The Lord’s Prayer

Today's Reflections 
 
                                                             

The Lord’s Prayer 

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Mt 6:7-15

[Jesus said to his disciples,] ⁷“In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁹“This is how you are to pray:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

¹⁰your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

¹¹Give us today our daily bread;

¹²and forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors;

¹³and do not subject us to the final test,

but deliver us from the evil one.

¹⁴If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN. The figure of the father conjures many images: authority, provider, guide, teacher, and protector. God is all these. Humans being weak, a father can also be abusive, authoritarian, and irresponsible. God is not this kind of father. Hence, Jesus adds “in heaven” to his usual reference to God as Abba/Father.

Jesus begins the prayer he teaches his disciples with “Our Father in heaven” because he wants to stir in our hearts love and trust in God who is not only his Father but our own, too. In contrast to Luke who has only “Father” (Lk 11:2), Matthew has the additional “our” because he pictures believers praying together. When we come before God, we pray together as a community of children and disciples. We also pray for our needs and are challenged to share with one another the gifts the loving Father gives us.

“Heaven” reminds us that heaven is our goal and true home. Rather than a cosmic site, heaven is where perfect happiness reigns because this is where God reigns.

Some people take this John Lennon song literally:

“Imagine there’s no heaven…

no hell below us.” What do you think?