Following the Truth: Don’t Take The Our Father So Personally! [Catholic and Open]

FollowingtheTruth.com ^ | Jul 26th, 2012 | Gary Zimak

[Salvation]

Welcome to FR!

[boatbums]

Jesus said, “This, then, is how you should pray...”, not “Say this prayer...”. I think people forget that we should “pray without ceasing”, being always in a prayerful frame of mind, always mindful of the presence of our God with us. I don't think Jesus intended the example prayer He spoke to be quoted verbatim in a rote way. I believe our Heavenly Father prefers to hear what is on our hearts and talk to Him as if He was sitting across from us holding our hands - because He actually IS.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I think some people are called to "dissect" prayers (if by that we mean to examine them --- not to autopsy them!).

This may be a difference in temperament and/or training. Some people are just gifted with an analytical talent; some, maybe, with a talent for wordless contemplation; some, gifted yet another way? God made all kinds of temperaments and distributed all kinds of talents..

I do think we should "Love the Lord our God with all our minds." That would include analyzing the Lord's Prayer with both intelligence and love --- and that's what Gary Zimak has done here.

It helps me, as a matter of fact.

[Not gonna take it anymore]

For me it means the Eucharist. Jesus is the manna from heaven. So I guess above all other substances would work.

[ichabod1]

Life giving bread, saving cup. They know us by the sign of our love. Or something like that. Bogus ordo modern Catholic music, but it captures the essence. Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Many of us don’t take daily eucharist, but we can certainly daily pray the Our Fadder.

[ichabod1]

I understand the bonding that some feel at holding other’s hands, but I can’t help thinking I don’t know where those hands have been, and it simply makes me uncomfortable. To mock those types at the Peace, another chorister and I, both of us very traditionalist, would grasp each other’s elbows and bow to each side of the other (sort of a double air kiss), in what we believed to be the true sign of peace.