Jul 28, Midday Prayer for Saturday of the 16th week of Ordinary Time

Jul 28, Midday Prayer for Saturday of the 16th week of Ordinary Time

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF THE OUR FATHER? 

Jesus taught us this Christian prayer on the day on which one of his disciple saw him praying and asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). The Our Father is the “summary of the whole Gospel” (Tertullian), and “the perfect prayer” (Saint Thomas Aquinas). The Church liturgical tradition has always used the text of Saint Matthew  ( 6: 9-13).

WHY IS IT CALLED THE “LORD’S  PRAYER”?

The Our Father is called the “Oratio Dominica”, that is, the Lord’s Prayer because it was taught to us by the Lord Jesus himself. The prayer that comes to us from Jesus is truly unique: it is “of the Lord.” On the one hand, in the words of this prayer the only Son gives us the words the Father gave him: he is the master of our prayer. On the other, as Word incarnate, he knows in his human heart the needs of his human brothers and sisters and reveals them to us: he is the model of our prayer. It is the prayer fulfilled by the prayer of Christ.

WHAT PLACE DOES IT HAVE IN THE PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

The Lord’s Prayer is essentially rooted in liturgical prayer: The Lord teaches us to make prayer in common for all our brethren. For he did not say “ my Father”, but “ our” Father,  offering petitions in common. The Lord’s Prayer is essential to the liturgy of the Church, for it is an integral part of our Eucharistic celebration, Baptism and Confirmation. The Our Father is also part of the Divine Office. [ See CCC 2761-2776]

What are the seven petitions which make up the Lord's Prayer? What do they mean?

The power dispositions for one who praise the Our Father are simple and faithful trust, humble and joyous assurance. We begin this most beautiful and meaningful prayer by invoking God as "Father" because he is revealed to us by his Son Christ Jesus who become man.

LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN:

When we say "Our" Father, we are invoking the new covenant in Jesus Christ, communion with the Holy Trinity, and the divine love which spreads through the Church to encompass the world.Praying to our Father should develop in us the will to become like him and foster in us a humble and trusting heart."Who art in heaven" does not refer to a place but to God's majesty and his presence in the hearts of the just. Heaven, the Father's house, is the true home land toward which we are heading and to which,already, we belong. The Lord's Prayer contains seven petitions made to God the Father. The object of the first three petitions is the glory of the Father:the sanctification of his name, the coming of the Kingdom, and the fulfillment of his will.The four other petitions present our wants to him: they ask that our lives be nourished, healed of sin, and made victorious in the struggle of good over evil. The seven petitions follows: