THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYING THE LORD’S PRAYER

In the daily praxis of the faithful of certain Christian circles there is a real contempt for Lord’s prayer. This neglect manifests itself in two ways: its mechanical and thoughtless recitation, reducing the act of praying to an end in itself; and their abandonment by leaders who no longer teach it, distancing the Church of Christ from the origins of the gospel.

These two misconceptions prevent Christians from living the sublime experience of prayer according to the teaching of Jesus. The first leads believers to a dead religiosity, a mechanical devotional practice, unthinking and unconscious of what they do. The second alienates Christians from Christ's teaching on how to pray. It replaces this teaching with misinterpretations of the gospel that lead believers to think that they possess superpowers and authority to determine things before God or to demand blessings from Him as if they were acquired rights in Christ and He is obliged to grant them.

Christians need to reevaluate these two stances and return to the origins of Christianity. The scientific and technological society imprints on people a materialistic and pragmatic mentality and this is projected on spirituality, changing the meaning of devotional life. As already stated, the mechanical repetition of the "Lord’s Prayer" can lead to the idea of ​​prayer as an end in itself, leading Christians to an alienation from reality. On the other hand, abandoning the practice of praying the “Lord’s prayer” and adopting misconceptions about prayer may lead believers to think of prayer as magic [1], thinking that they can manipulate God through it.

The prayer that Jesus taught to his first disciples is at the center of his catechesis about what and how to talk to God. A careful reading reveals that Christ shows that our greatest need is not this or that, but God [2]. In it Jesus teaches the Christian to call on the Father, to ask for his Kingdom to come and for his will to be done in our lives. He teaches to supplicate for bread, which can be both material food and eucharistic bread, that is, Himself. It shows that we should beg forgiveness of our sins as well as forgive those who offend us. He further teaches us to deliver us from temptation, for our greatest desire should be to please God with a holy life. Finally, he tells us that we must ask him to deliver us from the evil that wishes to swallow us.

It is evident, then, that the Lord's Prayer addresses the important aspects of the Christian's spiritual life. It serves as a model for what we should pray to God in our spontaneous prayers, but that does not prevent us from praying it literally. Praying is essential to the spiritual life. Without prayer, the Christian life comes down to attending a temple and listening to sermons. But that would only constitute dead religiosity. Prayer, however, brings meaning to the temple, the sermon, and all liturgical expression. It brings us closer to God, allows us to feel his presence and live sublime experiences. 

[1] JEREMIAS, Joachim. Estudos no Novo Testamento. Editora Academia Cristã, São André - São Paulo, p.115.

[2] MAIA, Antônio. Senhor, Ensina-nos A Orar. Um Ensaio Sobre a Centralidade de Deus na Oração, Amazon, p.14. 

Antônio Maia - M. Div.

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