(Matthew 6)
I’ve heard it said that while Charles Lindberg first flew across the Atlantic, he began to doubt his instruments. Worrying that his compass was off, he wanted to change course. But he doggedly stuck to his instruments, thank God, and successfully landed in Paris.
Like a navigator trusts in his instruments so we put our trust in the word of God. Isaiah in the first reading tells us God’s word always accomplishes its purpose. Because Jesus utters it, the prayer “Our Father” of the gospel is the word of God. We can utterly rely on it. We might take note of the prayer’s splendid balance. It praises God and thereby implicitly thanks Him. It also pleads for our spiritual and material needs. Finally, it commits ourselves to act like God.
The “Our Father” has been called the Christian “Shema.’” Shema’ is a Hebrew word meaning hear. The Old Testament’s Book of Deuteronomy proclaims, “Shema, Israel,” “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God ... you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words.... Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.” So we should pray the “Our Father” as our first words in the morning, our last words at night, and throughout the day. Doing so we will find not only our needs met but also ourselves becoming more like Christ, who taught it to us.
