Given directly by Jesus, the Lord‘s Prayer is the most iconic prayer within the Christian tradition. In a certain way, it summarizes the entirety of Jesus‘ message. To explore in-depth the truths contained in this prayer is beyond the scope of this reflection, so I will focus today on the specific line “Our Father.”
Far too often, we hear these seemingly simple words without grasping their depth, their significance, or their power. To refer to God as Father or Mother is a revolutionary concept. It implies that our DNA is divine, that we participate in God’s divinity, that we are divine beings having a human experience. All of these truths mean that we are not our bodies, emotions, or self-images. There is so much more to us than meets the human eye or satisfies the logical mind! We humans have only scratched the surface of our potential to bring truth, beauty, and goodness into the world. All of the spiritual masters who accompany us, such as Jesus, Babaji, or Anandamayi Ma, are our evolutionary brothers and sisters who reveal our potential to live a divine life, not just in a future heaven, but here and now. The spiritual life is all about the divinization of our consciousness and our lives.
The first line of Jesus’ prayer holds profound significance in another way: God is not only my Father, but our Father. We are brothers and sisters who arise from the same source. There are no insiders or outsiders; we are all part and parcel of a singular tribe which is God’s tribe. When one of us suffers, we all suffer. Jesus was referring to this truth when he said, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do unto me.” We are our brother’s keeper! And just as we suffer together, we also rise to our divine status together. We need each other: we both challenge and inspire each other, and we go to God together. Spirituality is a family affair! Yogananda tells us, “Man should concentrate on brotherhood. Each one should live for all, loving everyone else as his.”
Divine Mother,
Divine Father,
You are mine,
And you are ours.
