Rosary Run- The Lord's Prayer
BrendanMcGroarty
Posts: 945 Member
"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name."
The prayer taught to us by Jesus concerns the importance of humility in his spirituality. It begins by addressing God the Father. This fundamental act of prayer places our attention on God so that our focus is no longer on ourselves, but looks beyond to the source of reality. By focusing on God, we recognize that we are, as always, in the presence of God, and so are called to greater self-consciousness. Of course we recognize that the presence of God is the presence of holiness, and so we are called to humility.
"They kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
We ask for the coming of the Kingdom, expressing hope that this world reflect the workings of his perfect will.
"Give us this day, our daily bread"
We petition him for life for this day, and ask for strength for this moment. Once we are in the presence of God, we want to no longer concern ourselves about future times or anxieties. We recognize that it is not by dint of effort that we can achieve anything, but only the grace of God. The purest form of prayer always concerns the present moment,where God is, because God is radically present. Being present to God in the present moment does not ignore the future or the past, but understands the present moment to represent the eternal moment, which incorporates all the past as well as the eschatological future.
"and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."
The central focus of the prayer asks for forgiveness of our sins in the same breath that we ask for the strength to forgive others. This dynamic is very important. It is not asking for quid pro quo; we are not expressing willingness to forgive someone if only God will forgive us. We are recognizing that forgiveness, as the love of God, starts always with him, and flows through us. We are incapable of recieving the forgiveness of God, if we are witholding forgiveness from someone else, because we are stopping the free flow of grace, in an attempt to hoard that love and forgiveness for ourselves. Similarly, if we do not acknowledge our own sinfulness first, then when we forgive another person, we do so condescendingly, blocking grace for ourselves through that first of sins, pride. This allows us to look upon our sin as the opportunity to return more fully and completely, that is, more humbly, to God. This also allows us to look upon the sin of others as the opportunity to open ourselves in love for them just as Jesus did for us.
Our first sin of pride led to disobedience, which blocked us from the free flow of God's grace. To remedy this, God revealed to us more fully the nature of love. Often we think of suffering and death as punishment, which is fine. However, what God chooses to do is to unveil the nature of love that exists within the Trinity: the Son pouring himself out in perfect obedience and humility. This overwhelms our ability to comprehend, because not only does the Creator become creature, but He invites us into the relationship of the Cross. We are invited to sacrifice ourselves, through our own suffering and deaths, in order to return to God through the Cross.
"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
Sheep must trust the shepherd, because sheep do not know the way to pasture on their own. It is only by recognizing the voice of the true shepherd that the sheep can find good pasture. Sometimes that path can cross a desert, and sometimes it will bypass some patches of grass that might satisfy a temporary hunger. Sheep do not know where they are going, but trust in the relationship they have with the shepherd. In many ways, this recapitulates the whole mission of Jesus. He comes to reveal to us a relationship far beyond our ability to comprehend. He comes to reveal the relationship within the Trinity itself. He himself knows the Father in the perfect love of the Holy Spirit, and pours himself out continually to the Father in that love. We are invited through the Cross to recognize that sacrifice of perfect love by which he held nothing back for himself, but poured everything out. Our entire lives are lives of suffering, if only because we do not know the completeness of the joy of the full presence of God. Through this suffering, we are invited to pour ourselves out as best we can for one another and for the love of God. We cannot do this without trust that ultimately, despite our sinfulness, we are being called back to God.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever
Often seen as a line of demarcation between Catholics and Protestants, this line, though not in the biblical version of the Lord's Prayer is nonetheless prayed by Catholics in the liturgy and does reflect the spirituality of the prayer itself. It reminds us, as in the opening, that our focus should not be on ourselves, but on God. The glory is his.
Reflections on running
Fundamentally, the Lord's prayer reflects the humility of Christ. He teaches us to pray, yet does not focus on himself, but points beyond himself to the Father. For me, running is very humbling, which is to say it is painful and includes suffering, but also opens my eyes to the extraordinary gifts of others. A good run seems to draw energy from a source not within me. It seems to call forth a grace that leads to such an efficiency of motion and purpose that very little energy is wasted on a purpose outside the goal. The pain does not disappear, in fact I become increasingly conscious of it as I run, but on a good run that pain is accepted joyfully. I recognize the encouragement I derive from others, whether in competition or in friendly training, and I am happy if others can derive that encouragement from me.
Yet the pain is there, even more noticeable on the difficult days. Those days I wonder what I am doing, why I am wasting an hour or two of my time shuffling down this same road, watching the sun set and knowing the return trip will be cold and dark, anxious about whether I have hydrated well enough, and worried that the pain in my knees will become unbearable. Every step away from home is a step of trust. It is an expression of trust, that for the moment, the ability and desire to run is a gift from God, and that we are called to be something greater than who we are in the smallness of the moment. Rather, in the strength given us, in each step, God is calling us to accept grace, put away our anxieties, and focus on that fundamental relationship within the Trinity to which Christ invites us.
The prayer taught to us by Jesus concerns the importance of humility in his spirituality. It begins by addressing God the Father. This fundamental act of prayer places our attention on God so that our focus is no longer on ourselves, but looks beyond to the source of reality. By focusing on God, we recognize that we are, as always, in the presence of God, and so are called to greater self-consciousness. Of course we recognize that the presence of God is the presence of holiness, and so we are called to humility.
"They kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
We ask for the coming of the Kingdom, expressing hope that this world reflect the workings of his perfect will.
"Give us this day, our daily bread"
We petition him for life for this day, and ask for strength for this moment. Once we are in the presence of God, we want to no longer concern ourselves about future times or anxieties. We recognize that it is not by dint of effort that we can achieve anything, but only the grace of God. The purest form of prayer always concerns the present moment,where God is, because God is radically present. Being present to God in the present moment does not ignore the future or the past, but understands the present moment to represent the eternal moment, which incorporates all the past as well as the eschatological future.
"and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."
The central focus of the prayer asks for forgiveness of our sins in the same breath that we ask for the strength to forgive others. This dynamic is very important. It is not asking for quid pro quo; we are not expressing willingness to forgive someone if only God will forgive us. We are recognizing that forgiveness, as the love of God, starts always with him, and flows through us. We are incapable of recieving the forgiveness of God, if we are witholding forgiveness from someone else, because we are stopping the free flow of grace, in an attempt to hoard that love and forgiveness for ourselves. Similarly, if we do not acknowledge our own sinfulness first, then when we forgive another person, we do so condescendingly, blocking grace for ourselves through that first of sins, pride. This allows us to look upon our sin as the opportunity to return more fully and completely, that is, more humbly, to God. This also allows us to look upon the sin of others as the opportunity to open ourselves in love for them just as Jesus did for us.
Our first sin of pride led to disobedience, which blocked us from the free flow of God's grace. To remedy this, God revealed to us more fully the nature of love. Often we think of suffering and death as punishment, which is fine. However, what God chooses to do is to unveil the nature of love that exists within the Trinity: the Son pouring himself out in perfect obedience and humility. This overwhelms our ability to comprehend, because not only does the Creator become creature, but He invites us into the relationship of the Cross. We are invited to sacrifice ourselves, through our own suffering and deaths, in order to return to God through the Cross.
"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
Sheep must trust the shepherd, because sheep do not know the way to pasture on their own. It is only by recognizing the voice of the true shepherd that the sheep can find good pasture. Sometimes that path can cross a desert, and sometimes it will bypass some patches of grass that might satisfy a temporary hunger. Sheep do not know where they are going, but trust in the relationship they have with the shepherd. In many ways, this recapitulates the whole mission of Jesus. He comes to reveal to us a relationship far beyond our ability to comprehend. He comes to reveal the relationship within the Trinity itself. He himself knows the Father in the perfect love of the Holy Spirit, and pours himself out continually to the Father in that love. We are invited through the Cross to recognize that sacrifice of perfect love by which he held nothing back for himself, but poured everything out. Our entire lives are lives of suffering, if only because we do not know the completeness of the joy of the full presence of God. Through this suffering, we are invited to pour ourselves out as best we can for one another and for the love of God. We cannot do this without trust that ultimately, despite our sinfulness, we are being called back to God.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever
Often seen as a line of demarcation between Catholics and Protestants, this line, though not in the biblical version of the Lord's Prayer is nonetheless prayed by Catholics in the liturgy and does reflect the spirituality of the prayer itself. It reminds us, as in the opening, that our focus should not be on ourselves, but on God. The glory is his.
Reflections on running
Fundamentally, the Lord's prayer reflects the humility of Christ. He teaches us to pray, yet does not focus on himself, but points beyond himself to the Father. For me, running is very humbling, which is to say it is painful and includes suffering, but also opens my eyes to the extraordinary gifts of others. A good run seems to draw energy from a source not within me. It seems to call forth a grace that leads to such an efficiency of motion and purpose that very little energy is wasted on a purpose outside the goal. The pain does not disappear, in fact I become increasingly conscious of it as I run, but on a good run that pain is accepted joyfully. I recognize the encouragement I derive from others, whether in competition or in friendly training, and I am happy if others can derive that encouragement from me.
Yet the pain is there, even more noticeable on the difficult days. Those days I wonder what I am doing, why I am wasting an hour or two of my time shuffling down this same road, watching the sun set and knowing the return trip will be cold and dark, anxious about whether I have hydrated well enough, and worried that the pain in my knees will become unbearable. Every step away from home is a step of trust. It is an expression of trust, that for the moment, the ability and desire to run is a gift from God, and that we are called to be something greater than who we are in the smallness of the moment. Rather, in the strength given us, in each step, God is calling us to accept grace, put away our anxieties, and focus on that fundamental relationship within the Trinity to which Christ invites us.
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