At-Home Lesson#5

The Lord's Prayer: The Our Father

Topic 5: Children, Love Your Father [1]

Behind YOUCAT

We can never love or thank our parents enough for the gift of life. Still, for some of us, our parents can be hard to love. A wise priest once said that being able to forgive our parents is a sign of maturity. Until we do, we can’t fully grow up. Some people have trouble with their moms and others with their dads. Some have trouble with both. (Then, too, some people have never known their parents.) Let’s focus on dads. If our dads weren’t sinners like the rest of us, maybe they’d be easier to love. Yet, without a doubt, the good that fathers have to offer their children is something beautiful and precious, a dim reflection of the love and care of our perfect heavenly Father. And where dads fall short, we know that God our Father can make up the difference. He’s only waiting for us to turn to him.

Read YOUCAT

Read the content under YOUCAT# 511~515, and 517~521 (numbers in yellow circle) from YOUCAT p.280~p.284. [2]

What Does YOUCAT Say?

1. Who taught the Our Father? Why (YOUCAT#511~512)?

2. What is the structure of the Our Father? How many petitions does it include (YOUCAT#513)?

3. How important a prayer is the Our Father for Christians (YOUCAT#514)?

4. Are we actually God’s children? Is he really our Loving Father (YOUCAT#515 and 517)?

5. Where is God the Father (YOUCAT#518)?

6. For what are we really asking when we say, “Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (YOUCAT#519~521)?

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YOU Reflect

Human fathers are weak, sinful, imperfect, and sometimes cause great harm to their children, but at their best they can be protective, loving, strong and gentle, wise in a way that dimly reflects the perfect Fatherhood of God. God is much more Father than any human father could ever be. Jesus taught us to entrust ourselves to God our Father, to seek his plan for us, and to ask for all we need to be happy.

1. In what sense is God our Father?

2. When someone’s father has failed, how can thinking about God the Father help?

Answer the above questions [Click Here]

What Does the Bible Say?

1. Read Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.  Are these presentations of the Lord’s Prayer slightly different? If so, how so?

2. Read Colossians 3:2.  How does the Lord’s Prayer empower us to do what St. Paul exhorts?

        Answer the above questions [Click Here]

YOU Chat

1. Why do you think the Our Father is considered the perfect prayer?

2. Since God is our Father, how does that affect our relationships with our fellow man?

3. Comment and discuss this statement of St. Hildegard of Bingen in light of the Our Father: “Heaven on earth is wherever people are filled with love for God, for their fellowmen, and for themselves” (p. 283, margin).

Answer the above questions [Click Here]

YOU Challenge

Pray:

Each day this week pray the Our Father slowly, dwelling on one word or phrase at a time and asking the Holy Trinity to enlighten and inspire you with the goodness, beauty, truth, and meaning of the words.

Live:

Strive to live as a child of our one Father in heaven this day, seeing each person as part of your family.

Ask:

St. Joseph can be a father to you. Ask him to help your father and all fathers to be the best dads they can be.

References / Citations

[1] Brumley, Mark, Kersting, Jack, and George, Paul . YOUCAT Study Guide. San Francisco, Calif: Ignatius Press, 2013, pp. 75-76.

[2] Miller, Michael J, and Benedict. Youcat English: Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church. San Francisco, Calif: Ignatius Press, 2011.

[3] BibleGateway (online bible). https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/Good-News-Translation-GNT-Bible/