In his gospel account of the 'Lord's Prayer', we read that the disciples admired how Jesus was able to focus his mind and energy and spend time in prayer. Through his public ministry, we see Jesus taking time out to pray. They also were aware of the influence of John the Baptist on his disciples, as he encouraged them to enter into prayer—this was real for some of the apostles as they had formally been with John. They want to know: how can we pray?

The template that Jesus offers is both challenging and supportive in our communication with God. For Jesus, it is simple: the Trinity is a family. There is an intimacy in speaking to a God as 'father' whose name is holy. Jesus proclaims a closeness to a transcendent God. In the midst of this holiness, we are caught up into the beauty of God's unconditional love. He then prays for the coming of the reign of God: we are challenged to build a heaven on earth. Our lives must be governed by gospel values and attitudes that must influence our words and actions. As a Church we are called to build a heaven on earth: our homes, parishes, schools and communities must be heavenly. This impacts on how we treat each other and how we care for each other. If God shows us unconditional love, then we must show that same love to others.

This love reveals itself in two very practical ways: sharing our food and offering reconciliation. The Lord teaches that we all share the gifts of this wonderful world: we have the technology and resources to make hunger history, yet why do millions still starve? 'Give us each day our daily bread' stands as a critique of those with wealth and power. All have the basic right to be fed: in the developing world, and here at home. Already we can see just how powerful this prayer is—if we are going to take the Lord seriously, then we will be campaigning for justice and equality. As the great bishop, Helder Camera of Brazil reminds us:

When I feed the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist!

Jesus goes on to speak of the need for true reconciliation that involves forgiveness. Of course, you can never forget when you are the victim of some traumatic event, deliberately caused by another, but the challenge is to forgive. In my experience it is those problems caused by those closest to us that hurt the most: our very being has been violated by our love and respect deeply. No matter how hard, we have to learn to forgive in the spirit of that holy God we worship. As the parable today shows us: nothing is impossible for those who have a true friendship with God. Keep on asking. We might not get the answer we want, but we should get the answer we need.

When he was challenged by the difficult political landscape of the nineteenth century, Don Bosco stated that his politics was that of the 'Our Father'. As Jesus has taught us, that is not just a nice strapline to avoid difficult questions. If we truly pray and live the 'Our Father', then our world is going to be that much safer and stronger

Author: Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy SDB

Image: Photo by Kate Remmer on Unsplash