Word to the Wise
Wednesday, October 8, 2008 - Wednesday in the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
[Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14 and Luke 11:1-4]Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
Jesus' response to his disciples' request is the prayer that we know as "the Lord's Prayer," or "the Our Father." I doubt any of us can determine how often we have "said" that prayer in our lives! It has to be thousands of times. Do we ever think about what we are asking for? At present I am in Owensboro, KY, to preach a parish mission. This evening's service is a Penance service. The gospel scripture is taken from Matthew and includes the lines that if we do not forgive one another, we cannot expect forgiveness from Jesus' Heavenly Father. The Lord's Prayer contains the request: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us!" The connection here between prayer and forgiveness is important. If we are not able to forgive, our prayer becomes dishonest. Prayer is not some kind of "add-on" to our lives as Christians. It should reflect who we truly are and how we see ourselves in the sight of God. We could recall in this connection the story in the Gospel of Luke about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector who went to the temple to pray. It was the Publican who "went home justified," because he realized his need for God. Prayer is an acknowledgment of that need which includes both forgiveness and the ability to seek forgiveness. The Examination of Conscience during the Penance Service this evening will be based on forgiveness of the different kinds of people in our lives: spouses, children, parents, professional people, etc. and not on actions which can become abstract and without reference to particular relationships. This is why praying the Lord's Prayer with an intentional understanding of the words is so important. We are asking God (praying) for forgiveness and for the ability to forgive others. The less we forgive one another, the further we move away from God, and the prayer becomes words that do not reflect the reality of our lives. If we need help, Jesus will teach us as he and John taught their disciples. AMEN
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