How often have I recited the Lord’s Prayer (The Our Father)? I form the question using the word “recited” deliberately.
When I pray the rosary, in times of discernment, in times of hardship, in times of need, in times of thanksgiving, and at Holy Mass. I would venture to guess that I have recited the Lord’s Prayer more times that I can count. But the more significant question, the question which has been weighing on my mind frequently of late is, how often have I actually prayed it? How often have I actually given serious thought to the words which I have recited. Why when Jesus gave us this prayer did he use these exact words and phrases.
Matthew 6:7-13
7 “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. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9Pray then like this:
Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread; m 12And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us; 13And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.
My Catholic Life’s reflection Learning to Pray Rightly, offers the insights of Saint Thomas Aquinas on the meaning of the Lords Prayer, taken from: Summa Theologiae, II-II, 83.9. I would like to share the following extract.
According to Saint Thomas, prayer begins with truth entering the mind. Before we can choose and desire what is good, we must first recognize what is truly good in the eyes of God. For that reason, the first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer focus on God’s glory—the highest good—rather than our needs:
💠 “Hallowed be Thy name” expresses the desire that God’s holiness be recognized, honored, and made known both within us and through our witness in the world.
💠 “Thy Kingdom come” is a plea for God’s reign to be established in our hearts and ultimately in the fulfillment of His Kingdom at the end of time.
💠 “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is a petition that our wills be conformed only to God’s divine will, seeking to obey Him as the saints and angels do in Heaven.
Once truth enters the mind, the will must choose it by grace. At first, we often pray these petitions out of duty, but as grace strengthens the will, we begin to love them. From there, the will’s repeated choice to say “Yes” to God’s truth allows our desires to be reordered, forming habits—virtues—within us. After seeking God’s glory first, we turn to our own needs, acknowledging our total dependence on Him in the light of Eternal Wisdom:
💠 “Give us this day our daily bread” expresses our desire for material sustenance and spiritual nourishment through the Eucharist. As our hearts are transformed, we come to hunger not only for earthly provision but for the Bread of Life, Christ Himself.
💠 “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” is a plea for God’s mercy, teaching us that we must extend forgiveness to everyone if we hope to receive it. Over time, grace enables us to desire mercy more than vengeance, forming our hearts in charity.
💠 “Lead us not into temptation” asks for God’s help in avoiding situations that might lead us to sin. The more we grow in grace, the more we come to despise sin rather than desire it.
💠 “Deliver us from evil” is the final and most complete petition—a plea for liberation from ALL evil: sin, satan and all that separates us from God. Here, desire reaches its highest purification in which the soul longs for final union with God, free from all evil, and attains it through purified desire.
As I sit and ponder this I genuinely question, am I living this prayer? Do I understand it and believe it?
In our fast paced, internet driven, instant gratification life, we tend to overlook and pass over so much. We give very little consideration to what we hear, see and experience, past the initial shock of the headline, and the outrage or validation narrative of the moment. We may bluster at what is presented to us on our smartphone or tablet and within seconds scroll on to the next sensational headline or posting. I believe we have been conditioned to respond in this way, to deal with all the information we are routinely inundated with. The unfortunate side effect is that, for me, I have also allowed this conditioning to spill over into my prayer life. Recitation rather than thoughtful prayer. Cursory glance rather than meditation. Quick decision rather than discernment. A quick read of Scripture rather than lectio.
How do we pray rightly? Archbishop Fulton Sheen taught that a daily holy hour is vital. He states:
“Prayer is the lifting of our soul to God unto the end of perfectly corresponding to His holy will.”
and further…
“A prayerful life is, therefore, one lived in conformity with the holy will of God as a prayerless life is a life of self will and selfishness.”
We often think, feel, and perhaps believe that I cannot possibly set aside an hour from the demands of my day for prayer, to make a holy hour. Am I being honest with myself? I look at my day, the time I spend on my smartphone scrolling mindlessly through social media, perusing news headlines… What benefit do I gain from this? Is this time well spent? I must look differently at the value of the actions which I choose to fill my day. Am I living a life of self will and selfishness?
In life we make time for that which is important to us, family, friends, work, physical health…. We prioritize and make room in our day, and our life for these things. But is my spiritual health, my relationship with my Father in Heaven, a priority? Do I seek out and long to spend time in conversation with Him? Do I put myself in the presence of God?
“A conversation is an exchange, not a monologue.” Is my prayer a conversation? When reciting the Lord’s Prayer, am I honestly in conversation with God? Do I understand the meaning and truly believe what I am saying or simply going through the motions? Do I listen for the voice of God?
Am I praying rightly?
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