Our Father's Prayer on the Desktop. How to read the prayer "Our Father

Prayers in Christianity are divided into thanksgiving, petitioning, festive and universal prayers. There are also prayers that every self-respecting Christian should know. One of these prayer texts is Our Father.

The meaning of the prayer "Our Father"

Jesus Christ transmitted this prayer to the apostles so that they, in turn, would convey it to the world. This is a petition for seven blessings - spiritual shrines, which are ideals for any believer. With the words of this prayer, we express respect for God, love for Him, as well as faith in the future.

This prayer is suitable for all situations in life. It is universal - it is read at every church liturgy. It is customary to exalt it in honor of the thanksgiving of God for the sent happiness, for the request for healing, for the salvation of the soul, in the morning and in the evening, before going to bed. To read Our Father from the bottom of your heart, it should not be like ordinary reading. As church leaders say, it is better not to say this prayer at all than to read it simply because it is necessary.

The text of the prayer "Our Father":

Our Father who art in heaven! hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, as in heaven, on earth; Give us our daily bread for this day; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and power and glory forever. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And now and ever, in the age of centuries. Amen.

"Hallowed be Thy name"- this is how we show respect for God, for his uniqueness and unchanging greatness.

"Thy kingdom come,"- so we ask that the Lord deign to rule over us, not turn away from us.

"Thy will be done, as in heaven on earth,"- this is how a believer asks God to take an unchanging part in everything that happens to us.

"Give us this day our daily bread"- give us the body and blood of Christ for this life.

"Forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors",- our willingness to forgive insults from our enemies, which will return to us in God's forgiveness of sins.

"Do not lead us into temptation"- a request that God would not betray us, not leave us at the mercy of sins.

"Deliver us from the evil one"- so it is customary to ask God to help us resist the temptations and human desire for sin.

This prayer works miracles; she is able to save us in the most difficult moments of our life. That is why most people, when danger approaches or in desperate situations, read Our Father. Pray to God for salvation and happiness, but not earthly, but heavenly. Keep the faith and remember to push the buttons and

02.02.2016 00:20

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Perhaps it is safe to say that the main prayer in Christianity is "Our Father". She is very strong and able to help in any situation. The text of this prayer is very simple, so it is absolutely not difficult to learn it.

This prayer is universal. It is often read in cases of terrible illnesses, when health deteriorates significantly, in moments of despondency, in times of trouble. This prayer is recommended to be used when, for some reason, a person is abandoned or is haunted by a series of endless problems and troubles. Believers do not doubt the healing power of this prayer, if it is said from a pure heart. Under this condition, the Lord will surely hear the person praying.

The history of prayer

The history of the origin of the prayer "Our Father" is very interesting. This is the only prayer appeal that Jesus Christ himself gave to his disciples. After some time, the prayer was translated into different languages ​​and slightly modified. But at the same time, all Christians considered it to be the main one, regardless of their nationality.

The fulfillment of a prayer also has its own history. In ancient times, this prayer text was intended to be performed by all the people when praying in temples. A little later, the tradition of chanting arose, which is still preserved.

This prayer is presented in various forms in the Gospel. Briefly - from Luke, in full - from Matthew. The second option is more common in the Christian church.

The text of the prayer "Our Father" in Russian:

Listen online audio prayer song:

What is the power of the Orthodox prayer "Our Father, who art in heaven"

The prayer "Our Father" has healing properties.

By praying, a person can:

• Cope with depression;
• Cleansed of sinful thoughts;
• Reveal your natural abilities;
• Get an optimistic outlook on life;
• Get rid of various diseases and troubles.

It should be understood that in some cases this prayer will not be heard, that is, it will be useless.

The Lord will not hear a person in the following cases:

• If in his soul there is envy of other people;
• If he failed to get rid of grudges against other people;
• When a person condemns someone for their actions;
• With pride and an inner sense of superiority.

Interpretation of prayer words

There are different interpretations of this prayer. The interpretation of the clergyman Anthony of Sourozh, which is based on dividing the prayer text into several parts, is widespread.

Namely these:

• The first is calls to the Almighty;
• The second is the calls of the sinner directly, which are saturated with his desire to enter the Kingdom of Heaven;
• The latter is the praise of the Holy Trinity.

God is called the Father in prayer. This means that a prayer appeal to God emphasizes that all people on earth are equal before the Lord. For God, there are no boundaries in the perception of a particular person. The Almighty is not interested in either the believer's nationality, or his material well-being, or his origin. Only he can consider himself the Son of the Heavenly Father, who adheres to the commandments of God and leads a pious lifestyle.

In various church sources there is also a phrasal interpretation of prayer, which is very important for all believers:

• "Our Father…"- this is the opening phrase of the prayer. In the life of every person, the father occupies a special place. he is considered not only the head of the family, but is also ready to lay down his life for his child. Any Christian can sincerely utter this phrase-appeal, regardless of his social status. The word "our" in this prayer emphasizes the community of all people on earth. They have one Father-God who loves everyone equally. The Lord is a real Father, therefore he hears everyone who makes a sincere request to him. God is "existing", that is, he is outside of space and time, which means that you just need to accept that he simply is.
• "Hallowed be thy name." God is Holy, therefore, he should be treated with goodness in the soul, familiarity when addressing the Lord is not permissible. Holiness in this case means a clear separation of the Almighty from everything sinful and unclean. The name of the Lord is holier and purer than all names in the world. The Almighty is the standard of purity and holiness, and all believers should strive for this. It is this desire that is expressed in this phrase, with which we glorify God.
• "Thy kingdom come." The kingdom of God is wherever the Lord is. There is no fulfilling life outside the Kingdom of God. There is no fulfilling life outside of this Kingdom. This is already explained by the fact that the Lord gives life to a person. For sincere believers, the Kingdom of God is always associated with spiritual peace and the forgiveness of sins. Outside the Kingdom of God, there is a world filled with suffering and pain. Therefore, prayer contains the call of the Kingdom of God to earth. It should be understood that entering the Kingdom of the Lord does not mean physically dying. Every person has been given life in order to prepare oneself for communion with God, and prayer is one way to do this.
• "Thy will be done." It is very easy to say this phrase to God to a believing person, because it is not at all a limitation of life's freedom. The will of the Lord is a good will that directs you on the true path. She does not turn a person into a slave and provides complete freedom of action in real life.
• "Give us this day our daily bread." Thus, we ask God to give us everything we need that we need at the moment. This applies to everything without which it is difficult for a person to live. We mean by this food, clothing, shelter. But pronouncing this phrase, you need to understand that everything will be given to you only on the basis of today. In no case should you ask for comfortable provision until old age, this is considered a sin. This phrase also contains a plea for spiritual fulfillment. After all, God is our spiritual Bread, without which our life is filled with emptiness.
• "Forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors." In this case, we are asking not for the forgiveness of real debts, but for the forgiveness of sins. But they will be forgiven to us only when we also forgive other people for their hurtful actions towards us.
• "Do not lead us into temptation." Only a righteous life can bring us closer to God. Therefore, in this prayer we turn to the Lord and ask him to give us the strength to resist sinful temptations.

How to read the prayer "Our Father" correctly

The power of the Lord's Prayer is undeniable, but it is very important to read it correctly. This prayer can be read in any life situation, when a spiritual need arises for this. But in order to normalize your own life and live in harmony with God, you should pray in the morning and evening in complete solitude. Only by remaining alone with God, with the help of this prayer, you can fully open your soul to the Lord.

There are some other rules for reading a prayer in different situations:

• With the development of a dangerous disease, when doctors are powerless, this prayer should be read up to 40 times a day.
• When family life is filled with quarrels and scandals, then you need to read a prayer every day in accordance with the Old Church Slavonic versions with the correct stress.
• Before an important exam, it is imperative to read this prayer.
• Prayer should be read to mothers when the son is in military service, this will save his child from death and wounds.
• In order to charge yourself with positive energy for the whole day and attract luck to yourself, waking up, you need to immediately read this prayer.
• The prayer must be read in order to relieve nervous tension and protect yourself from the consequences of nervous stress.
• In case of overwhelming despair, prayer will help you find a way out of the situation.

If you are praying in church, then you can activate prayer by correctly pronouncing the prayer text. This is one of those prayers in which it is not recommended to change anything. It should be as close to the original as possible.

It is very important, when you come to church, to try to open your whole soul to the Lord, there should not be the slightest hypocrisy or pretense in it. It should be remembered that nothing can be hidden from God. In order for the prayer to be heard, you need to psychologically adjust yourself to the fact that if God sends trials, then this must be accepted and experienced. If you are not ready for this, then not by sincere prayer you will only aggravate your life situation.

Pilgrims and believers dream about the prayer "Our Father" in a dream

Very often believers and pilgrims dream that they are reading the prayer "Our Father in a dream." In any case, this is a positive dream, but at the same time, it can be interpreted in different ways.

This is an important sign for a person.

The dream associated with the reading of the prayer "Our Father" is always an important sign for a person.

Some of the main interpretations are:

• The usual independent reading of this prayer in a dream foreshadows that in real life the most cherished dream of a person will soon come true, and God himself will help in this, therefore, you will not have to make any efforts.
• When you have to pray out of fear in a dream, this portends the onset of an unsuccessful life period. Such a dream suggests that in real life you need to turn to God in order to reduce the consequences of all life's troubles. In addition, the prayer "Our Father" dreamed in a dream indicates that you should not despair, since you will be able to overcome all difficulties if you put in diligence and great efforts.
• When you pray in a dream with joy, it portends that fateful decisions will be made in real life. It is highly likely that another person will take an active part in your destiny and you should not be afraid of this at all.
• For a young girl to read the prayer "Our Father" means to receive God's blessing to create a family. For a married woman, such a dream is a harbinger of conceiving a child.

What the church says about it

The Church believes that night visions in which a person sees himself reading the prayer "Our Father" are always prophetic. After all, even in the Holy Scriptures it is mentioned that sleep is a natural state of a person, which is a part of life.

The Church believes that the Lord himself sometimes announces his will through a dream, and also warns of certain future events. There is evidence that the Lord speaks to believers in a dream. Such visions are revelations.

The Church claims that the prayer "Our Father", dreamed in a dream, is especially significant. If you do this in front of the icon, then this indicates that fate will put you in front of the need for a difficult choice. It will take a lot of effort to make the right decision and you will need to show willpower. Such a dream, according to church clergy, suggests that you will need to turn to God in reality for help.

"Our Father" in a dream may be evidence that your soul is not all pure. And maybe it's time to repent of your sins and start living in a new way. If you are aware of this, then you can become a prosperous and successful person. Such a dream, according to the church, strengthens faith in the soul of a person.

A dream is considered unsuccessful, in which the reading of a prayer in the temple is accompanied by bows. It is a harbinger of an accident, loss of money or the death of someone close to you. But on the other hand, the church says that you should never give up and you need to believe in the mercy of God. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly pray and ask the Lord for help.

Watch the video prayer "Our Father"

Interpretation of the prayer Our Father
Complete interpretation of the prayer. Parsing each phrase

Prayer Our Father in Russian
Modern translation of prayer into Russian

Pater Noster Church
This church contains prayers in all languages ​​of the world.

In the synodal translation of the Bible, Our Father's text of the prayer is as follows:

Our Father who art in heaven! hallowed be thy name;
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, as in heaven, on earth;
Give us our daily bread this day;
and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors;
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Matt 6: 9-13

Our Father who art in heaven! hallowed be thy name;
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, as in heaven, on earth;
Give us our daily bread for every day;
and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every debtor of ours;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Luke 11: 2-4

Fragment of the Catholic Church Pater Noster (Our Father) in Jerusalem. The temple stands on the Mount of Olives, according to legend, Jesus taught the apostles the prayer "Our Father" right here. The walls of the temple are decorated with panels with the text of the prayer "Our Father" in more than 140 languages ​​of the world, including Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian and Church Slavonic.

The first basilica was built in the 4th century. Soon after the conquest of Jerusalem in 1187 by Sultan Saladin, the building was destroyed. In 1342, a fragment of a wall with an engraved prayer "Our Father" was found here. In the second half of the 19th century, the architect André Lecomte built a church, which was transferred to the Catholic female monastic order of the Barefoot Carmelites. Since then, the walls of the temple have been annually decorated with new panels with the text and prayer of Our Father.

Fragment of the text of the prayer Our Father on Church Slavonic in the temple Pater noster v Jerusalem.

Our Father is the prayer of the Lord. Listen to:

Interpretation of our Prayer

The Lord's Prayer:

“It happened that when Jesus was praying in one place and stopped, one of His disciples said to Him: Lord! teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples ”(Luke 11: 1). In response to this request, the Lord trusts His disciples and His Church in the basic Christian prayer. The Evangelist Luke gives it in the form of a short text (of five petitions) 1, and the Evangelist Matthew presents a more detailed version (of seven petitions) 2. The liturgical tradition of the Church preserves the text of the Evangelist Matthew: (Mt 6: 9-13).

Our Father who art in heaven!
Hallowed be thy name,
your kingdom come,
thy will be done
and on earth as in heaven;
Give us our daily bread for this day;
and forgive us our debts,
as we also forgive our debtors;
and do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

Very early on, the liturgical use of the Lord's Prayer was supplemented by a concluding doxology. In the Didache (8, 2): "For thee are power and glory forever." Apostolic decrees (7, 24, 1) add the word “kingdom” at the beginning, and this formula is preserved to this day in the world prayer practice. The Byzantine tradition adds after the word "glory" - "to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit." The Roman Missal expands on the last petition3 in the clearly expressed perspective of “the expectation of the blessed promise” (Titus 2:13) and the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ; this is followed by a proclamation from the congregation, repeating the doxology of the Apostolic decrees.

Article one interpretation prayers our father (text)

I. At the center of the Scriptures
Having shown that the Psalms constitute the main food of Christian prayer and merge in the petitions of the prayer "Our Father", St. Augustine concludes:
Look through all the prayers in the Scriptures, and I don't think you will find anything there that is not part of the Lord's Prayer.

All Scriptures (Law, Prophets and Psalms) were fulfilled in Christ7. The Gospel is this “Good News”. Its first proclamation was set forth by the holy Evangelist Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount8. And the prayer "Our Father" is at the center of this announcement. It is in this context that each request of the prayer bequeathed by the Lord is clarified:
The Lord's Prayer is the most perfect of prayers (...). In it, we not only ask for everything that we can rightly desire, but also ask in the order in which it is appropriate to desire it. Thus, this prayer not only teaches us to ask, but also shapes our entire state of mind9.

The Sermon on the Mount is a teaching for life, and Our Father is a prayer; but in both, the Spirit of the Lord gives a new form to our desires - those inner movements that animate our life. Jesus teaches us this new life in His words, and He teaches us to ask for it in prayer. The authenticity of our life in Him will depend on the authenticity of our prayer.

II. "The Lord's Prayer"
The traditional name "Prayer of the Lord" means that the prayer "Our Father" was given to us by the Lord Jesus, who taught us about it. This prayer we received from Jesus is truly unique: it is "the Lord's". Indeed, on the one hand, with the words of this prayer, the Only Begotten Son gives us the words given to Him by the Father10: He is the Teacher of our prayer. On the other hand, as the incarnate Word, He knows in His human heart the needs of His brothers and sisters in humanity and reveals them to us: He is the Model of our prayer.

But Jesus does not leave us a formula that we must repeat mechanically.11 Here, as in any oral prayer, by the word of God, the Holy Spirit teaches the children of God to pray to their Father. Jesus gives us not only the words of our filial prayer; at the same time He gives us the Spirit, thanks to which these words become in us “spirit and life” (Jn 6, 63). Moreover, the proof and possibility of our filial prayer is that the Father "sent into our hearts the Spirit of His Son, crying:" Abba, Father! " (Gal 4: 6). Because our prayer interprets our desires before God, again, the “Testing hearts” Father “knows the desires of the Spirit and that His intercession for the saints corresponds to the will of God” (Rom 8:27). Prayer "Our Father" is included in the mystery of the mission of the Son and Spirit.

III. Prayer of the Church
The indivisible gift of the words of the Lord and the Holy Spirit, giving them life in the hearts of believers, was received by the Church and lived in it from its foundation. The first congregations pray the Lord's Prayer “three times a day” 12 instead of the “Eighteen Blessings” used in Jewish piety.

According to Apostolic Tradition, the Lord's Prayer is essentially rooted in liturgical prayer.

The Lord teaches us to do prayer together for all our brothers. For He does not say, "My Father who art in heaven," but "Our Father," so that our prayer may be one-hearted about the whole Body of the Church13.

In all liturgical traditions, the Lord's Prayer is an integral part of the main moments of worship. But its ecclesiastical character is especially clearly manifested in the three sacraments of Christian consecration:

In baptism and chrismation, the transmission (traditio) of the Lord's Prayer marks the new birth to the divine life. Since Christian prayer is a conversation with God through the word of God Himself, “those who have been reborn from the living word of God” (1 Peter 1:23) learn to call upon their Father with the only Word that He always hears. And from now on they are able to do this, for the seal of the anointing of the Holy Spirit is indelibly placed on their hearts, on their ears, on their lips, on their entire filial being. That is why most of the patristic interpretations in Our Father are addressed to the catechumens and newly baptized. When the Church utters the Lord's Prayer, it is the people of the “regenerated” who are praying, gaining the mercy of God14.

In the Eucharistic Liturgy, the Lord's Prayer is the prayer of the entire Church. This is where its full meaning and efficacy are manifested. Taking the place between the Anaphora (Eucharistic Prayer) and the Liturgy of Communion, on the one hand, she reunites in herself all the petitions and intercessions expressed in the epiclesis, and, on the other hand, she knocks at the door of the Feast of the Kingdom, which is anticipated by the communion of the Holy Mysteries.

In the Eucharist, the Lord's Prayer also expresses the eschatological character of the petitions it contains. It is a prayer belonging to the "last times", the times of salvation, which began with the descent of the Holy Spirit, which will end with the return of the Lord. The petitions of the Lord's Prayer, in contrast to the prayers of the Old Testament, are based on the mystery of salvation, which has already been realized once and for all in Christ, crucified and risen.

This unshakable faith is the source of hope that lifts up each of the seven petitions of the Lord's Prayer. They express the groan of the present time, the time of patience and expectation, when “it has not yet been revealed to us what we will be” (1 John 3, 2) 15. The Eucharist and Our Father are directed towards the coming of the Lord, “until He comes” (1 Cor 11:26).

Short

In response to the request of His disciples ("Lord, teach us to pray": Luke 11: 1) Jesus entrusts them with the basic Christian prayer "Our Father".

"The Lord's Prayer is truly a summary of the entire Gospel" 16, "the most perfect of prayers" 17. It is at the center of the Scriptures.

It is called the "Lord's Prayer" because it is received by us from the Lord Jesus, the Teacher and the Model of our prayer.

The Lord's Prayer is in the full sense the prayer of the Church. It is an integral part of the main moments of worship and the sacraments of the introduction to Christianity: baptism, chrismation and the Eucharist. As an integral part of the Eucharist, it expresses the “eschatological” nature of the petitions it contains, in anticipation of the Lord “until He comes” (1 Cor 11:26).

Article Two Our Father's Prayer

"Our Father who art in Heaven"

I. "We dare to proceed with complete confidence"

In the Roman liturgy, the Eucharistic assembly is invited to begin the prayer "Our Father" with filial boldness; in the Eastern liturgies, similar expressions are used and developed: "With boldness without condemnation," "Grant us." Moses, being in front of the Burning Bush, heard the following words: “Do not come near here; take off your shoes ”(Ex 3: 5). This threshold of divine holiness could be crossed only by Jesus, who, “having performed the cleansing of our sins” (Heb. 1: 3), introduces us before the Face of the Father: “Behold, I and the children whom God gave Me” (Heb. 2:13):

Awareness of our slavery state would make us sink into the earth, our earthly state would crumble to dust, if the power of our own God and the Spirit of His Son did not prompt us to this cry. “God,” says [the apostle Paul], “has sent His Son into our hearts, crying out: 'Abba, Father!'” (Gal. 4: 6). (...) How would mortality dare to call God its Father, if only the soul of man had not been inspired by power from above?

This power of the Holy Spirit, which leads us into the Lord's Prayer, is expressed in the liturgies of the East and West with a beautiful, typically Christian word: ???????? - frank simplicity, filial trust, joyful confidence, humble boldness, confidence that you are loved19.

II. Interpretation of a fragment of the text "Father!" prayers our Father

Before making this first impulse of the Lord's Prayer “yours”, it is not superfluous to cleanse our hearts with humility from some of the false images of “this world”. Humility helps us to recognize that “no one knows the Father except the Son, and to whom the Son wants to reveal,” that is, “to babies” (Matt 11: 25-27). Cleansing of the heart concerns the images of a father or mother, generated by personal and cultural history and influencing our relationship with God. God our Father transcends the categories of the created world. To transfer to Him (or to apply against Him) our ideas in this area is to create idols in order to worship them or subdue them. To pray to the Father means to enter into His mystery - what He is and how His Son revealed to us:
The expression "God the Father" has never been revealed to anyone. When Moses himself asked God Who He was, he heard a different name. This name was revealed to us in the Son, for it signifies a new name: Father20.

We can call on God as "Father" because He is revealed to us by His incarnate Son and His Spirit enables us to know Him. The Spirit of the Son gives us - believers that Jesus is the Christ and that we are born of God21 - to partake of what is incomprehensible to man and what is not visible to angels: this is the personal connection of the Son with the Father22.

When we pray to the Father, we are in fellowship with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. Then we will know Him and will know Him, each time with a new admiration. The first word of the Lord's Prayer is a blessing and expression of worship before petitions begin. For it is the glory of God that we recognize in Him the "Father", the true God. We thank Him for revealing His name to us, for giving us faith in Him and that His presence has entered into us.

We can worship the Father because He regenerates us into His life, adopting us as children in His Only Begotten Son: by baptism He makes us members of His Body of Christ and the anointing of His Spirit, which is poured out from the Head on the members of the Body, He makes us "Christs" (anointed ones):
Indeed, God, who predestinated us as adoption, made us conformable to the glorious Body of Christ. But as partakers of Christ, you are rightfully called “Christians” 24.
The new man, revived and returned to God by grace, says “Father!” From the very beginning, because he became a son25.

Thus, by the Lord's Prayer, we are revealed to ourselves at the same time as the Father is revealed to us26:

O man, you did not dare to raise your face to heaven, you looked down at the earth and suddenly you found the grace of Christ: all your sins are forgiven you. From a bad slave you have become a good son. (...) So, lift up your eyes to the Father, who redeemed you with His Son, and say: Our Father (...). But do not rely on any of your pre-emptive rights. He is in a special way the Father of Christ alone, while He created us. So, say also you by His mercy: Our Father - in order to deserve to be His son27.

This gratuitous gift of adoption requires continuous conversion and new life on our part. The prayer "Our Father" should develop in us two main attitudes:
Desire and will to be like Him. We, made in His image, His likeness is returned by grace, and we must respond to this.

We must remember when we call God “our Father” that we must act like the sons of God.
You cannot call the all-good God your Father if you keep a cruel and inhuman heart; for in such a case the mark of the goodness of the Heavenly Father no longer remains in you.
We must constantly contemplate the splendor of the Father and fill our souls with it30.

A humble and trusting heart that allows us to “be converted and be like children” (Matthew 18: 3); for it is to “babies” that the Father is revealed (Mt 11:25): It is a look at God alone, a great flame of love. The soul in him is melted and immersed in holy love and converses with God as with his own Father, in a very relative way, with a very special pious tenderness31.
Our Father: this conversion evokes in us both love, commitment in prayer, (...) and also the hope of receiving what we are about to ask for (...). Truly, in what way can He refuse the prayer of His children, when He has already permitted them to be His children in advance?

III. The interpretation of the fragmentOur Father prayerstext
The address “Our Father” refers to God. From our side, this definition does not mean possession. It expresses a completely new connection with God.

When we say “Our Father”, we first of all acknowledge that all His promises of love announced through the prophets were fulfilled in the new and eternal covenant of His Christ: we became “His” People and from now on He is “our” God. This new relationship is a mutual belonging, given free of charge: with love and faith33 we must respond to "grace and truth" given to us in Jesus Christ (John 1:17).

Because the Lord's Prayer is the prayer of the People of God in “the last times,” the word “our” also expresses the confidence of our hope in the last promise of God; in New Jerusalem He will say: “I will be God to him, and he will be my son” (Rev 21: 7).

When we say “Our Father”, we are addressing personally the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not separate the Divine, since the Father in Him is “the source and the beginning,” but by the same token that the Son is eternally born of the Father and that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. We also do not confuse Divine Persons, since we confess communion with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ in their one Holy Spirit. The Most Holy Trinity is consubstantial and indivisible. When we pray to the Father, we worship Him and glorify Him with the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Grammatically, the word "our" defines a reality common to many. There is one God, and He is recognized as the Father by those who, by faith in His Only Begotten Son, were reborn from Him by water and the Spirit34. The Church is this new communion between God and man: in unity with the Only Begotten Son, who has become “the firstborn among many brothers” (Rom 8:29), she abides in communion with the One Father Himself in the One Holy Spirit Himself35. Saying our Father, each baptized person prays in this communion: “The multitude of those who believed had one heart and one soul” (Acts 4:32).

That is why, despite the divisions of Christians, prayer to “our Father” remains a common heritage and an insistent call for all baptized people. Consisting in fellowship through faith in Christ and baptism, they must become partakers of Jesus' prayer for the unity of His disciples.

Finally, if we truly say the Lord's Prayer, we give up our individualism, for the love we receive relieves us of it. The word "our" at the beginning of the Lord's Prayer - like the words "we," "us," "us," "our" in the last four petitions - do not exclude anyone. To practice this prayer in truth, 37 we must overcome our divisions and our oppositions.

A baptized person cannot perform the prayer “Our Father” without representing before the Father all for whom He gave His Beloved Son. The love of God has no boundaries; our prayer should be the same38. When we pray our Father, this brings us into the dimension of His love revealed to us in Christ: to pray with all those people and for all those people who do not yet know Him, in order to “gather them together” (Jn 11:52 ). This Divine concern for all people and for all creation has inspired all great prayer-books: it should expand our prayer in love when we dare to say "Our Father."

IV. Interpretation of a fragment of text prayers Our Father "who is in heaven"

This biblical expression does not mean a place ("space"), but a way of being; not the remoteness of God, but His greatness. Our Father is not somewhere “elsewhere”; He is “beyond all” that we can imagine about His holiness. Precisely because He is the Trisagion, He is completely close to a humble and contrite heart:

It is true that the words “Our Father who art in heaven” come from the hearts of the righteous, where God dwells, as in His temple. That is why the one who prays will desire that the One to whom he calls out to dwell in him39.
“Heavens” can be those that bear the image of the heavenly and in which God has dwelt and walks40.

The symbol of heaven refers us to the mystery of the covenant in which we live when we pray to our Father. The Father is in heaven, this is His abode; the Father's house is thus also our "fatherland." Sin has driven us out of the land of the covenant41 and the conversion of the heart will again lead us to the Father and to heaven42. And heaven and earth are reunited in Christ43, for the Son alone “came down from heaven” and allows us to ascend there again with Him, through His Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension44.

When the Church prays “Our Father which art in heaven”, she confesses that we are the People of God, which God has already “planted in heaven in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2: 6), a people “hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3, 3) and, at the same time, "sighing, desiring to put on our heavenly dwelling place" (2 Cor. 5, 2) 45: Christians are in the flesh, but they are not living according to the flesh. They live on earth, but they are citizens of heaven46.

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Trust in simplicity and devotion, humble and joyful confidence - these are the appropriate states of the soul of the one who says the prayer "Our Father".

We can call on God, referring to Him with the word “Father”, because He was revealed to us by the incarnate Son of God, whose body we became members through baptism and in whom we are adopted by God.

The Lord's Prayer brings us into fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. She, at the same time, reveals us to ourselves47.

When we say the prayer "Our Father", this should develop in us the desire to be like Him and make our heart humble and trusting.

Saying “ours” to the Father, we invoke the New Testament in Jesus Christ, communion with the Holy Trinity and Divine love, which through the Church acquires a universal dimension.

“I am in heaven” does not mean a given place, but the greatness of God and His presence in the hearts of the righteous. Heaven, the House of God, represents the true fatherland, where we aspire and to which we already belong.

Article three interpretation of the prayer Our Father (text)

Seven petitions

By leading us into the presence of our Father God, so that we worship Him, love Him and bless Him, the Spirit of adoption raises from our hearts seven petitions, seven blessings. The first three, of a more theological character, propel us towards the glory of the Father; the other four - as paths to Him - offer our insignificance of His grace. “The abyss calls upon the abyss” (Ps 42: 8).

The first wave carries us to Him, for His sake: Your name, Your Kingdom, Your will! The property of love is, first of all, to think about the One Whom we love. In each of these three petitions, we do not mention “us” ourselves, but “ardent desire”, the very “yearning” of the Beloved Son for the glory of His Father, engulfs us48: “Hallowed (...), may it come (...), let it be ... ”- God has already heeded these three prayers in the sacrifice of Christ the Savior, but from now on they hopefully are turned to their final fulfillment, until the time when God will be all in all49.

The second wave of petition unfolds in line with some of the Eucharistic epiclesises: it is the offering of our expectations and attracts the gaze of the Father of Mercy. It ascends from us and touches us now and in this world: “give us (...); forgive us (...); don't bring us in (...); deliver us. " The fourth and fifth petitions concern our life as such, our daily bread and healing from sin; the last two petitions refer to our battle for the victory of Life, the main battle of prayer.

With the first three petitions, we are established in faith, filled with hope and inflamed with love. Creatures of God and still sinners, we must ask for ourselves - for "us", and this "we" carries the dimension of the world and history, which we betray as an offering of the immeasurable love of our God. For in the name of His Christ and the Kingdom of His Holy Spirit, our Father fulfills His plan of salvation, for our sake and the whole world.

I. The interpretation of the fragment "Hallowed be thy name" Our Fathertext prayers

The word "sanctified" should be understood here first of all not in its causal sense (God alone sanctifies, makes saint), but mainly in the evaluative sense: to recognize as saint, to treat as a saint. This is how worship is often understood to mean praise and thanksgiving. But this petition is taught to us by Jesus as an expression of desire: it is a petition, a desire, and an expectation in which both God and man participate. Starting with the first petition addressed to our Father, we plunge into the depths of the mystery of His Divinity and the drama of the salvation of our humanity. Asking Him that His name should be sanctified brings us into “the favor that He has laid down”, “that we may be holy and blameless before Him in love” 51.

At decisive moments in His economy, God reveals His name; but opens it up, doing His work. And this work is accomplished for us and in us only if His name is sanctified by us and in us.

The holiness of God is an inaccessible seat of His eternal mystery. That in which it manifests itself in creation and in history, Scripture calls Glory, the radiance of His majesty. Having created man in His “image and likeness” (Genesis 1:26), God “crowned him with glory” (Ps 8: 6), but, having sinned, man “was deprived of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). Since that time, God has been manifesting His holiness by revealing and bestowing His name in order to restore man “in the image of Him who created him” (Col 3:10).

In the promise made to Abraham and in the oath that accompanies it, 53 God Himself makes the commitment, but does not reveal His name. It is to Moses that He begins to reveal it54 and reveals it in the eyes of all the people when He saves from the Egyptians: “He is covered with glory” (Ex 15: 1 *). Since the establishment of the Sinai Covenant, this people has been “His” people; it must be a “holy nation” (ie, an consecrated - in Hebrew this is the same word55), because the name of God dwells in it.

Despite the holy Law, which is given to him by Holy God again and again, 56 and also the fact that the Lord “for the sake of His name” manifests forbearance, this people turns away from the Holy One of Israel and acts in such a way that His name is “blasphemed before the nations” 57. That is why the righteous of the Old Testament, the poor who returned from captivity and the prophets were aflame with passionate love for the Name.

Finally, it is in Jesus that the name of the Holy God is revealed and given to us in the flesh as Savior58: it is revealed by His being, His word and His sacrifice59. This is the heart of Christ's High Priestly Prayer: "Holy Father, (...) for them I consecrate Myself, so that they may be sanctified by the truth" (Jn 17:19). When He reaches His limit, then the Father gives Him a name that is higher than any name: Jesus - Lord to the glory of God the Father60.

In the waters of baptism we were “washed, sanctified, justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6: 11). Throughout our lives, “the Father calls us to sanctification” (1 Thess 4: 7), and since “of Him we also are in Christ Jesus, who became sanctification for us” (1 Cor 1:30), then His glory and ours life depends on His name being sanctified in us and by us. This is the urgency of our first petition.

Who can sanctify God if He Himself sanctifies? But inspired by these words - “Be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 20:26) - we ask that, having been sanctified by baptism, we remain firm in what we began to be. And we ask about this all the days, for every day we sin and must be cleansed from our sins by continually repeating sanctification (...). So, we again resort to prayer for this holiness to dwell in us61.

Whether His Name will be holy among the nations depends entirely on our life and our prayer:

We ask God to sanctify His Name, for by holiness He saves and sanctifies all creation (...). We are talking about the Name that bestows salvation on the lost world, but we ask that this Name of God be sanctified in us by our life. For if we live righteously, the Divine Name is blessed; but if we live badly, it is blasphemed, according to the word of the apostle: "The name of God, because of you, is a reproach among the Gentiles" (Rom. 2:24; Ez. 36: 20-22). So, we pray to merit to have in our souls as much holiness as the Name of our God is holy ”62.
When we say: "Hallowed be Thy Name," we ask that it be sanctified in us who are in it, but also in others who still await Divine grace, so that we conform to the injunction obliging us to pray for everyone, even about our enemies. That is why we do not say definitely: Hallowed be Thy Name “in us,” for we ask that it be sanctified in all people63.

This petition, which contains all petitions, is fulfilled by the prayer of Christ, like the next six petitions. Prayer "Our Father" is our prayer if it is done "in the name" of Jesus64. Jesus asks in His High Priestly Prayer: “Holy Father! keep them in your name, those whom you gave me ”(Jn 17:11).

II. Interpretation of a fragment of text prayers Our Father"Thy Kingdom Come"

In the New Testament, the very word ???????? can be translated as “kingship” (abstract noun), “kingdom” (concrete noun) and “reign” (action noun). The Kingdom of God is before us: it has approached in the incarnate Word, it is proclaimed by the entire Gospel, it came in the death and resurrection of Christ. The Kingdom of God begins with the Last Supper and in the Eucharist, it is among us. The kingdom will come in glory when Christ hands it over to His Father:

It is even possible that the Kingdom of God means personally Christ, whom we call daily with all our hearts and whose coming we want to hasten with our expectation. As He is our resurrection - for in Him we are raised - so He can also be the Kingdom of God, for in Him we will reign65.

These are petitions - "Marana fa", the cry of the Spirit and the Bride: "Come, Lord Jesus":

Even if this prayer did not oblige us to ask for the coming of the Kingdom, we ourselves would emit this cry, hurrying to embrace our hopes. The souls of the martyrs under the altar throne cry out to the Lord with great cries: "How long, Vladyka, will you hesitate to exact a bribe for our blood from those living on earth?" (Rev 6, 10 *). They must truly find justice at the end times. Lord, hasten the coming of Your Kingdom! 66

The Lord's Prayer speaks mainly of the final coming of the Kingdom of God with the second coming of Christ. But this desire does not distract the Church from her mission in this world - rather, it even more obliges her to fulfill it. For since the day of Pentecost, the coming of the Kingdom has been the work of the Spirit of the Lord, who, "doing the work of Christ in the world, completes all sanctification."

“The kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17). The last times in which we live are the times of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, when there is a decisive battle between “flesh” and Spirit69:

Only a pure heart can say with confidence: "Thy kingdom come." You need to go through the school of Paul to say: “So, let not sin reign in our mortal body” (Rom 6: 12). He who keeps himself pure in his deeds, his thoughts and his words, can say to God: “Thy kingdom come” 70.

By reasoning in the Spirit, Christians must distinguish the growth of the kingdom of God from the social and cultural progress in which they participate. This distinction is not a division.

The call of man to eternal life does not reject, but strengthens his duty to use the forces and means received from the Creator in order to serve justice and peace on earth.

This petition is raised and fulfilled in the prayer of Jesus, 72 which is present and effective in the Eucharist; it bears fruit in a new life according to the Beatitudes73.

III. Interpretation of a fragment of text prayers Our Father"Thy will be done, as in heaven on earth"

It is the will of our Father that “all people should be saved and attain the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2: 3-4). He is “longsuffering, not wanting anyone to perish” (2 Peter 3: 9) 74. His commandment, which includes all the other commandments and tells us all of His will - that "we love one another as He loved us" (Jn 13:34) 75.

“Having told us the secret of His will, according to His grace, which He ordained in Him for the fulfillment of the fullness of time, in order to unite everything heavenly and earthly under the head of Christ, in Him, in Whom we were also taken as an inheritance, being predestinated by the ordinance of the One who does everything according the decision of His will ”(Eph 1: 9-11 *). We constantly ask that this plan of benevolence be fully realized on earth, as it has already been in heaven.

In Christ - by His Human will - the will of the Father was completely fulfilled once and for all. Jesus said, entering the world: “Behold, I go to do Thy will, O God” (Heb.10: 7; Ps 40: 8-9). Jesus alone can say, “I always do what pleases Him” (Jn 8:29). In prayer during His Gethsemane struggle, He fully agrees with the will of the Father: “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42) 76. That is why Jesus “gave Himself for our sins according to the will of God” (Gal 1: 4). “It is by this will that we are sanctified by the one-time offering of the Body of Jesus Christ” (Heb. 10, 10).

Jesus, "although he is the Son, learned obedience through suffering" (Heb. 5: 8 *). How much more should we, creatures and sinners, who have become sons of adoption in Him, should do this. We ask our Father that our will unite with the will of the Son, for the sake of fulfilling the will of the Father, His plan of salvation for the life of the world. We are completely powerless in this, but in union with Jesus and the power of His Holy Spirit, we can surrender our will to the Father and decide to choose what His Son has always chosen - to do what is pleasing to the Father77:

By joining Christ, we can become one spirit with Him and thus fulfill His will; thus, it will be perfect on earth as it is in heaven.
See how Jesus Christ teaches us to be humble, letting us see that our virtue depends not only on our efforts, but on the grace of God, He tells every faithful praying here to pray everywhere for everyone and for everything, so that this be done everywhere for the sake of the whole earth ... For He does not say, "Thy will be done" in Me or in you; but "all over the earth." To abolish error on earth, truth reign, vice be destroyed, virtue flourishes, and earth no longer differs from heaven.

Through prayer we can “know what the will of God is” (Rom 12: 2; Eph 5:17) and gain “patience to do it” (Heb 10:36). Jesus teaches us that people enter the Kingdom not because of words, but "doing the will of My Father in Heaven" (Matt 7:27).

“Whoever does the will of God, God listens to him” (John 9:31 *) 80. Such is the power of the Church's prayer in the name of her Lord, especially in the Eucharist; she is intercessory communion with the Most Holy Mother of God81 and all the saints who "pleased" the Lord by not seeking their own will, but only His will:

We can also, without prejudice, interpret the words "Thy will be done on earth as in heaven" as follows: in the Church, as in our Lord Jesus Christ; in the Bride betrothed to Him, as in the Bridegroom, who did the Father's will.

IV. The interpretation of the fragment Our Fatherprayers text "Give us our daily bread this day"

“Give us”: the trust of children who expect everything from the Father is wonderful. “He commands His sun to rise over the wicked and the good, and sends rain on the just and unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45); He gives all living "their food in due season" (Psalm 104, 27). Jesus teaches us this petition: it truly glorifies the Father, for we acknowledge how good He is, beyond all kindness.

“Give to us” is also an expression of union: we belong to Him, He belongs to us, He is for us. But by saying “us,” we acknowledge Him as the Father of all people and pray to Him for all people, participating in their needs and sufferings.

"Our bread". The Father, who gives life, cannot but give us the food we need for life, all the "proper" goods, material and spiritual. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus insists on this filial trust, which is conducive to our Father's providence. He does not in any way call us to passivity, 84 but wants to relieve us of all anxiety and all anxiety. This is the filial trust of the children of God:

For those who seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, God promises to apply everything. In fact, everything belongs to God: the one who possesses God does not lack in anything, if he himself does not detach himself from God85.

But the existence of those who are hungry for lack of bread reveals a different depth to this petition. The tragedy of hunger on earth calls true praying Christians to take effective responsibility towards their brothers, both in their personal behavior and in their solidarity with the entire family of mankind. This petition of the Lord's Prayer is inseparable from the parable of the beggar Lazarus and from what the Lord says about the Last Judgment86.

As leaven raises dough, the newness of the Kingdom must lift the earth by the Spirit of Christ. This novelty should be manifested in the establishment of justice in personal and social, economic and international relations, and it should never be forgotten that there can be no just structures without people who want to be just.

It is about “our” bread, “one” for “many”. The poverty of the Beatitudes is the virtue of sharing: the call to this poverty is the call to transfer material and spiritual benefits to others and share them, not out of compulsion, but out of love, so that the abundance of some would help others in need.

"Pray and Work" 89. “Pray as if everything depended on God, and work as if everything depended on you” 90. When we have completed our work, food remains the gift of our Father; it is right to ask Him, giving Him thanks. This is the meaning of the blessing of food in the Christian family.

This petition and the responsibility it imposes also applies to another hunger from which people suffer: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Deut 8: 3; Mt 4: 4) - then is His word and His breath. Christians should mobilize all their efforts to "proclaim the gospel to the poor." There is a hunger on earth - “not a hunger for bread, not a thirst for water, but a thirst to hear the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11). That is why the specifically Christian meaning of this fourth petition refers to the Bread of Life: to the word of God to be received in faith and to the Body of Christ as received in the Eucharist.

The words “today” or “today” are also expressions of trust. The Lord teaches us this92: we ourselves could not have invented it. Because in its arrogance, especially about the word of God and about the Body of His Son, the words “for this day” refer not only to our mortal time: “this day” means the present day of God:

If you receive bread every day, every day is for you today. If Christ is in you today, He is resurrected for you all the days. Why is that? “You are my Son; This day I have begotten You ”(Ps 2: 7). "Now" means: when Christ is resurrected93.

"Daily". This word - ????????? in Greek, it has no other use in the New Testament. In its temporal sense, it is a pedagogical repetition of the words "for this day" 94 in order to "unconditionally" confirm us in our trust. But in its qualitative sense, it means everything that is necessary for life and, more broadly, every good that is necessary in order to maintain existence95. In the literal sense (?????????: "daily", over the essence), it means directly the Bread of life, the Body of Christ, "the medicine of immortality" 96, without which we have no life in ourselves97. Finally, in connection with the meaning of “everyday” bread, bread “for this day” considered above, the heavenly meaning is also obvious: “this day” is the Day of the Lord, the Day of the Feast of the Kingdom, anticipated in the Eucharist, which is already the anticipation of the coming Kingdom. This is why the Eucharistic service is appropriate to be celebrated "every day."

The Eucharist is our daily bread. The dignity that belongs to this divine food is in the power of unity: it unites us with the Body of the Savior and makes us His members, so that we become what we have received (...). This daily bread is also in the readings that you hear every day in church, in the chants that are sung and that you sing. All this is necessary in our pilgrimage98.
The Heavenly Father exhorts us as children of Heaven to ask for the Bread of Heaven99. Christ "Himself is the Bread, which, sown in the Virgin, ascended in the flesh, prepared in the passions, baked in the heat of the grave, laid in the storehouse of the Church, brought on the altars, provides the faithful with heavenly food every day."

V. Interpretation of a fragment of text prayers Our Father"Forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors"

This petition is amazing. If it contained only the first part of the phrase - "forgive us our debts" - it could be silently included in the three previous petitions of the Lord's Prayer, since the sacrifice of Christ is "for the remission of sins." But, according to the second term of the proposal, our request will be fulfilled only if we first satisfy this requirement. Our request is directed to the future, and our response must precede it. They are united by one word: "how".

"Forgive us our debts" ...

With bold confidence, we began to pray: Our Father. Praying to Him that His name might be sanctified, we ask Him that we be sanctified more and more. But although we have put on baptismal clothes, we do not cease to sin, to turn away from God. Now, in this new petition, we again come to Him as the prodigal son101, and acknowledge ourselves as sinners before Him, as a tax collector102. Our petition begins with a “confession,” when we simultaneously acknowledge our insignificance and His mercy. Our hope is solid, for in His Son "we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Col 1:14; Eph 1: 7). We find an effective and unmistakable sign of His forgiveness in the sacraments of His Church103.

Meanwhile (and this is scary), the stream of mercy cannot penetrate into our hearts until we have forgiven those who hurt us. Love, like the Body of Christ, is indivisible: we cannot love God, whom we do not see, if we do not love the brother or sister whom we see104. When we refuse to forgive brothers and sisters, our hearts become closed, callousness makes it impenetrable for the Father's merciful love; when we repent of our sins, our heart is open to His grace.

This petition is so important that it is the only one to which the Lord returns and expands it in the Sermon on the Mount105. Man is unable to satisfy this necessary requirement, which belongs to the secret of the covenant. But "everything is possible with God."

... "just as we forgive our debtors"

This word "how" is no exception in Jesus' sermon. “Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48); "Be merciful, as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36). “I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34). It is impossible to keep the Lord's commandment when it comes to outward imitation of the Divine model. We are talking about our vital and coming "from the depths of the heart" participation in the holiness, mercy and love of our God. Only the Spirit, by which “we live” (Gal 5:25), is able to make “ours” the same thoughts as in Christ Jesus106. Thus, unity of forgiveness becomes possible when “we forgive one another, just as God in Christ forgave us” (Eph 4:32).

This is how the Lord's words about forgiveness, about that love that loves to the end, come to life107. The parable of the unmerciful lender, which crowns the Lord's teaching about the church community108, ends with the words: "So my Heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart." Indeed, it is there, “in the depths of the heart,” that everything is tied and untied. It is not in our power to stop feeling hurt and forget them; but a heart that opens itself to the Holy Spirit turns offense into compassion and purifies memory, transforming offense into intercessory prayer.

Christian prayer extends to the forgiveness of enemies 109. She transforms the student in the image of his Teacher. Forgiveness is the pinnacle of Christian prayer; the gift of prayer can only be received with a heart that is in harmony with Divine compassion. Forgiveness also shows that love is stronger than sin in our world. Martyrs of the past and present bear this testimony of Jesus. Forgiveness is the main condition for the reconciliation110 of God's children with their Heavenly Father and people among themselves111.

There is no limit or measure to this forgiveness, which is divine in its essence112. If we are talking about offenses (about "sins" according to Luke 11, 4 or about "debts" according to Matthew 6, 12), then in fact we are always debtors: "Do not remain indebted to anyone except mutual love" (Rom 13, eight). The communion of the Holy Trinity is the source and criterion of the truth of all relationships113. It enters into our lives in prayer, especially in the Eucharist114:

God does not accept the sacrifice of the perpetrators of discord, He removes them from the altar, because they were not reconciled at first with their brothers: God wants to be reassured by peaceful prayers. Our best commitment to God is our peace, our harmony, unity in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit of all believing people115.

Vi. Interpretation of a fragment of text prayers Our Father"Do not lead us into temptation"

This petition touches the root of the previous one, for our sins are the fruits of yielding to temptation. We ask our Father not to "lead" us into him. It is difficult to translate the Greek concept in one word: it means “do not allow us to enter” 116, “do not allow us to succumb to temptation”. “God is not accessible to temptation by evil and He Himself does not tempt anyone” (James 1:13 *); on the contrary, He wants to rescue us from temptation. We ask Him not to let us choose the path that leads to sin. We are engaged in a battle "between the flesh and the Spirit." With this petition, we pray for the Spirit of understanding and strength.

The Holy Spirit enables us to recognize what is the test necessary for a person's spiritual growth117, his “experience” (Rom 5: 3-5), and what is a temptation leading to sin and death118. We must also distinguish between the temptation to which we are subjected and the concession to the temptation. Finally, discernment exposes the falsity of temptation: at first glance, the subject of temptation is “good, pleasing to the eye, and desired” (Genesis 3: 6), while in reality its fruit is death.

God does not want compulsion to virtue; He wants her to be voluntary (...). There is some benefit to temptation. No one but God knows what our soul has received from God - not even ourselves. But temptations show us this, so that we learn to know ourselves and thereby discover our own squalor and undertake to thank for all the good that the temptations have shown us119.

“Not to enter into temptation” presupposes the determination of the heart: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be. (...) No one can serve two masters ”(Mt 6, 21. 24). “If we live by the Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit” (Gal 5:25). In this agreement with the Holy Spirit, the Father gives us strength. “You have not experienced any temptation that surpasses human measure. God is faithful; He will not allow you to be tempted beyond your powers. Together with temptation, He will give you the means to get out of it and the strength to endure it ”(1 Cor. 10:13).

Meanwhile, such a battle and such a victory are possible only in prayer. It is through prayer that Jesus overcomes the tempter, from the very beginning120 to the last struggle121. In this request to the Father, Christ joins us to His battle and to His struggle before the Passion. Here the call to the vigilance of the heart122, in union with the vigilance of Christ, is heard insistently. The whole dramatic meaning of this petition becomes clear in connection with the ultimate temptation of our battle on earth; it is a petition for ultimate endurance. Vigilance is “keeping the heart,” and Jesus asks the Father for us: “Keep them in your name” (John 17:11). The Holy Spirit works incessantly to awaken this vigilance of the heart in us. “Behold, I'm going like a thief; blessed is he who is awake ”(Rev. 16:15).

Vii. Interpretation of a fragment of text prayers Our Father"But deliver us from the evil one"

The last petition addressed to our Father is also present in Jesus' prayer: “I do not pray that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15 *). This petition applies personally to each of us, but it is always “we” who pray in communion with the whole Church and for the deliverance of the entire family of mankind. The Lord's Prayer continually brings us to the dimension of the economy of salvation. Our interdependence in the drama of sin and death becomes solidarity in the Body of Christ, in the “communion of saints” 124.

In this petition, the evil one - evil - is not an abstraction, but means a person - Satan, an angel who rebelles against God. The "devil", diabolos, is the one who "goes against" God's plan and His "work of salvation" accomplished in Christ.

“A murderer” from the beginning, a liar and the father of lies ”(Jn 8:44),“ Satan, deceiving the whole universe ”(Rev 12, 9): it was through him that sin and death entered the world and through his final defeat all creation will be“ freed from the corruption of sin and from death ”125. “We know that everyone who is born of God does not sin; but he who is born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are from God and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one ”(1 John 5: 18-19):

The Lord, who took your sin upon Himself and forgave your sins, is able to protect you and save you from the wiles of the devil fighting against you so that the enemy, accustomed to creating vice, does not overtake you. He who trusts God does not fear the devil. "If God is for us," is it against us? " (Rom 8:31).

The victory over "the prince of this world" (Jn 14:30) was won once and for all at the hour when Jesus voluntarily gave Himself up to death in order to give us His life. This is the judgment of this world, and the prince of this world is "cast out" (Jn 12:31; Rev 12: 11). “He rushes to pursue the Wife” 126, but does not have power over Her: the new Eve, “filled with the grace” of the Holy Spirit, is free from sin and from the corruption of death (Immaculate Conception and Taking into Heaven of the Most Holy Theotokos, Ever-Virgin Mary). “So, furious with the Woman, he goes to fight against the rest of Her children” (Rev 12, 17 *). This is why the Spirit and the Church pray: "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Rev 22, 17. 20) - after all, His coming will deliver us from the evil one.

When we ask for deliverance from the evil one, we equally pray for deliverance from us from all evil, the initiator or instigator of which he is - the evil of the present, past and future. In this last petition, the Church presents to the Father all the suffering of the world. Along with deliverance from the troubles that oppress humanity, she asks for the precious gift of peace and the grace of the constant expectation of the second coming of Christ. Praying in this way, in the humility of faith, she anticipates the union of all and everything under the head of Christ, who “has the keys of death and hell” (Rev 1:18), “by the Almighty Lord, who is and was and is coming” (Rev 1: 8) 127 ...

Deliver us. Lord, from all evil, mercifully grant peace in our days, so that by the power of Your mercy we may always be delivered from sin and protected from all confusion, with joyful hope awaiting the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Final doxology of the text of the prayer Our Father

The final doxology - "For Thine is the Kingdom, and power, and glory forever" - continues, including them in itself, the first three petitions of prayer to the Father: this is a prayer for the glorification of His Name, for the coming of His Kingdom and for the power of His saving Will. But this continuation of prayer is here in the form of worship and thanksgiving, as in the heavenly liturgy129. The prince of this world falsely appropriated to himself these three titles of kingdom, power and glory130; Christ, the Lord, returns them to His Father and our Father until the surrender of the Kingdom to Him, when the mystery of salvation is finally completed and God will be all in all.

“After completing the prayer, you say“ Amen ”, capturing through this“ Amen ”, which means“ Let it be so ”132, everything that is contained in this prayer given to us by God” 133.

Short

In the prayer "Our Father", the subject of the first three petitions is the glory of the Father: the sanctification of the name, the coming of the Kingdom and the fulfillment of the Divine will. The other four petitions represent our desires to Him: these petitions relate to our life, sustenance, and keeping from sin; they are associated with our battle for the victory of Good over evil.

When we ask, "Hallowed be Thy name," we enter into God's plan for the sanctification of His name, revealed to Moses, and then in Jesus, by us and in us, as well as in every nation and in every person.

In the second petition, the Church mainly has in mind the second coming of Christ and the final coming of the Kingdom of God. She also prays for the growth of the Kingdom of God in "this day" of our life.

In the third petition, we pray to our Father to unite our will with the will of His Son in order to fulfill His plan of salvation in the life of the world.

In the fourth petition, saying “give us”, we - in communion with our brothers - express our filial trust in our Heavenly Father, “Our bread” means earthly food necessary for existence, as well as the Bread of Life - the Word of God and the Body of Christ. We receive it in the "present day" of God as a necessary, vital food for the Feast of the Kingdom, which anticipates the Eucharist.

With the fifth petition, we pray for God's mercy for our sins; this mercy can penetrate into our hearts only if we have been able to forgive our enemies, following the example of Christ and with His help.

When we say, “Lead us not into temptation,” we ask God not to allow us to enter the path that leads to sin. With this petition we pray for the Spirit of understanding and strength; we ask for the grace of vigilance and constancy to the end.

With the last petition - "But deliver us from the evil one" - the Christian, together with the Church, prays to God to reveal the victory already won by Christ over "the prince of this world" - over Satan, an angel who personally opposes God and His plan of salvation.

With the final word "Amen" we proclaim our "Let it be" ("Fiat") of all seven petitions: "Let it be so."

1 Wed Luke 11: 2-4.
2 Wed Mt 6: 9-13.
3 Wed Embolism.
4 Tertullian, On Prayer 1.
5 Tertullian, On Prayer 10.
6 St. Augustine, Epistles 130, 12, 22.
7 Wed Luke 24:44.
8 Wed Mt 5: 7.
9 STh 2-2, 83, 9.
10 Wed Jn 17: 7.
11 Wed Mt 6: 7 1 Kings 18: 26-29.
12 Didache 8, 3.
13 St. John Chrysostom, Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew 19, 4.
14 Wed 1 Peter 2, 1-10.
15 Wed Col 3, 4.
16 Tertullian, On Prayer 1.
17 STh 2-2, 83, 9.
18 St. Peter the Chrysologus, Sermons 71.
19 Wed Ephesians 3:12 Heb 3, 6.4; 10, 19; 1 Jn 2:28 3, 21; 5, 17.
20 Tertullian, On Prayer 3.
21 Wed 1 John 5, 1.
22 Wed John 1.1.
23 Wed 1 John 1, 3.
24 St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Secret Teachings 3, 1.
25 St. Cyprian of Carthage, On the Lord's Prayer 9.
26 GS 22, § 1.
27 St. Ambrose of Mediolan, On the Sacraments 5, 10.
28 St. Cyprian of Carthage, On the Lord's Prayer 11.
29 St. John Chrysostom, Conversation on the words "Close gates" and on the Lord's Prayer.
30 St. Gregory of Nyssa, Conversations to the Lord's Prayer 2.
31 St. John Cassian, Collation 9, 18.
32 St. Augustine, On the Lord's Sermon on the Mount 2, 4, 16.
33 Wed Os 2, 19-20; 6, 1-6.
34 Wed 1 Jn 5: 1; Jn 3, 5.
35 Wed Eph 4: 4-6.
36 Wed UR 8; 22.
37 Wed Mt 5: 23-24 6, 14-16.
38 Wed NA 5.
39 NA 5.
40 St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Secret teachings 5, 11.
41 Cf. Gen 3.
42 Wed Jer 3: 19-4, 1a; Luke 15:18. 21.
43 Wed Is 45, 8; Psalm 85, 12.
44 Wed Jn 12:32; 14, 2-3; 16, 28; 20, 17; Ephesians 4: 9-10; Heb 1, 3; 2, 13.
45 Wed F 3, 20; Heb 13-14.
46 Epistle to Diognetus 5, 8-9.
47 cf. GS 22, §1.
48 Wed Luke 22:15 12, 50.
49 Wed 1 Cor 15:28.
50 Wed Psalm 11: 9; Luke 1:49.
51 cf. Eph 1: 9.4.
52 See Ps 8; Is 6, 3.
53 See Hebrews 6:13.
54 See Ex 3, 14.
55 See Ex. 19, 5-6.
56 Wed Lev 19: 2: "Be holy, for holy I am the Lord your God."
57 Wed Eze 20, 36.
58 Wed Mt 1:21 Luke 1:31.
59 Wed Jn 8:28; 17, 8; 17, 17-19.
60 Wed Phil 2, 9-11.
61 St. Cyprian of Carthage, On the Lord's Prayer 12.
62 St. Peter Chrysologus, Sermons 71.
63 Tertullian, On Prayer 3.
64 cf. Jn 14:13; 15, 16; 16, 23-24, 26.
65 St. Cyprian of Carthage, On the Lord's Prayer 13.
66 Tertullian, On Prayer 5.
67 Wed Titus 2, 13.
68 MR, IV Eucharistic Prayer.
69 Wed Gal 5, 16-25.
70 St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Secret Teachings 5, 13.
71 cf. GS 22; 32; 39; 45; EN 31.
72 Wed Jn 17, 17-20.
73 Wed Mt 5: 13-16 6, 24; 7, 12-13.
74 Wed Mt 18:14.
75 Wed 1 Jn 3, 4; Luke 10.25-37
76 Wed Jn 4:34; 5, 30; 6, 38.
77 cf. Jn 8:29.
78 Origen, On Prayer 26.
79 St. John Chrysostom, Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew 19, 5.
80 Wed 1 John 5:14.
81 Cf. Luke 1:38.49.
82 St. Augustine, On the Lord's Sermon on the Mount 2, 6, 24.
83 cf. Mt 5: 25-34.
84 Wed 2 Thess 3, 6-13.
85 St. Cyprian of Carthage, On the Lord's Prayer 21.
86 Cf. Mt 25: 31-46.
87 Wed AA 5.
88 Wed 2 Cor 8, 1-15.
89 A saying attributed to St. Ignatius Loyola; Wed J. de Guibert, S.J., La spiritualite de la Compagnie de Jesus. Esquisse historique, Rome 1953, p. 137.
90 Wed St. Benedict, Rules 20, 48.
91 Cf. Jn 6: 26-58.
92 Cf. Mt 6:34 Ex 16, 19.
93 St. Ambrose of Mediolan, On the Sacraments 5, 26.
94 Cf. Ex 16: 19-21.
95 Wed 1 Tim 6, 8.
96 St. Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to Ephesians 20, 2.
97 Wed Jn 6: 53-56.
98 St. Augustine, Sermons 57, 7, 7.
99 Wed Jn 6: 51.
100 St. Peter Chrysologus, Sermons 71.
101 See Luke 15: 11-32.
102 See Luke 18:13.
103 Cf. Mt 26:28 Jn 20, 13.
104 Cf. 1 John 4:20.
105 cf. Mt 6: 14-15 5, 23-24; Mk 11, 25.
106 Cf. Php 2, 1.5.
107 cf. Jn 13, 1.
108 Wed Mt 18: 23-35.
109 cf. Mt 5: 43-44.
110 Wed 2 Cor 5: 18-21.
111 Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical "Dives in misericordia" 14.
112 Wed Mt 18: 21-22 Luke 17 1-3.
113 Cf. 1 John 3: 19-24.
114 cf. Mt 5: 23-24.
115 Wed St. Cyprian of Carthage, On the Lord's Prayer 23.
116 Cf. Mt 26:41.
117 Cf. Luke 8, 13-15; Acts 14:22 2 Tim 3, 12.
118 Cf. James 1, 14-15.
119 Origen, On Prayer 29.
120 Wed Mt 4: 1-11.
121 cf. Mt 26: 36-44.
122 Cf. Mk 13, 9.23; 33-37; 14, 38; Luke 12: 35-40.
123 RP 16.
124 MR, IV Eucharistic Prayer.
125 St. Ambrose of Mediolan, On the Sacraments 5, 30.
126 Wed Rev 12, 13-16.
127 cf. Rev 1, 4.
128 MR, Embolism.
129 Wed Rev 1, 6; 4, 11; 5, 13.
130 Wed Luke 4: 5-6.
131 1 Cor 15: 24-28.
132 Cf. Luke 1:38.
133 St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Secret Teachings 5, 18.

In Orthodox culture, there are many different canons and customs that may seem very unusual to many unbaptized people. However, the prayer "Our Father" is the same religious conversion, the words in which are familiar to everyone and everyone firsthand.

Our Father in Church Slavonic, accented

Our Father, who art in heaven!

Hallowed thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

as in heaven and on earth.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and leave us our debt,

as we also leave our debtor;

and do not lead us into temptation,

but save us from the evil one.

Prayer "Our Father" in Russian in full

Our Father who art in heaven!

Hallowed be thy name;

Thy kingdom come;

Thy will be done, as in heaven, on earth;

Give us our daily bread this day;

And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors;

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Interpretation of the prayer "Our Father"

The origin of “Like Thou art in Heaven” has a long, centuries-old history. The Bible mentions that the author of the Lord's prayer is Jesus Christ himself. She was given to them when he was still alive.

During the existence of our Father, many clergymen have expressed and continue to express their opinion about the main meaning that is set forth in this prayer. At the same time, their interpretations are comparatively different from each other. And first of all, this is due to the fact that the content of this sacred and profound text contains a very subtle, but at the same time important philosophical message, which can be perceived by each person in absolutely different ways. At the same time, the prayer itself, in comparison with others, is rather short. Therefore, everyone can learn it!

The prayer "Our Father" is composed in such a way that its entire text has a special structure, in which sentences are divided into several semantic parts.

1. The first part deals with the glorification of God. During its recitation, people turn to the Almighty with all recognition and respect, thinking that this is the main savior of the entire human race.
2. The second part implies individual requests and wishes of people directed to God.
3. The conclusion that concludes the prayer and conversion of believers.

Having fully analyzed the entire text of the prayer, an interesting feature will turn out to be the fact that during the recitation of all its parts, people will have to turn to God with their requests and wishes seven times.

And in order for God to hear requests for help and be able to help, it would not hurt each person to study detailed information with a detailed analysis of all three parts of the prayer.

"Our Father"

This phrase makes it clear to the Orthodox that God is the main ruler of the Kingdom of Heaven, to whom the soul must be treated in the same way as to his own father. That is, with all the warmth and love.

Jesus Christ, when teaching his disciples to pray correctly, spoke of the need to love the Father God.

"Who is in heaven"

In the interpretation of many clergy, the phrase "who is in heaven" is understood in a figurative sense. So, for example, to John Chrysostom in his reflections, it was presented as a comparative turnover.

Other interpretations say that "who is in heaven" has a figurative expression, where the sky is the personification of any human soul. In other words, God's power is present in everyone who truly believes in it. And since it is customary to call human consciousness a soul, which does not have a material form, but at the same time it (consciousness) is, then, accordingly, the entire inner world of the believer in this interpretation appears as a heavenly image, where God's grace also exists.

"Hallowed be thy name"

It means that people should praise the name of the Lord God by performing good and noble deeds, without violating all the commandments of the Old Testament. The phrase "Hallowed be thy name" is original and was not changed during the translation of the prayer.

"Thy kingdom come"

The biblical legends say that during the life of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God helped people to overcome suffering, to expel unclean spirits, in that power of demons, to heal a sick body from all kinds of diseases, creating conditions for a beautiful and happy life on earth.

But over time, a huge number of people still turned out to be unable to protect themselves from dirty temptations, defaming and denigrating their weak-willed souls with artificial temptations. Ultimately, a lack of humility and impeccable adherence to one's own natural instinct turned most of society into wild beasts. It must be said that these words have not lost their originality up to the present time.

"Thy will be done"

The point is that there is no need to be afraid of the power of God, since he knows better how the fate of each person should develop: through work or pain, joy or sorrow. Whatever unpleasant circumstances our path is filled with, it is important that with God's help it always acquires meaning. These are perhaps the most powerful words.

"Our bread"

These words are full of mystery and complexity. The opinions of many clergymen agreed that the meaning of this phrase is due to the constancy of God. That is, he must protect people not only in the most difficult moments, but also in other cases, always staying with them. It is very important to memorize these words.

"And leave us debts"

You need to learn to forgive the sins of loved ones and strangers. Because only then will all your own vices be forgiven.

"And do not lead us into temptation"

This means that people ask God to create on the path of life those difficulties and obstacles that we are able to pass. For everything that is not subject to it is capable of breaking the human soul and losing his faith, subjecting every person to temptation.

"But deliver us from the evil one"

Everything is clear here. We ask God for help in the fight against evil.

Prayer Our Father can be printed on paper before going to church.

It is important to note that all the words presented above are stated in modern Russian, which are a translation from the Old Church.

At home, the prayer "Our Father" is read in the morning and at night before going to bed. And in the temple you can turn to God at any time.

All about the main prayer of Christians "Our Father".

Researchers of human nature have long noted the fact that a person, sometimes completely unconsciously, feels the need for prayer. Even atheists and agnostics use prayer at critical moments in their lives.

A person remembers the prayer "Our Father" when he feels the need to communicate with the only forgiving and all-understanding Friend.

"Our Father" (other names - "The Lord's Prayer", "The Prayer of the Faithful") is considered a universal prayer that is appropriate to read in any life circumstances, regardless of the time of day and place of prayer. By and large, this prayer

• helps a person to become aware of both their individual needs and reality,
• leads to repentance and gives a sense of forgiveness,
• awakens faith and hope,
• helps to overcome fear, tension, anger,
• helps to understand the prospects for overcoming problems,
• defines goals and helps to concentrate on achieving them,
• restores psycho-emotional state,
• produces a general therapeutic effect.

Prayer "Our Father like Thou" in Old Church Slavonic, with emphasis. Prayer "Our Father like you" translated into Russian in full: words, text

The liturgical tradition of the Church preserves the text of the Evangelist Matthew (Matthew 6: 9-13).

Below is the Church Slavonic text of the prayer and its modern spelling.

Important: The Church Slavonic language was specially created for the divine services of Orthodox Slavs. In this language there is no letter "E". All words are read as they are written. During prayer, you should also carefully monitor the stress.

You will find the interpretation of Church Slavonic expressions in the table.

"The Lord's Prayer" in modern Russian sounds like this:

Prayer "Our Father like you": interpretation, the power of prayer

Prayer is divided into several parts:

• appeal,
• seven requests;
• vocabulary.

The appeal: With the words of the call, believers turn to the Lord and ask to listen to their requests.

First request: about helping to live in accordance with the commandments of true Christians.

Second requests a: to honor believers with the kingdom of God in their earthly existence.

Third request emphasizes the readiness of a person to accept any of His will absolutely meekly and humbly.

Fourth request: about their daily bread. In this case, the concept of "bread" includes everything necessary for human life on earth: food, clothing, a roof over your head. And also the Sacrament of Holy Communion (without it there is no salvation and there is no eternal life).

Fifth request: about the forgiveness of sins. True believers know that He gave people enough strength and talents to do good, and people often turn these gifts into evil. And if a person does not forgive those who offended him, then he may not receive forgiveness for his mistakes.

Sixth request: in protection from temptation. After all, a person is weak enough and he cannot avoid temptation.

Seventh request about protection from all evil in this world.

At the end of the prayer, words can be read.

When and how is it correct and how many times should the prayer "Our Father" be read?

The first and most important rule is to pray sincerely.

Home prayer:

• read in the morning (after waking up) and in the evening (before going to bed), as well as before eating. Minimum - morning and evening;
• if there are icons at home, pray in front of them,
• before prayer, be sure to ask for forgiveness for your sins,
• be sure to listen to the words that you say, be aware of them,
• never pray for material benefits or punishment for another person. Such a prayer will not be heard.

Prayer in the church:

• you can come at any time when the temple is open, or you can pray during the service.

Why do you need to read the prayer "Our Father" forty times?

The repeated repetition of the prayer serves as a strong shield against all troubles and misfortunes, incl. deadly.

How the Lord's Prayer helps in life: examples

Unfortunately, it is easier for a person to believe in the bad than in the good. In the case of prayers, things are even more complicated: often we do not even know exactly when prayer helped us.

Even so, there are many examples of how sincere prayer can help fight physical ailment.

And this incident happened in 2016, when a plane bound for the Dominican Republic was forced to make an emergency landing.

Who left the prayer "Our Father" to people?

What is the power of the Lord's Prayer? And why exactly do we resort to it in difficult life circumstances? Perhaps because this prayer was given to us by Jesus himself. In form, it is similar to traditional Jewish prayers and is a kind of generalization of the Sermon on the Mount.

Video: Prayer "Our Father". Full interpretation. Part I