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O Lord, let thy mercy be showed upon us;
As we do put our trust in thee.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
The Great Litany Service usually ends with the Lord’s Prayer, and a benediction. We will finish this series with eight days left in Lent and with just enough time to participate in The Via Crucis, or The Way of The Cross, which I will introduce tomorrow. For today, let us reflect on the prayer Jesus taught us to pray.
If your prayer life is like mine, I spend more time asking than listening. Yet God wants us to bring our needs, our wants and concerns to Him. Jesus laid that out when He taught us to pray. Indeed the entire Lord’s prayer covers all our needs for living in Christ, from worship to forgiveness, from good eating to right living; Jesus has it all covered.
Ignatius of Loyola, that redeemed Spanish soldier and founder of the Jesuit Order, was big on having his Jesuits say the Lord’s Prayer at every morning and evening prayer. I don’t always do this, but it is a reminder of what needs I should pray for every day. Moreover, whether my focus is on God’s will, daily bread, or forgiveness, there is one word that is consistent throughout – US. There is no “me” or “I” anywhere in the Lord’s prayer, it reminds us that whatever we do, and whatever we pray for, is always done in community and service with others.
Therefore, when you bring your “I need” and “I want” list before the Lord ( which He gladly receives ), remember and pray for the needs of others. You can start with your family, your friends, your Church, and as God directs you, your school, City, Nation, and the World. Moreover, pray with expectation. You are asking the Creator of all to meet your needs. He is very capable to do so, and although He already knows our needs before we ask, He still wants us to ask, and ask in confidence that God will answer.
Recently I watched a special on the Hubble telescope. As astronomers studied the heavens, they needed to use supercomputers just to count all the stars they were observing. The count has now reached the point where we have found more stars in the universe than grains of sand on all the beaches and in all the oceans on Earth. Let that sink in. That is a lot of stars! Then this: the prophet Isaiah reminds us that God names and directs each and every star. Surely then our needs, our sins and every evil we encounter, though seemingly insurmountable to us, are not too big for God to solve.
Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
So now, I will finish with this old Benediction to The Great Litany:
Almighty God, who hast promised to hear the petitions of those who ask in thy Son’s Name: We beseech thee mercifully to incline thine ear to us who have now made our prayers and supplications unto thee; and grant that those things which we have asked faithfully according to thy will, may be obtained effectually, to the relief of our necessity, and to the setting forth of thy glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
And Peace.
Phil Parsons
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From Rodger:
Not much to add, except perhaps Mother Teresa’s thoughts on the matter:
Question: “Mother Teresa, when you pray, what do you say to God?”
Answer: “When I pray, I don’t say anything to God – I listen.”
Question: “Then what does God say to you when you pray?
Answer: “God doesn’t say anything to me; he listens… And if you can’t understand that, then I can’t explain it to you.”