In Matthew Jesus gives a short instruction on prayer before teaching the disciples the prayer.
In Luke the context is different. In Luke the disciples see Jesus praying and they are moved to want to learn from his example, as Luke recounts, "Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray..."
Pope Benedict points at this passage and tells us that it is in seeing Jesus pray that awakens in them the wish to learn from him. It certainly reminds us of the necessity of setting the example to inspire others. Praying when others are around is so very valuable.
This is how our children learn to pray by watching us.
Secondly the Holy Father points out that the "Our Father" comes from Jesus' own way of praying, his own interior dialogue with the Father in the Spirit. Jesus draws our human hardships and human reality deep into the heart of God.
The "Our Father", as Pope Benedict says, aims to configure us to the image of the Son, training us in the inner attitude of Jesus.
When we enter the "we" of the "Our Father" we are conformed to the image of the son who teaches us how to pray like children of God.
His prayer becomes Our prayer so that Our life may become like His life and thus as the words of the "Our Father" press upon our lips "we" allow our life to take shape in the Father's hands and we enter into the interior dialogue between the Father and the Son.
Enter in often and be transformed to have the mind of Christ.
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