The Our Father/Prayer

Prayer Introduction (prayer, Our Father) Definition: 1. Theological Dictionary A privilege and an obligation of the Christian where we communicate

with God. It is how we convey our confession (1 John 1:9), requests (1 Tim. 2:1-3), intercessions (James 5:15), thanksgiving (Phil. 4:6), etc., to our holy God. We are commanded to pray (1 Thess. 5:17).     Some personal requirements of prayer are a pure heart (Psalm 66:18), belief in Christ (John 14:13), and that the prayer be according to God's will (1 John 5:13). We can pray standing (Neh. 9:5), kneeling (Ezra 9:5), sitting (1 Chron. 17:16-27), bowing (Exodus 34:8), and with lifted hands (1 Tim. 2:8).

2. Catholic Dictionary – Prayer An act of the virtue of religion, the lifting up of mind and heart to God to

adore, praise, thank Him, and ask Him for aid, an implied exercise of faith, hope, and, at least, initial love. Vocal prayer is the recitation of a set form; mental prayer is interior, made without the use of a given formula. Prayer is necessary, for salvation, the victory over temptation, the practice of virtue, the perseverance in grace. It is the ever possible and ready means of grace prescribed by God as the acknowledgment of God's sovereignty, and man's utter dependence on Him. Prayer which man makes for himself will certainly be heard, if the proper things are asked, and the prayer is made with attention (excluding willful distractions), sincerity, humility, confidence, perseverance. Private prayer is that made in one's own name; public prayer is made in the name of the community. Liturgical prayer is the official prayer of the Church (Prayers of the Mass, the Breviary). The spirit of prayer consists in the appreciation of the excellence, the conviction of necessity, and confidence in the power of prayer. The most perfect prayer is the "Our Father.“

Exercising your relationship with God What is your relationship

Prayer Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving,

Petition Private, Communal, Liturgical. Vocal, Meditative, Completive.

Vocal- voice, mind and soul, Meditative-a quest the mind seeks to understand the why and how of Christian life. Contemplative-to be alone with him who we know loves us St Teresa.

Our Father can be all of these

Exercise Write a petition on a card (what do you

want from God) then Something about your family

What you do The best day of your life not involving your immediate family

The Our Father What the Saints Say:

1. The Lords Prayer is Truly the summary of the whole Gospel. Since the Lord… after handing over the practice of prayer, said elsewhere, ask and you will receive, and since everyone has petitions which are peculiar to his circumstances the regular and appropriate prayer (the lords prayer) is said first, as the foundation of further desires Tertullian

2. Run through all the holy prayers in scripture and I do not think that you will find anything in them that is not contained and included in the Lord’s Prayer. Augustine.

3. The Lord’s Prayer is the most perfect of prayers in it we ask not only for all the things we can rightly desire but also the sequence that they should be desired. This prayer not only teaches us to ask for things but also in what order we should desire them St Thomas Aquinas.

We have a problem

Game Plan

Team first me second. Many parts but one plan

2 Parts Three Sections

Tactics

Your Team Preparations •Know your leadership•Know your goals•Know your skills

Needs •Physical development•Learn to be a team

Their team Execution •Do not deviate from the plan but be ready to adjust• Stick to the goal

Our Father Structure 2 Parts Three

Sections7 tactics (petitions)

God ward(Thy name, Thy will, Thy Kingdom)

Preparations •Know who is the leader•Commit to following•Commit to the goal

Us Ward(Give us, Forgive us,)

Lead us, Deliver us

Needs •Secure what is necessary•Establish unity

Battle for salvation

•Don’t give in•Stick to obtaining the goal

Break down of petitions is necessary but there is a need to keep together and order is important. Reverses our instinctive order of prayer.

Gospel Comparison NABMatthew 6 Luke 11

This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven,

•hallowed be your name, •your kingdom come, •your will be done, on earth as in heaven. • Give us today our daily bread; •and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; •and do not subject us to the final test, •but deliver us from the evil one.

He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.“ He said to them, "When you pray, say:

• Father, hallowed be your name,• your kingdom come. • Give us each day our daily bread• and forgive us our sins for we

ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,

• and do not subject us to the final test."

Our Father/Abba Our – collective, for the family even when said in private. Father – Matthew is full of Family references. Making his father our

father was the mission. Matt 11: 25-27

At that time Jesus said in reply, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.

Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one

knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

So this is a bold statement. We are coming before the Father as adopted sons and daughters. Claiming brotherhood, heir-ship (Rom 8:16).

Mt 21:22 whatever we ask of the father we will receive – bold saying we have faith.

We are saying that we will behave like sons and daughters of God

(Father is God’s Eternal name ie to be creator he had to create)

Who art in Heaven God knows he is in Heaven – so this is for us.

Not a place but a state we say that we want to dwell with him and that we are the people of God already seated with him in the heavenly place but we want to put on our heavenly dwelling the temple.Raise us up to what we were created for.For god created man incorruptible and to the image of his own likeness but by the envy of the devil death came into the world. Wis 2: 23-25He dwells within us (Jn 14: 16-23)Not to limit God to heaven but to lift us up

Hallowed be thy name God is holy we do not need to pray for it. Holy is what he is.Only God Hallows – to make holyGod should be hollowed in us through our actions. God’s name is blessed when we live well and blasphemed when we live wickedly. We can obtain his holiness St. Peter Chrysologus.But also in all our brothers and sisters.Be Holy as your father is holy.This petition embodies all the other petitions. (Self call to Holines)Holiness in Hebrew is Kiddushin also means marriage, when something is holy it is set apart for intimacy so there is a real basis for a covenant. Calling for blessings and curses. EX 19:5 If you obey my voice and keep my commands you shall be my own possessionAnother bold petition.

