Tiber River Cafe--The Lord's Prayer, Our Father

Hello, and welcome to the Tiber River Café.  My name is Dean Humphreys, and today’s two minute topic is the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father.

The Our Father is probably one of the earliest prayers we learn as children, the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples 2000 years ago, and the prayer we stand and recite every Sunday at Mass.  We read throughout the Gospels how Jesus would often pray to his Father in heaven.  And Jesus instructs us to pray to God, our Father, as well. 

The Our Father prayer holds a distinct place of prominence in our Catholic tradition and it is the prayer Christians have been praying for 2000 years.  The Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father, is in two Gospels; Matthew and Luke; the Our Father is basically a summary of the Gospel message. 

There are seven petitions or requests contained in the Lord’s Prayer; God is the subject of the petitions. The first 3 petitions, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done; God alone is sovereign, it’s not about us or our needs, God is the focus, we are drawn closer to God and we are strengthened in our faith.  The last 4 petitions are what we hope for in our daily lives, we ask for mercy and grace; give us this day our daily bread, forgive us our debts or sins, lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil.  We quickly see that the Lord’s Prayer is in the plural ‘us’, not the singular I or you, for we are a community of believers, a family of God.  We also see how forgiveness and reconciliation are foundational, a precondition to authentic and effective prayer.

The Our Father opens to us a family relationship, as we are God’s children, children whom he loves.  And the Our Father prayer brings us closer to God.  It is a formula for effective prayer and an outline of attitudes and behaviors that can lead to a more powerful prayer life.

So there you have it, a two minute overview of the Our Father.  Well, thanks for stopping by the Tiber River Café, where there is always plenty of room at the banquet table.  I hope to see you next time. Peace be with you.