Dear Family of Mary!
Today’s Gospel:
Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
“This is how you are to pray: Our Father who art in heaven,/hallowed be thy name,/ thy Kingdom come,/ thy will be done,/ on earth as it is in heaven./ Give us this day our daily bread;/ and forgive us our trespasses,/ as we forgive those who trespass against us;/ and lead us not into temptation,/ but deliver us from evil.”
If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” (Mt 6:7-15)
In this Gospel, Jesus tells us exactly how to pray! Exactly! The Our Father is a perfect prayer. And it has been given to us by Jesus, so that we could communicate in the best way possible with His Father. What a gift to us!! What an honor!! We are brought into that perfect relationship with the Father, by the loving hand of the Son.
In simple terms, there are truths in the Our Father that will keep us safe for our entire lives:
Our Father...this is enough to save us. Jesus tells us to call His Father, our Father. We are being brought into the family.
Who art in Heaven…There is a Heaven. The Father is there. We know there is a perfect place awaiting us after death. We have a future.
Hallowed be thy name…We should work constantly to proclaim God as our Holy and Powerful Lord. We should always speak His praises! Wouldn’t the world be wonderful is all men hallowed God’s name???
Thy Kingdom come…As we gaze in horror at the condition of all our earthly kingdoms, we call out for God’s Kingdom to come, to replace our earthly kingdoms with His perfect Heavenly Kingdom. We want this with all our hearts…
They will be done on earth as it is in Heaven…Our wills have failed us, choosing so badly for ourselves. All earthly powers, by choosing their own wills are creating chaos and sorrow, the world over. We long for God’s will to be done on earth…
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...Forgiveness is the only road to take on this earth. Our sins and the sins of others, they all must be forgiven. God is the forgiver, and we imitate Him.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil…The devil is our enemy. Keep him far from us, and save us from his machinations. We want to only be Yours…
May we live the Our Father all day long. These are the aspirations that should fill our hearts and minds with truth, hope and peace.
Our Lady has asked us to grow in our love of the Father. Here is one message;
April 2, 2011 “Dear children; With motherly love I desire to open the heart of each of you and to teach you personal unity with the Father.
To accept this, you must comprehend that you are important to God and that He is calling you individually.
You must comprehend that your prayer is a conversation of a child with the Father; that love is the way by which you must set out – love for God and for your neighbor.
That is, my children, the love that has no boundaries. That is the love that emanates from truth and goes to the end.
Follow me, my children, so that also others, in recognizing the truth and love in you, may follow you. Thank you.”
Let’s pray the Our Father with the wonder of a child, and allow our Father to fill us with His love!!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
(c)Mary TV 2022
