The Gospel According to 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.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”
Reflection: The ‘Our Father” is the simplest and most complete prayer in our Christian faith. When we were baptized, we became children of God worthy to call Him Father. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit to confirm this, not only to ourselves, but to those, that we come in contact with, every single day.
And because we are God’s children, we learn how to be a good father to our children as well as setting the example for our children who will hopefully carry this on to the generations after us.
One of my favorite lines in this prayer, which I have used and continue to use often is, “Give us this day our daily bread”. And when you think that you need more from the world, humble yourself and repeat this over and over again. Especially when you see so many of our brothers and sisters out on the street with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Think about what we can experience every single Sunday in the Eucharist, the body of our Savior Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.
We also ask for forgiveness of the wrongs that we do to others while at the same time forgiving others who have wronged us. Asking God to help us be and live the way Jesus did as He walked the earth, delivering us up from evil.
Lastly, we get the chance to strive to create a heaven on earth so that we can see a small glimpse of Our Father’s Kingdom and share it with others.
Action of the Day: Going forward from today try this first thing in the morning. Pray the ‘Our Father’ slowly and honestly, pausing on each line in the prayer, and reflect on how you will use this prayer with everyone you encounter today.
Audio Reflection:
