Brother Malachy shares how it just hit him one day, that to pray the Our Father really means that we are praying together as the Body of Christ. We never pray it alone.
It is “Our Father” and not “my father”, after all. We are all his adopted children if we are baptized in Christ. The idea of me and God is not Catholic. The Catholic religion that brings us into relationship with God brings us into the Body of Christ.
Brother Malachy tells a little story about a man who comes to the friary for food, but even if he’s too late for the meals he asks to pray with the friars. And he prays, “Padre Nuestro, que est en cielo” with his whole heart, head bowing, eyes closed, hands folded tightly. This brings home the reality even more for Brother Malachy, as he acknowledges that this man is his brother.
If you’re struggling to perceive the reality of God as Father, ask Jesus to reveal his father more intimately to you, and he will.
When you pray the Our Father, you’re not praying alone. You’re not praying to a God who is distant. You’re praying to the creator of your heart.
Meet Fr. Mark-Mary
Father Mark-Mary was ordained as a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal (CFR) in 2018 and lives at a friary in the Bronx.
The mission of the CFRs is to wholeheartedly embrace Jesus through fidelity to the Church and her Sacraments. Paired with their commitment to prayer, contemplation, and study of Sacred Scripture, the CFRs serve those around them, especially the poor, in the footsteps of Christ.
Discover beautiful music from the CFRs here.
