UNDERSTANDING THROUGH PRAYER

TODAY: Consider learning the Lord's Prayer in another language. You can find the prayer in 1,323 languages and dialects at http://198.62.75.5/www1/pater/index.html. At the Convent of the Pater Noster, built over the site where Jesus taught His disciples the Lord's Prayer, the walls are decorated with 140 ceramic tiles. Each one is inscribed with the Lord's Prayer in a different language.

Last summer, we were blessed with the opportunity to attend my sister's wedding in Heidelberg, Germany. Since the bride grew up in the United States, the groom grew up in Germany and they both have parents who emigrated from Korea, the wedding was attended by friends and family from all over the world. During the several days we spent there, we had a wonderful weekend catching up with our friends and relatives and getting acquainted with my brother-in-law's friends and family, many of whom were from Asia and Europe. Given the fact that many of us spoke different languages, communicating posed a challenge at times.

The wedding took place in a Jesuit church and, depending on who was speaking at the time, was conducted in English, German, Korean and even Latin. As a result, many of us were not able to understand what was being said during parts of the ceremony. The priest then asked us all to recite the Lord's Prayer in our own languages.

This was probably the only time during the entire weekend that we all knew what the other was saying. How wonderful that this moment of total understanding took place while we were affirming our faith together!

— Michael Park

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist