Gospel: Matthew 6: 7-15
Many a treatise and sermon series have been penned to explicate the Our Father. Each line of the prayer is examined and explained in minute detail. That we have made the most simplest of prayers so complex is a testament to our vanity and desire for esteem from others in our erudition and perceived learning. Jesus himself explains the entire prayer in today's Gospel portion.
We pray for forgiveness of our sins, but it is conditioned on one thing: that we forgive other people. God is holy because God forgives; we become holy by forgiveness. God provides our daily bread; we extend that bread to others in acts of mercy. We seek to avoid temptation and evil - the temptations to vengeance and of not forgiving others. These are the evils that keep us from God's kingdom.
The entire life of religion is about becoming like God. We, like our first parents, think that to be all powerful and all knowing, and that is our sin of pride. To be like God, however, is to be merciful and loving, for God is love and calls us to a life of love. As God has forgiven us, so we must forgive others and undertake deeds of mercy and loving kindness. This is the entire Christian life.
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