Thursday, June 19, 2025

 

Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

(II Corinthians 11:1-11; Matthew 6:7-15)

As a manager places his best hitter in the middle of the batting order, so Matthew has put the Our Father at the middle of the Sermon on the Mount.  The evangelist wants the reader to realize that the incredible demands that Jesus makes of his disciples cannot be fulfilled by their efforts alone.  They absolutely need the help of God, or they will fail to comply.

One need not live too long or study too much to realize how much sin has entered the world.  Look around for what motivates people, and you will not likely find that it is love of God.  Rather, people usually act out of desire for fun, fame, or fortune.  When one is asked to make a great effort without an immediate payoff, she or he will likely not act at all.

But Jesus promises an eternal reward for those who follow his commands.  Again, it is not easy to always do his will, but he will send his Spirit to help us.  We just have to ask the Father in the name of the Son.

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 44:18-21.23b-29.45:1-5; Matthew 10:7-15)

In the Our Father one makes a hefty promise.  Praying, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us,” commits the person to forgive when she or he has been offended. When one is injured or has his or her heart broken, forgiveness is as difficult as donating a kidney.  Nevertheless, Joseph is able to forgive his offenders without even knowing the Lord’s Prayer.

Joseph shows great faith as he not only forgives, but also finds the Lord’s hand in his trials.  For his belief, he is twice blessed.  Not only has he thrived in Egypt, but he will see his beloved father and brother again.  Under the tutelage of the Spirit, Joseph understands his receiving God’s favor as an opportunity to help others.

We may pray the Our Father ten times a day without taking the words to heart. When we live out those words, however, we will not be disillusioned.  God will bless us like Joseph and give us opportunities to help others.

 

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

 

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

(Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 6:7-15)

It is said that words make people human.  Other animals can think although not with much sophistication.  They even communicate in different ways.  But they do not seem to be able to form meaningful words.  Words not only have power to move others.  They have some sway with God as well.  At least, Jesus in today’s gospel prescribes certain words to solicit the Father’s attention.

The Our Father is the preeminent prayer of Christians because it was taught by Jesus himself.  It must be efficacious because in the first reading God declares that His word will not return to Him void.  When we own it by living it, we will receive the Father’s care.

A couple was praying for their daughter who had developed a blood disease.  They had lost one daughter to cancer many years before and feared losing another.  They prayed for their daughter and asked friends to pray as well.  A week or so ago, they received news that the bone marrow transplant their ailing daughter received was successful.  It may not be a saint-making miracle, but the couple is sure that God master-minded the healing, 

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Sirach 48:1-14; Matthew 6:7-15)

Somethings become simpler as we become older.  As children, we thought tying a shoelace was a real accomplishment.  As grow ups, we do not give it a second thought.  Other things, however, become more profound as we age.  The Our Father is one instance of this.  As children, we learned to rattle it off like a nursery rhyme.  As adults thinking about its meaning, the Our Father reaches the depth of our being.

The very first words, “Our Father,” unite us with Christians throughout the world.  We are sisters and brothers to Africans, Asians, and Native Americans to name just a few.  “Thy Kingdom come” is a plea for the end of the world when we will be judged for our deeds.  “Forgive us … as we forgive …” commits us to letting go of all grudges despite the pain others have caused.  Each of the seven petitions made in the Our Father challenges us to change our lives.  This takes effort since we become comfortable even with things that grieve us. 

In teaching the Our Father, Jesus directed our prayer away from childish wants to eternal longings.  There is no petition that our football teams wins or that we ace a test.  No, we ask that God’s name be honored by everyone so that there may be peace.  And we request that our trials be not so burdensome that we fall beneath them into sin.  We learn the Our Father as children so that we never forget how to pray it as adults.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, religious

(Sirach 48:1-14; Matthew 6:7-15)

Recently a number of liturgists from different Christian traditions approved an alternative translation of the Lord’s Prayer. There are no “thy’s” in the new version nor does it say of the Father “who art in heaven.” The experiment calls for “sins” to be forgiven, not “trespasses,” and prays to be saved from “the time of trial” and not to be led “not into temptation.”

The purpose of the experiment, no doubt, is to enable Christians to be more conscious of what they are saying when praying this quintessential Christian prayer. As Jesus in today’s gospel criticizes pagans for babbling in prayer, some Christians mindlessly repeat the words of the “Our Father.”

The alternative version still must be approved by the various traditions. This may take some doing as the traditional form is so embedded in people’s consciousness that mandating a change may cause a bitter reaction. Still we should be careful not to rattle off the words of the Lord’s Prayer as if they were a magic formula for attracting God’s attention. Rather we should say the words with deliberation always contemplating what they mean.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Tuesday of the First Week in Lent

(Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 6:7-13)

Church fathers used to say that prayer does not change God; it changes us. To the extent that this is true, we should find ourselves conforming to the prayer that Christians pray most often, the “Our Father.” We might see the following changes being made over the years. First, we come to see God first and foremost as Father. Not everyone has an affectionate relationship with his or her father, but more often than not fathers care for their children. Maturing as Christians, we want to recognize God as one who loves and supports most of all.

God is neither poor nor small-minded. Rather he is a king with the universe at His command. Recognizing His majesty, we begin to take responsibility for creation as our heritage. This means that we concern ourselves with the environment and, more so, with the well-being of other humans.

Finally, the “Our Father” inclines us to forgive our offenders. Some think that this stance implies forgiving wrongdoers whether or not they express remorse. Eagerness to pardon, however, seems unreflective, untrue to how forgiveness is described in Scripture, and unlikely to achieve reconciliation. It seems to me more faithful to always pray for those who offend us that they might see their mistake, if indeed they were wrong, or that we might see ours if that is the case. (Perhaps both parties will usually recognize complicity in wrong-doing.) When the guilt is revealed and due contrition expressed, both the offended and the offender will find reconciliation warranted.

Homilette for Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Wednesday, XXVII Week of Ordinary Time

(Luke 11:1-4)

With Halloween fast approaching we might want to reflect on the first desire expressed in the Lord’s Prayer, “hallowed be your name.” The word Halloween comes from a form of hallowed. It is actually short for all hallows even, or the eve of All Saints. American Catholics have a sense of this because of the obligation to attend Mass the next day, the Feast of All Saints.

Obviously then, "hallowed" is connected with saints. Indeed, it is an ancient way of saying “holy.” When we heed Jesus’ instruction to pray “hallowed be your name,” we express our wish that God’s name be recognized as holy. Here name is more than a way to call something; rather, it means one’s fame or reputation. We can look at two famous Shakespearean quotes to appreciate the difference. In Romeo and Juliet the heroine downplays the importance of a name when she tells her lover, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by another name would smell so sweet.” The character Cassio in Othello captures more the biblical idea of name when he speaks of reputation, “Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself...”

Holiness, of course, is the chief element of God’s reputation. He shows His holiness through His glory which is nothing less than the manifestation of His divine and gracious will throughout creation. When all women and men follow God’s will, His name is truly hallowed and peace reigns of earth.

Homilette for Tuesday, February 27, 2007

(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.