On page 16 in the Science and Health Mrs. Eddy gives us the
spiritual sense of the Lord’s prayer. She takes each individual idea and
interprets it from a metaphysical basis to give us a clearer sense of Jesus’
words. Recently many of our branch churches and even The Mother Church has
included citations from some of the newer translations of the Bible which are
helpful in putting these important passages into a clearer context for us to
understand in modern language. I thought it be interesting to do the same thing
with the Lord’s prayer and wondered how a college student, perhaps away from
home for the first time, might be writing to stay in touch with their parents.
Perhaps their letter sent home to their parents might go something like this:
Our Father which art in heaven,
Our Father-Mother God, all-harmonious,
Hi Mom and Dad, Thanks for staying in
touch. I’m glad to hear everything is going so well at home
Hallowed be Thy name.
Adorable One.
Being away for the first time, I realize how
grateful I am to have such wonderful parents as you.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.
It’s so easy to close my eyes and know that
my home and family are always with me in my heart and my consciousness no
matter where I go or how far away I travel. It’s like you’re always with me.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Enable us to know, — as in heaven, so on earth,
— God is omnipotent, supreme.
I just wanted to say how grateful I am for
my upbringing and the values you instilled in me. It’s almost like you are with
the each day guiding me when I am gone the same way you did when I was there.
Give us this day our daily bread;
Give us grace for to-day; feed the famished
affections;
And thank you again for my allowance. The
check really came in handy and I know it was sent with love so I could purchase
those extra goodies whenever I seem to run low. I never lack for anything.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors.
And Love is reflected in love;
I know I can never repay you for all the
wonderful things you have given me and for setting me on the right path so I am
paying the debt forward to everyone I meet, just as you would want me to.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil;
And God leadeth us not into temptation, but
delivereth us from sin, disease, and
death.
The kids up here are doing a lot of
questionable things which seem to be popular, but I can clearly see past the
influence of such destructive behavior. The spiritual foundation you gave me shelters
and protects me and my friends from anything trying to disrupt our good
relationship.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory, forever.
For God is infinite, all-power, all Life, Truth,
Love, over all, and All.
I realize now that the upbringing you gave
me at home is more important to my life and career than anything I will learn
in college. The basis for happiness is not formal education, but the power of
infinite wisdom, a clean mind and heart, living a life of which I can be proud
without regret, never lying, cheating or being deceitful, and learning to see
loving qualities in everyone, not just my friends, but all with whom I come in
contact. College doesn’t make you smart, good choices do. I love you and feel
your presence with me every day.
Thank you forever. Well I guess that’s All for
now. Your loving son, J.
