Our Father: the prayer that fits any need

A Reflection for Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

You probably say it often, and without thinking. The words come automatically, maybe murmured while driving or waiting in line or by a hospital bed. Perhaps part of a plea or in gratitude. Maybe you’ve known these words since childhood, learned them without trying simply by hearing them over and over at bedtime with your parents. Maybe you sat down and memorized them for class or O.C.I.A. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…

The Our Father is perhaps the most famous Christian prayer. The magnitude of this prayer can feel overwhelming. These are words given to us by Jesus, who prefaced them by saying, “This is how you are to pray.” There is a beautiful sense of certainty in that. But the prayer’s familiarity also can result in its meaning being overlooked. Yet when we take a moment to contemplate these words, the message is simple: Praise God, follow God’s will, ask for forgiveness and offer it.

Prayer can too often feel high-pressure. It’s easy to feel that a particular formula is needed to prompt God’s graces. But the truth is that all we need is a willing and open heart. God has given us these words, but there is no single right way to pray. And today’s Gospel reminds us that we never need to worry about finding the “right” words for prayer. In the Our Father we have a given prayer that can fit any need. But even in our own words, our pleas, our gratitude, we can seek and receive God’s grace. No matter what you say, you need not worry, because God already “knows what you need before you ask him.”