By Reverend Deacon Jerry Bauman
God’s people never had it easy. There was always some reason to shout out, to-or-at God for something. Whether they were crying out in distress, expressing gratitude, celebrating God’s goodness, needing practical instruction, or calling for divine judgment, the Israelites were always crying out!
Today’s first reading was from the book of psalms. This ancient Hebrew text contains 150 hymns or songs. The psalm we heard today, psalm 33, is a hymn of praise, celebrating God’s Goodness. Today’s responsorial was also from psalm 33. We hear psalms every weekend at this part of the mass.
For this reading, I chose to use a translation which I like for its inclusiveness and choice of words that invoke vivid imagery and great poetry. This translation, from the International Commission on English in the Liturgy was approved in 1994, after almost three decades of study by Bishops from English-speaking countries around the world. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later to become Pope Benedict XVI, decided in 1999 that God was always to be referred to as a “HE” and that it had to be a true word-for-word translation, and so this wonderfully poetic work was declared ‘a danger to faith’, and its distribution was forced to cease.
And that’s why you’ll not hear psalms from that collection in churches. Except here!
Our second reading was from what is presumed to be Paul’s very first letter, written to the church community of Thessalonica in the year 50 CE. It is also the first document in the New Testament, written decades before the Gospels. Paul’s mission was to get people excited about Jesus and his teachings, to lift-up leaders from among these communities, and then to move on to start another church somewhere else. After Paul left a place, things didn’t always go well, so Paul had to write his famous letters to provide guidance, address specific problems, and offer encouragement when he could not be there in person. The letters served as a way to communicate with the new, often far-flung, congregations, offering instruction on Christian living, correcting false teachings, and strengthening the believers in their faith.
Paul tells us not to waste time being anxious or anticipating Jesus’ second coming anytime soon. We have Jesus’ promise that his return will happen, and that’s all there is to that. Stop spending your every moment waiting, wondering, and worrying; but instead keep helping others and pray without ceasing.
And, how do we pray without ceasing? Luke tells us in today’s Gospel, part of the sermon on the mount, that Jesus demonstrated to his friends exactly how we should pray. Prayer is not about twisting God’s will to make it our own. It’s really about making things right in our lives so we get on the same page as God. That doesn’t mean that we don’t name our own desires and wants to God—they’re built right inside the prayer. “Give us this day our daily bread.” ”Give us all that we need physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially.” Put our petitions out there and trust in the God who loves us to answer our needs.
But this prayer doesn’t begin there, does it? It begins by praying that God’s name is praised, holy is your name. We are praying for God’s kingdom—not our kingdom—but God’s kingdom to come first, and then asking that our needs be met; placing them before God and trusting that God will provide what we need. We are praying for balance, that our sins are forgiven as we forgive. We should only hope and expect to be forgiven to the extent that we forgive. Those who forgive little are forgiven little. We pray that we are protected from the forces of evil. Protected from the evil that lurks within us… Protected from the evil inside our own hearts… Protected from the evil within our own culture… Protected from the evil of demon spirits that would attack us…
Jesus continues his lesson with a parable about a man who goes to his neighbor at midnight to borrow bread to feed an unexpected guest. The neighbor is in bed and refuses to be disturbed. Jesus explains that the neighbor eventually gets up not because of friendship, but because of the man’s persistence. This parable teaches that if an unwilling neighbor can be moved by persistent, bold requests, how much more will a generous God respond to our persistent prayers. Jesus tells his disciples, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you”. To emphasize God’s character, Jesus tells us that no loving parent would give his child a snake when asked for a fish or a scorpion when asked for an egg. And then he concludes by assuring that if we, imperfect humans, know how to give good gifts, God will surely give good gifts to those who ask.
Prayers are a bridge between our life experiences and the loving energy that created everything and gifted us with life. They are a response to the needs of each age throughout time, as they are encountered. As I mentioned earlier, the Psalms gave the Israelites an outlet for what was in their hearts. They sang poems of praise, lament and supplication when things weren’t going well. They sang poems to worship God when things were going great and they wanted God to know of their satisfaction. They sang poems to accompany them when traveling and when they had great feasts to celebrate.
