The Bible is urging us to pray always, to thank God in all states and situations of life (1Thes 5:17-18). But what is prayer exactly? What is it to pray? When should we pray? How and why should we pray? The first reading and the gospel give us the replies to these questions. In order to be able to look at the world, people, and history as God looks at them. Christians need to purify their minds and hearts and this can take place only in prayer. The second reading tells us who the Christian is. He or she is one who, through baptism, has become a member of the body of Christ. Being in Christ, the disciple prays like the Master. And so all of this leads to an important conclusion. What is new or special about the prayer is not the nature or number of the petitions within the prayer. After all, the Jews often prayed that God’s name might be hallowed and that his will might be done. Psalm 51 from the Old Testament is an eloquent and fervent prayer for forgiveness which preceded the prayer for forgiveness in the “Our Father.’’ What is special about the prayer is the unique way in which Jesus addresses God. He called upon the Lord, the almighty, the creator of heaven and earth, the judge of the living and the dead as “Father.’’ And not exactly as “Father,’’ but as “Abba,’’ which means “Papa’’ or “Dad.’’ It was the way in which a little child, with intimate love and pure familiarity, addressed his parent. Of all the many words of Jesus which are recorded in the Gospels, surely “Abba’’ is among the most sacred. And yet we are invited, actually we are told, to address God as “Abba,’’ our Loving Father. The reason we can do so is that God has given us new life in company with Christ. It is the family life of the Blessed Trinity, the life we received at Baptism when we were made members of the Church, God’s family here on earth. Thus, whatever our posture or gestures may be during the Lord’s prayer at Mass we must realize how blessed we are to address God as Jesus did, to call him our “Abba.’’ The Bible is urging us to pray always, to thank God in all states and situations of life (1Thes 5:17-18). But what is prayer exactly? What is it to pray? When should we pray? How and why should we pray? The first reading and the gospel give us the replies to these questions. In order to be able to look at the world, people, and history as God looks at them. Christians need to purify their minds and hearts and this can take place only in prayer. The second reading tells us who the Christian is. He or she is one who, through baptism, has become a member of the body of Christ. Being in Christ, the disciple prays like the Master. And so all of this leads to an important conclusion. What is new or special about the prayer is not the nature or number of the petitions within the prayer. After all, the Jews often prayed that God’s name might be hallowed and that his will might be done. Psalm 51 from the Old Testament is an eloquent and fervent prayer for forgiveness which preceded the prayer for forgiveness in the “Our Father.’’ What is special about the prayer is the unique way in which Jesus addresses God. He called upon the Lord, the almighty, the creator of heaven and earth, the judge of the living and the dead as “Father.’’ And not exactly as “Father,’’ but as “Abba,’’ which means “Papa’’ or “Dad.’’ It was the way in which a little child, with intimate love and pure familiarity, addressed his parent. Of all the many words of Jesus which are recorded in the Gospels, surely “Abba’’ is among the most sacred. And yet we are invited, actually we are told, to address God as “Abba,’’ our Loving Father. The reason we can do so is that God has given us new life in company with Christ. It is the family life of the Blessed Trinity, the life we received at Baptism when we were made members of the Church, God’s family here on earth. Thus, whatever our posture or gestures may be during the Lord’s prayer at Mass we must realize how blessed we are to address God as Jesus did, to call him our “Abba.’’