The Lord ’ s Prayer is the prayer of the Church , confirming a person ’ s identity as a beloved child of God , and reminding Catholics of the responsibility owed toward their brothers and sisters in Christ , Pope Francis said Thursday . “‘ Our Father ’: these two simple words offer us a roadmap for the spiritual life ,” the pope said in a homily at Mass in Geneva June 21 . The Mass took place at the end of a day-long trip to the Swiss city for the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches . In his homily , the pope said the words “ Our Father ,” as taught by Jesus to his disciples in the day ’ s Gospel , reveal life ’ s meaning and a Christian ’ s identity : “ we are God ’ s beloved sons and daughters .” “ Those words solve the problem of our isolation , our sense of being orphans ,” he continued . “ They show us what we have to do : love God , our Father , and others , our brothers and sisters . The ‘ Our Father ’ is the prayer of us , of the Church .” Referring to how Christians call God “ our Father ,” he said in the face of offenses against God , Catholics are called to overcome indifference and to treat everyone as brothers and sisters : including the unborn , the elderly , the person who is difficult to forgive , the poor , and the outcast . “ This is what the Father asks us , indeed commands us , to do : to love

one another from the heart , as sons and daughters in the midst of their brothers and sisters ,” he said . Catholics are reminded of God as Father also when they make the sign of the cross , he continued , noting that “ where the Father is present , no one is excluded ; fear and uncertainty cannot gain the upper hand .” In his homily , Francis also reflected on the images of bread and forgiveness in the Lord ’ s prayer , stating that when Christians ask God for “ our daily bread ,” they are asking the Father to help them live a simpler life , focusing on what is most important , like “ people over things so that personal , not virtual ,

relationships may flourish .” The pope criticized the complication of today ’ s daily life , noting how many people rush “ from dawn to dusk , between countless phone calls and texts ,” filled with stress and preoccupied by change , with no time to see the faces of others . He advised choosing a simpler lifestyle , one which “ goes against the tide ,” and pointed to St . Aloysius Gonzaga , whose feast day is celebrated June 21 , as an example . Such lifestyle “ would involve giving up all those things that fill our lives but empty our hearts ,” he said . Catholics must also not forget that

Jesus himself is their “ daily bread ,” the pope said , criticizing the treatment of Jesus as a “ side dish ,” rather than as the center of the day and “ the very air we breathe .” Also reflecting on the element of forgiveness found in the Our Father , Francis stated that God frees the heart from all sin when he “ forgives every last thing . Yet he asks only one thing of us : that we in turn never tire of forgiving .” And if a person finds it hard to forgive someone , he should pray for that person and for that situation , asking God for strength , he advised . “ Let us ask for the grace not to be entrenched and hard of heart , constantly demanding things of others . Instead , let us take the first step , in prayer , in fraternal encounter , in concrete charity ,” he concluded . “ In this way , we will be more like the Father , who loves without counting the cost .” ●

- E . Haaris , CNA