First Reading: Genesis 18:20-32
Responsorial: Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
Second Reading: Colossians 2:12-14
Gospel Passage: Luke 11:1-13

'Our Father'
by Msgr. Richard Henning

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace…” Most of us are familiar with the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. It is remarkable how well Francis managed to express the heart of the Gospel with this prayer and the manner in which he lived. It is remarkable because the simple friar managed to do so with little formal training in theology. Over the last one hundred years, great strides have occurred in the Biblical Sciences. Scholars have developed and applied numerous methods to analyze Biblical texts and discover their historical and cultural contexts. Although these methods offer Christians insight into the meaning of the Bible, academic study is not sufficient in itself. The Scriptures are a means to an end- they invite the believer into a relationship with God. While Francis lacked formal training, he enjoyed a profound and intense relationship with the Lord. In that relationship he found wisdom and understanding.

In our first reading, we continue to read from the narratives concerning Abraham in Genesis. We encounter a dialog between God and Abraham in which God has determined to punish the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their grave sin and Abraham questions the Lord about the fate of the innocent. The dialog may appear strange to us as it seems that God intends destruction and Abraham must bargain with the Lord for mercy. But the passage does not intend to suggest the harshness of God. Remember that Abraham needs to learn about this mysterious God Who has called him out of Ur. In this encounter, Abraham learns that God is not arbitrary or cruel, but just and protective of the innocent even when harsh action is justified. Notice also that Abraham speaks boldly and directly to God. Unlike the false gods of the pagans, this God of Abraham is not one to be deceived, groveled before, or sated with blood. The one true God who has chosen to enter into a special relationship with Abraham and the dialog is proof of the strength and honesty of the relationship.
           
In the Gospels, Jesus enjoys a deeply intimate relationship with God. He speaks to and of God with an intimacy that offends and enrages his opponents. In today’s Gospel passage from Luke, we witness Jesus teaching his disciples about prayer. The Lord’s Prayer and the last part about God as a Father who will respond to prayer probably come from “Q.” Scholars suggest that this source is a pre-Gospel collection of some of Jesus’ sayings and parables used by both Matthew and Luke. In the middle section, unique to Luke, Jesus tells a story that emphasizes persistence in prayer. Luke-Acts takes great care in relating examples of Jesus’ own prayer as well as instructions for prayer in the Christian community. In this case, Jesus provides disciples with the model for their praying, encourages their persistence in prayer, and assures them of the efficacy of prayer. We may also notice that Jesus places the instruction firmly in the context of relationship with God. This simple and direct way of addressing God puts aside pretense or prattling. As in the dialog between Abraham and the Lord, we can perceive here the God Who cares for His people and responds to their needs. With this prayer, Jesus invites the disciple to share in His intimate relationship with the Father. We too may call upon God with confidence as “Father.”
           
The passage from Colossians uses powerful images to assert the new relationship to God enjoyed by those who unite themselves to Christ. Set in an extended Christological section that reflects on the great hymn to Christ, the passage assures us of our union with the Lord in Baptism. All that might separate us from God has “been nailed to the cross.” Christ invites us to share in the intimacy of His relationship with God, and through the events of Jesus’ life, we learn about the nature of our loving and life-giving God.

We who live and pray "through Christ Our Lord," know the Living God with an intimacy impossible even to Abraham and Moses. We have seen the self-sacrificing, loving, reconciling face of God in the Person of His Son. Our prayers, our world, and ourselves are transformed by relationship with Jesus Who invites us to pray "Our Father" with Him.