Our Father! In the first words of the prayer, we are already thrown into the deep end of its teaching: Our Father, who art in heaven. If we dare to call God “our Father” (and we can, if Jesus tells us to), then we must be his children. The whole of the Lord’s Prayer is built on these first two words, just as our whole Christian life is built on the foundation of our adoption as sons and daughters of God. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus refers to your Father who is in heaven or your heavenly Father. What makes Christians distinct is that God has made us his children in Christ. With the Spirit of adoption, we can live as Christ tells us. What does he tell us? Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect (Mt 5:48). Look for rewards from your Father who sees in secret (6:4, 6, 18). Trust that your heavenly Father knows your needs (6:32). And know that your Father in heaven gives good things to his children who ask for them (7:11). All Christian prayer looks towards our Father in heaven because he is looking at us. He loves us. One day a Carmelite novice saw Saint Thérèse of Lisieux sewing with an expression on her face that made the young Sister ask, “What are you thinking of?” “I am meditating on the Our Father,” Saint Thérèse replied. The Little Flower then continued, “It is so sweet to call God our Father!” 8 God desires nothing more than for us to look towards him—to know and love him. Think of who he is. Consider his wisdom and truthfulness, his goodness and love, his mercy and protection. It is Jesus, the eternal Son of God made flesh for our salvation, who reveals his Father to us. Filled with wonder at this prayer taught by the Lord himself, Saint Teresa of Ávila says, “Consider the words that divine mouth speaks, for in the first word you will understand immediately the love He has for you.” 9 We could have been commanded to address God as “Our Master,” 12 CHAPTER 1 OUR FATHER, WHO ART IN HEAVEN
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