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Our Father. The Lord's Prayer. Prayer Our Father - text, interpretation How many words in prayer our Father

In those cases when a person's strength leaves him, he is pursued by troubles, he has lost heart, and is going through many difficulties, it probably makes sense to turn to the Almighty for help with the help of prayer.

Believers are well aware of its healing power, and if it is pronounced from a pure heart, God will certainly hear the prayers and help in the most difficult moment. Naturally, the choice of prayer depends on the nature of your request, but this is not required. The main prayer in Christianity is the "Our Father" prayer and it can be used in any case.

What is the history of prayer?

This prayer is considered universal. Therefore, it can be read during hours of illness, despondency, troubles and deterioration of health. The history of its origin goes back to ancient times. It is known that it was Jesus Christ who gave prayer to the disciples who asked to teach them.

In subsequent years, it could already be found among many peoples, but with different text. For example, in the first century it was considered the center of worship. Prayer illuminated morning, evening and day. The Eucharist also began with her.

The fulfillment of prayer has its own history. So, the chant was originally performed by all the people. And only later the prayer began to be sung in chorus. This tradition slowly gained in popularity, but still took root. Now chanting has supplanted the ancient custom of performing prayer by the people, thereby also disappearing the personal that each person put into it while reading.

In the Gospels, prayer can be found in several versions: from Luke in a short one and from Matthew in a more complete one. The first option, according to the opinion of the biblical scholars, was constantly added, which blurred the boundaries of distinction between it and the prayer from Matthew. The second option is more common in the Christian world and is used much more often.

Prayer text

Our Father, Who art in heaven!

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

like in heaven and on earth.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and leave us our debts,

as we also leave to our debtors;

and do not lead us into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

For yours is the kingdom and power and glory forever.

Amen.

Interpretation of prayer

Before proceeding to the interpretation of the prayer, one should recall its text: “Our Father, Thou art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also leave our debtors, and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. "

It should be noted that all priests explain the text of the prayer in different ways. So, according to the interpretation of the priest Anthony of Sourozh, the prayer is divided into several parts.

The first contains the invocation of God, the second - the invocation of the sinner, representing the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. The last words of the prayer are a glorification of the Holy Trinity, blessing the sinner himself on this path. Usually these words should be uttered exclusively by the priest.

In prayer, God is referred to as the Father. This means that all people are equal before the Saviors. For the Lord, there are no boundaries related to nationality, material wealth or origin. Only one who lives in accordance with the commandments and leads a pious lifestyle has the full right to call himself the Son of the Heavenly Father.

As you can see, prayer carries the broadest meaning.

The healing properties of prayer

Prayer "Our Father" considered the most powerful. With the help of it, many people found peace, returned health and faith in themselves, and all because it has healing properties. By reading its text, a person can:

  • Overcome depression;
  • Reveal yourself;
  • Develop an optimistic outlook on life;
  • Get rid of diseases and troubles;
  • To cleanse the soul from sinful thoughts.

But in order for the properties of prayer to really activate their power, it is also important to observe some rules for its pronunciation. Coming to church, or simply saying the text of the prayer to yourself, it is important to fully open your soul to God, to become yourself without pretense and deceit, to ask for help sincerely without lies and tricks. Then the chances that the Almighty will hear the prayers will only increase.

From a psychological point of view, it is believed that when reading this prayer it is also important to accept all difficulties. After all, by denying them, you only move away from solving problems.

Even a science such as biorhythmology confirms that sound vibrations when reading a prayer really helps to heal, tune in a positive mood and calm down. Reading the text with all your heart, you will certainly tune in to a specific result and feel spirituality.

Examples of the miraculous effects of prayer

Usually science and religion are incompatible in their concepts and outlook on life. But, the only thing science cannot contradict is the healing properties of the prayer "Our Father".

In recent years, scientists have conducted a considerable number of experiments. So on one of these, the miraculous power of prayer was proved. For the study, a certain amount of water was taken from various reservoirs. In all samples, the content of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was recorded. The prayer "Our Father" was read over the water by unbelievers and believers, and the test was overshadowed by the sign of the cross.

