Cortez: The Lord’s Prayer

Cortez: The Lord’s Prayer

By Jaime V. Cortez

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

IF THERE is any prayer that most, if not all, Christians know, it is the Lord’s Prayer, otherwise known as the “Our Father.” Come to think of it, it is the prayer that our Lord Jesus Christ, himself, taught us, and it is a prayer found in the very pages of the Bible. Today’s gospel tells us so.

The prayer begins with the children of God addressing the all-powerful God of the universe, “Our Father.” If there is anything awesome in this address, it is the embedded expression of closeness and intimacy. The people of the Old Testament, reverent and fearful of the Almighty God, had a hard time calling, even writing, God’s name, to the risk of being charged with blasphemy. In the New Testament, however, Jesus teaches us to call God, “Our Father” — with all the connotation of what a good father of a family does to his children. Our God, however, is not an ordinary earthly father. Our God is a heavenly Father who has power and dominion over all.

He is a high God who chose to be a father to lowly man, thus deserving all the praise. We therefore declare, “Holy be your name.”

Next, we implore the coming of the Lord’s kingdom — his reign over our lives and of the entire world. We say, “May your kingdom come; may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We surrender to the wisdom and sovereignty of God, knowing too well that in his abounding love, he will always act in ways that are best for us, his children.

We then ask God for his blessings. We petition him, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Like little children we acknowledge our total dependence on God, our loving Father.

Many times, however, we offend him by our sinfulness. We violate his law of love. We therefore beg him for mercy as we ourselves should be merciful to others. We beg, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sinned against us.”

Just like in the parable of the prodigal son, our Father is always waiting for us — ready to forgive us whenever we sin, willing lift us up whenever we fall. But because the devil is always scheming out there to steal, kill and destroy, we implore for our Father’s protection. We pray, “Lead us not into the test but deliver us from evil.”

In closing we offer back to God all the praise and honor that rightly belong to him. We proclaim, “For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours… now and forever.”

What a perfect prayer! It can only come from a perfect God. Next time we pray it, may we not just utter it repeatedly from rote memory, but say it from the heart in the manner Jesus taught us.

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/opinion/2011/06/15/cortez-lords-prayer-161316

TRAILER  9

Recent surge of investments going into Clark Philippines drained Clark Freeport of prime land available for long-term leases.  Investors now look for partnerships and acquisition opportunities with existing businesses located in Clark Philippines.  Clark Pampanga is a fast growing city and businesses in Manila are making their move to either expand into or relocate to Clark Philippines.

Three new casinos, another world-class 36-hole golf course, several new hotels and resorts of varying class of luxury have opened in Philippines Clark Freeport over the last six months.  Samsung Electronics just broke ground for a US$5 billion electronics plant, coincidentally in a location adjacent to the US$2 billion plant of US chip manufacturer Texas Instruments.  Hundreds of hectares of prime land in the 4200-hectare main zone of Clark Freeport have quickly been occupied.  Almost the entire central business district has gone off the map of available land in this fast-growth investment destination.

With its near-zero crime rate, low pollution levels, absence of traffic congestion and a favorable tax structure, Clark Freeport is well known among foreign investors as the destination of choice.  Now that the Clark International Airport (DMIA) has flung into full operations with dozens of flights linking Clark to all major cities in Asia and some beyond, Clark Freeport, Pampanga has come of age.