The literal translation of our Father's prayer from Aramaic is an enchanted soul. Our Father like you in heaven is a prayer

V 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!

May it be sanctified your namé,

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 thoughtful 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 time of pronouncing 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 a 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, exorcise unclean spirits, in that power of demons, heal a sick body from all kinds of diseases, creating conditions for a beautiful and happy life on the ground.

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.

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 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 Sermon on the Mount 8. And the prayer "Our Father" is at the center of this proclamation. 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 new form 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 part of the main points of the service. But especially clearly her ecclesiastical character manifests itself in the three sacraments of Christian initiation:

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. Petitions of the Lord's Prayer, as opposed to prayers Old Testament, rely on the mystery of salvation, already 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 summary of the whole 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 in front of Burning bush, I heard the following words: “Don't come here; take off your shoes ”(Ex 3: 5). This threshold of divine holiness could only be crossed by Jesus, Who, “having accomplished 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. wonderful word, typically Christian: ???????? - 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 the father or mother, generated by personal and cultural history and influencing our relationship to 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 don't refer to any of yours preemptive right... 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 faithfulness33 we must respond to the "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 became “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, so that they “gather together” (John 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.

Short

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 of 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 “fiery desire”, the very “yearning” of the Beloved Son for the glory of His Father, covers 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 calling of a person 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 earth71.

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 manifest itself in the establishment of justice in personal and social, economic and international relations and we must never forget 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: 8). 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.

"Our Father who art in heaven!
Hallowed be thy name;
Thy kingdom come;
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 do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
(Luke 11: 2-4) "

Icon "Our Father" 1813

Our Father's prayer text with accents

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

Our Father text of the prayer in Church Slavonic

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

Icon "Our Father" from the Church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea, 17th century.

Our Father's Prayer Text in Greek

Πάτερ ἡμῶν, ὁἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.
ἁγιασθήτω τὸὄνομά σου,
ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου,
γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶἐπὶ γής.
Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον.
Καὶἄφες ἡμῖν τὰὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν,
ὡς καὶἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν.
Καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν,
ἀλλὰ ρυσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ του πονηρου.

Page of the Sinai Codex of the Bible IV century, with the text of the prayer "Our Father".

Interpretation of the prayer "Our Father" of St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Our Father, Who art in heaven

(Matt. 6, 9). O great love of God! To those who departed from Him and were in extreme anger against Him, he gave such a forgetfulness of insults and the communion of grace that they call Him Father: Our Father, Who art in heaven. Heavens can be those that bear the image of the heavenly (1 Cor. 15:49), and in which God has dwelt and walks (2 Cor. 6, 16).

Hallowed be Thy name.

Holy by nature is the name of God, whether we say that or not. But since it is sometimes defiled in sinners, according to this: you always blaspheme my name in the town (Isaiah 52, 5; Rom. 2:24). For this we pray that the name of God will be sanctified in us: not because, if not being holy, it will begin to be holy, but because in us it becomes holy, when we ourselves are sanctified and do what is worthy of holiness.

Thy kingdom come.

A pure soul can say with boldness: Thy kingdom come. For whoever has heard Paul say: Let not sin reign in your mortal body (Romans 6, 12), and whoever cleanses himself by deed and thought and word; he can say to God: Thy kingdom come.

Divine and blessed Angels of God do the will of God, as David, singing, said: bless the Lord, all His angels, with mighty strength, working His word (Psalm 102, 20). Therefore, when you pray, you say this in the following sense: as your will is in the Angels, so it will be in me on earth, Master!

Our common bread is not essential. But this Holy Bread is daily: instead of saying - it is built on the essence of the soul. This bread does not enter into the belly, but as an aphedronom (Matt. 15:17): but it is divided into all your composition, for the benefit of body and soul. And the word today is spoken instead of for every day, just as Paul said: until this day it is denounced (Heb. 3:13).

And leave us our debts, as we also leave our debtors.

For we have many transgressions. Because we sin in word and thought, and we do a great deal worthy of condemnation. And if we speak, as if the imams were not sin, we lie (1 John 1, 8), as John says. So, God and I set a condition, praying to forgive our sins, just as we owe our neighbors. So, thinking what instead of what we receive, let us not delay and let us not delay to forgive each other. The insults that happen to us are small in essence, easy and convenient: but those that happen to God are great in essence, and only demand His love for mankind. So, be careful that for small and light sins against you, you do not shut yourself up from God for the forgiveness of your grave sins.

