St Peter’s Square
Wednesday, 17 April 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters: In these weeks we are reflecting on the “Our Father”; now, on this eve of the Easter Triduum, let us consider three prayers that Jesus makes to the Father as he approaches his death and resurrection. The first takes place after the Last Supper: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you” (Jn 17:1). Second, full of anguish in the garden of Gethsemane, our Lord entrusts himself to God with the tender word “Abba, Father” (Mk 14:36). Third, at the height of his torment on the cross, Jesus prays for us: “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). As we pray the “Our Father” in the coming days, let each of us ask for one of these three graces: to live our lives for God’s glory, that is with love; to know how to entrust ourselves to the Father in moments of tribulation; and, in our encounter with the Father, to allow ourselves to be forgiven and to find the courage to forgive others.
