A Place to Pray: Reflections on the Lord's Prayer

by Roberta C. Bondi

A Place to Pray: Reflections on the Lord's Prayer is not an exegetical book; rather the reflections in it, which draw from the author's own experiences, teaching, and study of the early church, are presented in a series of letters to a fictional friend. In these letters Bondi addresses many of the issues that make praying the Lord's Prayer difficult. At the same time, she helps readers use the prayer as a means of helping them love God, neighbor, and self.

Genres: Prayer, Spirituality, Theology

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Denise Kettering · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is essentially a commentary on the Lord's Prayers and deals with some issues around language, particularly fatherhood language, alongside considerations of the how the early church and personal experiences from Bondi's own life help to understand the text. She shows how the prayer is personal and not just a rote prayer. The book is written in the style of letters to a friend who is struggling to pray the Lord's prayer in an ecclesial setting. Beginning with "Our Father", each letter moves the reader line-by-line through the prayer to discuss aspects of forgiveness, provision, etc. Bondi uses stories from her own life to illustrate many of the points that she makes, while also drawing on language from earlier Christian figures, like Julian of Norwich or Eusebius.

[Alyssa Foll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful reflections on The Lord's Prayer. Roberta Bondi never ceases to amaze me at how she weaves the personal and the theological together.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

“In many ways the Lord’s Prayer is the most fundamental of all Christians’ prayers. It was given to us by Jesus in response to the disciples’ explicit request that he teach them to pray, and throughout the period of the early church, along with the creed, it was regarded as a basic catechetical text.”

I am getting excited about hearing Roberta Bondi speak this month. This is the third book I have read by her and I have liked what I have read. Bondi has done research and taught about the desert mothers and fathers. This is a part of Christianity that I know little about. I read one book, years ago, but Bondi is introducing me to saints I don’t know.

Bondi writes in this book specifically about the Lord’s Prayer. There are many times that I have prayed this so fast, I am not sure I even said all the words. I am much too comfortable with these words. Bondi helps her readers slow down and think about what the prayer is saying. The book is written in the form of letters and each epistle covers one phrase. I appreciate the opportunity to think through what I have been saying for years.

If you are Christian and want a fresh look at our earliest prayer, I recommend this small book to you. If you are not familiar with the Lord ’s Prayer you might also find this interesting. Knowing these words will give you some insight into the Christian faith and Jesus.

[David Flood]

It was good. Used it for a book study in our church group.