Thy Kingdom Come: Living the Lord’s Prayer in Everyday Life

Fall has arrived. Crisp air permeates our days. Soon the trees will start shedding their leaves have they have year after year. As a book reviewer, there’s another guarantee; the fall publishing season. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. There are always a plethora of FANTASTIC books being released this time of year. That brings me to my latest read Thy Kingdom Come: Living the Lord’s Prayer in Everyday Life by Father Jeffrey Kirby.

How often do we say the Lord’s Prayer? For starters, at least once a week at Mass. If you attend daily Mass, throw in a couple more. If you regularly pray the rosary, throw on a whole bunch more. But have you ever stopped to think about what you are praying? Have you thought to ponder the words that Jesus Christ taught us to pray? Have you ever paused to consider the magnitude of the fact that the Lord’s Prayer is THE prayer he gave us to pray? Buckle up because this book has the answers and so much more.

In the Lord’s Prayer, we are taught how to live as a son or daughter of God. A God who is a loving Father that loves for who we are. All of our flaws, wart, and blemishes considered He still love YOU. By diving into this book and gaining a greater understanding of what it is that we are praying you will come to have a deeper appreciation of this, frankly, mind-boggling reality. 

We are all familiar with the opening salutation, “Our Father who art on heaven.” Were you aware that the rest of the Lord’s Prayer is broken into seven tenets or signposts? Father Kirby takes a look at each of these tenets by committing one chapter to each. They are as follows: 

Tenet 1 – Thy Name (Hallowed be thy name.) 

Tenet 2 – Thy Kingdom (Thy kingdom come.)

Tenet 3 – Thy Will (Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.) 

Tenet 4 – Give Us (Give us this day our daily bread.) 

Tenet 5 – Forgive Us (Forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us.) 

Tenet 6 – Lead Us (And lead us not into temptation) 

Tenet 7 – Deliver Us (But deliver us from evil.)

And then, of course, we have the conclusion. These seven tenets, as Father Kirby explains, can be broken into two main sections. Tenets 1-3 are about God’s glory, and 4-7 are about our poverty. Each chapter includes a deep dive into one tenet. With each of the tenet’s Father Jeffrey looks at ways to apply them to our world and circumstances today. Each chapter has an examination of conscience relative to the tenet covered. 

Where the book gets very interesting is the School of Discipleship sections in each chapter. In this section, Father ties the tenet with one of the Gif the Holy Spirit, a corresponding virtue, a beatitude, and a sin. This makes for a wonderful opportunity to dive deeper into your faith journey and do some reflection on where you stand in your relationship with God. That’s not all. Each chapter concludes with various scripture readings and, to top it off, additional reading resources. After going through this book, though perfectly suited for individual use, I believe it would make a superb resource for group study. 

Are you “neglecting” the Lord’s Prayer. Has it become routine for you to utter the words with no second thought as to what you are saying? Thy Kingdom Come if the book for you. Accept the invitation to grow deeper in your relationship with God by gaining a deeper understanding of the words our Lord taught us to pray.

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