17th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (C)

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

Lk 11:1-13

The OUR FATHER is more than just a prayer. It is a personal commitment that has to be examined and renewed everyday:

• If I do not see in every man a brother of mine,

I cannot say: OUR FATHER

• If I worry too much about material goods,

I cannot say; WHO ART IN HEAVEN

• If God has no real place in my life and I am not a true Christian,

I cannot say: THAY KINDGOM COME

• If I concentrate only in doing my will in everything and

I cannot bear suffering as I enjoy pleasure,

I cannot Say: THAY WILL BE DONE

• If I do not care for people who suffer hunger,

Who are illiterate, who are homeless,

I cannot say: GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD

• If I live a life that encourages acts of injustice,

If I lack charity and harbor hatred in my heart towards my neighbor,

I cannot say": FORGIVE US OUR SINS

AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO SINNED AGAINST US

• If I close my eyes to the truth and allow myself

To be carried along the paths of lies and vices

And I have the intention of living in sin,

I cannot say: DO NOT LET US FALL INTO TEMPTATION

• If I myself do not actively fight against evil;

I cannot say: DELIVER US FROM EVIL

• If I do not agree with all the demands of the OUR FATHER

I cannot say: AMEN

Lord, help me fulfill what I ask for in my prayer!!!

(I can no longer remember the source of this reflection.)

EXPLANATION OF THE GOSPEL

Structure. (a) Lk 11:1-4. Our Father as model for prayer; (b) Lk 11:5-8. Parable on the importance of persistence in prayer’ (c) Lk 11: 9-13. An invitation to turn to the Father with full confidence.

Lk 11: 1-4 has a parallel in Mt 6: 9-15.

In Lk the “Our Father” was taught after Jesus had prayed and his disciples requested him to teach them to pray. In Mt it occurred in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew is longer and was probably used during the Liturgy. Lk is shorter and probably comes closer to the original.

v. 1a. He (Jesus) was praying in a certain place.

Luke often speaks of Jesus in prayer. It is his place of encounter with the Father. Lk 5:16; 6:12; 9:18. 28-29; 10:21; 11:1; 22:32. 40-46; 23:34.46.

v. 1b. And when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.

It was the custom for a Jewish rabbi or teacher to teach his followers a simple prayer they could regularly use.

v. 2a. He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. 

Jesus begins his prayer with “Father” (Lk 22:42; 23:34.46).

Alternative translation would be: Father, make known to all who you are. May glory be given to you.
The name of God is the being of God.

God is all-holy. We cannot add more holiness to him. But we do sanctify God by obeying his commandments and in this way recognize his authority over us.

The prayer makes use of the passive voice in order to avoid mentioning the name of God. Thus, it is understood that it is God who will bring about the sanctification of his name.

v. 2b. Your kingdom come.

We pray that this kingdom having come and inaugurated by Jesus may soon be revealed and definitively acknowledged over all the earth.

v. 3. Give us each day our daily bread.

St. Luke might have in mind the manna in the desert which was collected day by day. In contrast, Mt’s version only asks for the bread for today – “Give us today our daily bread.”

v. 4a. And forgive us our sins.

The better translation would be: And forgive us our debts. Here sin is called ‘debt’. Debt is an important obligation which may cause one to lose his freedom. We see this in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Mt 18:24-25).

This is the image of the sinner before God. The sinner cannot pay for his sins. The only thing he can hope for is the condonation of his debt (forgiveness of his sins) as the master of the unforgiving servant did (Mt 18:27).

v. 4b. For we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us.

Another translation would be: For we ourselves forgive everyone who have wronged us.

In Mt forgiveness towards others is especially mentioned in connection with prayer (Mt 5:23-24). On the other hand, Lk does not situate it within a special moment, but at any time in one’s life.

v. 4c. And do not subject us to the final test.

Alternative translation: And do not lead us into temptation.

The disciple of Jesus does not ask God that he be not tempted. Instead, he asks God to help him avoid a test which might be too strong for him to overcome.

Mt adds ”but deliver us from the evil one”, that is, Satan. Nevertheless, Lk is aware that temptation comes from Satan (Lk 4: 1-2).