Familiar Gospel stories, such as the Good Samaritan and the Sermon on the Mount, are sometimes the least meaningful passages to me. Whenever I hear a common Gospel, I instantly bring my previous connotations to aid my interpretation. Instead of listening to the parables anew, I usually revert to the simplistic understanding I remember from the illustrated children’s Bible version of the story. While there is merit in the youthful ideas I associate with the repetitious stories, these are well-used passages containing multiple levels of meaning. The parable is not a static entity, but it is full of dynamic ideas applicable to every new day. As the Lenten season begins to pick up momentum in this early stage, it is important for me to slow down and take a deeper look at what these familiar passages have to offer in preparation of my own journey through Christ’s Passion and Resurrection.

The Gospel for today involves the all-too-familiar Lord’s Prayer. Since this is a recognizable formula for prayer, I often intone it without focusing on the meaning behind the words. However, this prayer involves my promise of action to bring about fulfillment of my prayer requests. If I want the benefits, I must act as I promise. In the Lord’s Prayer, I am asking God to forgive my sins only as well as I can forgive those who have sinned against me. Unless I can honestly say that I have released all my grudges and forgiven those people who have wronged me, I cannot expect God to do the same for me. I should not anticipate deliverance from evil and avoidance of temptation unless I actually hold God’s name sacred. I should not hope to have my daily needs taken care of if I have not tried to make God’s kingdom come and His will be done. When I act for God, I can expect my requests as transmitted in the Our Father to be satisfied. Since I don’t usually consciously act to hold up my end of the bargain when I say the Lord’s Prayer, I am blessed that God is merciful and bestows His grace on me. I know I could still spout this prayer off the top of my head, but I will try to make the effort to actually listen to what I am asking of God, and what I am promising to do in return.