A Life of Prayer
(Gen.18:20-32; Col.2:12-14; Lk.11:1-13)
What is prayer? Essentially, it’s uniting ourselves with God. It’s raising our heart and mind to him, recognising his presence and conversing with him.
We tend to think that prayer begins with us, that somehow we must make it happen. But prayer doesn’t start with us. It starts with God. It starts with his constantly open arms and his unconditional love for us.
Prayer is about falling in love with God, who already loves us totally.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ disciples ask him how to pray and he teaches them the ‘Our Father.’ With its 5 petitions, Luke’s Our Father is shorter than Matthew’s version which we all use today. Matthew’s Our Father has 7 petitions (Mt.6:9-13).
Now, the Our Father isn’t just a prayer to recite, for it actually represents a way of life. We can see this in Matthew 13, where Jesus gives us seven parables.
These are often called the Kingdom Parables because each one tells us something about God’s Kingdom. At the same time, they also help us understand the seven petitions in Matthew’s Our Father, for they are closely paralleled. Let’s briefly look at each of them.
Hallowed Be Thy Name
To hallow God’s name is to make it holy in our lives. In the Parable of the Sower (Mt.13:1-23), the Word of God is scattered everywhere like seeds. Some hearts are hard and reject it, while others are only shallow. But some hearts receive it deeply and become very fruitful.
God’s name is truly hallowed when his Word grows fruitfully in our hearts. Do we reverently receive God’s Word? Do our lives honour his name?
Thy Kingdom Come
God’s Kingdom is growing, but we know there is resistance. In the Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat (Mt.13:24-30), good and evil grow side by side until the harvest.
When we pray ‘Thy Kingdom Come,’ we trust that God’s justice will prevail, even when the field looks messy. So, this is a prayer of patience and hope.
Thy Will Be Done
God’s will often begins quietly and small, like a mustard seed (Mt.13:31-32). But when it’s truly embraced, it becomes a sheltering tree.
Do we embrace God’s will when it seems small and insignificant? Do we trust his plan and allow it to grow in us? Do we nourish God’s presence in our lives?
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
Our daily bread is more than food; it’s God’s grace working inside us, like Yeast working in dough (Mt.13.33). God’s Kingdom rises within us when his grace is kneaded into every part of our life.
Do we feed our souls with God’s presence? Do we allow his grace to ferment and transform us? Do we make the most of the Sacraments? The Eucharist is the ultimate heavenly yeast – hidden, but life-giving.
Forgive Us Our Trespasses
The man who finds Treasure Hidden in a Field (Mt.13:44) sells everything he has to buy it. To grasp the treasure of God’s Kingdom we must let go of everything that blocks our path, including our sin and our pride. Do we value mercy more than our grudges? Are we prepared to let things go?
Lead Us Not into Temptation
The merchant who finds the Pearl of Great Price (Mt.13:45-46) is willing to sell everything to have it. We, too, must let go of any temptations that hold us back.
Every day we are tempted by the fake ‘pearls’ of pride, power, comfort and wealth. But only one thing is worth absolutely everything. Will we ask the Holy Spirit to help us find it, or will we settle for less?
Deliver Us from Evil
In Jesus’ seventh parable, the net catches both good and bad fish (Mt.13:47-50). Jesus promises that one day they will all be sorted out and separated.
This isn’t about fear. It’s about being faithful, because evil will not have the final word. God will deliver those who seek him with sincere hearts.
Every time we pray the Our Father, then, we enter into the loving heart of Jesus. But these aren’t just beautiful words; they are actually a way of life, and through his parables Jesus helps us understand what it all means.
So, whenever you recite the Our Father don’t do it mindlessly. Let Jesus’ words and his parables nourish and transform you from within.
Let’s now pray this wonderful prayer together:
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 deliver us from evil. Amen.