He taught, "When you pray, say, 'Our Father,....'"

1. The first step toward praying the Our Father is to pray the Our Father with attention, and with devotion.

How rushed we so often are, praying this most important and special prayer. We can recite the Our Father with minds and hearts a million miles away from Him - planning this or that, day-dreaming, immersed not in His word and His intention, but in the many cares of this world. We must slow down! We must be present to Him in our prayer, as He is so very near to us.

Slow down. Find a beautiful image of His Sacred Heart, and set apart a place and a time to be with Him - in quietness and alone. Speak the precious words of the prayer He gave us - the Our Father - very slowly, thoughtfully, prayerfully, carefully. Listen to this prayer. Listen. Gaze upon His Sacred Heart, and listen.

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.
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
Amen.

2. The second step is to meditate upon the petitions and the parts of the prayer, until the mystery within the prayer begins to come forward - the mystery of Christ at work in us and in each of us: in a human person loved by God, the mystery of I-myself being created anew.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides a beautiful meditation upon the Our Father (you might begin with CCC 2777). Every phrase, every word of this prayer holds meaning for us - meanings and mysteries given to us as gift from God Himself! We will be richly blessed to ponder, to rest with, perhaps to struggle with the meditations offered to us in the Catechism.

3. The third step is to engage one's whole self, and being, in this work - the interior liturgy and its fruit: charity - with full, conscious and active participation, drawing ever closer to holiness in Him, our vocation.

After praying, and pondering, and meditating - then we must respond to the word we have heard, if we have indeed begun at last to hear Him! We must respond as a human person, with the human life that we have by His grace. We must respond and act in the transforming light of His divine love. We must live.

Devotion is completed in action. To live His life means to live in Him for others - always in quiet communion with Him, always in prayer and reparation, and when we can, in active works of love. Pray for ways, seek ways, find ways to help others also to discover this real and personal communion with Christ in prayer -

through your own example of prayerfulness and reverence,
through your own example of loving with the love of Christ,
through your encouragement of others to grow in prayer of the Our Father, as Jesus taught us.

.......... And let others know of this simple devotion: the Our Father, prayed in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

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For a brief meditation on the Our Father according to the seven Stations of the Interior Liturgy, click here.

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