OUr Father revisited

"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...
forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us..
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen."


what i want you to pay attention to is what Jesus says right before He gives the disciples this prayer.

"Your Father knows what you need before you ask him..."

Think about that for a moment. Jesus acknowledges that we are needed. HE acknowledges that our needs are not known to us alone but are known by the Father. Then he gives us this prayer, which means this prayer is an answer to our needs but also a guide to help us understand exactly what we need.

Left to our own devices we want more than we need. ANd because of original sin we mistake our wants for our needs which usually gets us into hot water and if not hot then at least deep.


So if we analyze the prayer then we discover our basic needs in life that leads us and guide us home.

What do we need? There is the million dollar question.

There are five basic needs of the human person as it journeys forth in the spiritual life...

1) OUr Father who are in heaven hallowed be thy name...this is an invitation to adoration. The human person needs to adore something greater than its self. We need to adore the Father. This is a basic necessity of life.

2)Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven...This is an invitation to surrender. WE are invited to surrender to God's plan in our life. We need to let God's plan become our plan. Our often do our expectations interfere with God's workings. This surrender means God's will must be done in us on earth. Every person undergoes an experience of the agony on the garden, "Let this come pass but be not my will but yours."

3)Give us this day our daily bread...we do not live on bread alone, at least ordinary bread. In greek word for daily in this context is supernatural or supersubstantial. Our sustenance does not revolve around ordinary food but rather we need food that comes from God. Is this not the Eucharist, the bread of angels given by God for our nourishment. This is the bread we should knock at heavens door for each day. This is what we should hunger for.

4) Forgive us or trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...this is an invitation for us to be like God. Lord, make our hearts like yours that we may do as you do. Forgiveness is not an option but a reality of life. We forgive because while we were sinners Christ died for us. HE did not wait for us to say we were sorry. His pride did not interfere with his ability to reach out to us long before we ever reached for him.

5) lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil...
God alone must escort through life. We need his guidance because we are weak and in need of his strength. We are reminded as we say this that we are not as strong as we think we are. We must stay connected by begging the lord to strengthen us daily and giving us the insight necessary so that we do not put ourselves in harms way.

Just a little reflection.

The five basic food groups are necessary for healthy living. The Our Father lays bare the basic necessity of the interior life as we seek to keep and guard a healthy relationship with God in Christ by the Spirit and with one another.