The Lord's Prayer

By Marilyn Shelton

It has been called the perfect prayer. It is the only prayer known to have been taught by Jesus himself. Today, it is known in all possible languages and dialects.

If we take the time to examine the Lord’s Prayer phrase by phrase, we find that it has a depth that is endless, and provides enough food for meditation to fill several lifetimes. It speaks directly to us as catechists, if we pause to reflect on its message and challenge.

Our Father

When Jesus used the Aramaic word, “Abba,” he was telling us that the Father knows what we need and wants us to ask for it. God is waiting to give us more good things than an earthly father or mother is prepared to give their son or daughter.

Meditation: Do I model the kind of trust in God that I encourage my youngsters to develop? Is there an atmosphere of freedom and joy in my classroom? Have I become childlike in my love for God? Do I look upon each miraculous child that stands before me as a living manifestation of God’s love?

Who Art in Heaven

Sister Audrey Cleary, OSB, once said she thought heaven would be a familiar place. What a comforting idea that “familiar place” has been for me throughout the years, particularly at the time of my mother’s death. Today though, I no longer think of heaven as a place at all. I think of it, rather, as a fulfillment of my spiritual yearning, as a state of being, a higher plane, a quiet stillness of heart and mind where I can listen for the voice of God to give me direction in my life.

Meditation: Do I take the time to prepare a place of stillness in my life, to listen for the voice of God? Do I create an atmosphere of loving stillness in my classroom? Do I take the time to listen, really listen, to my students? Do I hear what they don’t say as well as what they do?

Hallowed Be Thy Name

If we pray “hallowed be thy name” honestly, then we must be willing to rush with open hearts to the Father who is open to us. We need to cherish each moment of life and be awake in each moment, with no anxieties about tomorrow. We need an awareness of God’s presence in our lives.

Meditation: Can I think of holiness as an awareness, a trust? Do I try to live in the present moment and not forecast a worrisome tomorrow or re-live a difficult yesterday? Do I pay attention to my children as if I were painting a loving portrait?

Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done

In praying these words we trust that God will fulfill our deepest needs and desires. We can let go of expectations and attachments to results. We can open ourselves to new ways of imagination and expression. We can let go of our need for control. We can realize that complete unconditional acceptance of God’s plan for us is the source of all freedom.

Meditation: Am I too focused on goals? Do I expect too much of my children? Have I tried new ways of tapping their imaginations? New ways of letting them express themselves? Have I let go of my need for total control? Do I trust God enough to let each situation be his?

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

We know that bread can mean food for the spirit as well as the body, and that if we pray to God for sustenance and “believe as if we have received it, it will be ours” (Mark 11:24).

Mother Teresa reminds us that the world today is hungry for food and love. Who among us can we serve, with time, affection, attention?

Meditation: Do I live with open hands, in readiness to receive and give? Do I take a few minutes every day to think about my spiritual life, and maybe do some reading or say a decade of the rosary? Do I encourage my children to give of themselves? Do I provide a few minutes of quiet time for them each session?

Forgive Us Our Trespasses as We Forgive

To me this phrase is the most difficult challenge of the Lord’s Prayer because of the sacrifice it entails. If we pray it from our hearts and mean it, we are called to forgive again and again. When we pray that God forgives our trespasses, we acknowledge that we are all in debt, that we constantly fall short, that we all depend on one another.

Meditation: Do I accept the strengths and weaknesses of my youngsters and fellow teachers? Do I concentrate on God’s love rather than my own weakness? What is the quality of my forgiveness? Do I model and teach that forgiveness is a daily process? Do I forgive myself?

And Lead Us Not into Temptation but Deliver Us from Evil

We can arm our youngsters with facts and faith, so they can make correct and moral choices. We can make them conversant with the Word of God. We can teach children a pro-active response to the temptation we know will confront them. We can pray “God, lead us,” and then let go and follow.

Meditation: Do I do the footwork that is necessary to “pave my way” to God, so that when I am tempted, I have the strength to do the right thing? Do I discuss with my youngsters the temptations that they face in their daily activities? Do I encourage learning to flow from trust and compassion, rather than fear?

The Lord’s Prayer is a summons to accept and embody the program for living spelled out for us in the gospels. It contains encouragement and promise, demand and call to action. It is a prayer of strength and commitment. Finally, and above all, it is about love. 

Marilyn Shelton

Marilyn Pocius Shelton is a poet, writer, and teacher who lives near Syracuse, New York, with her husband Bradley and son Jackson.