PRAY AS JESUS PRAYS

October 6, 2010
Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 11:1-4

Inspiring to Pray:

Prayer was for Jesus more than food and drink. He gave up food for several days, but not prayer. If His day was full of work, He found night time enough to pray. The disciples noticed Him praying alone in the wilderness no matter how exhausted He was because of the work of the day. They were impressed and inspired by the way Jesus prayed. The prayer of Jesus drew His disciples to Him. And they wanted to pray like Jesus. How about me? Do I inspire others to pray? Do those who are in my household and community ask me to teach them pray the way I pray? How prayerful am I?

The Model Prayer:

The Lord’s Prayer is a model and pattern of all Christian prayers. The prayer Jesus taught His disciples is “how” we need to pray more than “what” we ought to pray. A brief analysis of the Lord’s prayer reveals three elements and two attitudes of prayer. The three elements are: praise, petition and penance. The two attitudes are: Being a child of God and being a brother/sister to the entire human race.

The Three Elements of Prayer:

Praise:
The first part of the Lord’s prayer is about God and His Domain. We call on the Father, praise His name, desire His Kingdom, determine to do His will and lift our hearts to the heavens. Adoration, praise and glory are due to God. It is in this praise that we realize the descent of heaven on earth. Prayer then is an invitation to live in the heavenly abode; a deep longing to make the earth a home of God the Father where His holy will reigns.

Petition:
The second part of the Lord’s prayer is petition, asking the Father in confidence of all my needs—physical, spiritual, relational and emotional. Prayer is naming my needs before God. I become aware of my nothingness, needs and imperfections. I bring them to the Lord in complete trust that He will grand them to me. If not to Him where else shall I go? He is my Father, my creator, my sustainer and my provider. I need to be clear of what I am asking for.

Penance:
Prayer of petition is coupled with the acts of penance. I realize that what I pray for, I need to practice. My needs are connected with the needs of others as well. A prayer without the element of penance is not a farce. Forgiveness is a conditional grace. I forgive others and I am forgiven by the Father. In sharing the blessings I have received from God with others I receive more blessings from God. I cannot stand before God with an unforgiving and selfish heart. This is why prayer is not so much of utterances rather of actions.

The Attitudes of Prayer:

I learn the prayer of Jesus in as much as I realize my identity as a child of God and a member of the human family. Prayer then is about relationships. It is remaining in and deepening the relationship with God the Father and with my brothers and sisters. “Our Father in Heaven” is also Our Father on earth. This attitude brings me not only confidence and trust in the love of God but also a deepening intimate relationship and abiding presence. My awareness of being a child of God makes my prayer a sweet moment of entering the core of the heart of God. If God is my Father what shall I fear and what shall I lack? Yet, how can I call God my Father if I do not consider my brothers and sisters as children of God as well. This is why the Lord ’s Prayer is more of a community prayer than a personal prayer. Jesus reminds us to call God “our Father” and not “my Father”. There is no tint of selfishness or self-centeredness in prayer. It is not about me, but about us, the human family. Even when I pray for my basic needs and personal intentions, I am also praying for my brothers and sisters. No wonder, Jesus reminded us that God will treat us the way we treat our brothers and sisters. As I forgive others I will be forgiven.

Lord, teach me to pray. Help me to praise you with all my being, strength and will. Help me Lord to atone my sins and forgive others their faults. You are my Father; help me to love my brothers and sisters as you love me. Amen!