Reflection on the Lord's Prayer

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Sometimes we think that our prayers are a private matter between us and God; between me and God. And it is true that sometimes it is. And it is important that we have that personal prayer time with Lord. But not all prayer is that way.

I have talked to many people who no longer go to church. One reason they give for this is that they don’t need the “church” to pray to God. They don’t need to pray with other people to be spiritual.

This is not the lesson of the Lord’s Prayer. This is not a private prayer, although we often say it privately. Jesus didn’t give us a prayer that is just for ourselves. He gave us something to pray with each other. He gave us a community prayer and by doing so he teaches us that praying in community is an important part of our spiritual lives. That it is an important part of our relationship with the Living God.

• Jesus did teach the disciples the “My Father, who art in heaven” - it’s the OUR Father.

• Jesus didn’t pray for his own needs but for “our” needs. Give us this day our daily Bread.” It’s not “my daily bread.” It’s not “give me.”

• In the prayer that Jesus gave us it’s “forgive us” – not “forgive me.”

• He leads US away from temptation and delivers US from evil.

Some prayer is private, between me and God. But if that takes on a life of its own outside the community of believers we are actually driving a wedge into our relationship with the Lord. We need each other to support us on our journey; to pray for each other; to be one with one another.

Jesus showed us this in other ways as well.

• He gathered a community of apostles and disciples around him.

• He sent out the disciples to preach and heal not individually but in pairs.

• He founded on the rock of Peter not a loosely connected bunch of individuals but a church.

• We believe in the communion of saints – that is a holy community of saints – past, present and to come.

To separate ourselves from the church or to separate ourselves from each other – in any way, to refuse see the dignity in each person, is to separate ourselves from Christ. As we pray the Lord’s Prayer at Mass or with the Hail Mary in our rosaries, or as we say our prayers before we go to bed, let’s keep in mind that our prayer is one of community and for the well being of us all.

Take his hand

In was praying this morning, nothing unusual about that. But, one of the things that I do before I pray the office is this, I consecrate the time to God asking only the courage to know him and to do his will and if he gives me anything beyond this that I accept it humbly, with a contrite heart. Now if I am feeling especially sinful or contrite about something I make an act of contrition.

“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you and I detest all my sins…,” at this point I say something like I detest… whatever sin or issue it is.

Well today, I was particularly mindful of some anger, frustration, resentment and vengeful thinking regarding a situation in which I have been mistreated. I really wanted to give some people an earful. The thing is that frequently these feelings have been invading my prayer. They have undermined my peace, and, to some extent, have kept me separated from Christ.

I brought these things to my “confession.” “Father, I detest my resentment and anger. I am unable to strip myself of these feelings and so I leave them at the foot of your throne.” Having completed my act of contrition I began praying the office. I was reading the psalm from the office of readings when I came upon this passage. I knew that God had heard my prayer. He spoke to me in the psalm. He might as well have spoken through a burning bush or from a cloud in the sky, it was that clear.

And so when my heart grew embittered

And my soul was deeply wounded

I was stupid and did not understand,

No better than a beast in your sight.

Yet, I was always in your presence;

You were holding me by my right hand. (Psalm 73:21-23)

I think that one of the things that have kept me enslaved to my anger, clutching desperately to my resentments, quick to pass judgment is not just the deceitful, mean spiritedness of a single act. Indeed I have no resentment toward the one who instigated the betrayal. I know he is ill. But the rejection and abandonment of people who claimed to be my friends; to suffer their abandonment and rejection and their continued attacks, this is a bitter pill. That’s the source of the anger and everything else that goes with it.

But I have been stupid, like a dumb animal I have not been using my brain or my heart. I was not abandoned. The Father was there through it all. He was holding my hand. Just as I would have held my own son’s hand when he was a child, making sure he got through whatever difficulty faced him. Like a child rests upon its mother’s knee, protected, provided for, and loved. That’s who God is, not just for me, but for anyone who calls upon Him.

