587. What is the structure of the Lord’s Prayer? (part 2 continuation)
(Comp 587 repetition) It contains seven
petitions made to God the Father. The first three, more God-centered, draw us
toward him for his glory; it is characteristic of love to think first of the
beloved. These petitions suggest in particular what we ought to ask of him: the
sanctification of his Name, the coming of his Kingdom, and the fulfillment of
his will. The last four petitions present to the Father of mercies our
wretchedness and our expectations. They ask him to feed us, to forgive us, to
sustain us in temptations, and to free us from the Evil One.
“In brief”
(CCC 2857) In the Our Father, the
object of the first three petitions is the glory of the Father: the
sanctification of his name, the coming of the kingdom, and the fulfillment of his
will. The four others present our wants to him: they ask that our lives be
nourished, healed of sin, and made victorious in the struggle of good over
evil.
To deepen and explain
(CCC 2805) The second series of petitions unfolds with the
same movement as certain Eucharistic epicleses: as an offering up of our
expectations, that draws down upon itself the eyes of the Father of mercies.
They go up from us and concern us from this very moment, in our present world:
"give us… forgive us… lead us not ... deliver us...."
The fourth and fifth petitions concern our life as such - to be fed and to be
healed of sin; the last two concern our battle for the victory of life - that
battle of prayer.
Reflection
Reflection
(CCC 2806) By the three first petitions, we are strengthened
in faith, filled with hope, and set aflame by charity. Being creatures and
still sinners, we have to petition for us, for that "us" bound by the
world and history, which we offer to the boundless love of God. For through the
name of his Christ and the reign of his Holy Spirit, our Father accomplishes
his plan of salvation, for us and for the whole world. [END]
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