On The Lord’s Prayer

AM Psalm 61, 62 • PM Psalm 68:1-20(21-23)24-36
Lev. 16:20-34 • 1 Thess. 5:1-11 • Matt. 6:7-15

In today’s reading from Matthew, Jesus’s disciples have asked Him to teach them to pray; and so, within the beauty of the Sermon on the Mount, we experience what the catechism of the Roman Catholic says, “…is truly the summary of the whole gospel.”

How often over the years we have said this prayer, almost to the point of merely reciting it by rote; and thereby, we risk glossing over its many lessons. I would like to present two of the prayer’s passages, with commentary from the Fourth Century and the current era.

1. “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” St. Augustine of Hippo writes, “The kingdom will surely come, whether we will it or not. But we are stirring up our desires for the kingdom so that it can come to us and we can deserve to reign there.

I believe we help bring about God’s kingdom on earth by following Christ’s admonitions: Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit the prisoners.

2. “And do not bring us into temptation.” Pope Francis writes, “I am the one who falls; it’s not God pushing me into temptation to then see how I have fallen.”

I need to look within myself and ask how well I live the Lord’s Prayer. It is a never-ending process. What has passed has passed; we have all fallen short. As I begin each day, may Jesus help me pray His words, not only with my lips, but with my heart.

Written by Christopher Koppel

Christopher is happy to be spending his senior years in Fayetteville, with his husband, Dennis, and his pooch, Milo.