The Gospel of Luke places a special emphasis on prayer. Mother Mary ponders her life with Jesus in her heart (Lk. 2:51). Mary, Martha's sister, chooses to sit and listen to Jesus (10:42). Jesus himself takes time from busyness to be alone with the Father (5:16).

Jesus also teaches us to pray. His prayer is rich. Today we look at one aspect: "Your kingdom come" (11:2).

Here we pray that God's kingdom be manifest, that it be brought about in our daily lives. What does this look like? One element of the kingdom is that God's invitation to each person is lived out. In other words, we are not passive obervers. God desires to build the kingdom in cooperation with him. Each person has a part to play.

St. Paul realizes this. He writes to the Galatians that his call to preach the Gospel is not vague or general. Rather, he has a special call to preach to the Gentiles. This is how God will shine through Paul best.

When we pray that God's kingdom come, we are praying that God help us to discover and live out our role in God's kingdom. God can work alone, yet amazingly, desires to cooperate with us.