Fr. Gerhard Lohfink reminds us that God acts through people, and that the Our Father has an Odd construction of the first three petitions.  “… the Our Father expresses a fundamental theological insight: God takes the initiative.  God acts.  Everything comes from God.”   “In the Our Father, Jesus summarized all that he wanted and hoped for.” 

 

“The Our Father is a plea for daily bread [the 4th petition] the disciples “… need to find people who will receive them into their houses in the evening, give them bread to eat and provide something for them the following day.”

Abba [Father] expresses a new family in which the disciples now live, they are to trust God unconditionally; they live in a new family.  Most likely Daily Bread probably refers to the bread for the day to come [at that time meant Israel], no planning for the future only for the day to come.

God nourished the people with manna, but the Israelites could not store it up, except on the Sabbath Jesus does not worry about tomorrow.  “The bread petition in the Our Father shows us that something new was happening in Israel…. It is not benign and nonthreating.”

The Surprising Address “Father”, in Luke’s version, and in Matthew’s version “Our Father in heaven”, originally from intimate family life, but not Papa or Daddy. It contains tenderness and confidence within its meaning.

Jesus promised His disciples “… a hundred of brothers & sisters, not a hundred fathers.”  In the Old Testament the relationship between God and God’s people is seen as the beloved and the beloved.  “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” 

Jesus is the icon of God through Jesus we learn what it means to say God is our father.

May God Be Praised!