Sep 28 2008
Something Brief about the “Our Father”
From Fr. John Hardon’s History and Theology of Grace:
St. Thomas’s analysis of the structure of the Pater Noster leans heavily on Augustine and emphasizes theological intimations that might otherwise be overlooked. Since prayer is an interpretation of our desires, he says, we should pray for those things which are proper for us to desire. In the Lord’s Prayer, we are asking of God everything that may lawfully be ambitioned. It is therefore not only a catalogue of petitions but also a corrective for the affections.
In other words, if we’re unsure whether we have a proper Christian outlook, we should spend some time meditating on the “Our Father.”
Very true. I just told our RCIA inquirers this morning that they should write out the Our Father and break it up into the specific requests rather than how we tend to rhythmically say it so they could contemplate the prayer in its fullness. Only God could pack that much into so few words.