And do not lead us into temptation (Lord)!

Does the Lord teach us to pray so that we may not be tempted at all? And how is it said in one place: the husband is not tempted, is not skillful to eat (Sirach. 34, 10; Rom. 1, 28)? and in another: have all joy, my brethren, when you fall into different temptations (James 1, 2)? But to enter into temptation does not mean to be swallowed up by temptation? Because the temptation is like a kind of stream, difficult to cross. Consequently, those who, being in temptations, do not submerge in them, they pass like the most skillful swimmers, without being sunk by them: and those who are not such, those who entered, submerge, as, for example, Judas, having entered the temptation of love of money, did not swim across, but, having plunged, he drowned physically and spiritually. Peter entered the temptation of rejection: but when he entered, he did not get bogged down, but swam courageously, he was freed from the temptation. Listen also in another place, how the full face of the Saints thanks for deliverance from temptation: you have tempted, God, you have kindled us, as if silver is being siphoned off. Thou hast brought us into the net: Thou hast put afflictions on our spine. Thou hast raised men to our heads: through fire and water, and brought us to rest (Psalm 65, 10, 11, 12). Do you see them, boldly rejoicing that they have passed and are not bogged down? And he brought us away, saying, into rest (ibid., V. 12). To enter them into rest means to be free from temptation.

But deliver us from the evil one.

If this: did not lead us into temptation, the same meant that not to be tempted at all, then he would not, but deliver us from the evil one. The evil one is a resisting demon, from which we pray to get rid of. After the prayer is fulfilled, you say Amen. Seizing through amen what it means may there be everything that is contained in this God-given prayer.

The text is given according to the edition: Creations of our holy father Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem. Publication of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, 1991. (Reprint from the edition: Moscow, Synodal Printing House, 1900.) pp. 336-339.

Interpretation of the prayer of the Lord of St. John Chrysostom

Our Father, Who art in Heaven!

See how He immediately encouraged the listener and at the very beginning remembered all the blessings of God! Indeed, the one who calls God Father, by this name alone, already confesses the forgiveness of sins, and deliverance from punishment, and justification, and sanctification, and redemption, and sonhood, and inheritance, and brotherhood with the Only Begotten, and the gift of the spirit, so just as one who has not received all these blessings cannot call God Father. So, Christ inspires His hearers in two ways: with the dignity of what is called, and the greatness of the blessings that they received.

When he speaks in Heaven, this word does not enclose God in heaven, but distracts the one who is praying from the earth and supplies him in the higher countries and in the high dwellings.

Further, with these words He teaches us to pray for all the brothers. He does not say: "My Father, Who art in Heaven," but - Our Father, and thus commands to offer prayers for the whole human race and never have in mind your own benefits, but always try for the benefits of your neighbor. And thus it destroys enmity, and pride casts down, and envy destroys, and introduces love - the mother of all that is good; destroys the inequality of human affairs and shows complete equality between the king and the poor, since in the affairs of the highest and most necessary we all have an equal share. Indeed, what harm is there from a low kinship, when by heavenly kinship we are all united and no one has anything more than another: neither a rich man who is a poorer, nor a master more than a slave, not a boss more subordinate, not a king more than a warrior, not a philosopher more barbarian, nor a wise more ignorant? God, who deigned to all equally call Himself Father, through this bestowed one nobility on all.

So, having mentioned this nobility, the supreme gift, the unity of honor and love between the brethren, distracting the listeners from the earth and placing them in heaven - let's see what, finally, Jesus commands to pray. Of course, the name of God as Father also contains a sufficient teaching about all virtue: whoever calls God Father and common Father must live in such a way that he does not turn out to be unworthy of this nobility and shows zeal equal to the gift. However, the Savior was not satisfied with this name, but added other sayings.

Hallowed be thy name

He says. To ask for nothing before the glory of the Heavenly Father, but to honor everything below His praise, this is a prayer worthy of the one who calls God Father! Let it be holy means let it be glorified. God has his own glory, full of all greatness and never change. But the Savior commands the one who is praying to ask that God be glorified with our life. He said about this before: So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16). And the Seraphim, glorify God, so cry out: Holy, Holy, Holy! (Is. 66, 10). So, let it be holy means let it be glorified. Grant us, - as the Savior teaches us to pray in this way, - to live so purely that through us all will glorify You. To show a life that is not ashamed before everyone, so that everyone who sees it praises the Master - this is a sign of perfect wisdom.

Thy kingdom come.

And these words are fitting for a good son, who does not get attached to what is visible and does not consider real blessings to be anything great, but strives for the Father and desires future blessings. Such prayer comes from a good conscience and a soul free from everything earthly.

This is what the Apostle Paul wanted every day, which is why he said: we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, and we groan in ourselves, waiting for the adoption of the redemption of our body (Rom. 8:23). He who has such love can neither become proud among the blessings of this life, nor despair amid sorrows, but, as one who lives in heaven, he is free from both extremes.

Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth.

Do you see a wonderful connection? He first commanded to wish for the future and strive for their own country, but until that happens, those who live here should try to lead such a life as is characteristic of celestials. One must desire, He says, for heaven and heaven. However, even before reaching heaven, He commanded us to make the earth heaven and, living on it, behave in everything as if we were in heaven, and pray to the Lord about this. Indeed, the fact that we live on earth does not hinder us in the least from reaching the perfection of the higher Forces. But you can, and living here, do everything as if we lived in heaven.

So, the meaning of the words of the Savior is as follows: as in heaven everything is done without hindrance and it does not happen that the angels obey in one thing and disobey in the other, but obey and obey in everything (because it is said: with strength in strength, doing His word - Ps. 102, 20) - so also us, people, do not half do your will, but do everything as you please.

You see? - Christ taught us to humble ourselves when he showed that virtue depends not only on our zeal, but also on heavenly grace, and at the same time commanded each of us to take care of the universe during prayer. He did not say: "Thy will be done in me" or "in us," but throughout the whole earth - that is, so that all delusion should be destroyed and the truth planted, so that all malice may be driven out and virtue returned, and that, thus, nothing did not distinguish between heaven and earth. If this be so, He says, then they will not differ in any way from the things above, although in their properties they are different; then the earth will show us other angels.

Give us this day our daily bread.

What is daily bread? Everyday. Since Christ said: Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth, and He talked with people clothed with flesh, who are subject to the necessary laws of nature and cannot have angelic dispassion, even though He commands us to fulfill the commandments like the Angels fulfill them, but condescends to the weakness of nature and, as it were, says: "I demand from you an equal-angular severity of life, however, I do not demand dispassion, because your nature does not allow it, which has the necessary need for food."

See, however, how there is much spiritual in the bodily! The Savior commanded to pray not for wealth, not for pleasures, not for valuable clothes, not for anything else of the kind - but only for bread, and, moreover, for everyday bread, so that we do not care about tomorrow, which is why he added: daily bread, that is, everyday. Even with this word I was not satisfied, but added something else afterwards: give us this day, so that we do not overwhelm ourselves with concern for the coming day. Indeed, if you do not know whether you will see tomorrow, then why do you bother yourself with caring for it? The Savior commanded this and then later in his sermon: Do not worry, - he says, - about tomorrow (Matthew 6, 34). He wants us to be always girded and inspired by faith and no more yielding to nature than the necessary need requires of us.

Further, since it happens to sin even after the font of rebirth (that is, the Sacraments of Baptism. - Comp.), The Savior, wanting in this case to show His great philanthropy, commands us to approach the man-loving God with a prayer for the forgiveness of our sins and say this: And leave us our debts, as we leave our debtors.

Do you see the abyss of God's mercy? After the removal of so many evils and after the ineffable great gift of justification, He again deserves forgiveness those who sin.<…>

By reminding us of our sins, He inspires us with humility; by commanding to let others go, it destroys rancor in us, and by promising forgiveness to us too, it affirms good hopes in us and teaches us to reflect on the ineffable love of God.

