Book Reviews and More: The Lord's Prayer - T.J. Burdick

The Lord's Prayer

Companion in Faith

Our Sunday Visitor

ISBN 9781681923925

The Lord's Prayer - T.J. Burdick - OSV Companion in Faith

I stumbled upon the Our Sunday Visitor ‘Companion in Faith’ Series while doing research for the series ‘OSV Pocket Guides’, and ‘OSV Handy Little Guides’. I was able to track down the 5 volumes in this series and this was the second I read. I had previously read one other volume by T.J., Catholic Discipline: 8 Daily Habits Towards Living a Holier Life, and looked forward to this volume.

This is the one of the ‘Companion in Faith’ books from Our Sunday Visitor I believe there are 5 volumes in the series; but only one every had an eBook edition released. This is a pity. I want to state that this is a wonderful little book or booklet. It was a great little read, and reminder, it is one that could read repeatedly, and with new benefits each time. Second, I really wish this that others in the ‘Companion in Faith’ books were available as eBooks. After having read some in the series I want to read the others but almost never pick up physical books anymore, or if I do I scan them to make digital copies if I am very desperate to read them. Mainly due to my dyslexia.

The chapters and sections in this booklet are:

Introduction

Priority 1 Honoring God and Neighbor

Priority 2 Advancing God's Kingdom

Priority 3 Submitting To God's Will

Priority 4 Balancing Your Life

Priority 5 Forgiveness

Priority 6 Discipline

Priority 7 Fight

Conclusion

The description of this volume is:

“It's one of the most important prayers in our Christian faith; after all, it was Christ himself who taught us how to pray it. Yet most of us find ourselves distracted and preoccupied when we say the familiar words of the Lord's Prayer. How can we enter more deeply into this prayer? We need to start with our priorities. Through this guided meditation, you will see that the Lord's Prayer teaches us to align our priorities with those of God Part of the Companion in Faith series.”

Another and the back of the book states:

Through this guided meditation, you will see that the Lord's Prayer teaches us to align our priorities with those of God by:

• Honoring God and neighbor

• Advancing God's kingdom

• Submitting to God's will

• Balancing our life

• Forgiving others

• Developing discipline

• Fighting sin and evil

Part of the Companion in Faith series.”

About the author we are informed:

“T. J. BURDICK is the author of several books and articles on the Catholic faith. He writes and speaks on how to grow in holiness amongst the distractions and difficulties of the current age. He resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife and four children. When he is not spending time with his family or writing books, you can find him teaching courses on the Catholic faith through the Dominican Institute (dominicaninstitute.com), an online learning platform that serves students of every age and ability.”

The volume has both:

Nihil Obstat

Msgr. Michael Heintz, Ph.D.

Censor Librorum

Imprimatur

Kevin C. Rhoades

Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend

June 20, 2018

I highlighted numerous sections while reading this volume, they are:

“Does this sound familiar? I know it does for me. Praying the Lord's Prayer, also known as the Our Father, can be difficult. It's one of the most important prayers in our Christian tradition (the prayer Jesus himself taught us), yet somehow thoughts, distractions, and preoccupations always seem to find their way to the forefront of our brains when we attempt to pray it.”

“We all struggle with an imbalance in our priorities. This is part of our fallen human nature: we place things that really don't matter on top of our priority lists while the most important aspects of our lives get knocked down to the bottom. We watch TV instead of exercising. We check our social media instead of conversing with real-life friends. We work overtime instead of spending time with our families. In short, we sometimes (okay, most times) value what we shouldn't and undervalue what will make us truly happy.”

“In other words, when we pray the Our Father, we are actually asking God to put our priorities in their proper order, beginning with the most important things. On top of that, the recitation of these righteous words gradually teaches us the right way to ask for everything we really need to become healthy, happy, and holy.”

“The Lord's Prayer has transformative power in much the same way. Granted, it is to a lesser degree than receiving the Eucharist, but we must not underestimate its potential to change us and to make us holy if we are open to God's work in us. The honest recitation of these words has the power to transform our lives. That is why, in the Mass, we pray the Lord's Prayer just before we receive Holy Communion. Both work hand in hand to guide us deeper into the mystery of God's unfathomable love for us.”

“When we say "Our Father," we are at once recognizing the proper title by which we must refer to God and acknowledging that we belong to the one body of his holy Church.”

“We often forget to hallow - to honor as holy - God's name, because we are too busy hallowing things of less importance. Some hallow career, others security, and still others entertainment. Whenever we hallow something that isn't God, we make idols of God's creation, and ultimately of ourselves. We flip our priorities on their head.”

