“Pray then in this way: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:9-13
The “Our Father” is more than a prayer. It is a way of living and focusing life. The Lord’s Prayer focuses on God and what we need to draw closer to Him.
Look at what Jesus taught us in this simple prayer. Yes, this is a simple prayer – the first learned by young Catholics in formation. The Lord prefaces His lesson basically by saying, “be simple in prayer” asHe says, “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.” Matthew 6:7
His next focus is primary, the Father. He teaches us that the Father in Heaven needs to be our foremost focus. No matter what is happening, God is in Heaven, on His Throne and His Divine Will will be done. This isn’t us asking that the Father’s Will be done, but, in fact, it is affirming to our soul and mind that His Divine Will is ALWAYS done.
Then, one simple phrase focused on our needs. “Give us this day our daily bread” (v11). In the most powerful prayer of all time no more than seven words focused on our worldly needs. I know this goes beyond that with the Eucharist but, in a worldly sense, Jesus is telling us to focus less on what we think we need. The Father already knows and provides our daily bread.
He finishes with spiritual exercises critical to our growth as Christians and journey home on our Road of Faith. “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Verses 14 and 15 leave no doubt to the critical importance of forgiveness. If we don’t forgive as we’ve been forgiven, we won’t be forgiven. We sinned against God in huge ways, Jesus didn’t hesitate to beg the Father for mercy, undeserved mercy, for those who sinned against God. He expects nothing less from us toward others. Finally, trust the power and love of God to keep your soul safe in the battle against temptation, sin and the evil one.
Don’t forget to sign and notarize your prayer with your heartfelt “amen” at the end.