June 2018 SPECIAL EDITION March 2015 Issue | Page 8

March, 2015
Continued from page 1

In praying the Our Father, we acknowledge God is our creator; we call Him “Our Father.” We
praise him (hallowed be thy name). We recognize He, not we, is in charge (thy will be done). We declare
God is in charge everywhere (on earth as it is in heaven). We admit we depend on God for our continued
existence (give us this day our daily bread). We express a desire not for all we want but only for what we
need today (our DAILY bread). We contract with God (forgive us our trespasses AS we forgive those who
trespass against us). When we say those words, especially that all important “as,” we bind ourselves to accept what Jesus said over and over. Although all sins are forgiven, God will give us only the amount of
forgiveness we give to others. Then, we ask God to protect us from sin (and lead us not into temptation but
deliver us from evil). And, finally we make it all official. We say “AMEN!” That is, we proclaim we BELIEVE everything we have just said.
Bill and Bob were arguing about prayer. Bill shouted, “I bet you twenty bucks you’re so bad at
praying you can’t even say the Our Father.” Bob shouted back, “Can too!” And, with great confidence,
Bob started: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.” Bill looked amazed. “Darn, I
owe you twenty. I was sure you didn’t know it.”
Before we laugh at Bill and Bob, let’s be honest with ourselves. Sure, we SAY the words, but do
we PRAY them. Do we KNOW what we are saying. I hope so. It is, after all, the LORD’S prayer, the
PERFECT prayer.
Answers to quiz on page 7:

1. C - Old palms from previous year(s) can become
dry and brittle, but since they are blessed, they
must be burned or buried.
2. B - Holy water fonts are emptied on the days of the
Sacred Triduum in preparation of the blessing of
water at the Easter Vigil.
3. B - Lent officially ends at sundown on Holy
Thursday, with the beginning of the Mass of the
Lord’s Supper.
4. A - In this optional practice, churches cover crosses until after the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion
on Good Friday, when the altar is stripped
5. C - The single celebration of the Triduum marks
the end of the Lenten season, and leads to the Mass
of the Resurrection of the Lord at the Easter Vigil
6. A - Five grains of incense are inserted into the
candle in the form of a cross to recall the aromatic
spices with which Christ's Sacred Body was prepared for the tomb, and of the five wounds in His
hands, feet, and side.
7. C - Holy Communion is distributed to the faithful
during the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion
8. A - During Lent, it is forbidden for the altar to be
decorated with flowers except for Laetare Sunday
(4th Sunday of Lent), or for solemnities and feasts.
9. C - Because the new liturgical day begins at Sunset, the vigil begins between sunset Holy Saturday
and sunrise Easter Sunday.
10. B - By denying ourselves something that is enjoyable, we are reminded of the sacrifice Christ made
for us.
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