“PRIORITY CHALLENGE

Carve out five or ten minutes each morning and give them to God in prayer. Read Scripture, meditate on the Lord's Prayer, or simply sit with him in silence and ask him to help you keep love of God and neighbor at the top of your priority list.”

“When we pray for God's kingdom to come, we become missionaries. With these words of the Lord's Prayer, we take our first step on the road to building up the kingdom of God.”

“PRIORTTY CHALLENGE

How can you put your time, talent, and treasure at God's service every day? It doesn't have to be something big - it can be as small as giving twenty minutes to a friend or loved one who needs to talk, or figuring out one talent you can use in service to your parish once a month. Whatever it is, don't just think about: go do it. Remember, only you can accomplish the mission God has given you.”

“The saints also surround us in the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church. They pray for us, encourage us, support us, and urge us on to heaven.”

“When we submit ourselves to God's will, we take on the spiritual vision that allows us to journey in peace and safety to heaven, our final destination.”

“We don't have to wait until death to enter heaven. Paradise begins when we submit the powers of our soul to God. Then, and only then, can we experience the true potential of our life. When we allow our own will to be guided and transformed by God's perfect will, we receive supernatural abilities to manifest his love on earth as it is in heaven.”

“PRIORITY CHALLENGE

Pause throughout the day and remind yourself of the spiritual realities that surround you. Pray to your guardian angel throughout the day. Pray to your patron saints and ask for their help and intercession even in the smallest details of your life and the lives of those around you.”

“God has given us our work to manifest Christ's redemptive mission. We are no longer closed off from paradise like Adam and Eve, but we are united to God through our "daily grind."”

“We don't work only for food, drink, shelter, and security, but also for peace of mind, clarity in thought, spiritual fervor, and balance. In order to earn these graces, we must do our part by putting in the work.”

“We do this properly by giving some time to our hobbies. This might be playing board games with loved ones, reading a book, playing a sport, cooking, dancing, or painting. Regardless of what you choose to do with your free time, do it with God by your side.”

“We must have patience with others in the same way God has patience with us.”

“SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE

For Saint Paul, there was a great parallel between the physical discipline of sports and the spiritual discipline we need to grow in the virtue we need to reach heaven.”

“We choose discipline in our physical and spiritual lives for a much higher cause. How much more, then, can we gain by training our souls to reject the temptations that lead us away from God, who gives us life?”

“Moreover, we are all connected in this spiritual war. Every act we perform, every thought we consciously harbor, has eternal impact on the state of our own souls and on those around us.”

“We also each have our personal crosses to bear on the battlefield for souls. We must suffer. We must battle. We must win this war. For if we do not succeed, not only will we be lost, but the effects of our sins will have consequences for the souls of others, both those we love and many we will never meet.”

“We are those victors. We are the ones who heed Saint Paul's advice and resist the evil that surrounds us. We are God's children, and although we must suffer in this valley of tears, we are destined to win this spiritual war.”

“It is fitting that we make this petition at the end of the Lord's Prayer, for it reminds us that we were not made for this life. This final petition encourages us to look beyond this life to the moment when, at the end of our lives, the war will be over, and we will be able to meet God face to face in the beatific vision.”

“Fighting evil, then, is not our first priority; rather, we must first seek to love God and our neighbor, and all the rest will come with it. This includes our mission, submission to God's will, balancing our lives, having patience with others, exercising spiritual discipline, and arming ourselves for battle so that we can achieve the final victory over evil.”

I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. This volume has a lot of practical suggestions and recommendations. It offers enough that everyone is sure to find some things that help and work. But most of all it reminds us of the value of spending time living out our faith, and especially as related to the Lord’s Prayer.

When I was in university, I was involved with Campus Crusade for Christ, there was a series of booklets by the founder Bill Bright, called Transferable Concepts, and by reading them many times you could almost memorize them and the message so that you could share it. This volume and series remind me a lot of those books.

This book and series would be excellent for High School Students, College or University Students and us older adults. It is easy to engage with. TJ writes in an engaging manner and offers some personal. An excellent little volume, one any Catholic, or any Christian would benefit from reading!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books in the OSV Companion in Faith Series:

For Those Who Grieve - Jeannie Ewing

Living in Peace - Father Jeffrey Kirby

The Beatitudes - Kathleen M Basi

The Lord's Prayer - T.J. Burdick

The Power of Forgiveness - Patrice Fagnant-Macarthur

…

Books in the Handy Little Series from OSV:

The Handy Little Guide to Adoration - Michelle Jones Schroeder

The Handy Little Guide to Confession - Michelle Jones Schroeder

The Handy Little Guide to Prayer - Barb Szyszkiewicz