Thy Kingdom comeWhy pray for this?Where the king is there is the kingdom

LK 17 20-21 Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he said in reply, "The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed,

and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.' For behold, the kingdom of God is among you."

Jn 18:36 My kingship is not of this worldIt is veiled in the sacraments. It will come again in

fullness at the second coming.Praying for it to be present in us, the church and othersChurch, Eucharist, Us. And we are praying for it in all

our brothers and sisters.

Thy will be done God’s will – will be done. Disposes our hearts to do the will of the Father

ccc 2611 Love one another even as I have loved you

expresses his entire will ccc2822 His will for us is Joy and that is going to happen.

Maybe painfully but it will happen Not everyone who says Lord Lord will enter the

kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven Mt 7:21

Love and do what you will. For the child of God, doing Gods will should be as easy as eating Augustine.

Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven

Worship in unity with the angles and saints

All barriers are broken down Jew, gentile all.

Christ himself presides at the mass For though they are done on earth they

are worthy of Heaven St John Chrysostom

Jesus brought heaven to earth Of faith, hope and love only love

remains in heaven

Give us this day our daily bread Give us – not is solitude. As part of a covenant Our like we already own it. He is our Father so

we call it our bread. BOLD This Day – every day Daily (epiousios) super essential

Needs for life free us from the anxiety of daily life. The body of Christ without which we have no live

within us The feast in the kingdom anticipated in the

Eucharist. Praying this way we cultivate saint like poverty

St Cyril of Alexandria Ask for what you need – Desire of your heart

(Phil 4)

forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Acknowledges that we are sinners and we will sin again. A single sentence with give us this… Paired with the bread, Eucharist

wipes away venial sins To err is human to forgive divine.

Who can forgive sins but God alone Mk 2:7. we are called to live a divine life God forgives even if the apology is bad. And by not just forgetting but

by loving and moving on – forgive yourself as well 1jn4: 20 for he who does not love his brother who he has seen cannot

love God whom he has not seen will put my laws in their minds and I will write them upon

their hearts. I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

And they shall not teach, each one his fellow citizen and kinsman, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all shall know me, from least to greatest.

For I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sins no more.“ Hebrews 8: 11+

Forgive and Love

Lead us not into temptation

Sins are a result of consenting to temptation God does not lead us into temptation the evil one tempts. God wants us far

from the evil one. God allows temptation and it is a necessity Jesus told his disciples to pray that you may not enter temptation Lk 22:46

1 Cor 10: 12-17 Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall. No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried

beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.

Therefore, my beloved, avoid idolatry. I am speaking as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I am saying. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The

bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of

the one loaf. Notes childlike, temptations are common to all, God will get you through and

need the Eucharist and to be free from sin Lets us know our sinful inclinations, When we make the choice for God we strengthen our faith hope Love There is usefulness in temptation when resisted it strengthens the believer But still we pray not to be tempted as Jesus taught us. We want to live the life

in communion with God.

But deliver us from evil JN: 17:15 I do not pray that you take them out of the

world but that you should keep them from the evil one. Praying for the deliverance of the whole human family Not abstract but referring to satan the fallen angel – He

was a murderer from the beginning and has nothing to do with the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies he speaks according to his own nature for he is a liar and the FATHER of lies.

So it is a battle and we are asking for help in the battle Rev 12:17 He pursued the woman but had no hold on

her then the dragon was angry with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring

For thine is the kingdom the power and the Glory for ever and ever - Takes up again the first three

petitions But now takes it up as a

proclamation not an internal petition.

Not scriptural but included in early writings.

The church adds another doxology and we say amen we believe.

Scripture Rom 8: 1 The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God Abba Father referances Rom 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into

fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba,* Father!” Gal 4:6 As proof that you are children,* God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”d 7So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. MK 14:36 he said, “Abba, Father,* all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will

John 1:12 But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name,

Matt 17: 12but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.”

Jn 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born* from above

Mk 7:6-7 He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. (Is 29:13)

Is 43:25 It is I, I, who wipe out, for my own sake, your offenses; your sins I remember no more James 1:13 No one experiencing temptation should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God

is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death.

Scripture Sir 15: 11 Do not say: “It was God’s doing that I fell away,” for what he hates he does not do. 12Do not say: “He himself has led me astray,” for he has no need of the wicked.c

13Abominable wickedness the LORD hates and he does not let it happen to those who fear him. 14God in the beginning created human beings and made them subject to their own free choice.d

15If you choose, you can keep the commandments; loyalty is doing the will of God.

Story conclusion Sometimes we do not know what we have. Sometimes we do not know how to use what we have Need to be clear what to ask for.

Lesson planLesson plan:Say the Our Father Standing; ExplainTell the three gifts storyDo the petition exercise if time is goodSkip Prayer only talk about relationshipLessonPray the Our Father sitting