‘Give us this day our daily bread’ (Mt 6:10).
Jesus invites us to naturally include the needs of our daily life in our prayer. Our daily food also comes from our heavenly Father, even if we have to work for it with the sweat of our face (cf. Gen 3:19). Ultimately, our abilities and the success of our work depend on God’s grace. Read More
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10).
To do the Father’s holy Will was the food of our Lord Jesus Christ (Jn 4:34). With these words Jesus expresses the joy and naturalness with which He fulfilled the Will of the One who sent Him. This was his life!
‘Thy kingdom come’ (Mt 6:10).
The Kingdom of our Father is full of justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (cf. Rm 14:17). Already here, in our earthly life, these aspirations can be realised, for, as we say in the Lord’s Prayer, the Kingdom of God is to come on earth as it is in heaven.
When God exercises His dominion, He will, as the Scriptures say, “judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Is 2:4).
(Mt 6,10)
Is the establishment of the Kingdom of God here on earth only a beautiful dream or a pious wish? Is it a promise yet to be fulfilled or a mere memory of a Paradise lost? Read More
‘Hallowed be thy name’ (Mt 6:9).
The Name of our Father must be hallowed by people on earth, as it undoubtedly is in heaven, where angels and saints worship our Father with reverence and love, as described in the Book of Revelation: And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen” (Rev 7:11-12). Read More
‘Our Father, who art in heaven’ (Mt 6:9).
The suggestion of a brother and the custom of kneeling during the Lord’s Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours in Lent have led me to dedicate a series of meditations to this prayer, looking more closely at each of its affirmations and placing them in the context of God the Father’s message to Sr. Eugenia. Read More
“To listen to the Spirit is supreme wisdom; to live in intimacy with Him is a source of joy” (Inner Word).
The Father and the Son have not left us orphans (Jn 14:18), but have sent us the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen us in all things. He is the Teacher and sure guide of our spiritual life. If we do not abandon or relativise the authentic doctrine and moral teaching that the Church has always handed down to us, then we fulfil the conditions for our Master to teach us ever more deeply.
“As long as man does not live in the truth, he cannot taste real freedom” (Message of God the Father to Sister Eugenia Ravasio).
True freedom consists in living according to God’s Will. Anything that separates us from Him inevitably leads to a lack of freedom because, as the Father says in His message, we are then outside the true law, for obedience to which He created us. Consequently, we live in opposition to the deepest meaning of our existence and cannot enjoy the fruits of true freedom, which our Father can only give us in fullness if we live according to His Will.
‘A person who loves is practically beyond all other jurisdiction. Love and do what you will’ (St Augustine).
This is a famous and bold exclamation of St Augustine. To give it its true meaning, it should be placed in the context of the first part of the sentence: “A person who loves is practically beyond all other jurisdiction. This is already a limitation, since it is clear that we are dealing with a love that is not so easily attained.
“Raise your eyes to God again and again to see if your actions and ways are right in His eyes. Above all, be careful not to let go of His hand” (St. Francis de Sales).
This advice of St. Francis de Sales can become a good habit for us, leading to a living dialogue with our Father. We can also ask Him concretely and with a free heart if there is anything between Him and us, and if so, ask Him to show it to us. Our Father will answer us and help us to remove any obstacles so that love can flow freely. In this way a deeper relationship of trust will emerge, marked by an increasing naturalness, and any fears we may still have will disappear.
