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. Matthew 6:7–8
Recall that Jesus used to go off by Himself at times and spend the
whole night in prayer. Thus, it’s clear that Jesus is in favor of
long and sincere times of prayer, since He gave us His own example
as a lesson. But there is clearly a difference between that which
our Lord did all night and that which He criticized the pagans for
doing when they “babble” with many words. After this criticism of
the prayer of the pagans, Jesus gives us the “Our Father” prayer as
a model for our personal prayer.
The Our Father prayer begins by addressing God in a deeply personal
way. That is, God is not just an all-powerful cosmic being. He is
personal, familial—He is our Father. Jesus continues the prayer by
instructing us to honor our Father by proclaiming His holiness, His
hallowedness. God and God alone is the Holy One from which all
holiness of life derives. As we acknowledge the holiness of the
Father, we must also acknowledge Him as King and seek His Kingship
for our lives and for the world. This is accomplished only when His
perfect will is done “on earth as it is in Heaven.” This perfect
prayer concludes by acknowledging that God is the source of all of
our daily needs, including the forgiveness of our sins and
protection from all evil.
Upon the completion of this prayer of perfection, Jesus provides a
context in which this and every prayer must be prayed. He says, “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.” Prayer will only be effective
if we allow it to change us and make us more like the Father in
Heaven. Therefore, if we want our prayer of forgiveness to be
effective, then we must live what we pray for. We must also forgive
others so that God will forgive us.
Reflect, today, upon this perfect prayer, the Our Father. One
temptation is that we can become so familiar with this prayer that
we gloss over its true meaning. If that happens, then we will find
that we are praying it more like the pagans who simply babble the
words. But if we humbly and sincerely understand and mean every
word, then we can be certain that our prayer will become more like
that of our Lord’s. Saint Ignatius of Loyola recommends pondering
every word of that prayer very slowly, one word at a time. Try to
pray this way, today, and allow the Our Father to move from
babbling to authentic communication with the Father in
Heaven.
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. Amen. Jesus, I trust in You.
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