The Communion Rite: Preparation - The Lord's Prayer

Almost for all Christians, the section that appeals most in practice would be the reception of Holy Communion. Everyone is aware that the Eucharist is our nourishment, even if s/he doesn't quite understand how it really strengthens us. Although originally the Eucharist was celebrated in the context of a meal in which the most obvious gestures would be that of eating and drinking, yet it didn't take long for Christians to realize that there were several important implications flowing from such a fellowship meal. It could be said in general that these rich insights and implications are expressed in the various details of the Communion rite.

Since in almost every rite of Eucharistic celebration, the Lord's Prayer opens this section, and also since this prayer is a summary expressing our Christian identity, we share a few reflections here keeping in mind the Vatican II insights we seek to discover and practice. The Matthean version is used in the liturgy, yet it seems that the Lukan version is the more ancient one and so we follow Luke (11:1-13) for these reflections.

The context or background to Luke's teaching his community the Lord's Prayer is Jesus' own prayer which the disciples observe ('Now, while he was in a certain place praying…'). As they scrutinize the prayer of Jesus, risen Lord, the disciples discover first of all that Jesus' prayer is so different from their own way of praying which they had learnt from John the Baptist. Secondly, it somehow became painfully clear to them that the prayer they were accustomed to make so far, did not quite express their true Christian identity nor help to shape it. And so, "after he had finished, one of his disciples came to him and said: 'Lord, teach us to pray'." Just as it was the Risen Lord who taught the disciples on the road to Emmaus (that it was necessary for the Christ to have suffered and thus enter into his glory), so it is the Risen 'Lord' who is the only One who can teach us how to enter into his own prayer as Lord.

As he teaches the disciples the pattern of prayer, Jesus begins: 'Father.' This is the way his prayer as portrayed in the Gospels always begins - except for the cry of anguish on the Cross, 'My God, My God, why have you forsake me?' When Jesus acknowledges God as his Father, he sees him as the source and origin of his being; also as the One who sustains him in life at every moment, sharing all that is his with the Son. Whatever the Father wills for the Son is the best and for his good - and all this is gratefully and lovingly acknowledged as Jesus says, 'Father.' Further, in saying 'Father' Jesus accepts his own status as son (the Father is greater than I… I do whatever I see my Father doing…my food is to do the will of my Father). He also accepts his very special dignity (the Father and I are one; Father all that is yours is mine and all that is mine is yours!) Jesus gratefully receives his very being from the Father but returns all his love in a gesture of complete, mutual love and surrender. And so, only when we enter into and accept our 'son-ship' from God the Father together with Jesus, would we be able to pray the word 'Father' the way Jesus prays it: with love, gratitude, surrender and with a deep and joy-filled sense of union.

The next petition is that the Father's name be made holy. In the Scriptures, a person's name reveals his inner nature and stands for the person. Thus, Simon is called Peter because the new nature Jesus gave him is that of a rock - unshakeable and stable. To honour a person's name is to honour the person himself. Honour, make holy, glorify, sanctify, bless, extol, magnify - these are all synonyms and mean more or less the same: to acknowledge the greatness of someone. The glory of a person is his excellence seen in action. The specialty of the Father is that he 'looks on the lowly and raises them from the dung-heap placing them on high!' No other 'god' is known to act like this, to have a preferential love for the poor and indigent. So, when we acknowledge God's nature, we also accept our own innate sinfulness but do not allow it to keep us away from God - else we would not give him the opportunity to 'glorify his name.'

In the 'Magnificat' Mary prays: 'Holy is his name … for he has looked on the lowliness of his handmaid. From henceforth, all generations will call me blessed. But his mercy is from age to age on those who fear him.' Thus, when we pray that God's name be made holy, we need to rejoice that he has raised us up from out of our misery because the Lord 'puts forth his arm in strength and scatters the proud-hearted.' If we ever behave proudly, self-sufficient, as having enough to rely on ourselves, then we will not be able to experience his saving love, nor will we able to glorify his name as Father. 'He fills the starving with good things - but sends the rich away empty!'

Next we are taught to pray: may your kingdom come. God's kingdom does not comprise of a geographical territory, but entails a new relationship of love between him and human beings. Though we are already related to him as his creatures, he invites us into a deeper love-filled bond (Covenant) with him, in which all he asks of us is to obey - then we shall be his people, and he will be our God. This union is so deep and complete that we can truly say with Paul: 'It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.' To 'obey' God really means to let him have his way; and we know that God's greatest desire is simply to fill us with every possible blessing because of Jesus, our brother. It is like following the instructions of a doctor even when we don't understand why he tells us to do certain things, or when they are difficult: we know that those instructions are meant for our benefit!

So, in order that God's kingdom come among us, someone would have to give us a taste, a 'sample' of God's unconditional love so that having tasted it, a person could decide whether he wishes to enter into Covenant with God or not. And that is the vision for true Christian living: A Christian lives in such a way that everyone around him has a deep experience of God's infinite love, so that they glorify God and eagerly enter his kingdom.

However, we remember that the love we speak of here is not just ordinary human love, but God's love which is ready to serve others even by washing their feet, to forgive them as many as seventy times seven, to love even enemies and those who persecute and revile us. The commandment Jesus gave his followers is: love one another as I have loved you! And so, this is not possible for mere human beings; God would have to lead us in this through his Spirit and that is why we pray. Our prayer, however, asks God to give us opportunities in which we could reach out to one another in authentic love. Having got the required opportunities, the challenge before us is to avail ourselves of these and thus allow God's kingdom to increase.

It is worth noting that with regard to both making God's name holy and bringing about his kingdom, it is not we who are expected to do this: in fact, we cannot, even if we wanted to. It is something far beyond our human capacities. And that is why we pray the Lord to work this out. Yet, he will not do this without our cooperation. So, as sons and daughters we pray that we may so experience the Father's love that having been re-born by his grace and power into his own divine nature which is love, we can then 'naturally' reach out and love others. Notice in the Last Judgment scene in Matthew 25: when the righteous are told to enter into the kingdom because they gave others to eat when they were hungry and offered them a drink when they were thirsty, these persons will ask: 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and thirsty …'? They did reach out to others but were not even aware of it, so spontaneous and habitual had this become for them. They were truly acting out of their new nature as God's children!

So to glorify God's name and bring about his kingdom, we ourselves need to first experience the Father's love and generosity. We would have to become living witnesses or examples of what happens in the life of a person who chooses to enter into Covenant with the Father. And 'seeing your good works, they will give glory to your Father in heaven…' This is the Christian vision, the task s/he is entrusted with as a follower of Christ. This is what the life of a true Christian entails as he goes through life here on earth.

In the following article we shall speak of the means at the disposal of the Christian to do this work of hallowing God's name and bringing about his kingdom in this world.

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