Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Lord’s Prayer
Dear Friends,
Please read the following words of Jesus from the Gospel of St. Matthew (6:5-15):
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is how you are to pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and do not subject us to the final test,
but deliver us from the evil one.
If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.
We should thank the Lord with all our hearts for the ‘Our Father’ which He gave us. It is a very beautiful prayer and all followers of Jesus pray this prayer many times every day.
(Below you will find the message of Our Lord and Savior given to Father Melvin. Jesus spoke to him these words.)
“When I was with the Apostles I gave them the ‘Our Father,’ a prayer addressed to God the Father. It has all the elements needed for a perfect prayer to Our Creator and Lord. Now, Melvin, I gave you some time ago a prayer to Our Dear Mother Mary. I would like that all those who believe in Me would pray this prayer every day. This is the prayer:
Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Mother of the Church and Mother of all believers: you are the bright star of our lives. We venerate you, Mary, Mother of Jesus, conceived without sin, ever virgin. We come to you, your children, full of love and respect. We ask you to protect us and may you always show your maternal care to us all.
We dedicate ourselves to you today, dear Mother, to work in close union with you for the spread of the Kingdom of God in our midst. We resolve to follow Jesus, your divine Son, by a life of faith, hope and love, modelled on the life He led while on earth. Obtain for us, dearest Mother, the grace, the strength, and the resolve to work only for Jesus without counting the cost. Help us, we pray, to sow love among all the people we meet, and bring us all one day with you in Heaven to live in happiness with the Father, with Jesus, our Brother, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Father Melvin