28 February 2023
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Today’s gospel provides us with Matthew’s version of the “Our Father.” The prayer’s simplicity belies its depth. When we contemplate the full meaning of each line we are struck with the juxtaposition of the majesty of God and that same God’s fatherly concern and the need for us to recognize what we truly need. Perhaps one point we can reflect upon is the sacredness of God, as referenced by his “holy name,” and by extension the sanctity of God’s work. Our world today has turned from the sacred encounter and thus has debased both creation and that high point of God’s creation, the human person. Perhaps we can be more attentive to our language and our writing and reinvigorate a sense of shock or displeasure when persons mistake crudity for emphasis. It is God’s world, not ours, and the decay of language signifies a deeper rejection of the sacredness of God’s Holy Name and His Creation.