In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus gives the disciples an example of how they are to pray: with economy, trust and intimacy with God. Like making love, prayer is one of the things we all have to do on our own. Nobody can do it for us. Speaking with God is an intensely personal event. Lent is usually our annual attempt to improve our prayer life in some way.
There are two extremes that make prayer difficult. The first confuses prayer with our daily routine. Prayerful living is not identical with prayer. If getting through the day is the extent of our prayer life, prayer loses its distinctive character. The opposite extreme identifies prayer exclusively with surges of mysticism. A rapid pulse and wild transports of spiritual passion are not attractive to many people There has to be a middle ground between the two. This is what the Lord describes.
We should have a set time for personal prayer. In addition to our regular prayers, we should find a time when we are most at ease to simply communicate with the Lord and not be interrupted by anything else. Some people even set aside a place of prayer in their homes. Secondly, our prayer should be authentic. There is no need for us to posture before God or recite prayers written by a great saint which we think God will like to hear. Thirdly, we should await the Lord's response. After a while, we will not be greeted by silence. We will slowly tune in to the Holy Spirit.
An important meaning of the Lord's Prayer is that we can contact the God of the universe. Reading a great deal about prayer is not initially helpful. Like teaching, litigating, preaching, driving or swimming we have to start at some point and will improve slowly. After several months of experience, books will be more helpful.
(reflection by Fr. S. Joseph Krempa in Daily Homilies: Seasonal and Sanctoral Cycle, p. 66, published by Alba House.)
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