Who else have I in heaven but you O Lord?

Apart from you I want nothing.

We are never abandoned. Even if it looks like it and feels like it, the Lord has us by the hand. He’s got our back. No real harm can ever befall us. Take His hand. I leave you with this lyric based on Isaiah 49 from a song by Carey Landry.

My people, I have carved you on the palm of My Hand, I will never forget you, I will not leave you orphaned, I will never forget My own. Would a mother forget her baby, or a woman the child within her womb? Yet even if these forget, yes, even if these forget, I will never forget My own.

Prayer

Friday October 22nd

Breath in me breath of God.
May I breath with your Holy Spirit;
Let my heart beat with yours;
Allow my veins to surge with your blood.
May my thoughts be your thoughts;
Let me think with your mind;
See with your eyes;
Speak only your word and listen with your ears to hear the cry of the poor.
Allow me to heal with your hands and love as you love. Make me Holy as you are holy.

Prayer from Monday August 2, 2010

O God I give my life to you, though I wish to keep some of it for myself. My choice is to give it entirely to you but for now I cannot. There is some “thing” that binds my will and prevents me from living entirely for you. Surely “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

Come to me O Blessed Trinity.
Come to me Father who gave me being.
Come to me Jesus, my savior who restores me to grace.
Come Holy Spirit my strength and inspiration.
Come to me glorious God and create me anew.
Come to me and set me free to love and serve you completely.

Amen.

Our Heart's Desire

It was from reading Psalm 37 that first brought me to ponder the meaning of "my heart's desire." The particular verse from Psalm 37 was this:

"Find your delight in the Lord and He will give you your hearts desire."

My first reaction was something like, "Awesome! I really desire to win 150 million dollars in the lottery this week. How pathetic.

We could all come up with a "Top Ten" list of equally pathetic desires. On the other hand we could also come up with a list that is much more noble. World peace comes to mind as does an end to hunger.

But don't think that our Father is like a genie in a bottle magically granting every wish that comes to mind, good or bad, just because we desire it.

This is Sacred Scripture and its meaning is much more sublime. God is not about to grant us things that are not in our best interest any more than I would give my own children something foolish just because the desire it. Instead, He replaces our vain, self-centered, immoral desires, what Saint Paul calls "rubbish" (Philippians 3:8) and gives us a NEW desire - Himself.

The most astounding thing about it is we don't even miss those old desires very much because we have been filled with such a precious new one.

This new desire is a gift from the Lord and like every gift from Him it is for our benefit. As we hear in scripture, "if your hearts desire is with Him, he will be near you." (2 Chronicles 15:2)

We need to be near the Lord. We must have union with Him - communion with Him who is the very source of our being. Few have said it better than Saint Augustine in this prayer: "You have created us for yourself O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."

A Prayer

Father, every little noise, every little thing is distracting me during prayer. I can't concentrate. I am irritable. It is as though all of nature is conspiring to keep us apart. Why is it that on some days my cup is overflowing and on others there is barely a taste of your presence?

My Spirit is disturbed. My peace is fleeing. I am anxious. O Lord hide not your face from me. Return to me the joy of your salvation.

Invitation

Reading from the Liturgy of the Hours (1 Peter 2:4-5)

"Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

A simple invitation: "Come."

How many times in scripture and prayer has Christ offered that invitation to me?

• "Come follow me."


• "Lazarus, come forth" (from the tomb)


• "Come to me all you who labor and are burdened."


• "Come have breakfast." (John 21:12)


• "Come, you will see."


• "If anyone is thirsty come to me and drink."


• Come to the wedding feast."


• "Come, you who are blest by my Father."

The invitation is always there. It never ceases. If I miss it; don't hear it; ignore it; reject it or forget about it the invitation is never withdrawn. It just keeps getting offered. The Lord is relentless in his pursuit of our company and our welfare.
Wouldn't it be nice to have breakfast with the Lord every day?