Continuing with our meditation on The Lord’s
Prayer, today we look at the first of the seven petitions found in the Lord’s
Prayer.
Matthew 5:16: "Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in
heaven."
St. Cyril of Jerusalem: The Name of God is in its nature holy, whether
we say so or not; but since it is sometimes profaned among sinners, according
to the words, “Through you My Name is continually blasphemed among the
Gentiles,” [Romans 2:24] we pray that in us God's Name may be hallowed;
not that it comes to be holy from not being holy, but because it becomes holy
in us, when we are made holy, and do things worthy of holiness.
In studying the
Our Father for this blog, I was taken by the fact that the first two lines
parallel the first two Commandments. God reminds us in both that He is God, and
that His Name shall not be used in vain. I realized that I cannot pray this
line in the Our Father if I am careless about using the name “God” or “Jesus
Christ” in everyday exclamations, as is so popular today. God’s name is
hallowed: that means it is holy, must be revered, feared in a holy way, and
respected in all expressions in which it is used. The Catechism of the Catholic
Church tells us:
2807 The
term "to hallow" is to be understood here not primarily in its
causative sense (only God hallows, makes holy), but above all in an evaluative
sense: to recognize as holy, to treat in a holy way. And so, in adoration, this
invocation is sometimes understood as praise and thanksgiving. But
this petition is here taught to us by Jesus as an optative: a petition, a
desire, and an expectation in which God and man are involved. Beginning with
this first petition to our Father, we are immersed in the innermost mystery of
his Godhead and the drama of the salvation of our humanity. Asking the Father
that his name be made holy draws us into his plan of loving kindness for the
fullness of time, "according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ,"
that we might "be holy and blameless before him in love.”
In other words, “hallowed be Thy Name” does not mean that
we are making God holy or proclaiming God holy by our words. It means that we
recognize the awesome holiness of God. This line, in itself, is a prayer of
praise and adoration. Jesus is showing us that we always begin our prayers with
praise and adoration. We do not jump right into the needs and wants, not even
into the confession of sins until we praise and adore Our Father. By doing
this, we become part of God’s goodness and love since we can place ourselves
humbly in His presence. We see this as a petition because by acknowledging the
pure holiness of God’s name, we ask to be pure and blameless, like Him, in His
sight. Ephesians 1:12 tells us, “It is for this that we were made.
God created us, so that we…might live for His praise and glory.” How fitting then that our perfect prayer taught by Jesus
Himself has us begin by praising our loving Father. When we praise, we are
filled with joy and wonder!
(hallowed be Thy Name part two - tomorrow)
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