Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
16. PRAY LIKE A CHRISTIAN (MT 6:7-15)
“Mindful then of our condition, that we are essentially limited and absolutely dependent on the Supreme Being, before everything else let us have recourse to prayer. We know through faith how great is the power of humble, trustful, persevering prayer.”
- Pope Pius XI, Caritate Christi compulsi
Matthew 6:7-15
‘In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. And do not put us to the test, but save us from the evil one.
‘Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.’
CHRIST THE LORD Jesus contrasts the babbling prayer of the pagans with the heartfelt, simple prayer of the Christian. By giving us a glimpse of what kind of Lord Christ really is, he shows us what kind he is not.
The false gods of pagan religions were conceived of as unpredictable, irresponsible, self-seeking, aloof, fickle, vain, and powerful. Religious activity for the pagans, therefore, was bent on keeping those gods placated, so that their power would not be used against the believers. This usually involved performing certain rituals flawlessly (for instance, if the priest hiccoughed or coughed in the middle of it, he might have to start it all again), or saying certain prayers according to the rules. It was all about going through the right motions. If you had a particularly important need, you could increase the number of rituals and prayers, and the gods would supposedly pay you back proportionately.
The Christian Lord is different. He is close, caring, generous, kind, forgiving, and attentive – he is our Father. Prayer in this context takes on an entirely new dimension – that of love, sincerity, and heartfelt exchange; it’s the kind of secure, confident interaction that takes place between trusting children and faithful parents. The Kingdom of Christ isn’t a tyranny; it’s a family.
CHRIST THE TEACHER The crux of the Our Father is forgiveness. Jesus realizes that linking God’s forgiveness of our own sins with our forgiveness of those who offend us is a hard doctrine. That’s why he reemphasizes it after he’s finished teaching the words of the prayer. Why does he put this difficult condition on our forgiveness? Simply put, because unless we forgive those who offend us, God can’t forgive us.
Forgiveness requires humility – from both directions. Basically, humility means recognizing that you are not God, and when we refuse to forgive someone, we are forgetting precisely that. A refusal to forgive involves passing judgment on the offender. But to pass judgment on another person is to put oneself in God’s place. Only God can see the whole interior world of a human being; only God can see into the secret recesses of the human heart. And so, only God has the right to pass judgment. (This same reasoning applies to forgiving yourself; a refusal to forgive yourself comes, ultimately, from arrogance. We find it hard to forgive ourselves if we think we are so perfect that we, unlike normal human beings, are beyond the possibility of falling short, failing, or sinning – it indicates a shortage of healthy humility.)
So those who refuse to forgive are acting like God, elevating themselves above their offender. But acting like God inhibits them from recognizing their true dependence on God and their own need for his forgiveness – the throne of judgment only has enough room for one judge at a time, either oneself or God. This attitude, then, simply ousts God, shutting the door on him. And so the merciful, forgiving God is left standing outside in the cold, unable to bring us his forgiveness.
The tragedy of this dilemma is that every human soul needs to experience God’s forgiveness in order to be at peace. And so, the unforgiving person ends up destroying himself in his self-righteous attempt to destroy his neighbor.
CHRIST THE FRIEND Friends share what they have with each other. Good friends freely share their most valuable possessions. By this standard, Christ’s friendship is in a class all by itself. He didn’t just share things, or knowledge, or companionship; he shared his nature as God’s Son – his divine nature.
In this prayer, he teaches us to call God “Father.” And to make sure we don’t think that’s just some pretty poetry, he also describes God as “our Father [who] knows what we need…” In Christ, we have become not just citizens of God’s Kingdom, but members of God’s own family. We have Christ’s blood flowing in our veins. We have an eternal inheritance, we have our own room in the heavenly mansion, our own family servant (our guardian angel), and the rest of the family is eagerly awaiting our arrival.
This is the core message of the entire New Testament: through our incorporation into Christ and through our friendship with him, we have become full members of God’s household, along with everything that entails. Doesn’t it make you want to pray the Our Father in a whole new way?
CHRIST IN MY LIFE Thank you for the gift of prayer. I can always raise my mind and heart to you, no matter where I am or what I’m doing. Thank you for the prayers and prayer commitments that you have brought into my life. I want to pray them well. I want to seek and find you in prayer, not just go through the motions. Stir my heart, Lord; remind me that you are my loving Father. Lord, teach me to pray…
Thank you for your priceless gift of forgiveness, and for letting me experience that forgiveness so many times. I want to forgive as you forgive. You know who and what offends and hurts me most – and you permit those offenses and hurts. They give me opportunities to become more like you. Who do I need to forgive right now? Have mercy on me, Lord, and make me merciful…
At times it is hard for me to call you Father. Jesus, you won this intimacy with God for me and offer it to me, but I think I still have some false ideas and fears that impede me from claiming it in my life. Purify my mind, cleanse my heart, and free me to experience and accept the strong, flowing, unconditional love that you have for me. With the love of your heart, inflame my own…
QUESTIONS FOR SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION
1. What struck you most in this passage? What did you notice that you never noticed before?
2. Why do you think Jesus taught his disciples to pray “Our Father” instead of “My Father”?
3. If God already knows our needs before we ask him, why does Christ still want us to ask for things?
4. The Our Father contains seven petitions in just a few sentences. Why do you think it is so pleasing to God to hear us ask for things from him? Isn’t that selfish of us?
Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2761-2776 on the Lord’s Prayer as the summary of the whole Gospel, and the subsequent numbers analyzing each phrase
“Mindful then of our condition, that we are essentially limited and absolutely dependent on the Supreme Being, before everything else let us have recourse to prayer. We know through faith how great is the power of humble, trustful, persevering prayer.”
- Pope Pius XI, Caritate Christi compulsi
Matthew 6:7-15
‘In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. And do not put us to the test, but save us from the evil one.
‘Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.’
CHRIST THE LORD Jesus contrasts the babbling prayer of the pagans with the heartfelt, simple prayer of the Christian. By giving us a glimpse of what kind of Lord Christ really is, he shows us what kind he is not.
The false gods of pagan religions were conceived of as unpredictable, irresponsible, self-seeking, aloof, fickle, vain, and powerful. Religious activity for the pagans, therefore, was bent on keeping those gods placated, so that their power would not be used against the believers. This usually involved performing certain rituals flawlessly (for instance, if the priest hiccoughed or coughed in the middle of it, he might have to start it all again), or saying certain prayers according to the rules. It was all about going through the right motions. If you had a particularly important need, you could increase the number of rituals and prayers, and the gods would supposedly pay you back proportionately.
The Christian Lord is different. He is close, caring, generous, kind, forgiving, and attentive – he is our Father. Prayer in this context takes on an entirely new dimension – that of love, sincerity, and heartfelt exchange; it’s the kind of secure, confident interaction that takes place between trusting children and faithful parents. The Kingdom of Christ isn’t a tyranny; it’s a family.
CHRIST THE TEACHER The crux of the Our Father is forgiveness. Jesus realizes that linking God’s forgiveness of our own sins with our forgiveness of those who offend us is a hard doctrine. That’s why he reemphasizes it after he’s finished teaching the words of the prayer. Why does he put this difficult condition on our forgiveness? Simply put, because unless we forgive those who offend us, God can’t forgive us.
Forgiveness requires humility – from both directions. Basically, humility means recognizing that you are not God, and when we refuse to forgive someone, we are forgetting precisely that. A refusal to forgive involves passing judgment on the offender. But to pass judgment on another person is to put oneself in God’s place. Only God can see the whole interior world of a human being; only God can see into the secret recesses of the human heart. And so, only God has the right to pass judgment. (This same reasoning applies to forgiving yourself; a refusal to forgive yourself comes, ultimately, from arrogance. We find it hard to forgive ourselves if we think we are so perfect that we, unlike normal human beings, are beyond the possibility of falling short, failing, or sinning – it indicates a shortage of healthy humility.)
So those who refuse to forgive are acting like God, elevating themselves above their offender. But acting like God inhibits them from recognizing their true dependence on God and their own need for his forgiveness – the throne of judgment only has enough room for one judge at a time, either oneself or God. This attitude, then, simply ousts God, shutting the door on him. And so the merciful, forgiving God is left standing outside in the cold, unable to bring us his forgiveness.
The tragedy of this dilemma is that every human soul needs to experience God’s forgiveness in order to be at peace. And so, the unforgiving person ends up destroying himself in his self-righteous attempt to destroy his neighbor.
CHRIST THE FRIEND Friends share what they have with each other. Good friends freely share their most valuable possessions. By this standard, Christ’s friendship is in a class all by itself. He didn’t just share things, or knowledge, or companionship; he shared his nature as God’s Son – his divine nature.
In this prayer, he teaches us to call God “Father.” And to make sure we don’t think that’s just some pretty poetry, he also describes God as “our Father [who] knows what we need…” In Christ, we have become not just citizens of God’s Kingdom, but members of God’s own family. We have Christ’s blood flowing in our veins. We have an eternal inheritance, we have our own room in the heavenly mansion, our own family servant (our guardian angel), and the rest of the family is eagerly awaiting our arrival.
This is the core message of the entire New Testament: through our incorporation into Christ and through our friendship with him, we have become full members of God’s household, along with everything that entails. Doesn’t it make you want to pray the Our Father in a whole new way?
CHRIST IN MY LIFE Thank you for the gift of prayer. I can always raise my mind and heart to you, no matter where I am or what I’m doing. Thank you for the prayers and prayer commitments that you have brought into my life. I want to pray them well. I want to seek and find you in prayer, not just go through the motions. Stir my heart, Lord; remind me that you are my loving Father. Lord, teach me to pray…
Thank you for your priceless gift of forgiveness, and for letting me experience that forgiveness so many times. I want to forgive as you forgive. You know who and what offends and hurts me most – and you permit those offenses and hurts. They give me opportunities to become more like you. Who do I need to forgive right now? Have mercy on me, Lord, and make me merciful…
At times it is hard for me to call you Father. Jesus, you won this intimacy with God for me and offer it to me, but I think I still have some false ideas and fears that impede me from claiming it in my life. Purify my mind, cleanse my heart, and free me to experience and accept the strong, flowing, unconditional love that you have for me. With the love of your heart, inflame my own…
QUESTIONS FOR SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION
1. What struck you most in this passage? What did you notice that you never noticed before?
2. Why do you think Jesus taught his disciples to pray “Our Father” instead of “My Father”?
3. If God already knows our needs before we ask him, why does Christ still want us to ask for things?
4. The Our Father contains seven petitions in just a few sentences. Why do you think it is so pleasing to God to hear us ask for things from him? Isn’t that selfish of us?
Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2761-2776 on the Lord’s Prayer as the summary of the whole Gospel, and the subsequent numbers analyzing each phrase