Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
As we begin our efforts this Lent to grow in a habit of prayer, it is good to be reminded of how Jesus taught us to pray. To return to this simple foundational prayer can help us grow in our love for God. At the heart of it is something new that Jesus teaches us: God is our Father.
The Old Testament is famously nervous about the name of God. God's name, revealed to Moses in the burning bush, is habitually avoided in favor of euphemisms and indirection. There is something holy in this, a genuine awe at the majesty of our creator, unwilling to risk disrespect to his great name.
Well, here comes Jesus, who calls God Abba, which does not mean the objective “father” but rather the intimate “dad, dada, papa, daddy” which children everywhere affectionately call their fathers. It is no wonder the Pharisees and their friends tried to stone the Lord on a few occasions. He was showing a different sort of greatness in God, not encouraging an awe that keeps its distance but a wonder that pursues and trusts.
May this great Our Father prayer remind us of the intimacy that Jesus calls us to have with him and his Father. May we confidently pray it, trusting in the loving care of our heavenly Abba.