OUR FATHER
Fr. James Martin, S.J. wrote a
beautiful tribute to his former teacher, Fr. Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. when he
died. I was impressed that Fr. Martin
highlighted not only his scholarship, but also his spirituality.
I
recently purchased Meeting St. Matthew Today by Fr. Harrington. Many times I have read explanations and
interpretations of the Our Father. None
has touched me as deeply as has this reflection of Fr. Harrington:
“…the sample prayer is the Lord’s Prayer in 6:9-13 (compare
Luke 11:2-4). After a typically Jewish
address stressing both the immanence (“Our Father”) and the transcendence (“in
heaven”) of God, the prayer presents three “you” petitions about hallowing, or
making holy, God’s name, the coming of God’s kingdom, and doing God’s
will. Then there are three “we”
petitions for sustenance (“daily bread”), forgiveness, and protection in the
time of testing. Taken as a whole, the
Lord’s Prayer primarily concerns the full coming of God’s kingdom, which is
Jesus’ central theme in Matthew’s Gospel.”
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