Lent should be, first of all, a time of prayer, and the Church immediately wants to show us the prayer that should be our model: the one that Jesus taught his disciples to lead them into the New Way (or if you like religion) he brought. What is absolutely new in this religion is that it makes us look at God no longer only as the almighty creator, but as our Father. God is our Father who hears us as sons and daughters.
Divine Prayer
There are many religions in the world that teach their faithful to pray. But how many “deities” have actually taught a prayer, as Jesus did with the Lord’s Prayer? In Judaism, there are many prayers, such as the Shema Yisrael (“Hear, O Israel”), but we do not have a case (in Judaism) in which God himself gives the faithful a precise formula of prayer to recite. In Islam, the Koran contains supplications and invitations to prayer, but the Salat (the ritual prayer) is more of a set of acts and codified recitations rather than a prayer taught directly by Allah with a specific formula. Also, in Eastern religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, there are many prayers and mantras, but they are usually human formulations inspired by the teachings of sages or sacred texts, not a prayer directly taught by a deity. But in the Gospel of today, we see Jesus (the God-man), teach us how to address God rightly, as a father (Abba) – the first time a “Deity” or divine being, in the first person, teaches a prayer; and this is no doubt why it is famously known as the Lord’s Prayer.
Wasted Words
Before teaching the “Lord’s Prayer”, Jesus warns us against the risk of “wasting words” in prayer, as the pagans do. Prayer is not a monologue but a dialogue with God, like that of a son with his father. Few words, but full of meaning: the fatherhood of God, praise, his kingdom, our need for daily bread, forgiveness, the fight against temptation and deliverance from evil.
Jesus says that God already knows what we need. Even before we ask him. So why pray? Prayer does not serve to inform God of our needs because He already knows them. But it serves us to recognize them, to put order within ourselves, and to dispose ourselves to receive God’s response. By praying, we do not change God, but we change ourselves. We calibrate ourselves to what is essential, opening ourselves to God’s will. And learning to desire what is truly worthwhile. Otherwise, they are just words and wasted words. If I pray with rancor and unforgiveness, they are mere wasted words.
Lenten Commitment
In this Lent, we could commit to praying the Lord’s Prayer every day, with awareness, not repeating the formula by heart but meditating on every word calmly, dwelling on each sentence, and letting it become our program of life. Pray with the heart, without wasting words, learning to trust in God our Father who already knows what we need.
I absolutely loved this reflection, Fr John Bosco! Firstly thank you for highlighting the difference between Christian prayer and prayer in other religions. Our prayer is dialogue and we know it! We are so blessed to have a prayer given to us by the Lord Himself. An awareness of this as we pray can make it so much richer. I also appreciate your observations on why we pray–“we calibrate ourselves to what is essential.” Thank you for this invitation to slow, trusting prayer from the heart.