Lent E-Retreat

“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’.  Jesus said to them, ‘When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed by your name, Your kingdom come.

Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone who sins against

us, and do not subject us to the final test.’”

Luke 11: 1-4

Stop for just a moment and think about all of the times, situations and places in which you’ve spoken this simple prayer.  It has come, in my life, to mean a multitude of things.  I remember saying these words in thanksgiving and wonder when I first celebrated mass.  I remember voicing this prayer with amazement and gratitude on my wedding day.  I recall these words stumbling out in rapid succession during one of the times I prayed the rosary with my grandparents before attending daily mass with them when I was home from college or seminary.  I love to hear young members of the parish learn this prayer – the versions and pronunciations they come up with always delight me.  I am sure they delight our Lord, as well!  This prayer, these simple words, can be spoken in desperation and as an act of surrender.  This is often one prayer that folks in a nursing care facility will still remember.  It’s the prayer many folks say shortly before leaving this life and continuing the journey…

The simple truth about this and, for that matter, all prayer, is that every moment we can conceive of is a great moment for prayer.  Whether spoken in joy, pain, desperation, sorrow, giddiness, humor, or some other facet of the entire panoply of human emotion and life, we simply cannot pray wrong! 

Poet Mary Oliver puts it well in her poem, Praying

It doesn’t have to be the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones;

just pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try

to make them elaborate,

this isn’t  a contest but a doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which another voice may speak

 

·         Think of some of the times you’ve said The Lord’s Prayer

·         Who do you prefer today?  In your own words, share that prayer with the Lord

·         How do you find that ‘doorway into silence in which another voice may speak’?