The Lord’s Prayer is a very common prayer. I have been uttering this prayer since I was a kid. I would spontaneously pray it without reflecting on its deeper meaning. In various school activities and many programs that I attended, this prayer has been prayed from time to time.

The Lord’s Prayer is a communal prayer. When I pray it, I do not pray it for myself but for others too. Moreover, this prayer is inclusive in the sense that it includes everyone even those I treated my enemies and those who hate me. Every time I utter the Lord’s Prayer, I always feel that others are also praying with me. When I praise God, it presupposes that others are praising God too. When I ask in my petitions, it presupposes others who are in need too. Thus, it calls for an act of charity on my part. When I ask God for forgiveness, it presupposes others who need forgiveness too. Hence, as the grace of forgiveness flows in me, I must share the same grace with others. It involves even those whom I hate the most. This makes the Lord’s Prayer a communal prayer, and it always affects others.

Today’s Gospel invites me to reflect once again. How do I pray the Lord’s prayer? Do I mean every word in it? Do I act according to the words I utter as I pray it? The Lord’s Prayer is more than a ritual. It portrays a picture of being a Christian and provides instruction on how to live a Christian life. It is a life of being with God and others.

By: Sem. Niñonel Setosta

Today’s Gospel

Lk 11:1-4

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.”