Recently I had the privilege of writing a history of prayer in the Christian tradition. It was quite clear that the Lord’s Prayer was the benchmark of prayer. Throughout the centuries Christians dropped their “plumb bob” on this prayer. And they got their bearings. This prayer was the basis and model for prayer. It was a summary of the Gospel. This prayer was the most memorized, quoted, and sung by the church. It was the center piece of prayer for the church fathers. Plus, the prayer was so unique. For example, Jesus told us to pray for our daily bread. The word he used was “epiousios.” This word was not in the classical Greek of the New Testament. Scholars thought perhaps Jesus made up the word. Until it was discovered on some domestic parchments. The word literally meant grocery list! I wonder if Mother Mary would give Jesus a grocery list as in “epiousios” to go to the market. In other words, He is not only concerned with meeting our deepest spiritual needs, but He wants to be our source for the commonplace necessities of life. How amazing is His love for us.