The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

July 27, 2025 – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Luke 11:13

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One of the most important parts of any religion is the act of praying. Some religions create prayers that may have been formulated centuries back. Their words often contain a summary of religious beliefs and imply a certain understanding of the divine being addressed. Today’s gospel contains the prayer Jesus created when asked by his disciples how they should pray. For many this prayer, the Our Father, is their favorite. It is for me.

Let’s just reflect of the beginning of the prayer which tells us something about our relationship to God as well as God’s “personality.” If we address God in prayer, it’s helpful to know something about the One we are “talking” or connecting with.

The prayer Jesus taught his disciples begins like any human encounter by addressing the one to whom the prayer is addressed. The usual English translation is “Our Father.” But the word used by Jesus implies a more specific meaning than fatherhood in general. The actual word is “Abba.” Some like to point out that its meaning is more like “Dad,” an address denoting familiarity, closeness, protection and affection.

Before further comment, I want to add an aspect of this address that I think deserves our consideration. When Jesus composed this prayer, people commonly thought that it was the maleness of the father was that was the primary cause of new life being created. The mother simply provided a place where the new person might be “nested.” We now know, of course, about the role of the sperm and the egg (ovum) in bringing new human life into existence.  I try to think of God as being the fullness of both genders.

Further, I try to imagine God actually present and hearing my prayer with real interest. It’s like when we are directly talking with another person, acknowledging their presence and interested in what I am saying or, even better, listening and responding. Genuine prayer is a form of conversation, a two-way process.

I recall learning years ago that genuine prayer is more of a response than a process we initiate. In that sense, God awakens us, letting us know that God is there and, speaking metaphorically, listening. This initiates the beginning of our praying. A final point. Notice that Jesus begins his prayer by addressing “our father” and not “my father.” Prayer brings us not only closer to God, but also to everyone else.

David M. Thomas, PhD