continue at ImprisonedThe Milwaukee Catholics United for the Faith Chapter (CUF), had their annual day of reflection with their spiritual advisor, Fr. James Kubicki, SJ, the National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer, who also happens to be one of my closest friends, so I was happy to clear my calendar and attend the talk, pen and notebook in hand.
Fr. Jim, who had just flown in from a retreat he had given in warm and sunny California to cold and snowy Wisconsin, gave a brilliant talk on The Lord's Prayer with reflections from St. Teresa of Avila and Pope Benedict XVI. His talk was so fascinating that two hours flew quickly by as if I had only been listening for ten minutes!
Fr. Jim said that two versions of The Lord's Prayer could be found within the bible, a longer version in Matthew as part of the Sermon on the Mount, and a shorter version in Luke, Chapter 11, right after the story of Martha and Mary in which Martha was worried and anxious about many things and Jesus rebuked her for her anxiety stating that Mary chose the better part. Martha wasn't really worried about serving Jesus, but she was more worried about herself and how she cooked and the work she was doing. Whenever we're worried, Fr. Jim pointed out, it's because we are thinking about ourselves. Jesus teaches us the great prayer of trust that counters Martha's worry and anxiety.
St. Teresa tells us that The Lord's Prayer is the prayer that we should esteem the most and can apply to our own needs stating, "I marvel to see that in so few words everything about contemplation and perfection is included." And Pope Benedict states that "When we pray the Our Father we are praying to God with words given by God."
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