Sunday, December 29, 2013

Pater Noster


For John, BLUFWhat does George mean?  Nothing to see here; just move along.



Here is how I learned the "Our Father", at my Mother's knee, so to speak:
Our Father,
Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Here is how all the other kids in my Elementary School Class said it:
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
So close and yet so far.  Every morning, at the beginning of school, we would all stnd by our desks and say the "Our Father" in unison and I would find myself done before the rest of my classmates.

It's the Doxology.  So, when City Life Host George Anthes says "The Lord's Prayer" I don't know which he is talking about, and so far he has been reluctant to say.  Perhaps he will make a comment on this blog.  Perhaps he will say something on City Life.  Perhaps he will wait until the US Supreme Court rules on this issue.

Regards  —  Cliff

  Wenonah, New Jersey.  At the time a thoroughly WASP town, with just six Roman Catholic families, one Christian Science and no others.

3 comments:

  1. My maternal grandparents (Baptists) recited a version that used "debts" instead of "trespasses". ("...as we forgive our debtors"). My paternal German relatives (and my upbringing) insisted on your latter version. Single truths are fascinating.

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  2. As the Nation moves away from religion, marriage, parenting. Who will teach the children which direction to go in? Local school systems are not. I think local school systems should and why not start with our local leaders.
    John McDonough

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  3. I suspect that the "single truths" of man while fascinating to us are probably frustrating to God who isn't so much concerned about etymology or doctrinal correctness. In point of fact, the Lord's Prayer is a plea for God's complete guidance in our pathetic existence and a profound acknowledgement of His supremacy that we can't even begin to conceptualize.

    While I can't say I disagree that the "nation" is moving away from religion, et al, I hesitate to suggest that local school systems "teach" anything more than they are currently NOT teaching. The teaching begins in the home, and the reason so many homes have dropped out of religious/moral upbringing is manyfold. Among the big leaders is the failure of the church itself. So many arcane ecclesiastical arguments and divisions, so much exclusivity that amount to little more than some juvenile secret handshake for admittance to the tree house....and heaven forbid that some ragtag, homeless bum wander into a service looking perhaps for....something?? Relief from his suffering?? We tell him to go somewhere else to be healed...when the whole basis for his illness begins in the very depths of his soul. The churches today are more interested in competition and artificial beauty than meeting in a field and saving each other in the name of Him who has saved us all.

    Families have failed because WE have failed. Jesus the Christ told Peter he was making him "fishers of men." Peter never attended divinity school. Never had a pulpit. In fact, was a bit shaky in terms of his own beliefs, but he and the rest of the odd bunch of apostles did as they were told...they went out and preached the good news. Note that among them were no Methodists, no Presbyterians, no Unitarians, no Mormons, no Catholics....just men...reaching out to men.

    We didn't lose that in our society. We willingly abandoned it for the glories of our human institutions.

    Remember, when one points a finger at someone else for some shortcoming, there are in fact three fingers pointed right back at you.

    I accept my sin....I am no shining monument to goodness and it is a total crapshoot at this point whether I will be allowed even close to....let alone through the gates. But.....I believe that God works through me...and you....and everyone....if we let Him.....if we just put ourselves aside......and let Him.

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Please be forthright, but please consider that this is not a barracks.