Our Father...
When the clouds are thundering and the oceans roaring, they call to Thee: "Our Lord!"
When meteors fall, and fire springs up from the earth, they speak to Thee: "Our Creator!"
When the flowers are opening their buds in the spring, and the swallows are picking up pieces
of dry hay with which to make their nests for their young, they sing to Thee: "Our Master!"
And when I lift my eyes up to The throne I am whispering to Thee: "Our Father!"
There was a time, a long and fearful time, when man too spake to Thee and called Thee: Lord, or Creator, or Master!
Yea, when man felt himself to be only a thing among things. But now by merit of They First-born and Best Son we learned Thy right name. Therefore, I too, with Christ, dare to call Thee: "Father!"
If I address Thee as "Lord," I bow in fear before Thee as a slave amongst an army of slaves, If I call Thee "Creator," I separate myself from Thee as night is apart from day or as a leaf from its tree.
If I look to Thee and say "Master," I am as a stone among stones, and as a camel among camels.
But if I open my mouth and whisper "Father," love takes the place of fear, earth seems lifted nearer to Heaven, and I walk with Thee, as with my companions in the garden of this world and share Thy glory, and sorrows and strength.
Our Father! Thou art the Father of us all, and I would lessen both Thee and me if I call Thee: My Father!
Our Father! Thou dost not care so much about me, a single individual, as about the whole world. Thy Kingdom is Thy aim, and not a single man. Selfishness cries to Thee: My Father! But Love cries: Our Father!
In the name of all men, my brothers, I pray: Our Father!
In the name of all things which surround me and with which Thou has woven me, I pray to Thee, Our Father!
I pray to Thee, Father of the universe, for one thing only I pray to Thee:let soon dawn the great day when all men, the living and the dead, in harmony with the Angels and stars, and the animals and things, call to Thee by Thy true name: Our Father!
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Which Art in Heaven....
We always lift up our eyes to Heaven when calling to Thee and cast them down to the earth when remembering our sins. We are always in the depths on account of our weakness and our sins. Thou abidest always in the heights, as befits The magnitude and Thy holiness.
Thou art always in Heaven when we are unworthy to receive Thee; but gladly Thou descendest to us, to our earthly housing, when we are longing and opening the door for Thee.
Yet even when Thou descendest to us, still Thou abidest in Heaven, in Heaven Thou livest, over the Heavens walkest, and with the Heavens together dost Thou bow down to our valley.
Heaven is far, too far, for the man whose mind and heart are turned from Thee, or who laughs when Thy name is spoken. But Heaven is near, so near, for the man who always keeps open the door of his soul and waits for Thy coming, our dearest Guest.
If the most just man is compared with Thee, Thou towerest over him as the firmament of Heaven over the valley of the earth; as everlasting life over the realm of death.
We are of destructible and perishable material; how could we stand on the same height with Thee, Immortal Youth and Strength!
Our Father which art always above us, bow down to us and lift us up to Thee. What are we but tongues constructed from the dust for the sake of Thy glory? The dust would be silent for ever and could not proclaim Thy name without us, O Lord. How could the dust know Thee but through us? How could Thou do miracles with the dead dust but through us?
O, Our Father!
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...Hallowed be Thy Name
Thou wouldest not be holier by our hallowing Thee, but in hallowing Thy Name we make ourselves holy. Thy Name is wondrous. The people quarrel on this earth about names: whose name is great? It is good that sometimes Thy Name is mentioned in these quarrels, because all the loquacious tongues become at once slow and hesitating, and all the great human names melted together cannot compare with Thy Name, Holy, All-Holy!
When men want to hallow Thy Name they ask Nature for help. They take stone and wood to make the temples; they aadorn the altars with pearls and flowers, and make fire of plants, their sisters; and take scent of the cedars, their brothers; and strengthen their voices by the voice of the bells; and call the animals for help, to hallow Thy Name. Nature is as pure as Thy stars, and as innocent as Thine angels, O Lord. Be merciful with us for the sake of the pure and innocent Nature which hallows Thy Name, together with us, Holy, All-Holy!
In what way should we hallow Thy name?
Is it by innocent joy? -- then be merciful with us for the sake of our innocent children.
Is it by suffering? -- then look at our cemeteries.
Or is it by self-sacrifice? -- then remember our mothers, O Lord!
Thy name is stronger than steel and clearer than light. Blessed be the man who depends upon and enlightens himself by Thy Name!
The fools say: "We are armed with steel; who can resist us?" And Thou destroyest kingdoms by invisible insects!
Terrible is Thy Name, O Lord! It illuminates and it consumes like a great fire-cloud. Nothing is holy and nothing terrible that is not bound with Thy Name. Give me, O Holy, give me as friends those in whose hearts Thy Name is engraved, and as enemies those who do not wish to know anything about Thee. For such friends will be my friends to the death, and such enemies will kneels and surrender to me as soon as their steel is broken.
Holy and terrible is Thy Name, Holy, All-Holy! Let us remember Thy Name in every moment of our joy and of our abasement in life, as we remember it in the hour of death, yea, our heavenly Father, our Holy Father!
