Our Father

The Lord's Prayer

• Pater Noster
• it was "taught and given to us by the Lord Jesus" (CCC 2765)

• also called the Lord's Prayer or oratio Dominica
  • the Catholic Church generally refers to the prayer as "Our Father"
    • the name comes form the "incipit", or beginnng of the first line
  • Protestant churches generally refer to it as the "Lord's Prayer"

The Lord's Prayer

Modern form

Our Father, who art in heaven, 
hallowed be thy name; 
thy kingdom come, 
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread, 
and forgive us our trespasses 
as we forgive those who trespass against us, 
and lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from evil. 
Amen

• note that Catholic versions of scripture generally do not capitalize pronoun references to the Lord, the Father, or God
  • i.e., "We call him 'Father'" as opposed to "We call Him 'Father'"
    • note that "Father," "God," Christ," "Holy Spirit are all capitalized

Scriptural forms

Matthew 6:9-15

Luke 11:2-4

“This is how you are to pray: '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; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.' If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."

He said to them, “When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.'"

The Lord's instructions on how to pray

The Lord Jesus Christ gave us the prayer to be spoken thoughtfully and purposefully. In the Sermon on the Mount, he taught:

“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. 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. 

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. 

Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.[https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/6:5 Mt 6:5-8])

"Summary of the Whole Gospel"

• Tertullian wrote, "The Lord's Prayer is truly the summary of the whole gospel" (per CCC 2774)
• Saint Augustine wrote that,

Run through all the words of the holy prayers [in Scripture], and I do not think that you will find anything in them that is not contained and included in the Lord's Prayer. (per [https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/664/ CCC 2762])

• Saint Thomas Aquinas called it the "most perfect of prayers" (per CCC 2774)

Notes and the "Seven Petitions"

Abba

The Seven Petitions

• the Lord's Prayer contains seven "Petitions" for seven blessings (CCC 2803)
• the first three Petitions carry us toward God
  • thy name, they kingdom, they will
  • it is about God, not us
  • they are to strengthen our faith

The Lord’s Prayer	The Seven Petitions	Old Testament references	Notes
Preface at Mass: We dare to say...		Moses didn't know what to call God, who told him to call him "I am Who I am" ("Yahwey")	we "dare" to call God “our Father” because it is a bold statement that we have inherited from Christ (CCC 2777) the Son brings us to the Father
Our Father,		Isa 63:16 speaks of “our father” in the sense of the Abrahamic covenant (begs the Lord not to disown Israel even though Abraham may have) Also from Jer 3:16-19 ("you do not call me, 'My father'"), 31-79 ("The Lord says... 'I am a father to Israel'") Tb 13:4 ("he is your Lord, and he is your God, our Father and God forever and ever!")	As Jesus called the Father, “Abba” (an instruction for us) The New Covenant in Jesus Christ and communion with the Holy Trinity brings us to the Father through the New Covenant we are adopted as children of God (CCC 2782) "Our" expresses a relationship not a possession (CCC 2786) "Our" implies that the Father is of all of humanity (CCC 2792) We have become "his" people (the Father's) through the New Covenant given to us by Christ, the Son (CCC 2787)
who art in Heaven,			Heaven = above all creation God's transcends all of creation recognizes that sin has separated us from God and Heaven see (CCC 2794-95)
hallowed be Thy name.	Petition no. 1	or "holy name" as in Eze 36:22 ("but for the sake of my holy name") "hallowed" appears in Lv 22:32 ("I may be hallowed") and Wis 6:10 ("For those who keep the holy precepts hallowed will be found holy"	acknowledgement of God’s all-encompassing holiness "Per the CCC 2807: The term "to hallow" is to be understood here not primarily in its causative sense (only God hallows, makes holy), but above all in an evaluative sense: to recognize as holy, to treat in a holy way. i.e., "causative sense", as in only God can make holy "evaluative sense," as in we recognize God's complete holiness
Thy kingdom come,	Petition no. 2	Mi 4:8 ("To you it shall come: the former dominion shall be restored, the reign of daughter Jerusalem.") note: the second coming is revealed by Christ in the New Testament	“kingdom come” = ages before, now and to come but primarily to the Kingdom to come in "the final coming of the reign of God through Christ's return" (CCC 2818) recognizes God’s reign over all things and time affirms the presence of the Holy Spirit whose "outpouring" at Pentecost sets the path towards Christ's ultimate Reign and "bringing to perfection" God's work in the world that "he might sanctify creation to the full" (EP IV per CCC 2818)
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.	Petition no. 3		Christ teaches that we enter the Kingdom of God by doing his will (CCC 2826) that we carry out the Father’s will and that we focus on the Father and not ourselves recognition that only through prayer can we "discern" the will of God and "obtain the endurance to do it" (CCC 2826)
Give us this day, our daily bread,	Petition no. 4	Ex 16:4 ("I am going to rain down bread from heaven for you") also the Feeding of the 4,000 and 5,000 in the Gospels	"Give us" "expresses the covenant" (CCC 2829) "Bread" is both material and spiritual (CCC 2830) the Greek word used for “bread” implies “super” or “above,” thus “supernatural” bread, as in Manna the Manna had to be collected each morning, so it was daily note that the Our Father prayer is spoken just before the consecration of the Eucharist, the Body of Christ
and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,	Petition no. 5	refers to the Jubilee, which forgave debts, esp. seized land the Jubilee is referenced in Mt 5:5: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land” relates to having land returned from forgiveness of debts	recognizes our sins Jesus taught: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” (Jn 13:34) “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Mt 5:7) “Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful. (Lk 6:36) "But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions” (Mt 6:15)
and lead us not into temptation,	Petition no. 6		recognizes our sinful nature (concupiscence) we pray to avoid the “occasion of sin” and that we need God's help to avoid sin
but deliver us from evil	Petition no. 7		prayer to God to protect us from Satan, the “Evil one” recognizes the God alone can save us from evil

Doxology

also called the "minor doxology"

• doxology = "words of praise"
• the Didache (a collection of early Church teachings, c. AD 50-120) taught the Lord's Prayer ending with the minor doxology:

"for Thine is the power and the glory for ever" ([https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-roberts.html Didache, Ch. 8])

See

• Saint Augustine of Hippo's writing on the Lord's Prayer:
  • https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/ourfatheronthelordsprayer/