It is especially noteworthy that in each of the above petitions He mentioned all the virtues, and with this last petition he also embraces rancor. And the fact that the name of God is sanctified through us is an unmistakable proof of a perfect life; and that His will is done, shows the same; and that we call God the Father is a sign of a blameless life. In all this already lies what should leave anger on those who offend us; However, the Savior was not satisfied with this, but wanting to show what kind of concern He has for eradicating rancor between us, he speaks especially about this and after prayer recalls not some other commandment, but the commandment of forgiveness, saying: For if you will forgive people their sins, then your Father in heaven will forgive you (Matthew 6: 14).

Thus, this absolution initially depends on us, and in our power is the judgment pronounced about us. So that no one of the unreasonable, being condemned for a great or small crime, has the right to complain about the judgment, the Savior makes you, the most guilty, a judge over Himself and, as it were, says: what judgment you yourself will pronounce about yourself, the same judgment and I I will speak about you; if you forgive your brother, then you will receive the same benefit from me - although this latter is actually much more important than the first. You forgive another because you yourself need forgiveness, but God forgives, Himself having no need for anything; you forgive the fellow-servant, and God - the servant; you are guilty of countless sins and God is sinless

On the other hand, the Lord shows His love for mankind by the fact that even without your deed He could forgive You all Sins, but He wants to do you good in this too, in everything to give you occasions and incentives for meekness and philanthropy - he drives out atrocities from you, extinguishes anger in you and in every possible way wants to unite you with your members. What will you say about that? Is it that you have unjustly suffered some kind of evil from your neighbor? If so, then, of course, your neighbor has sinned against you; but if you endured justly, that does not amount to sin in him. But you also approach God with the intention of receiving forgiveness for similar and even much greater sins. Moreover, even before forgiveness, how little did you receive, when you were already taught to keep the human soul in yourself and instructed in meekness? Moreover, you will have a great reward in the age to come, because then you will not be required to account for any of your sins. So, what punishment will we deserve if, even after receiving such rights, we ignore our salvation? Will the Lord heed our petitions when we ourselves do not spare ourselves where everything is in our power?

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Here the Savior clearly reveals our insignificance and casts down pride, teaching us not to give up exploits and arbitrarily not to rush to them; thus, victory will be more brilliant for us, and defeat will be more sensitive for the devil. As soon as we are involved in the struggle, we must stand courageously; and if there is no challenge to her, then they should calmly wait for the time of exploits, in order to show themselves not conceited and courageous. Here Christ calls the devil evil, commanding us to wage irreconcilable war against him and showing that he is not by nature. Evil does not depend on nature, but on freedom. And what is predominantly called the devil wicked is because of the extraordinary multitude of evil that is in him, and because he, not being offended by anything from us, wages an irreconcilable war against us. Therefore, the Savior did not say: “Deliver us from the wicked,” but from the evil one, and thus teaches us not to be angry with our neighbors for the insults that we sometimes endure from them, but to turn all our enmity against the devil as the culprit of all angry. By reminding us of the enemy, making us more careful and cutting off all our carelessness, He encourages us further, introducing us that King under whose authority we are fighting, and showing that He is most powerful of all: As yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen- says the Savior. So, if His Kingdom, then there should not be any fear of anyone, since no one resists Him and no one shares power with Him.

When the Savior says: Yours is the Kingdom, then it shows that that enemy of ours is subordinate to God, although, apparently, he also resists by the permission of God. And he is one of the slaves, although condemned and rejected, and therefore does not dare to attack any of the slaves, without first receiving power from above. And what am I saying: not one of the slaves? He did not even dare to attack the pigs until the Savior himself commanded; nor for the flocks of sheep and oxen, until he received authority from above.

And power, says Christ. So, even if you were very weak, yet you must be bold, having such a King who can easily do all glorious deeds through you, And glory forever, Amen,

(Interpretation of St. Matthew the Evangelist
Creations T. 7. Book. 1.SP6., 1901. Reprint: M., 1993. S. 221-226)

Interpretation of the prayer Our Father in video format

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In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This is how Orthodox Christians begin their morning and evening prayers. In this prayer we call for help Holy Trinity, one in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we ask God to bless all our labors and undertakings, both prayer and daily. This prayer can be read before starting any business.

Word "Amen"(Hebrew amen - true) at the end of the prayer means: true so. Many prayers end with this word, it confirms the truth of what was said.

Lord bless.

This prayer is also pronounced before any deed. All our actions, deeds, labors will then be successful when we call on God for help, ask Him for help and blessings.

Lord have mercy.

We hear these words most often during divine services. "Lord have mercy!" (Greek "Kyrie eleyson") - the oldest prayer. To strengthen our penitential attitude, we repeat it three, twelve, and forty times. All three of these numbers in the Holy Bible symbolize completeness.

The deacon or priest, on behalf of all those praying in the church, pronounces the litany, asks the Lord to forgive us our sins and give His heavenly and earthly blessings. The choir replies: "Lord, have mercy!" - as if on behalf of all those praying. We also say this prayer to ourselves. This is the shortest confession, even shorter than the repentance of the publican, who spoke five words from the depths of his contrite heart. In it, we humbly ask God for forgiveness for all our sins and pray for help.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

(Pronounced three times)

This prayer is called Trisagion- the word "Holy" is repeated three times in it. It is addressed to the Most Holy Trinity. We call God Holy because He is sinless; Strong because He is omnipotent, and Immortal because He is eternal.

A strong earthquake struck Constantinople in 439. The people were in fear. People, going around the city with the cross, prayed to God for an end to the disaster. They repentantly, with tears, exclaimed: "Lord, have mercy!" During the prayer, one boy was raised by an invisible force into the air. When he sank to the ground, he said that he saw a choir of Angels chanting: "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us!" As soon as this chant was repeated by the believers, the earthquake stopped. This sacred angelic song has become an integral part of worship and prayer rule among Orthodox Christians.

Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee.

We must not only ask God for something, but also thank Him for everything He sends us. If something good has happened to us, we must offer thanks to God at least briefly by saying this prayer. During the day we will notice everything that the Lord gives us, and going to sleep we will thank Him.

Lord's Prayer

This prayer is special. It was given to His disciples-apostles by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, when they asked Him: "Lord, teach us to pray." That is why this prayer is called the Lord's. It is also called the prayer "Our Father" - according to the first words. All Orthodox Christians, even small ones, should know it by heart. There is even a saying: “To know as 'Our Father'”, that is, to remember something very well.

This little prayer contains a request to God for everything that a person needs. We turn to God with the words: “Our Father!” Because He created all people, gave us life, cares for us and Himself calls us His children: gave the power to be children of God(Jn 1:12). We are His children, and He is our Father. God is everywhere, but His Throne, a place of special presence, is in the inaccessible, high spheres in heaven, where Angels dwell.

Hallowed be Thy name. First of all, the name of God, His glory should be sanctified in His children - people. This light of God should be seen in us, which is manifested in good deeds, words, in purity of heart, in the fact that we have peace and love among ourselves. The Lord Himself said about this: So let your light shine before people, so that they see your good deeds and glorify your Heavenly Father(Mt 5:16).

Thy kingdom come. It also says that the Kingdom of God must first of all come into the heart and soul of every Christian. We, Orthodox Christians, must show other people an example, how the Kingdom of God begins in our family, in our parish, how we love each other and treat people well and kindly. The future Kingdom of God, which came in power, will begin on earth after the Lord Jesus Christ comes to it for the second time to judge all people with His last Judgment and establish on earth the kingdom of peace, goodness and righteousness.

Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth. The Lord only wants us good and salvation. Unfortunately, people do not always live the way God wants. Angels in heaven are always in obedience to God, they know and do His will. We pray that people will understand that God wants all of them salvation and happiness, and they will obey God. But how do you know the will of God about yourself? After all, we are all different, and each has its own path. To live according to the will of God, you need to build your life as God commands, that is, in your life to be guided by His commandments, by what the word of God tells us, Holy Bible... It is necessary to read it more often, to look for answers to questions in it. You need to listen to your conscience, it is the voice of God in us. It is necessary with humility and gratitude to accept everything that happens to us in life, as sent from God. And in all difficult, difficult circumstances, when we do not know what to do, we must ask God to admonish us and consult with spiritually experienced people. It is desirable for everyone, if possible, to have his own spiritual father and, when necessary, to ask his advice.

Give us this day our daily bread. We ask God to give us everything we need for our soul and body for every day of our life. Bread here is primarily understood as the Heavenly Bread, that is, the Holy Gifts that the Lord gives us in the Sacrament of Communion.

But we also ask for earthly food, clothing, shelter and everything necessary for life. Therefore, Orthodox Christians read the prayer "Our Father" before eating.

And leave us our debts, as we also leave our debtors. We all have something to repent of before the Heavenly Father, we have something to ask for His forgiveness. And God in His own way great love always forgives us when we repent. Likewise, we must forgive our "debtors" - people who cause us sorrow and insult. If we do not forgive our offenders, then God will not forgive us our sins.

And don't lead us into temptation. What are temptations? This life tests and circumstances in which we can easily commit sins. They happen to everyone: it can be difficult to resist irritation, harsh words, ill will. We need to pray that God will help us cope with temptation and not sin.

But deliver us from the evil one. From whom do temptations, bad, sinful thoughts, desires most often come? From our enemy - the devil. He and his servants begin to instill in us evil thoughts, to induce us to sin. They deceive us, they never tell the truth, therefore the devil and his servants are called crafty - deceitful. But there is no need to be afraid of them, God has assigned a Guardian Angel to us, who helps us in the fight against demonic temptations. God protects all who turn to Him from the wicked devil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. The prayer "Our Father" ends with a glorification of God, glorification of Him as the King and Ruler of the world. We believe that God is the All-Perfect Power, capable of helping us, protecting us from all evil. In confirmation of our faith, we say: "Amen" - "it is truly so."

Explaining the prayer "Our Father" to the children, one can recall the famous fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen "The Snow Queen" in its full version. The heroine of the fairy tale, the girl Gerda, read "Our Father", and the prayer helped her a lot. When Gerda approached the palace of the Snow Queen to rescue Kai, her path was blocked by terrible servants. “Gerda began to read Our Father; it was so cold that the girl's breath immediately turned into a thick fog. This fog thickened and thickened, but little bright angels began to stand out from it, who, having stepped on the ground, grew into large formidable angels with helmets on their heads and spears and shields in their hands. Their number kept increasing, and when Gerda finished her prayer, a whole legion had already formed around her. The angels took the snow monsters for spears, and they crumbled into a thousand pieces. Gerda could now boldly walk forward: the angels stroked her hands and feet, and she was no longer so cold. Finally, the girl reached the Snow Queen's palaces. "

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

This prayer is addressed to the third Person of the Holy Trinity - the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is everywhere, for God is Spirit. He is the giver of life and blessed help to all living. It is especially important to read this prayer before starting any good deed, so that the grace of the Holy Spirit dwells in us, strengthens our strength and gives us help. It is customary to read the prayer "Heavenly King" before training sessions.

Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos

("Virgin Mary")

This prayer is based on greetings of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary at the time of the Annunciation when the holy Archangel brought the Mother of God the news of her birth Savior of the world(see: Luke 1:28).

The Church honors and glorifies the Mother of God above all saints, above all Angels. The prayer "Virgin Mary, Rejoice" is ancient, it appeared in the first centuries of Christianity.

The words blessed is the fruit of your womb, glorifying Christ, who was born of the Virgin Mary, are taken from the greetings of the righteous Elizabeth, when Holy Mother of God after the annunciation she wished to visit her (Luke 1:42).

This prayer is a praise. We magnify, glorify the Mother of God in her as the most worthy and righteous Virgin of all people, who was honored with the great honor of giving birth to God Himself.

We turn to the Mother of God in a short prayer of prayer:

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

We ask God for salvation through the prayers of the person closest to Him - His Mother. The Mother of God is our first Intercessor and Intercessor before God.

Song of praise to the Mother of God

("It is worthy to eat")

The Most Holy Theotokos is truly worthy of veneration and gratification as the immaculate Mother of Christ the Savior.

We glorify Her more than all the Heavenly Powers, Cherubim and Seraphim, and we magnify the Mother of God, who gave birth to God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, without the pangs of birth and disease.

Prayer "It is worthy to eat" - praise, praiseworthy ... “It is worthy to eat” and “Virgin Mary” are the most famous and important prayers to the Mother of God. Most often, they are sung in the church by all those praying.

This prayer usually concludes some parts of the church service. At home prayer, "It is worthy to eat" is usually read at the very end. This prayer is read after study and work.

Arkhangelsk song

The prayer "It is worthy to eat" is called the Archangelic song. According to the legend of the Holy Mount Athos, during the reign of Basil and Constantine Porfirorodny Elder Gabriel and his novice, who was also called Gabriel, asceticised in a cell near the monastery of Kareya. On Saturday evening, June 11, 980, the elder went to the monastery for an all-night vigil, and left the novice to perform the service in his cell. An unknown monk knocked on the door at night. The novice showed him hospitality. They began to perform the service together. While singing the words "Most Honest Cherubim", the guest said that they glorify the Mother of God in a different way. He sang "It is worthy to eat, as truly blessed you, the Mother of God, the Most Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God ...", and then added: "Honest Cherub ..." Icon Mother of God The "merciful" before whom they prayed shone with heavenly light. The novice asked to record this song, but the paper was not in the cell. The guest took the stone, which became soft in his hands, and inscribed this prayer with his finger. The guest introduced himself as Gabriel and disappeared. When Elder Gabriel came, he realized that the Archangel Gabriel had come. The stone with the song inscribed by the Archangel was delivered to Constantinople.

Prayer to the Guardian Angel

To the angel of God, my holy guardian, given to me from God from heaven, I earnestly pray to you: you enlighten me this day, and save me from all evil, guide me to a good deed and direct me to the path of salvation. Amen.

Each person is given a Guardian Angel at baptism. He protects us, keeps us from all evil, and especially from the intrigues of demonic forces.

In this prayer, we turn to him and ask him to enlighten our minds to the knowledge of God, to save us from all evil, direct them to salvation and help in all good deeds.

Prayer for the living

Save, Lord, and have mercy on my spiritual father(his name) , my parents (their names), relatives, mentors, benefactors and all Orthodox Christians.

Our duty is to pray not only for ourselves, but also for the people closest to us: parents, the priest with whom we confess, brothers, sisters, teachers, everyone who does us good, and for all brothers in faith - Orthodox Christians.

Prayer for the departed

Rest, O Lord, the souls of the departed, Thy servant: my parents(their names) , relatives, benefactors(names) , and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.

God has no dead, He has everyone alive. Not only those who live on earth, people close to us need our prayer help, but also those who left us, all our departed relatives and friends.

Prayer before study

Good Lord, send down to us the grace of Thy Holy Spirit, giving and strengthening our spiritual strength, so that, attentively to the teachings taught to us, we grow to Thee, our Creator, for glory, and our parents for consolation, for the benefit of the Church and Fatherland.

For schoolchildren, their activities and studies are the same work as their daily work for adults. Therefore, it is necessary to start such an important and responsible matter as teaching with prayer, so that the Lord would give us strength, help us to assimilate the taught teaching, so that later we can use the knowledge gained for the glory of God, for the benefit of the Church and our country. For work to bring joy to us and benefit to people, you need to learn a lot, work hard.

Prayer after eating food

We have already said that before eating food, the prayer "Our Father" is read. After the meal, we also read a prayer, offering thanks to God for the meal sent.

God sends us food, but people prepare it, so we also do not forget to thank those who fed us.

Jesus Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

The Jesus Prayer is addressed to our Lord Jesus Christ... In it, we ask the most important thing: that the Savior forgive our sins and save, have mercy on us.

This prayer is usually read in monasteries, it is included in the daily prayer rule... Monks - people who have dedicated their lives to serving God - read it many times, sometimes almost without interruption all day. The prayer is read on a rosary so as not to get lost in the count, for it is read a certain amount of once. A rosary is usually a string with knots or beads tied together. People living outside the monastery, in the world, can also read the Jesus Prayer and pray on the rosary, but for this you need to take a blessing from the priest. It is very good to do the Jesus Prayer during work, calling on God for help, on the road and in general at any convenient time.

Prayer is very powerful. In the Lives of Saints, Patericons, Fathers and other spiritual books, there are many examples of the miraculous effect of prayer.

The power of prayer

Abba Dula, a disciple of the elder Vissarion, narrates: “Abba Vissarion had to cross the river Chrizoroy. Having made a prayer, he walked along the river, as if on dry land, and went to the other side. In surprise, I bowed to him and asked: what did your feet feel when you walked on the water? The elder answered: my heels felt the water, but the rest was dry. Thus, more than once he crossed the great river Nile ”(Fatherland).