Word to the Wise
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 - 1st Week of Lent - Tues
[Isa 55:10-11 and Matt 6:7-15]"In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is how you are to pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." "If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions." [Matthew]
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I have printed out the entire gospel passage for today because it contains Jesus' basic advice about a problem that many people face: "How do I pray?" He says that prayer doesn't consist in a lot of words but in the relationship we have with God. The prayer that Jesus teaches, which we call "the Lord's Prayer" or "the Our Father," reveals the two greatest commandments: love of God and love of neighbor. Do we acknowledge God as a Father? Are we willing to forgive (or ask for forgiveness from) our neighbor?
With regard to the first of those two questions, I meet people who have great difficulty believing in God as a loving Father. This can be due to problems with a parent or because the male image is not suitable, or because the idea of authority causes fear. Yet Jesus' own words throughout the gospels speaks of his "Father," and doing the will of his Father. What does the way we pray say about our relationship to God, to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit?
With regard to the second question, one of the toughest challenges in Christian life is forgiveness. In preaching parish missions, I use the parable, also from the Gospel According to Matthew, of the "Unforgiving Servant" [Matt. 18:21-35] I then use an examination of conscience that focuses on the need to forgive various persons in our life, from God to self to parents, children, spouses, family, employers, superiors, etc.. The impact is considerable, as evidenced in the confessions that follow at the service. The Sacrament of Reconciliation does not remove the obligation that WE have to forgive!! The words that Jesus speaks following the prayer he teaches makes that clear!
An old liturgical principle, Lex orandi, lex credendi, says that our prayer should reflect what we truly believe. Lent offers us the opportunity to ask ourselves if our lives and prayers reflect the prayer that Jesus teaches us. AMEN
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