We live in a world where the internet has become an essential method of communication. Friends and family members no longer have to wait several days to receive a letter. Communication is now instantaneous. Email (and texts, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) have replaced “snail mail” in many cases. Although the speed of internet messaging is a blessing, it may also reduce the intimacy and sensitivity that generally comes from face-to-face conversations, making it easier to be less tactful in our internet dialogue. Indeed, there is a certain sense of anonymity that comes with internet communications that may reduce inhibitions and heighten the level of uncivil language.
When Jesus teaches his disciples to pray in today’s Gospel (Luke 11:1-13), he is giving them something much more than a speedier form of communication. He is providing them with an intimate way to communicate with God, and he spells out the expectations that come with this new way of relating with God. Consider for a moment the words Jesus tells us to use when we pray. “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.” This version of the Lord’s Prayer found in the Gospel according to Luke is clearly worded differently from the version found in the Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 6:9-13) with which we are most familiar since it is used in every celebration of the Mass. Still, both versions convey the same essential message.
In these few words, Jesus is teaching his disciples, and all future generations who offer this prayer, that God is our Father, who loves us as a parent and seeks an intimate relationship with us. Whereas past generations relied on patriarchs and prophets to speak on their behalf, through Jesus we discover that we can communicate directly with God.
Even though we are sinners, we, too, can presume to speak with God. Even if we have done dreadful and terrible things, God continues to love us, forgive us, and draw us closer. As the old saying goes, God hates the sin, but loves the sinner. And that is precisely why Jesus gave us the Sacrament of Penance or Confession.
But the Lord’s Prayer also reminds us: If we are children of God who have experienced the Lord’s forgiveness, we are expected to forgive those who have sinned against us! This call to forgive is challenging. It begins with simple acts of kindness and a desire to forgive our neighbor when they have offended us.
Our resolve to live the Lord’s Prayer will be tested, but the same Jesus who taught us how to pray also gave us the Eucharist – his Body and Blood – so that we are nourished and strengthened for the daily challenges we will face. Perhaps most especially the challenge of forgiving those who have sinned against us, as we have been forgiven by God.