We pray the Lord’s Prayer as a community during Mass. It is impossible to say it once through, giving the fullest possible attention to each word, without a change, infinitesimal perhaps but real, taking place in the soul.” Simone Weil When do we pray the Lord’s Prayer? It is to prayer what Christ is to humanity. “The Our Father contains all possible petitions we cannot conceive of any prayer not already contained in it. This is why we pray the Lord’s Prayer: to talk with God intentionally. All we need to do is call on Him (Matthew) and approach our conversation with Him intentionally (Luke).
The two Scriptural accounts of the Lord’s Prayer from Luke and Matthew demonstrate the power of this traditional prayer for many intentions and petitions. Thinking of the Lord’s Prayer as a template reminds us that we can talk with God about anything in prayer. We call on Him, glorify Him, surrender to His will, and ask for nourishment, forgiveness, and guidance. Though they hold much meaning (see “How to Pray” below), the Lord’s Prayer also provides us with a template in how we approach and talk with God.
OUR FATHER THOU ART IN HEAVEN HALLOWED BE THY NAME HOW TO
When Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer after the disciples asking him how to pray, it wasn’t just about the words of the prayer itself. All we have to do is call on Him! Luke’s Context Whether we pray with gratitude or thanksgiving or pray for guidance or forgiveness, God always knows what we need. When we’re at a loss for words in prayer, turn to the Lord’s Prayer with intention. Before Matthew introduces the Lord’s Prayer, he tells us something essential: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). He encourages us to pray alone, in the quiet, so that we can best speak with and listen to God. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus provides us with a few tenets of how to pray. However, the two contexts show us why we pray the Lord’s Prayer. Scholars continue to debate their differences. So, Jesus responds with a slightly shorter version of the Lord’s Prayer than the one we find in Matthew’s Gospel. In the Gospel of Luke, the Lord’s Prayer is Jesus’ response to his disciples’ request: “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples” (Luke 1:11). Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. In Matthew, the Lord’s Prayer is embedded in the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus teachers His followers how to pray with humility. However, the prayer doesn’t appear in the same form or location in the two Gospels. Biblical rootsĪs noted earlier, we find the Lord’s Prayer in two books of the New Testament: Matthew and Luke. These last four ask for His help and commend our sins and weaknesses to His grace.
The first three draw us toward the glory of the Father, giving Him praise. Thomas Aquinas writes that not only do these petitions contain everything we could ever desire but they are also written in the sequence in which they should be desired. The seven lines of the prayer are often called the Seven Petitions. The Lord’s Prayer is comprised of seven lines and was likely originally written in Aramaic. 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.” Matthew 6:9-13 What is the Lord’s Prayer? “Pray then in this way: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. It is one of - if not the - most popular Christian prayers. The Lord’s Prayer, also known as the ‘Our Father,’ comes from the Gospel of Matthew, with a shorter version in the Gospel of Luke.
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