I’ve been meditating on this for a bit. Do the angels pray the “Lord’s Prayer”, the “Our Father”?
So, this morning I asked my Guardian Angel, “when you pray to the Father, do you use the prayer Jesus taught man?”
In Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4, Jesus said to “pray this way.”
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;band do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.”
My Guardian Angel replied, “no, that is uniquely for you. Through our Lord, Jesus, you alone are called to be children of the Most High.”
So, I asked, “then, how do angels pray?”
“We Angels are pure spiritual beings created by God. We adore Him, serve Him, and are His messengers, as seen throughout Scripture (ie Gabriel announcing the Incarnation). Our relationship with God is one of perfect obedience and praise, differing from the adoptive sonship that human beings receive through Christ. We do not experience redemption in the same way man does, nor are we adopted into God’s family through the Incarnation of the Son in the same manner.”
“Teach me to pray?”
He replied, “that is for God, the Spirit not any angel.” “Then, show me how to pray and praise more purely as the angels do.”
The “prayer of the angels” can be understood as their ceaseless worship and service of God. They are always in His presence, glorifying Him and carrying out His will. This is a state of perfect communion and love.
Humans can grow in their relationship with God by seeking to share in the spirit of this angelic prayer in several ways:
Adoration and Praise: We can cultivate a deeper spirit of adoration and praise in our own prayer life, moving beyond simply asking for things to spending time marveling at God’s goodness, power, and love. This aligns our hearts with the angels’ constant glorification of God.
Obedience and Service: Emulating the angels’ perfect obedience to God’s will can transform our lives. When we strive to live according to God’s commands and serve Him in our daily actions, our entire life becomes a form of prayer and worship.
Intimate Communion: St. Teresa of Avila describes prayer as “an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us.” This pursuit of deep, loving communion with God mirrors the angels’ constant presence and relationship with Him.
Participation in Liturgy: The Church’s liturgy, especially the Mass, is a participation in heavenly worship, where angels are present. When we fully and actively participate in the Mass, we join with the angels and saints in offering praise and thanksgiving to God.
Intercession: Just as angels intercede for us, we can grow by interceding for others, joining our prayers with the heavenly host for the needs of the world.
By striving to live lives of deeper adoration, praise, obedience, and communion with God, we can indeed share in the essence of angelic prayer, drawing closer to the divine life that the angels perfectly reflect.
Would you like to explore specific ways to cultivate a spirit of adoration in your personal prayer? Dig into Scripture. Start simply with the “Our Father”, but don’t rattle it off. Pray it. Meditate on the words Jesus instructed. Let it flow over and through you.
Ask guidance of your Guardian Angel.
Ask the Lord, Jesus – “Lord, teach us to pray” – Luke 11:1
Ask the Holy Spirit.
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” – Romans 8:26-27