Turn It Over

One of the many advantages of memorized prayers such as the “Our Father” is that we can say them when we have no words of our own; we don’t have to think. That’s also one of their disadvantages: We don’t have to think. In fact, we may have forgotten exactly what we are saying when we pray the “Our Father.” For example, do we really mean, “Thy will be done?” or are there unspoken conditions attached: “Thy will be done” — as long as it doesn’t interfere with my carefully laid plans for my life? To turn everything over to God is truly the only way to live without fear. It’s what Jesus did; it’s what we are called to do as well.