Dear Friends,


We continue to journey through the “green days” of our Liturgical year. The beauty of the Liturgical year is that it provides seasons, colors, and liturgical Propers that help to instill certain emotions within us. The continuation of Ordinary Time can at times provide challenges for our spiritual life as it is easy to slip back into old practices or spiritual acedia. The Lord understands this and offers us tools to remain close to Him. In this week’s Gospel passage Christ gifts the perfect prayer to his disciples. With the giving of the “Our Father”, a prayer that all Christians know by heart, Christ is inviting us into the intimate reality of love between God the Father and God the Son. The Catechism of the Catholic Church divides the Lord’s Prayer into four articles. Calling the Lord’s Prayer “a summary of the whole Gospel” and “the center of the scriptures”, the Catechism provides an exegesis of the Our Father that helps to reveal the love of the Lord. The very first words of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father”, are an acclamation of the gift we have received through the Incarnation. The Son elevates human nature through his coming down in the Incarnation. When we as Christians invoke the name “Father” in the Lord’s Prayer we are one in communion with the Son. By the nature of our Baptism, we are adopted truly as sons and daughters of the one true Father. Not only is the opening of the Lord’s Prayer a proclamation of the reality of God, but it also reveals our nature to us! By calling God “Our Father” we are reminding ourselves of the reality of our Baptism and convicting ourselves as well. By making this claim and accepting the gift of adoption from God, it is required of us as Christians to commit to a life of continuing conversion into the Lord! This is excitingly awesome but can also be terrifyingly difficult. Conversion is difficult. It is not easy. The world offers easy access to pleasures not of God. In the gifting of the Lord’s Prayer, though, Christ helps us to ask from the Father the strength to persevere. The third article of the Lord’s prayer consists of seven petitions that we ask of the Lord. The seven petitions are, “hallowed be thy name”, “thy kingdom come”, “thy will be done”, “give us this day our daily bread”, “forgive us”, “lead us”, and “deliver us.” These seven petitions are first an act of adoration to the Father and secondarily a plea for assistance. Interestingly, the middle petition of the seven petitions is an asking for “daily bread.” This “daily bread”, much like the manna in the desert, is the Eucharist. If we remain close to the altar and close to the Eucharist as the center of our lives, the other six petitions we offer to the Father will become increasingly apparent in our lives. Please know of my prayers for you all.


God Bless,


Joseph Beale