Weekends...

It’s another weekend! Days to relax and gather enough strength for yet another week of our life! But how are we to relax? Is it by drinking, dancing, gossiping and wasting time? Is it only by sleeping by the beach side, playing games and rollicking with family and friends?

Well, the foregoing without more will not give us that satisfying refreshment that we long for. Some of these activities may even leave us sullen and heavy. This certainly is not our aim. We have laboured for a number of days. We have attended to our material needs and earthly goals. Maybe we should consider using the days of rest to review the work days, survey them in our mind’s eye and draw lessons from the experiences of the recent days. The lessons we talk about here are those that will help us mature as true human beings.

If we do this we will grow steadily in the material and spiritual sense and would have used our days of rest wisely. May we be able to obey the Commandment that demands that we remember the Sabbath (day of rest) to keep it holy!

"For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, for ever and ever, Amen!"

Since the main body of the Lord's Prayer consists of pledges to our Maker,it follows that we have to live this prayer! The prayer must become a living experience for us (not just a set of words that we rattle off!)

This last part of the prayer comes therefore as a jubilant expression of our reliance on the Omnipotence of God. It is a confession of total trust in the power which the Lord bestows on all who trust in Him - the power to do all the things that has been promised at the feet of The Almighty by the praying soul!

When however, we live our lives in fulfilment of the pledges in the Lord's Prayer we are on the way that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven, the Eternal Gardens of the blessed. Therefore, this prayer is at the same time a staff that supports us in our life's journey.

May we live accordingly!

"But deliver us from evil!"

The word "but" in this sentence shows a connection with the last one. The prayer here is that we be permitted to recognise evil at whatever cost, even at the cost of suffering.

We can actually benefit from our mistakes and the subsequent repercussions if we recognise them as such and make a change. Deliverance and redemption lies in recognising that we are wrong and that the unpleasant result is rightly deserved. The thief to the right of Jesus during the crucifixion exemplified this clearly. He acknowledged that he was suffering for his own wrongdoing before making a plea for mercy which the Lord granted him.

May we be able to derive benefits from the results of our actions so that true forgiveness can be ours.

"And lead us not into temptation!"

It should never occur to us that the Creator of all will tempt us.His Will is that we come to know of Him as He really is, leaving behind all unsteady pictures and believing only in His Perfection and Justice.

This prayer therefore is a plea that we be spared from erring, going astray, going wrong and seeking the Lord in the wrong way or on the wrong path.

May all who seek the Lord find the way, the Way of Truth!

Amen!

"And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us"

What a man sows that shall he reap! So, he who sows forgiveness cannot but reap the same. This prayer presupposes that the person praying not only knows and acknowledges this Law of the Most High, but shows that he has complete confidence therein!

No doubt, actions born out of the intent to revenge cannot proceed from a pure heart. Such actions reek of guile and evil intentions which makes such actions wrong!He who has forgiven his fellow men will not act based on such intentions but will proceed from a clarified and mature mindset.

Through this prayer however, we receive from our Father the strength to always think, speak and act out of love, do only that which will be of benefit to our neighbours, and seeking the welfare of our fellow men.

“Give us this day our daily bread”

After making all the vows we discussed earlier, here comes the very first supplication.

This can be taken as a pointer to another Law of the Creator- the Law of Equilibrium. This Law prescribes that it is in giving that we receive. He who has not given also has not established a right to take. Applying this fundamental principle to our lives has the result of bringing harmony in our various relationships.

But when it comes to man’s attitude towards his Creator, it boils down to making one demand after another. It appears that man only thinks of the Almighty when he wants to beg for something. Many a man thinks only of taking and grabbing, giving no thought whatever to how he may serve and contribute positively. In fact many think they serve the Almighty just because they beg for this and that – all to satisfy their selfish needs regardless of what the Will of the Lord is!

However, “Give us this day our daily bread” should come from deep within our non-demanding humble hearts saying that – on fulfilling what we have promised, the Lord’s blessings be allowed to rest on our earthly work so that , in attending to our physical needs , we may always retain the time to live according to God’s Will.

“Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”

This sentence is an assurance that the human being will strive earnestly to recognise the Will of God and then abide with It.

But how can one abide with what one does not even know. How many people make an effort to recognise the Will of the Lord, which unshakable Will rules the world? Anyone who has not done this and says this prayer simply utters a lie and holds himself before his Creator as a despicable hypocrite!

Let us therefore ardently strive to recognise the Laws of our Maker and adjust ourselves strictly to It in our intuitive perceptions, thoughts, words and actions. That is the way we will be able to do His Will on earth as it is done Above. Then we will be able to say this prayer without committing a sin thereby!

"Thy Kingdom come"

Here we see another vow! A solemn promise that we will develop ourselves by obeying God's Commandments such that His Perfect Kingdom will also be established here on earth. When we live in obedience to the Almighty, then life on earth can only reflect what obtains in the Heavenly Kingdom where the matured spirits free from guilt and burdens only live to serve God's Will.

So when we say this prayer we are saying that we will live such that we fulfil only The Lord's Will as obtains Above. Of course a life based on such a principle can only bring in its train human beings who live to bring joy,peace and love to their neighbours.

May we live in this way...

"Hallowed be Thy Name"

When we say this sentence we are actually giving our assurances to our Creator that we take everything we wish to say to Him seriously and will not dare come before Him or call on Him in superficiality as we regard the Name of God too holy to do so.

It is a promise to regard the Holy Name with utmost respect, not to misuse the name or carelessly utter It.One can safely say that with this prayer, one is also making a pledge to obey one of the Ten Commandments which says that we should not take the Name of the Lord in vain.

But if we must be honest with ourselves we realise that each time we say this part of the Lord's Prayer we lie.Many times we do not approach the Lord with the earnestness which the Son of God made conditional in these words.

If we also make a review of our words in just a single day, we see that we have been superficial with the use of Holy Name of God. It has been made to fit into just about any conversation.

May we henceforth change in this so that we may be able to fulfil what we promise our Heavenly Father each time we say "Hallowed be Thy Name".