Words
on the Lord’s Prayer from ‘The Way of Perfection’ by Saint Teresa of Ávila
“As
we repeat the Our Father so many times … let us delight in it.” -- Saint Teresa
of Ávila
OUR
FATHER
What
son is there in the world who would not try to learn who his father was if he
had one as good and of as great majesty and dominion, as ours?
Were
God not all this, it would not surprise me if we had no desire to be known as
His children; for the world is such that, if the father is of lower rank than
his son, the son feels no honour in recognizing him as his father.
Being
our Father, God must bear with us however great our offences. If we return to
Him He must pardon us, must comfort us in our trials, and must sustain us, as
such a Father is bound to do, for He must needs be better than any earthly
father.
We
must talk to Him very humbly as we should to our father, ask Him for things as
we should ask a father, tell Him our troubles, beg Him to put them right, and
yet realize that we are not worthy to be called His children.
WHO
ART IN HEAVEN
Do
you suppose it matters little what Heaven is and where you must seek your most
holy Father?
Wherever
God is, there is Heaven … and GOD IS WITHIN US. Remember how important it is to
understand this truth – that the Lord is within us. I assure you that for minds
which wander it is of great importance not only to have a right belief about
this but to try to learn it by experience … I knew perfectly well that I had a
soul, but I did not understand then, as I do now, how this great King really
dwells within this little palace of my soul, I should not have left Him alone
so often.
How
wonderful it is that He whose greatness could fill a thousand worlds, and very
much more, should confine Himself within so small a space, just as He was
pleased to dwell within the womb of His most holy Mother.
HALLOWED
BE THY NAME
Realize
that you are doing much more by occasionally repeating a single petition of the
Our Father than by repeating the whole of it many times in a hurry and not
thinking what you are saying. He to Whom you are praying is very near you and
will not fail to hear you; and you may be sure that you are truly praising Him
and hallowing His name …
THY
KINGDOM COME
Let
us understand this thing that we are asking for, and how important it is that
we should pray for it without ceasing and do all we can to please Him Who will
give it to us.
We,
exiles, are making a sea-voyage and are still on the journey. But there are
times when we are wearied with travelling and the Lord grants our faculties
tranquillity and our soul quiet. The body experiences the greatest delight and
the soul is conscious of a deep satisfaction. Persons in this state will spend
a whole hour on a single repetition of Our Father … They are close to God …
They are in the palace, near to the King, and they see that He is already
beginning to give them His Kingdom on earth.
It
looks as though I were saying that we must be angels to make this petition –
‘Thy Kingdom come.’ This would indeed be our Divine master’s wish, since He
bids us make so sublime a petition. You must be quite sure that he never tells
us to ask for impossibilities, so it must be possible, with God’s help, for a
soul living in this state of exile to reach such a point …
THY
WILL BE DONE
Thy
Will be done – Do people say this because everyone else says it and not because
they want it to be done? That would not be right. The more we show Him by our
actions that the words we use to Him are not word of mere politeness, the more
and more does Our Lord draw us to Himself and raise us above all petty earthly
things.
They
Will be done - that is, may the Lord
fulfil His Will in me, in every way and manner which Thou, my Lord, desirest.
If Thou wilt do this by means of trials, give me strength and let them come …
The Lord knows what each of us can bear … When He sees a soul who loves Him
greatly, He knows that soul can suffer much for Him …
Dispose
of me as of that which is Thine own, in accordance with Thy Will – What power
this prayer has. If it be made with due resolution, it cannot fail to draw the
Almighty to become one with our lowliness …
GIVE
US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD
(Holy
Communion)
For
the love of God let us realize the meaning of our good Master’s petition.
We
know that until the accidents of bread have been consumed by our natural heat,
the good Jesus is with us. If, while He went about in the world, the sick were
healed by merely touching His clothes, how can we doubt that He will work
miracles when he is within us, if we have faith? Or how can we doubt that he
will give us what we ask of Him since He is in our house? His Majesty is not
wont to offer us too little payment for His lodging if we treat Him well.
FORGIVE
US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE …
Notice
that Our Lord does not say: “as we shall forgive.” The good Jesus might
have said: “Forgive us, Lord, because we are doing a great deal of penance, or
because we are praying often, and fasting.” But He has never said any of these
other things He might have said. He simply says: “Because we forgive.”
It
is such a serious and important matter that God should pardon us our sins,
which have merited eternal fire, that we must pardon all …
AND
LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION
Let
us always beseech God that temptation may not be strong enough for us to offend
Him.
From
any sin, however small, committed with full knowledge, may God deliver us,
especially since we are sinning against so great a Sovereign and realizing that
He is watching us! Take this advice, which comes, not from me, but from your
Master – Strive to walk with love and fear, and I guarantee your safety. Love
will make you quicken your steps. Fear will make you look where you are setting
your feet so that you may not fall.
It
will be a great thing at the hour of death, when we are going we know not
whither, to realize that we shall be judged by One Whom we have loved above all
things. Remember the greatness of the gain which comes from this love, and of
our loss if we do not possess it, for in that case we shall be delivered into
the hands of the tempter … What will become of the poor soul when it falls into
these hands after emerging from all the pains and trials of death? How it will
be torn as it goes down to hell! A pampered person (and most of those who go to
hell are that) can hardly bear to spend a single night in a bad inn. What,
then, will be the feeling of that wretched soul when it is condemned to such an
inn as this and has to spend eternity there?
What,
then, Eternal Father, can we do but flee to Thee and beg Thee not to allow
these enemies of ours to lead us into temptation?
DELIVER
US FROM EVIL
If
we try to banish bodily ills and trials is it not right that we should ask to
be delivered from sin?
O
my God and Lord, deliver me from all evil and be pleased to lead me to that
place where all good things are to be found.
God’s
will is for us to desire truth, whereas we desire falsehood; His will is for us
to desire the eternal, whereas we prefer that which passes away; His will is
for us to desire great and sublime things, whereas we desire the base things of
earth; He would have us desire only what is certain, whereas here on earth we
love what is doubtful.
What
a mockery it all is, unless we beseech God to deliver us from all these perils
forever and to keep us from evil!
AMEN
By
the word “Amen”, as it comes at the end of every prayer, I understand that the
Lord is begging that we may be delivered from all evil for ever.
[Copied
from a pamphlet published by the Carmelite Monastery, Newry, Co. Down, N.
Ireland]
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