father, not my Father, Jesus wants us to understand that we must come to God not alone but as a family. We come together as members of the family of God. Every prayer, even if it is an individual prayer, is also a corporate prayer. God does not want us to pray alone and only for ourselves. He wants us to pray with and for each other. We are all brothers and sisters of the family of God. This has social implications for us as Christians. We can no longer think of ourselves and exclude others. There is no such thing as we first, and all others are second if at all. In the eyes of God we are all equal. Christianity seeks to treat all as equal and important before God. Indeed, it is ironical that even within and among Christians, we treat Christians of other races or language or culture as if they are second class. This discrimination is against the spirit of the Lord’s Prayer.
As children of the same Father, our task as disciples of Christ is to reflect our sonship just as Christ showed Himself to be the Son of the Father. This is what is meant in the next phrase of the Lord’s Prayer, “Hallowed Be Your Name.” In other words, we are saying, may our lives be reflective of the holiness of Your name so that those who meet us will know that God is our Father because of the way we live out our sonship. Every Christian therefore is called to reflect the glory of God in him or her just as Christ reflected the glory of God in His life. At the end of His life, Jesus said, “I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.” (Jn 17:4f) St John reminded the Christians, “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” (1 Jn 3:2f)
Of course, praying that His name be kept holy is also a reminder that intimacy with the Father does not preclude respect and honor for Him. Today, the emphasis on intimacy with our Lord can be practiced in such a way that it becomes a familiarity that breeds contempt. It is true in many areas of life. Even for us priests who deal with sacred things so often, we can become irreverent in the way we handle such items or even celebrate the liturgy. We must never forget that although God is our Father, He is also almighty. We need to regard Him with the highest respect, hold Him in reverence and honor. Whilst it is true that God is everywhere, we must have some sacred space where we acknowledge His presence.
A disciple of Christ who lives in the Kingdom of His Father must therefore welcome His rule and His will in his life. In this petition, the disciple asks that his life be under the rule of God’s love and wisdom. “Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done.” We ask that His rule be extended over the world, especially in our lives. This would require us to work for it as well, by aligning ourselves with the Kingdom values preached by our Lord. Jesus is the Kingdom of God in person because He lived for the Father and always sought to do His will. As He told the disciples, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.” (Jn 4:34) When He was a little boy and stayed behind in the Temple, He told His parents, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk 2:49) Jesus’ entire life was to live out His Sonship by being obedient to His Father’s will. “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” (Heb 5:7-9)
Only when we have the right spirit and attitudes, can we then ask for our temporal and spiritual favors. The next three petitions are focused on the needs of the individual, their sustenance, relationships and spiritual warfare. In other words, as the first reading from Isaiah reminds us, God’s word would be effective in us in our lives only when we abide in His Word. This Word is spelt out in the general principles that our Lord had set out in the first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. Without getting the perspective right, the petitions that we pray for ourselves will not be truly good for us. Jesus did say, “strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt 6:33) All our needs must be seen in the context of His kingdom, His will and honouring His holy name. All our needs must be asked with the confidence of a child before His Father so that we would not be too worried about our daily needs for we know the Lord will supply them. What we need more is the strength to do His will by living a life in communion with our brothers and sisters, and finding the strength to resist the temptations of the Evil One. So the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.” Indeed, in praying the Lord’s Prayer in the spirit that our Lord has taught us, we truly live out our sonship and our discipleship in Christ.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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