The powerful healing impact of the Lord’s Prayer

A great insight the Holy Spirit has endowed me with is that when I celebrate the Eucharist, before the prayer of the Lord’s Prayer, I would say to the people: “Let us offer the Our Father for those who hurt us, those whom we hurt and those we are finding it so difficult to forgive”.

The power of such an intention for praying the Lord’s Prayer is undisputed. Theologically this Spirit-led and Spirit-filled makes sense in two ways. First, the Lord’s Prayer was taught to us by One who on the Cross of his totally unjust execution heartily prayed to His and Our Father in Heaven: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). Secondly, in the Lord’s Prayer we find the following decisive words: And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors (Matt 6:12). In order to highlight this point once and for all Jesus two verses down of the same chapter in the same Gospel says explicitly and forcefully: For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matt 6:14-15). How powerful when our prayer becomes one with the one, eternal and fully pleasing prayer of Jesus before the Father’s heavenly throne! Our prayer will be powerful because it is in full accord with Christ’ prayer. Can the Father ever refuse such a perfect prayer?

Let us not forget what Jesus teaches us in the Diary of St Faustina when he taught her: My daughter, in this meditation, consider the love of neighbor. Is your love for your neighbor guided by My love? Do you pray for your enemies? Do you wish well to those who have, in one way or another, caused you sorrow or offended you? Know that whatever good you do to any soul, I accept it as if you had done it to Me (Diary, 1768). 

How powerful is the impact of praying for our enemies especially through the prayer Our Father who art in Heaven!

Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap