The perfect prayer

 

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1)

What a great prayer for us to pray also, “Lord, teach us to pray…”  Jesus’ response to this disciple was to present him with the “Our Father” prayer: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 

Saint Teresa of Ávila gave this advice while praying the Lord’s Prayer: “Much more is accomplished by a single word of the Our Father said, now and then, from our heart, than by the whole prayer repeated many times in haste and without attention.”  And Saint Thérèse of Lisieux said that the “Our Father” prayer was one of the prayers she prayed when she felt so spiritually barren that she couldn’t summon up a single worthwhile thought.

During the Mass, the priest invites the people of God to pray the “Our Father;” he says, in part, that this prayer is one that “…we dare to say.”  I find this to be an interesting statement which especially reveals the childlike boldness we’re called to have as we pray this prayer sincerely from the heart.  It’s exceptionally bold to call God our “Father.”

Since many of us are very familiar with this ideal prayer taught to us by our Lord Himself, there’s a temptation to pray this prayer in a somewhat rote way.  We can easily fail to say it from the depths of our hearts, making each word our own, offered with the utmost confidence to our loving Father in Heaven.

I daresay many of us say the Lord’s Prayer out of habit, failing to fully comprehend and mean the words we pray, probably because for most Christians, it’s one of the first prayers that everyone learns from a young age.  We should use it as the foundation of all of our prayer, taking each word of that prayer and praying it slowly, intentionally and with love.

After the initial address to the Father, the prayer itself is comprised of seven petitions.  There are three “thy-petitions” (thy name, thy kingdom, thy will) followed by four “us-petitions” (give us, forgive us, lead us not, and deliver us).  In order to better understand the Lord’s prayer, it’s important to briefly examine each petition.

 “Our Father, who art in heaven…”  When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He didn’t teach them to pray “My Father”, but rather “Our Father.”  This reminds us that we’re God’s sons and daughters together in Christ, not as isolated individuals.  It’s only as the body of Christ that we can pray to God as Father.  When we call God “Father,” it’s a reminder for us to live as children in relation with God.  In teaching us to call God “Father,” Jesus also tells us that we have the privilege to call God by the same name he used in his intimate relationship with the Father.

 “Hallowed be thy name…”  In the first petition, we’re asking that God’s name would be “hallowed” or sanctified.  Objectively speaking, God’s name is already holy, but the prayer is asking that God make His name holy to all people through His works and deeds. (Ezekiel 36:22-27)

“Thy kingdome come…”  The second petition has a twofold meaning.  First, we’re praying for the coming of the Kingdom of God here and now in our everyday lives.  At the same time, we’re also praying for Christ’s glorious return at the end of time and the final coming of the Reign of God.

“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”  The third petition asks God that our will be conformed to His divine will.  When Jesus was praying to the Father in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-68), He also used the words “thy will be done.”   When we pray “thy will be done” we commit ourselves to following Jesus by taking up our cross.

 “Give us this day, our daily bread…”  In the fourth petition, “give us” expresses our trust in our heavenly Father.  “Our daily bread” refers to our earthly nourishment that’s necessary to physically sustain us throughout the day and the Bread of Life (the Word of God and the Body of Christ) that spiritually nourishes us.  As Catholics, we’re privileged to receive the “Bread of Life” daily in the Mass.

 “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…”  In the fifth petition, we beg for God’s mercy for the times that we’ve fallen short of loving God and loving our neighbor.  We acknowledge that the Father’s mercy and forgiveness is able to penetrate our hearts to the extent that we’re able to forgive our enemies.

 “Lead us not into temptation…”  Some people wonder why we would ask God not to lead us into temptation.  The letter of St. James, however, clearly says that God doesn’t tempt us with evil (James 1:13).  So, in this petition, we’re asking that God doesn’t allow us to take the path that leads to sin.  We’re praying to avoid the near occasion of sin.

 “But deliver us from evil…”  Closely tied to the previous prayer, in this final petition, we’re asking God to protect us from evil.  The Catechism teaches that the “evil” in this petition is not an abstract evil, but actually “refers to a person, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God” (CCC 2851).  While we acknowledge the reality of the devil, we place our trust in Christ and His definitive victory over evil on the cross.

What a great prayer!