Word to the Wise
Monday, May 2, 2011 - May 2 - St. Athanasius, bishop and doctor of the Church
[1 John 5:1-5 and Matt 10:22-25,631]"Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them, you said by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David, your servant: Why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples entertain folly? The kings of the earth took their stand and the princes fathered together against the Lord and against his anointed...."
These words are the words of a collective prayer of the early Christian community! By the time the Acts of the Apostles was put into writing shortly after the Roman destruction of the temple, the community had begun to develop its theological perspective, of which this prayer provides a good example. Among other things, the entire agenda of the Gospel of Luke is displayed - God working through history to bring about the salvation of humankind. Genesis and the Psalms - in this instance, Psalm 2 - are raised in prayer as frameworks for understanding how Jesus and the Holy Spirit have become the expressions of God's plan. The Old Testament becomes the framework for the New - which was just beginning to take shape in the minds and hearts of believers. But the process of understanding the Old Testament in the light of the "New" is already underway. The Holy Spirit is seen as being the inspiring force in the prayer of the Psalms.
There is a principle in the prayer of the Church which states: The law of prayer is the law of belief [Lex orandi, lex credendi]. The words of the prayer of the early Christian community can serve as a way of challenging us to be aware of the way in which we pray. How does our prayer reflect the way we believe? How does our belief shape the way in which we pray? How does the Word of God in the scriptures enter into our prayer? The richness and depth of the prayer offered to us in the Acts of the Apostles can be a springboard for our own efforts! AMEN
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