Blog

This story, about the disciples asking Jesus to teach them how to pray, begins with an observation. It begins with noticing. The disciples observed Jesus, probably from a distance, as he prays. They knew that Jesus was drawing his life, his energy, from a source that sustained him in ways that they, themselves, were not being sustained. So, they figured the key must be prayer. And if prayer sustains Jesus, then maybe they should ask how it works, so that they will also feel connected to the Divine and be sustained by God’s presence. Notice the disciples do not say, “Lord, teach us a prayer.” Instead their request is, “Lord, teach us to pray.” They were not looking for a prayer, preferably one from Jesus’ top 10 prayers. They were looking for a way to be in communion with God, a union that would serve them in good times and bad times.

Jesus, the wise Teacher, teaches them nothing until they ask. There’s no point in teaching chemistry and physics to children in Grade 3; they’re not asking for it nor are they ready for it. Had the disciples not asked, it’s highly unlikely we would be praying the “Our Father” ourselves down to this day. Asking is a sign of readiness. When a child observes her parents or older siblings receiving Communion at Mass and wonders why she can’t participate, that is a sign of readiness. Once the desire is there, very little catechesis is required. (Jesus, by the way, never taught children, only adults). That child, wanting to participate in Communion, is mimicking the disciples who see something in Jesus and want more of it for themselves. Jesus is like a treasure waiting and wanting to be discovered, but many of us aren’t even aware it’s there. Not only is it there; it’s there just for the asking. Just ask, and it will be given to you. Search and not only will you find, but I’ll make it really easy for you to find. Knock and I’ll swing the door open for you.

One of the first things Jesus teaches us is to say, “Your kingdom come.” Since the prayer is addressed to God, the kingdom we are talking about is God’s kingdom. That’s what we want to come…God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom will never be forced on us. As Fr. Richard Rohr says, “God cannot come to us except through invitation, so keep saying, ‘Your kingdom come.’ The simplest rule for discovering what we are supposed to be doing on earth is to ask what’s happening in heaven. God is creating union and community not religion and righteousness.” Personally, I feel that much of righteousness, unfortunately, turns into self-righteousness. Lord, this is how I want you to change people, especially those who don’t think and act the way I do. In that moment, all prayer breaks down. And, the courageous prayer of both Mary and Jesus—”not my will but yours”—goes out the window. My little kingdom remains entrenched, and I blame God for not listening.  

This prayer that Jesus teaches his disciples is traditionally called “The Lord’s Prayer.” It’s not our prayer. We didn’t invent it. It was asked for and given to us. It’s Jesus’ prayer. The thing about somebody else’s prayer is that if you continually pray it, you will eventually put on the mindset of the one who first gave it to you. I think that’s what St. Paul is getting at when he mentions “putting on the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). If we keep praying the “Lord’s Prayer,” regardless of whether we understand its deeper meaning, we will gradually put on the mind of Christ. Slowly, steadily, bit by bit our little kingdom (which we hold onto ever so tightly) will give way to the great kingdom, the only kingdom…God’s Kingdom.

This really hits home with me when I try to pray “The Prayer of St. Francis” sometimes also call “The Peace Prayer.” I keep praying it in the hopes of putting on the mind of St. Francis, but I just know how far I am from his mind. As you may recall, Francis says in the prayer: “O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console.” I can’t pray that. Why? Because I live on a two-way street. If God is expecting me to console others, then I’d like to be console, from time to time, myself. But, that’s not what the prayer is saying. It’s saying that even when I’m not being consoled, I need to draw deep within myself and offer consolation to others. When I can’t do that, I know I’ve not put on the mind of St. Francis. He goes on to say, “Grant that I may not seek so much to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.” Again, what makes this prayer difficult for me to pray is that I want to be understood if I’m going to make the effort to understand others. And, I want to be loved if I’m going to put some sweat equity into loving others. Even though I fall short in the ideals of this prayer, I, nevertheless, want to keep praying Francis’ prayer in the hopes of putting on the mind of this great spiritual master. If it’s true of the Prayer of St. Francis, it’s even more true of “The Lord’s Prayer.” I both want and need the mind of Christ.

What will happen if we dare to pray the Our Father with an open mind or with a desire to let our little kingdoms, our little agendas go? I think two things will happen.

Firstly, you’ll grow in intimacy with God. Think of Jesus and how he addresses God in prayer. He doesn’t pray to the Great Immovable Mover, the All-Sufficient One, the Alpha and Omega, the King of Kings, nor the Lord of Lords. Instead, he calls God by a much more intimate title—Father, Abba, Daddy. Shouldn’t that be the intimacy that moves us to pray to God as well?

The second thing, I think we will get when we turn to God in prayer, besides a greater intimacy, is the only thing and the best thing God could possibly give us…God’s very self…the Holy Spirit. “How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” We won’t get little red wagons. You might not get a clean bill of health from the doctor, but you will get the Holy Spirit who accompanies you through sickness and health. You may not get to win the lottery and feel financially secure, but you will get the Holy Spirit who stands by you when your finances are in the black or in the red. You might not marry Mr. or Miss perfect, but you will get the Holy Spirit who will put people on your life’s path who will accept and love you for who you are. The gospels themselves tell us that when Jesus emerged from the waters of his own baptism, and was at prayer, the Holy Spirit was given to him. That’s what he got in prayer, and that’s what we will get in prayer…the Holy Spirit.

If we, who are “evil” or incompetent parents or bungling Christians, still know how to give good things to each other, how much more will God, who is not evil, incompetent or bungling, give to us. So, persist in prayer. Persistence doesn’t open the hands of a stingy God. Persistence opens our hearts to all that God is just waiting to give us.

~ Fr. Phil