Whenever my 5-year old grandson is in a conversation with his dad, my son, and pronounces the word pápa, I cannot help but meltdown. There is something in his sweet little voice and tone that gets me every time. I wonder if that happens to Our Father when he hears us addressing him with the love and confidence of children… his children. This confidence, love, and simplicity were at the heart of what Jesus wanted to convey to his Apostles when they asked him to teach them how to pray: “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do…” Our Father… St. Teresa of Avila indicated that, while trying to meditate on the Lord’s Prayer, she could not pass beyond this first sentence. The implications of such a statement are incommensurable. Out of his love and through Baptism we become his children and heirs to his kingdom. who art in heaven… not afar from us but in majesty. Only sin can prevent us from reaching our true home. hallowed by thy name… in us, in our hearts, in our relationships with others, by our conduct as true children of God. thy kingdom come… and is already here, amidst us, in the Eucharist. Because where the King is so is his kingdom. thy will be done… whether we pray or not it will be so. Prayer does not change God’s mind but transforms us, our will, so it aligns with his will. on earth, as it is in heaven… or… as in heaven, so in earth, according to the original in Greek. This clause applies to each of these first three petitions, whose object is to glorify God. An appropriate way to start our prayers. Don’t you think? give us our daily bread… for bodily nurture, meet life necessities, and, most importantly, to have eternal life by eating and drinking his Son’s flesh and blood as frequently as possible. forgive us our trespasses… in the same measure as we have forgiven others. lead us not into temptation… but be with us at the moment of trial and give us what we need to overcome it. deliver us from evil… from the evil one, the ruler of this world, whom Christ has already defeated. This last petition is not the same as delivering us from suffering. We can not get to the resurrection without first suffering our crosses. Amen!