Walter Kasper: Essential Spiritual Writings (Modern Spiritual Masters) by Bellm Patricia C. & Krieg Robert A

Author:Bellm, Patricia C. & Krieg, Robert A [Bellm, Patricia C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Maryknoll Fathers
Published: 2016-09-14T16:00:00+00:00

TRINITARIAN PRAYER (1985)

Jesus did not only tell us that we have to pray as he has taught us to pray but also that we are to pray in his name (Jn 14:13–14 and elsewhere). Therefore, in our prayer we may call on Jesus and on the communion with Jesus and therefore be certain to be heard. Jesus continually intercedes for us before God (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25; 1 Jn 2:1). He has made possible for us a new relationship to God as our Father; through the Holy Spirit we may participate in Jesus’ relationship with the Father and even to call “Abba, dear Father” (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6). Thus, according to the New Testament, our prayer is ultimately grounded in the Triune God: “Give thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father” (Eph 5:20). All prayers, especially in the liturgy, are oriented “in the communion of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ, our Lord” to God, the almighty Father. This structure of prayer is expressed above all at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer, summing up of the high prayer:

Through him and with him and in him

O God, almighty Father,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit

all glory and honor is yours forever and ever.

Along with this basic Trinitarian structure of Christian prayer, we also encounter already in the New Testament a prayer to Jesus. The early Christian communities prayed above all, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rv 22:20; 1 Cor 16:22). In the Eucharistic Prayer, we acclaim, “Lord, have mercy,” Kyrie eleison . The church's tradition of prayer also knows prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit: “Come, Holy Spirit” [hymn, Veni Sancte Spiritus ]. And, according to the great confession of faith, the Nicene Creed, the Holy Spirit “is worshipped and glorified with the Father and the Son.”

To the Father , we pray as God's sons and daughters; to the Father are directed our praise and thanks, our request for forgiveness and for everything that belongs in the broadest sense of the word to the realm of the “daily bread” [Mt 6:11].

To Jesus Christ , we pray as his disciples for everything that is related to Jesus’ cause here on earth: for the church, for our service for the world and its people, for the mission and the proclamation of faith. Embedded here is the New Testament's request for Christ's return.

To the Holy Spirit , we—as the heirs of Jesus Christ—pray that the Spirit comes, that the Spirit fills us, makes us into members of Jesus Christ, and gives us faith, hope and love, that the Spirit gives us joy and strength, both in suffering and also in resistance to evil.

Finally, the church will never tire in its liturgy as in its private prayer of praising and acclaiming the Triune God :

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit

As in the beginning and so it is now and will be forever.

Because the confession of faith

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.