The Lord's Prayer and its implications for our lives

The 'Our Father' prayer is a pillar of Christian faith. This beautiful prayer was the model used by Jesus to teach his disciples to pray properly. In this sentence we find an invocation and seven requests, (3 focused on God and 4 focused on the human environment). Each of the components of this supplication contains an essential meaning for the life of the believer and the mission of the church in the 21st century. This is why we must pay close attention to each of the connotations of this divine declaration.

Invocation :

"Our Father who art in heaven" is the invocation that marks out the filial relationship we have with our God. Through Jesus we are declared sons and daughters of the heavenly father. Saying "our father" accentuates the collective character of this prayer, thus fostering our bond with other brothers and sisters in the faith.

Three petitions centered on the essence of God :

"Hallowed be your name" - This petition delegates to us, the community of saints, the responsibility of attributing to God the honor due his name. The phrase "hallowed be He" establishes the respect and reverence with which we must invoke God.

"Thy kingdom come" is a petition that indicates our commitment in word and deed to further the kingdom of God on earth.

"Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth" is an assertion that commits us to embrace the divine plan for our lives over any other human agenda. This petition focuses our efforts on establishing the existing order in heaven here on earth.

Four Petitions focused on human nature

"Give us today our daily bread" indicates that our heavenly father is also our earthly provider. In God we find sustenance both for our souls and for our bodies. Therefore, there is no area of our life that is exempt from God's provision.

And forgive us our [debts / offenses], as we also forgive our [debtors / those who offend us.] - This petition emphasizes our fallible nature. We are imperfect beings who depend on God's redemptive forgiveness. However, the restorative grace of our father is closely related to our willingness to absolve those who owe and / or offend us.

"Lead us not into temptation" helps us appreciate God's preventive power to help us avoid unjustified moral conflicts. In the life of every Christian there will always be seductive options that are contrary to God's plan for our lives. However, the phrase "lead us not into temptation" demonstrates God's ability to order our steps in such a way that we can avoid self-induced temptations of our own desires.

"More deliver us from evil / evil" is a request for conscience. As believers, we are not naive because we know well that there are forces opposing God's purpose for humanity. The statement "deliver us from evil" implies our collective determination to be part of the forces of good. Above all, in this petition we acknowledge our dependence on the power of God to neutralize every enemy plan that threatens our lives.

In this short reflection only the most outstanding aspects of this beautiful prayer are mentioned. There are many more riches to be drawn from this passage in Matthew. Therefore, today I invite you to take some time to meet with other believers in your community to ponder and examine the implications of this prayer that Jesus taught us.

Thought for the day : To be fit disciples ‘for every good work” we must strive to assimilate the teachings of our teacher Jesus Christ.