Jesus' prayer gives voice to the child of faith within all of us and allows us to speak to God who is the "Abba" (the "Daddy"), of us all.
St. Francis loved the Lord's Prayer (also called the 'Our Father' by Catholics) - the prayer that Jesus taught. Jesus' disciples had asked, "Lord, teach us to pray in the same way that John the Baptist taught his disciples." His response was a prayer that all men of faith can pray (it is 'Ecumenical' since it does not mention Jesus' name.) This prayer has encouraged and inspired men of faith throughout the millenia to seek God, love Him and seek to be like Him in treating all men "in the same way that you want to be treated".
The Lord's Prayer is simple yet profound. The Jerusalem Bible translation quotes Jesus as saying: "Our Father in heaven, may Your name be held holy. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. And do not put us to the test, but save us from the Evil One."
Francis prayed the Our Father constantly (throughout each day of his life). He put not only a lot of fervent feeling into his prayer but a lot of thought as well. As he 'chewed' on it in meditation the depths of the meaning and the power in the words came through in all their magnificence and, through it, he both touched God and was touched by God.
'Our Father in heaven . . .' "in the angels and saints, giving them light to know You, since You, Oh Lord, are Light; setting them afire to love You. You, O Lord, are the Sovereign good, the Eternal good, from which everything good has its being and without which there is nothing good."
Francis mentions that it is God who gives light to see Him by (the power to percieve Him) and that He is the One who is the True Light as well - illuminating all things (including time and eternity, life and death and every created thing) revealing both their meaning and purpose.
He goes on to say that this light is so powerful that it sets all things afire - afire with love. This all-powerful love consumes all of our illusions (arrogance, pride and presumption), frees us from sin (darkness and death) and makes us powerful (and free) to do, to be and to understand all that is good . . . and to revel in this goodness in all things and through all things, to the glory and delight of God our Father! Amen!
Being 'set afire' like this is the most wonderful and profound thing a person can experience. After all, this 'Fire', this Love, . . . is God Himself! Being set afire by God - becoming One Flame of Love with Him - is profoundly mysterious. Love is the highest and fullest expression of God's person, (His heart) and in the same way, it is the fullest expression of what it means to be a child of God (a human being). We were all made in the image of our Father and, through divine love, this image of God can spark and shine brilliantly!
Francis often described God as being the source of all good and the fullest expression of the good found in all things. God is the 'Sovereign Good' - the 'Good' that is superior to all other 'good' things - King of them all. God is 'the Eternal Good' - the 'Good' that never ends, has always been and will always be - abiding in the eternal 'now'. He is the 'Good' that will always remain with us: following us, ever at our side and always going before us, protecting and nurturing us. He is the 'Good' that is everywhere - ever blessing us and enriching us with His goodness.
God is the 'Good from which everything good has it's being'. God made all things and, after making all things He pronounced them 'good'. Therefore all created things are good - their essence is good. The thought He put into their creation was a 'good' thought. The will that actually created them was a 'good will'. The wisdom and power He used to bring them into existence was all beautiful, positive and good. Even now it is God's goodness that sustains all things and makes all things prosper.
The devil and man-kind are the only creatures that we are taught should be considered evil (evil = doing harm). In all creation they are the only one's that can choose to be evil - for they have free choice. (God made us with the capacity to freely make choices in life and this is a wonderful gift. However, it is also that which allows us to turn what is 'good' into something evil (destructive) by choosing to go against God's will. We create evil when we twist (pervert) what is good through selfishness, greed, pride and arrogance).
Francis' next phrase is cryptic (and somewhat dark): "without which there is nothing that is good". Francis tells us that, if God is absent from His creation, then that which was 'good' - has lost it's goodness. But what created thing is without God? As stated above there are three places where God is not found: hell, the devil (and his demons) and the hearts of unbelieving men.
Wherever God is - that is where heaven is. Wherever God is not - that is where we find what is called 'hell'. Hell isn't a place into which people are forced against their will and where terrible tortures have been prepared for them. Hell is a place that men choose to walk into, doing what they wrongly insist is right (going against God's will) and the tortures they suffer are self-inflicted. Hell is ugly, dark and narrow, filled with pain, sorrow, shame and regret and is made this way by our choosing evil instead of good. It is a place where men's natural needs and desires are extreme and yet there is no way to meet those needs or desires (since only God can do that and they have rejected Him!) - and the damned remain in a state of constant agony. It is a place where the damned are by themselves, each alone, and so terribly lonely. They see at this point in their existence that they have made themselves into monsters - things that is despicable and hateful. The damned have chosen to live without God during their earthly existence and therefore are without God in the next. Their existence, without His goodness and light, is horrific at best. The damned rejected God, His goodness and truth, and are left with . . . nothing.
If God is with You now - lives within Your heart - then you are actually in 'heaven' (if you have 'eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart that understands'). This is why Francis was called our 'Seraphic Father' - he lived his life like the angels - free in joy and love! If you have allowed God to rule Your heart then You should also be aflame with His love - consumed with desire for Him and able to experience the richness of His gifts, His blessings, in this life. You are not only open to His gifts but empowered to love like Him - sharing His gifts with all men. Alleluia!
If you are without God then hell is within you and around you - despite being in this earth that so brightly reflects His glory, power, wisdom, love and goodness - you cannot experience Him and so are lost. People without God are like spiritual zombies - the living dead. They seek meaning and fulfillment but find only emptiness, futility and despair in life. It is all very tragic and breaks God's heart to see for He loves us and wants us all to be with Him and experience His blessings. He wants us to "have life and have it more abundantly!".
All of us must release the little child of God within us to reach out loving arms to our heavenly Father. If we do then we will be able to revel in God and His love. We can do this, like Francis did, in meditating on and praying the Lord's Prayer. After all, God is your Father, loves and delights in You and wants to pour His blessings into your heart until your "cup overflows!"
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