Lk 11, 1-4
Now it happened that he was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, this is what to say: Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come; give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test.’
Our Lord’s prayer, which we are praying all over the world today, where there are Christians, gives us a unique access to God and gathers us together as the children of one Father.
The invocation of God as Father overcomes the great distance to God and calls us into a relationship of love and trust. From the first word, this prayer is the foundation of a spiritual family relationship between people and God. We are children of a common father!
It does not need many words; we do not have to convince God of our concerns, tell them as if they were new to him; it is not the multitude of words, but the inner intimacy with God and the fundamental trust in our Father, which make us see the open door of the Heart of God!
Our Father knows what we need!
What consolation and freedom is given to us with this word: we can overcome every kind of cramping of life, every anxious worry about things. The father knows what we need!
Rather, the Lord wants us to pray with this prayer for the fundamental and essential things of our existence.
Your name will be sanctified!
This is certainly not to be understood only on the personal level, because God’s presence is not intended only for the interior of the human soul, as some ideological movements would like, but God’s loving rule extends to all areas! Nothing is exempted, even hell is conceivable only from the existence of God.
The name of God is sanctified if we live in such a way that God is glorified, and even if the existence of God is affirmed in public and serious attempts are made to respond to the Lord’s call to a life in accordance with His commandments.
The commandments of the Lord are wise and the basis for the success of every human life. So God revealed his truth and to act accordingly to the truth means to sanctify the name of God!
In the book of God the Father, mentioned by me again and again, which was given to Madre Eugenia, it says at one point:
“When all humanity calls and honors me, I will give her the spirit of peace that will settle on her like a refreshing dew. If all nations call and honor me as well, there will be no more discord and no more wars, for I am a God of peace and there will be no war where I am! “
Let these words, in their full consequence, fall deeply into the soul!
There is a way for the peoples to live together in peace. It is connected with the knowledge and sanctification of the name of God!
Thus we see that with the prayer of the Lord’s Prayer already in the first lines a great dimension is opened. Recognizing and confessing God as the Father has consequences.
With our devotion to the Father we sanctify His name, and with the public confession we help to make the Kingdom of God manifest in public. With this ministry we work for the peace that only God can give. Even if our external field of activity may be limited, every work that glorifies God and thus hallows his name is infinitely valuable.
And in prayer we can embrace the whole world!