The Lord’s Prayer

 

With the Lord’s prayer nothing is truly hard for us.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, Thursday of 11th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, June 20th, 2024
Texts: Sirach 48:1-14; Psalm 97:1-7; Matthew 6:7-15 

Today’s first reading is the praise of Elijah. The highpoint of the praise is this: “Nothing was too hard for him, and when he was dead his body prophesied. As in his life he did wonders, so in death his deeds were marvellous.” The author emphasises Elijah’s authority several times by saying,  “By the word of God”. Whatever Elijah did he did by the word of God and prospered in them. The author thus reminds us what we can achieve by the Lord’s prayer.  

The Lord’s prayer, also known as ‘Our Father’, is the prayer in the words of our Lord. Put differently, it is the prayer our Lord composed to teach us how to pray. With the prayer nothing is too hard for us, just like Elijah. The prayer can work wonders for us, alive or in death just like Elijah. By the Lord’s prayer we can shut up the heavens, bring down fire, raise corpse from death and Hades, etc.  

With the Lord’s prayer nothing is truly hard for us

The content of the Lord’s prayer shows what we can achieve by it. We can keep God’s name holy, doing His will on earth, obtain our daily bread, forgiveness and learn to forgive, triumph over temptation and evil. The prayer also raises our hearts to heaven by saying, “our Father who art in heaven”. It is also a prayer in which we pray for one another and by so doing expressing the love for one another.  With the Lord’s prayer nothing is truly hard for us. 

Praying the Lord’s prayer helps us not to heap up empty phrases but make our words meaningful and effective. We pray as one who has faith when we pray the Lord’s prayer. One has faith knows that God knows His needs before he asks Him. It is lack of faith to pray in a manner that shows God does not know our needs before we ask Him. The Lord says, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” 

Prayer 

Thank You, Lord, for teaching us how to pray, may Your Holy Spirit continue to help us to pray well; increase our faith that we may pray according to Your will. Amen 

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke