Breaking Down the Lord’s Prayer
When Jesus responded to the their question, He gave them an example of prayer. We repeat this prayer as the perfect prayer given to us directly from Jesus, but it can also be seen as a formula or outline for prayer. That’s why it’s important to understand exactly what we are saying when we pray the Lord’s Prayer.
Our Father Who Art in Heaven
As we’ve discussed before, the gift that starts us on our journey in the Christian faith is the gift of sonship through our spiritual adoption into the family of God. It is through baptism that we have received this gift and can now call out to God as “Abba! Father!” (Rom 8:15).
Until we understand this and begin to act like we are sons and daughters of God, we will continue to fail. Jesus’ earthly ministry began with the proclamation from heaven that He was the “beloved son”. Our life in Christ also begins not only with this proclamation, but with its realization. You are a child of God. Not a mistake that slipped through the cracks, but a child that He desired, a child that He loves.
We begin our prayers acknowledging the great gift of being a child of God, knowing that we are calling not upon a distant being or force, but rather upon our Father, the living God who loved us into existence.
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Prayer is not only about getting what we want. After all, God doesn’t really need a laundry list of our wants and desires. Prayer is a way of acknowledging God and how good He has been to us.
“Every day I will bless you; I will praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD and worthy of much praise.”
~ Psalms 145:2-3
To praise God in prayer is an excellent way to assure that our prayers are not completely self-centered. Since prayer is a conversation with God, we need to remember that there is an Other involved.
Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done
Another important aspect of prayer—one that Jesus both taught us and showed us—is that of uniting our will to God’s will. If you look back to the Agony in the Garden, it was probably the most difficult yet fulfilling moment of Jesus’ life.
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.”
~ Luke 22:42
In prayer, we need to learn to ask not just for what we want, but for what God wants for us. It might be difficult for us to accept, but we trusting that God knows what’s best for us, we can be assured that it will be just what we need.
On Earth As it Is In Heaven
This part of the prayer reminds us that our ultimate goal is Heaven. Although we have been given this short time on Earth, we don’t see it is as a useless waste of time, but as an opportunity to grow in the virtues of faith, hope, and love. We know that we are being prepared for perfection.
Our Christian mission is to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven in the here and now. That doesn’t mean we sit around with our arms folded, but that we actively pursue it. Of course, we can’t do it on our own and that’s why we pray that God will help us to make this dream a reality.
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
As you’ve noticed the first half of the prayer is focused on God. We haven’t asked for anything for ourselves yet. This is an important thing to remember about our prayers and about our lives: God comes first.
By asking for our “daily bread” we entrust our material and spiritual needs to God. We trust that He will provide for us. It is He who puts the roof over our heads, the food on our tables, and the clothes on our backs. Thank God! But it doesn’t end there. He also provides for us spiritually by giving us our “daily bread” or the “bread of angels” by giving us His son Jesus in the Eucharist.
Daily Mass is one of the greatest gifts we have. Jesus is our “daily bread”, the bread that fills and sustains us for the day ahead. Thank God for the Eucharist!
Forgive Us Our Trespasses As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us
This is what Jesus gave Himself for on the cross, “for the forgiveness of sins” (). When we ask for forgiveness we are sure that we will receive it because it is what Jesus died for. He wants to free us from our slavery to sin. He wants to relieve us of the weight of the burdens we carry on our shoulders. He offers us freedom and peace.
But there is almost a condition here. We are asking God to forgive us as we forgive others. Are you quick to forgive? If not, do expect God to be? Of course He is rich in mercy, but if we are asking Him to forgive us as we forgive then we need to be careful we are living up to our words.
And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil
We are never going to be free from temptations, but through this part of the prayer we are asking for God to “lead us” or guide us away from sin and into holiness, therefore closer to Him. We are showing our dependence on God.
Only He can conquer evil, sin, and death and it is to Him that we turn when we are challenged in our weakness (Rom 8:37). Evil exists—even though some would have us deny this—but we don’t have to run and hide, because God is on our side. He will protect us and prepare us to do battle.
Putting Prayer to Work
Prayer is not an obligation it’s an invitation to communicate with God. It’s not about you it’s about Him and how you can draw yourself into Him. Try slowly praying the Our Father with this in mind, reflecting on the deeper meaning of each group of words. I guarantee it will prove to deepen your prayer life. Model all of your prayers after Jesus’ formula for perfect prayer and you will come to see what prayer is really all about.