July 25, Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me. — Psalm 138:3 

Mass Readings: Genesis 18:20-32 / Colossians 2:12-14 / Luke 11:1-13 

The Lord’s Prayer in Hebrew 

In Israel today there is a small group of Catholics who celebrate Mass in Hebrew, with the permission of the Latin Patriarch (who happens to be Palestinian). When they proclaim the Gospel today, they will be praying the Lord’s Prayer in Hebrew as Luke has given it to us. 

Having been a participant in synagogue life with my wife for several years now, I’ve learned a little bit of Hebrew. When I saw the Hebrew translation of the Lord’s Prayer as used by the Catholic community in Israel, I was struck by how Jewish it is. I shouldn’t have been surprised: Jesus, after all, was a practicing Jew who worshipped a Father-God, blessed His name, and prayed that His heavenly kingdom would come and sanctify the earth. 

Prayer: Father of us all, bring the peace of Your kingdom to our troubled earth.