No Babbling!

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Lent, Matthew, Our Father, prayer, The Lord's Prayer, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I find myself sometimes in conversation—more often as I get older—saying to whoever seems to be listening: “I’m babbling, so I’ll stop now…” I smiled, therefore, when I saw the gospel reading for today from Matthew 6. Listen:

Jesus said to his disciples: In praying, do not babble like the pagans who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

What follows is The Lord’s Prayer, a great example of how to be concise yet meaningful. No wonder it is prayed by people all over the world who are of all Christian denominations. Today may be a good day to take apart the prayer and reflect on each of the thoughts, to go deeper in considering what they might mean for your life now. A lovely reflection for a Tuesday at the beginning of Lent, don’t you think? Think of how many people in the world are saying this prayer today. Why not join in virtually to that great throng?

Over and Over

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forgive, forgiven, forgiveness, John Newton, Luke, Matthew, Our Father, spiritual practice, The Lord's Prayer, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

The prayer we know as “The Lord’s Prayer” or the “Our Father” can be found in two of the four canonical gospels – Matthew and Luke – and, although translations vary, the wording of the two is virtually the same. What differs are the verses that follow. Luke, chapter 11, gives an example of what Jesus meant by telling a story. Today we have Matthew’s version which tells people how they are to act when doing spiritual practice – not looking gloomy and neglecting their appearance so people know they are fasting, etc. (That always makes me smile as I know how easy it is to moan to let others know when I am in pain from some small injury or distress…). I noticed something in between Matthew’s directives this morning, however, that surprised me and made me wonder if I will ever have a new thought that doesn’t touch on our relationships in today’s world situation. (See the past few entries of this blog.)

After the “forgive us our debts/trespasses as we forgive…and deliver us from evil” lines and before the “don’t be gloomy,” there is an extra push on forgiveness. If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. If we judge by the amount of text given to a thought, the necessity of forgiveness seems to win out over every other action in this prayer.

So once again today, I guess there is need to look at how easily – or not – I forgive. And here is another possibility. I have recently been made aware of a website entitled healthbeyondbelief.com of John Newton, a distance healer. To begin, one might choose to read – often – his Comprehensive Forgiveness Prayer for Ourselves. If this is an introduction for you to such a concept, it might seem a bit extreme, but I recommend openmindedness.

Whatever works, I suggest reflection once more on the issue of forgiving and allowing ourselves to be forgiven. It’s a big topic but worth the time.

 

 

 

 

 

The Lord’s Prayer

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Aramaic, cosmos, Earth, heaven, language, love, Matthew, mother, Neil Douglas Klotz, Our Father, prayer, The Lord's Prayer, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wisdom

Today’s gospel contains what is probably the most familiar text in Christianity. We know it as The Lord’s Prayer. (MT 6:7-15) Recently I listened to a series of lectures about the prayer by Neil Douglas-Klotz, a scholar of Aramaic, the language that Jesus likely spoke in his everyday life. I went looking this morning for his translation because I found it beautiful and expansive of what I have known since early childhood. I found first a comment about Aramaic, then a translation in first century Aramaic and finally, Klotz’s translation using more modern terms. I share them all here for those of us whose love of words affects the feeling level of our prayer and as one more way to connect to others on our planet who speak different languages but whose hearts are united.

Comment: The Aramaic language has (like the Hebrew and Arabic) different levels of meaning. The words are organized and defined by a poetical system where different meanings of every word are possible. So every line of the Lord’s Prayer could be translated into English in many different versions.

First Century Aramaic: O Thou, from whom the breath of life comes, who fills all realms of sound, light and vibration. May Your light be experienced in my utmost holiest. Your Heavenly Domain approaches. Let your will come true in the universe (all that vibrates), just as on earth (that is material and dense). Give us wisdom for our daily need, detach the fetters of faults that bind us, like we let go the guilt of others. Let us not be lost in superficial things (materialism, common temptations), but let us be freed from that which keeps us off from our true purpose. From you comes the all-working will, the lively strength to act, the song that beautifies all and renews itself from age to age. Sealed in trust, faith and truth (I confirm with my entire being).

Neil-Douglas-Klotz: O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos, focus your light within us – make it useful. Create your reign of unity now – through our fiery hearts and willing hands help us love beyond our ideals and sprout acts of compassion for all creatures. Animate the earth within us: we then feel the Wisdom underneath supporting all. Untangle the knots within so that we can mend our hearts’ simple ties to each other. Don’t let surface things delude us, but free us from what holds us back from our true purpose. Out of you, the astonishing fire, returning light and sound to the cosmos. Amen.  (from Prayers of the Cosmos)

Amen, indeed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Words

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attention, forgive, home, Luke, Our Father, prayer, solidarity, The Lord's Prayer, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Thich Nhat Hanh

In these days when interfaith exchange is becoming more common, it is wonderful to hear similar sentiments from very diverse spiritual leaders. One of the most striking examples of this is a book called Living Buddha, Living Christ by the widely esteemed and beloved teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. Also common now are interdenominational gatherings of Christians commemorating some tragic event or praying for peace or at a wedding ceremony where the Lord’s Prayer is recited and everyone knows the words! It is a comfortable feeling of “home” and solidarity to say or sing it in unison at such times. It is one of the first prayers to be taught to Christian children and the last recitation heard at many a deathbed. And sometimes, as with other memorized texts, we fail to be conscious of the sentiments expressed.

What is it that we are seeking from our Heavenly Father when we recite this prayer? Luke gives us the “stripped down” version in the gospel this morning (LK 11:1-4) that first praises God’s name and purpose (Hallowed be your name; your kingdom come). Then we ask for what will sustain us each day, seen as simple food but representing much more (Give us each day our daily bread), and ask forgiveness for our failures in our dealings with others (Forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us). Lastly we ask not to be tested beyond our capacity at the end of our life (Do not submit us to the final test).

Whatever the translation, if I am really paying attention, there is usually some little shift that I notice – a small word perhaps, or some phrase that is so very applicable to my life at the moment. Today it is about that forgiveness ability that I long for. For me the line has always been “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” I’m used to the big changes like “debts” or “sins” in place of “trespasses” – which make sense. This morning, however, I’m stopped by the shift in the preposition that tells God why we should be forgiven. It says for instead of as we have forgiven…Usually I think of God measuring how much I have forgiven hurts against me and then forgiving me that much (as). Today, it looks like God expects me to have forgiven everyone – like there’s no question of that having happened already (for = because). Definitely enough to ponder for today!

 

What Will It Take?

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daily bread, deliver us from evil, forgiveness, Lord's Prayer, Luke, Our Father, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

In Luke’s gospel (LK 11:1-4), when his disciples ask him to teach them how to pray, what we have come to know as The Lord’s Prayer appears in summary form. After an address of praise to God there are three short requests, all delivered in one sentence. They are: 1. Give us each day our daily bread; 2. forgive us our sins as we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us; 3. do not submit us to the final test. What is implied here, I think, though only spoken directly in the second clause, is our responsibility to participate in the coming of God’s reign by the way we live. In other words, God will do what God can do if we do what we can, and it seems that God’s part is numbers 1 and 3.

So how is it that we are able to ready ourselves for the fullness of God’s life in us? Perhaps the wisdom contained in the second petition is truly the answer. If we let go of whatever separates us from others by forgiving any debt that anyone owes us, there is nothing then standing in the way of unconditional love. Recognizing that ability to love then brings us squarely into the presence of God. One caveat: we mustn’t forget to forgive ourselves as we proceed to forgive others…