Jesus wished to introduce his companions into the mystery of life, into the mystery of his life. He showed them by eating, sleeping, curing, preaching and praying what it means to be Son of God. He invited them to share his life, his interiority, and in his presence among them he allowed them to touch, in his flesh, the life of the Father. He helped them to experience, in his gaze, in his going out in power, the newness of saying ’Our Father’. In Jesus, this expression ‘Our Father’ has no trace of routine or mere repetition. On the contrary, it contains a sense of life, of experience, of authenticity. With these two words, ‘Our Father’, he knew how to live praying and to pray living.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cloyne, County Cork, Ireland.
