Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
As most of you know, a few weeks ago, Seraphim and I were in Ireland visiting with Fr. Gabriel Harty, the Rosary Priest. As always, Fr. Gabriel gave us special care and love - a true Spiritual Father to us both.
Seraphim has carried Fr. Gabriel’s books on the Rosary around the world. In war zones he clung to the words from “The Healing Light of the Rosary”. Fr. Gabriel has written many books including - “The Riches of the Rosary; “A Celibate Way of Loving: Letters to the Beloved;" and one of his latest books - “Heaven Sent”. They are all available via Amazon except “The Healing Light of the Rosary” and his newest book, "The Rosary, the History of My Heart". The Lord’s Prayer has a prominent place in all of his books.
Fr. Gabriel cannot speak without edifying you in some spiritual way or another. Every sentence declares his love for God.
After a beautiful time praying the Rosary with Fr. Gabriel and our dear friend, Sheila (a true Rosarian) at St. Mary’s Convent in Knock, Ireland, the subject of the Lord’s Prayer came up.
Fr. Gabriel explained that there is one word in the Lord’s Prayer that is the focus. With his back towards me, he raised his hands to the sky and said, "... that word is “Thy”." Looking back at me he said, "Its not about about us(me) or our wants - God takes care of our needs- the focus is on God.” Then he dropped his left hand from the sky, his back still towards me, and with his right hand stretched out, he slowly pronounced, "Thy Name, Thy Kingdom, Thy Will”.
In a quick summary, I will attempt to share with you some of Fr. Gabriel's teachings on the Lord's Prayer.
We ask, “Why do we say ten Hail Mary's or ten Jesus Life Prayers and only one “Our Father” to each decade of the Rosary?”
We ask, “Why do we say ten Hail Mary's or ten Jesus Life Prayers and only one “Our Father” to each decade of the Rosary?”
The answer is that The “Our Father” is the foundation prayer and we lay only one Foundation (“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” - 1 Cor. 3:11). The prayer contains everything we need to ask for and in the proper order of asking. It shows us how to seek first the Kingdom of God (Mt. 6:33), and only then, the things we need for everyday earthly living. It puts a priority on the praise of God and the accomplishment of His Sovereign Will. It lets the cares of the body and the concerns of bread and butter fall naturally into their own place.
- “Thy Name”
- “Thy Kingdom”
- “Thy Will”
This should be the set of a soul seeking the Divine Assistance
-and then-
- “Give us”
- “Forgive us”
- “Lead us”
- “Deliver us"
As we learn first to Invoke His Name, trust that His Kingdom is enough and say “yes” to His Will, The Lord’s Prayer has a progression to it, we begin:
- “Your Name”, -Father, we are His children
- “Your Kingdom”, -We come into His Kingdom and that is enough to do
- “Thy Will”, -and then with full confidence we can slip quietly into the way of opening our hands to say “give us,” “forgive us”, “lead us” and deliver us” and we can do this because it is His will.
