OUR FATHER KNOWS YOUR NEEDS
The Lord's Prayer reveals our true dependence on
Him... We need to depend on our heavenly Father each step of this life's
journey.
The prayer we call the "Our Father" was given to the disciples
by Jesus as a model of how to pray and a pattern for prayer's priorities. It
has become, of course, the most popular prayer among us as Christian people.
Praying is not a matter of informing God. Prayer is an expression of trust, a
matter of genuine statement of our needs and hopes, and a way of preparing our
hearts for what is or will be. In this the emphasis is on the quality of time
talking with our heavenly Father.
Perhaps we can look at this way: prayer doesn't begin, end, or depend on
our technique. Perhaps prayer begins, ends, and depends on the God to whom we pray.
The Lord's Prayer reveals our true dependence on Him. We pray for our daily
bread, trusting that God provides all we need from day to day. In this prayer
we dare to call God "our Father" and boldly ask for the things we
need to live as His children in this world that He created for us. Jesus gives
us words to acknowledge that, on our own, we face temptations, trials, and
doubts that would otherwise draw us away from a life of faith. We need to
depend on our heavenly Father each step of this life's journey.
God's nature is to love generously and to forgive mercifully. He gives
more than we need so we will have something to share with others in their need
as well. In our Responsorial Psalm today we hear these words: Your works, O
Lord, are justice and truth.
May we remember these words from Jesus: "Your Father knows what you
need before you ask."