HOW  TO  SAY 

THE  OUR  FATHER 

  

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this First Tuesday in Lent  is, “How To Say the Our Father.”

That might be a good Lenten Resolution - to say the Our Father once a day very calmly and very prayerfully.

Remember Jesus says right before teaching his disciples the Our Father, “Do not babble.”

Once more, here are the comments he made, “"In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

We have all be around long enough to know that people often babble the Our Father. Somewhere in our younger years - most of us sensed something was wrong when some people prayed the Our Father out loud - but in rush of babble. OurFatherwhoartinheavenhallowed bethynamethy kingdom comethywillbedoneonearthasitisinheaven.Giveusthisdayourdaily breadandforgiveusourtrespassesasweforgivethosewhotresspassagainstusandleadusnotintotemptationbutdeliverusfromevil.Amen

We knew instinctively that was not the way to pray or the way to talk to God for that matter to each other.

HOW TO SAY THE OUR FATHER

How to say the Our Father?  Picture God the Father sitting there in a nice comfy chair. Climb up onto the chair, onto God the Father and slowly say the Our Father into his ear or into his face or into his eyes.

How to say the Our Father?  Picture the slices of bread you are going to taste and eat today - including the Eucharist and say to God slowly and with great grace and reverence, “Give us this day our daily  bread.”  And pray  for all the children of the world - especially the hungry and the starving - those with nothing to eat - because of empty hands.

How to say the Our Father? Pray for peace in our world this day - along with that daily bread.  Pray that all people try to do God’s will in the world today - which will bring that peace. Pray that we all work to bring about the kingdom today - that it come about.

How to say the Our Father? Pray for the grace to be able to forgive each other and that they forgive us back - and we see those trespassing signs.

How to say the Our Father? For Lent find a good book on the Our Father and read it?

For example, Scott Hahn came out with a book last year entitled, Understanding "Our Father": Biblical Reflections on the Lord's Prayer.

Matthew Kelly had a small book on the Our Father - from back in 1994. It’s out of print now -  but I read that people are paying up to $212 dollars on line. The price of fame.

Or go back further,  Helmut Thielicke, has an excellent book on the Our Father, Our Heavenly Father: Sermons on the Lord's Prayer  -Translated by John W. Doberstein. New York: Harper & Row, 1960. I found that to be one of the best books on the Our Father.

Or go back to St. Teresa of Avila and her classic book on the Way of Perfection in which she reflects with great simplicity and prayerfulness the parts of the Our Father.

CONCLUSION

Whatever…. During this Lent grow in prayer and union and communion with God - by entering deeper and deeper into the Our Father. Amen.

Pray the Out Father - water the earth with it’s words day - steady rain or soft snow words - it will saturate the soil of the souls of all people. Amen.