A doctor of Biblical Literature from the Inchon Diocese, in the Catholic Times, offers some reflections on ways to sanctify the name of the Lord God as presented in the Old Testament and Jewish literature.
First, it is said that the people of Israel (the believers) sanctify God’s name by keeping His teachings and commandments when following the teachings of the scribes or rabbis. “You must keep my commandments and follow them. I am the Lord. Do not desecrate my holy name, so that my holiness may be revealed among the Israelites. I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” (Leviticus 22:31-32)
Second, it can be noted that the salvation of humanity is to be fulfilled and proclaimed by the prophets. By revealing Himself as the righteous judge and the completer of salvation before all nations, the Lord God manifests His own holiness. “I will sanctify the great name which you have profaned among the nations.” (Ezekiel 36:23)
Saint Bruder Klaus (1417–1487) of the Swiss Church offered only the Lord’s Prayer during his pilgrimage from his hometown to the Einsiedeln Benedictine Monastery, about 50km away. How many times did he offer it? It is said that he could not even complete it once.
It is astonishing yet understandable. When praying while contemplating the profound meaning contained in the Lord’s Prayer, one might feel as if they remain in that first line for a very long time. How can we humans, “a fleeting smoke that appears and vanishes” (James 4:14), dare to directly call our Creator God ‘Father’? Saint Klaus probably found that even a ten-hour meditation could not fully grasp such a profound mystery.
The Lord God Himself has shaped us. Being born into the world through our parents is, in fact, the greatest mystery and grace on earth. How can one understand even 10% of the mystery of life, of the one and only me created uniquely in the entire universe, in just a few hours?
As a penance for confession, he sometimes suggested to the parishioners, “Would you like to slowly offer the Lord’s Prayer while reflecting on its meaning? Or would you like to devote yourself to the Rosary?” Some people respond, “I pray that every day,” giving the impression that they regard the Lord’s Prayer or the Rosary as not particularly significant.
He encouraged the parishioners reading this to listen attentively to the words of salvation from Ezekiel 36 whenever you offer the Lord’s Prayer. I believe that His blessing is already blooming abundantly within us. “Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, the towns shall be inhabited again, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. … And the people will say, ‘The land that was desolate has become like the Garden of Eden…’”
