Anything under the Sun
Twisting the Lord’s Prayer
In praying the Lord’s Prayer we begin by saying “thy will be done on earth.” This means we are surrendering our will to the will of God. But in actual practice, we want to put our will over the will of God.
For instance, we are now clamoring for divorce. But what is God’s will on this matter? The scriptural injunction is : What God that joined together, let no man set asunder. This is the basis of the marital vow “for better or for worst, for richer, for poorer, in health and sickness, until death do us part.”
Hence, to clamor for divorce is to place our own will above the will of God. Instead, therefore, of praying “thy will be done,” let us change this to “my will be done.”
This to true also with respect to the use of condoms and other contraceptives. What is the will of God here? His mandate is: “Go out and multiply.” This is the basis of His promise to Abraham to make the latter’s descendant as many as the stars in heaven. This was echoed in His promise to Jacob to make the latter’s descendant as many as “the specks of dust on the earth.”
Hence, to promote condom and contraceptives, is to place our own will over the will of God. Again, we are changing our prayer to “my will be done.”
It is argued that divorce and of the use of contraceptives will eliminate sufferings here on earth. When God made us suffer, He is either simply testing our loyalty to Him as when He tested the loyalty of Santa Monica who suffered for 40 years for this wayward child Augustine and stubborn pagan husband Patritius, and of Job in the Old Testament.
Another reason why God made us suffer is to pay for our sins and even for the sins of others in cases of societal sins.
So, whether God gives us suffering to test us or to pay for our sins, it is for our own good – our own salvation and to earn eternal bliss with Him in Heaven.
Going back, to use of contraceptives, God who is all-knowing also knows that the problem of over population will eventually rise. But He is also just and reasonable. For every problem, He gives us, He provides for a corresponding solution which can be even very near us if we only bother to look for it seriously.
The solution God gives us to overpopulation is just found in the woman herself. He provided her with a “danger” and “safe” periods. So, instead of using condom, why don’t we wait for the safe period. If we cannot wait for the safe period, then we lack discipline which is really necessary in avoiding dangers – the discipline which Adam and Eve very much lacked in Paradise.
So, for the advocates of both divorce and contraceptives, instead of teaching and stirring our people to divorce and use condom, why don’t they teach discipline on our people?
Again, let us not twist the Lord’s prayer.
* * * *
Many are asking this writer why we Catholics still pray to Blessed Virgin Mary and the angels and the Saints, when we can pray directly to God.
Praying directly to God is not wrong. But Jesus is teaching us to pray the Lord’s prayer – a prayer of intercession itself.
The Lord teaches us to pray “Give us this day our daily bread.” Is this not a prayer of intercession? Are we not also praying that God gives daily bread to others by using the word “us”? If we want to pray directly to God, then we should pray “Give me this day my daily bread” – and only for one’s self and not for others.
We also pray further “forgive us our sins.” Whose sin we are asking to be forgiven? Clearly, the prayer includes the sins of others. Is this not intercession? If we want to pray directly to God, then we will be praying “Forgive me of my sins” – and only for one’s own sins.
A specific example: suppose your father is sick. You pray for your father and you also ask me to pray for him. Is this not you and I interceding for your father? If intercession prayer is wrong, then leave your father to pray for himself directly to God. Do not pray to God for your father nor ask anyone to pray for him – for it is wrong!
So, in practice those who despise our intercessory prayers are themselves also practising intercession praying. Hence, why criticize others when they themselves are also doing it?
Again, let us not twist the Lord’s prayer.*
