St. Cloud Diocesan Council of Catholic Women at 25008 Mary St., Paynesville, MN 56362 US - Homily by Father Gregory Lieser "Our Father"
| Homily by Father Gregory Lieser "Our Father" |
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| Jesus teaching the little children! |
MODERATOR’S HOMILY
by Father Greg Lieser
OUR FATHER
(The Lord's Prayer)
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.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen
At a recent liturgy Father Lieser gave this homily and the editor asked him if he would allow us to print it in our DCCW newsletter.
The Our Father
We are blessed to have a prayer that Jesus taught us, namely, the prayer we call the Our Father or The Lord’s Prayer, because it came directly from the Lord. This prayer gives us the qualities we should try to include in our prayers.
Jesus began by praying to Our Father, the Father of us all. He didn’t begin with My Father, but wanted us to be aware that we all have a common God, who is like a Father to us, like a loving parent. A good father provides for the family’s welfare in so many ways, just like God our Father takes care of us all. Our human father gives us the impression we have of God our Father in heaven.
Jesus says God is in heaven; where God is, there is heaven, there is happiness and glory. “Hallowed be thy name” means we ask that praise and honor be given to our God. The name of God expresses the very being of God. “Thy kingdom come” refers to the fact that God’s kingdom is present here on earth, as was announced by Jesus, “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” means that we pray so we can know and do God’s will, and that God’s plan for us all may come to reality. God does not force his will on us, but we help to bring about God’s will on earth.
“Give us this day our daily bread” is a beautiful phrase by which we ask that God provide for all our daily needs, including our physical food, as well as our emotional needs and spiritual needs. Bread is a food that is common to every culture, so bread satisfies the hunger of so many people.
Then we pray for forgiveness for our sins, just as God forgives us when we seek his mercy. We also pray that we will be able to overcome our temptations and overcome evil situations.
Forgiveness is an important aspect of our daily lives. The Church prays the Lords Prayer at every Mass just before receiving Holy Communion, using it as a prayer of preparation of our hearts. The Church also asks the religious to pray the Lord’s Prayer as a part of morning and evening prayer – so at least 3 times a day we pray the Lord’s prayer. The prayer includes our necessity to praise God, gives thanks for blessings, seek to know God’s will, and to ask for what we need. Asking is good for us, because even though God knows what we need, by asking we remind ourselves that God is the source of all our blessings.