I was taught many years ago that structured prayers have four elements; You, Who, Do, and Through.
You – The prayer should be addressed. Our Father
Who – The prayer should acknowledge what has already been accomplished. Who is in heaven. Holy is your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done.
Do – The prayer should include your ask, what you want from God. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive as we forgive. Lead us and deliver us.
Through – The prayer should include some type of concluding statement. In this case, Amen! In other cases, it could be in the name of Jesus, our brother.
Is structure necessary all the time? Are memorized prayers necessary all the time? Is the Lord’s prayer, or the Hail Mary, or the Rosary, or the Liturgy of the Hours necessary all the time? Heavens No!
Sometimes it’s just more practical to talk to God, or scream at God, and pour your heart out. With or without tears. Whatever you find necessary at the time. Whatever it takes for your conversation with God to be meaningful to you!
The disciples’ request for Jesus to teach them to pray shows there was a universal need for guidance in developing a relationship with God. In preparation for the Jubilee Year 2025, Pope Francis issued a collection of teachings emphasizing the importance of prayer in personal and communal life. In this resource, “Teach Us To Pray,” Pope Francis emphasizes that prayer is a vital conversation with God that has the power to transform individuals and communities. The Pope also highlights the importance of listening to God during prayer. Prayer is the spiritual “breath of life” for Christians. Prayer should accompany daily actions and foster a relationship with God. Prayer is a means to experience God’s mercy and compassion. Prayer is a communal act that strengthens bonds among believers. Our relationship with God is cultivated through a personal and intimate conversation. Prayer can take different forms, such as adoration, praise, intercession, and supplication. If you want to know more about this Vatican resource, called “Teach Us To Pray,” you will receive a QR code later and I’ve also sent it to everyone by email.
https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/content/dam/iubilaeum2025/foto-sezioni/2024-anno-della-preghiera/insegnaci-a-pregare/pdf/ENG_Sulla-preghiera-A5-76P-SITO.pdf
How did we get this Lord’s prayer? Was it written down as Jesus spoke it to his disciples? In English, so it could just be dropped right into the King James version of the bible? Definitely not!
The story of the Lord’s prayer appears in two of the Gospels: Matthew and Luke. Scripture scholars believe these two Gospels were written in about the 80s. That’s not the 1980s, but the actual 80s! Jesus died sometime in the early 30s, so if you do the math, he had been dead for at least fifty years when these prayers were finally recorded. They were written in an era defined by the mixing of ancient Greek and Roman cultures, languages, and institutions ,what is called the Greco-Roman world. The native language of the people in this part of the middle-east was Aramaic, but everything was recorded in Greek. So, no, they didn’t know English; it had to be translated, many times.
Scholar, Neil Douglas-Klotz, has taken the earliest known text of this prayer and given it a new translation from the Aramaic Peshitta Bible directly into English. (I have a copy of this prayer for everyone and I’ve also sent it to everyone by email.)
Please get comfortable and listen to the Lord’s prayer as Jesus may have spoken it:
O Birther!
Father-Mother of the Cosmos
you create all that moves in light.
Focus your light within us–make it useful:
as the rays of a beacon show the way.
Create your reign of unity now,
through our fiery hearts and willing hands.
Your one desire then acts with ours,
as in all light, so in all forms.
Grant what we need each day in bread and insight:
subsistence for the call of growing life.
Loose the cords of mistakes binding us,
as we release the strands we hold of others’ guilt.
Don’t let us enter forgetfulness.
But free us from unripeness.
(Unripeness = Not completely formed)
From you is born all ruling will,
the power and the life to do,
the song that beautifies all,
from age to age it renews.
Truly–power to these statements.
May they be the source from which all my actions grow.
Sealed in trust & faith.
Amen.