A Word for Men - June-July 2008
By Paul Young
Dear Men,
One thing is clear. Individualism and our maleness seem to go hand in hand. That is not only true of men but also of our American society in general. The ONE takes priority over the MANY. “ME” and “MY” are pronouns that punctuate our vocabulary. To get lost in the crowd is to somehow lose our identity, kind of a social suicide that makes us uneasy, uncomfortable and anxious.
Yet all of these feelings must be set aside when we pray the way Jesus taught us to pray – the OUR Father.
“OUR”, the first word of this prayer goes against our popular individualism and self-centered way of life. This word, used four times throughout the prayer, signals that we are associating ourselves with all those who can call God Father – all those in our neighborhood, church, city, state, nation, and world, even those who have died but are still in the community of saints. All of these form the great first word of this most unusual prayer – “OUR…”
Imagine the force of this word – the collective power when we say it, the millions, maybe billions who are represented and yearn for something better – a kingdom that will finally be right, a reign of God that will ultimately bring about our deepest hopes and dreams.
When we begin this prayer with “OUR” we are holding hands with all of God’s people of all time – the poor Catholic person on the streets of Calcutta who says: “…give US today OUR daily bread, or the thirty year old sitting at a computer at Google who prays, “…forgive us OUR sins…” St. Paul, St. Francis, our Blessed Mother and the hosts of heaven’s saints join with us in this prayer.
Think of it – the power, the strength, the absolute influence we have as a combined force refusing to say “my” but “OUR”.
It makes saying “MY Father” sound wimpy and weak. That’s why Jesus taught us to use the word “OUR”. We move from our wimpy self-centeredness to the grand force of millions of others speaking in concert to God, a symphony, a grand chorus praying to OUR Father.
So the next time you pray the “Our Father”, picture reality – the grand number who stand with you to make this prayer so effective. And thank God that our Christianity saves us from selfish individualism, tying us together to accomplish what no individual could ever accomplish, God’s ultimate kingdom on earth.
Spend a moment thinking about this. And why not right now say: “OUR Father…”
Paul Young
Director: Emmaus Journey Men’s Ministry
P. S. Be sure and purchase a copy of Between Two Worlds by Mike Timmis. Mike has been involved in the Catholic Men's Movement for many years and has a great story to tell..