The results of the study showed that the number of bacteria in different containers decreased hundreds, and in some even thousands of times.

In addition, prayer had a beneficial effect on the well-being of the people who took part in the experiment. In hypertensive patients, a decrease in blood pressure was recorded, the subjects' blood composition improved, and fatigue disappeared.

It was also noticed that the effect of prayer was much lower on those who did not touch certain points with their fingers.

As you can see, prayer is not only a text, but words that have healing powers. With their correct pronunciation, as well as sincerity of feelings, this power can only be increased. Even those who previously did not believe in the miraculous properties of prayer change their minds after being convinced of their activity in reality. If you really want the Almighty to hear you and lend a helping hand, address him with all your heart without lies and insincerity. Then the result from reading the prayer will not keep you waiting, and you will receive the support that you asked for.

Video about the prayer "Our Father".

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The most important prayer is called the Lord's, because the Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave it to His disciples when they asked Him to teach them how to pray (see Matt. 6: 9-13; Luke 11: 2-4).

Our Father, who is in heaven; let thy name be holy; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth; give us this day our daily bread; and leave us our debts, as we also will leave our debts; and do not lead us into temptation; but save us from the evil one.

We offer our reader an interpretation Blessed Simeon of Thessaloniki.

Our Father!- because He is our Creator, who created us out of nothing, and through His Son, by nature, He became the Father for us by grace.

Like Thou in Heaven, - because He rests in the Saints, being holy, as it is written; Holier than we are the Angels who are in heaven, and purer than the earth is heaven. Therefore, God is predominantly in heaven.

Hallowed be thy name... Because You are holy, sanctify your name in us, sanctify us too, so that, having become yours, we can sanctify your name, proclaim it as holy, glorify it in ourselves, and not blaspheme.

Thy kingdom come... Be our King for our good deeds, not an enemy for our evil deeds. And may your kingdom come, the last day, when you will receive the kingdom over all, and over the enemies, and your kingdom will be forever, as it is; it awaits, however, those who are worthy and ready by that time.

Thy will be done, like in heaven and on earth... Confirm us as Angels, that your will may be done in us and by us, as in them; let not our will be passionate and human, but yours, passionless and holy; and just as you united the earthly with the heavenly, so also in us who are on earth, let there be heavenly.

Give us this day our daily bread... Although we ask for heavenly things, we are mortal and, as people, we ask for the maintenance of our being and bread, knowing that he too is from You, and You alone have no need for anything, but we are bound by needs and believe in You. his boldness. Asking only for bread, we are not asking what is superfluous, but what is necessary for us for the present day, since we have learned not to care about tomorrow either, because You care for us in the present day, you will be cared for tomorrow and forever. But also another give us our daily bread this day- the living bread, heavenly, the all-holy body of the living Word, of which he who does not eat will not have a little life in himself. This is our daily bread: because it strengthens and sanctifies the soul and body, and not poisonous him not have a belly in you, a his poison will live forever(John 6,51.53.54).

And leave us our debts, as we also leave our debts... This petition expresses the whole meaning and the whole essence of the divine Gospel: for the Word of God came into the world in order to forsake us our iniquities and sins, and, being incarnated, for this purpose it did everything, shed its blood, bestowed the sacraments for the remission of sins and it commanded and ordained. Let go and let you go, says It (Luke 6.37). And to Peter's question how many times to let him go to the one who has sinned per day, he answers: up to seventy times seventy, instead of: without counting (Matthew 18:22). In addition, It determines by this the success of the prayer itself, testifying that if the praying person lets go, it will be released to him, and if he leaves, it will be left to him, and will remain to the extent that he leaves (Luke 6: 36.38), - of course , sins against the neighbor and the Creator: because this is what the Lord wants. For we are all equal in nature and all together are slaves, we all sin, letting go of a little, we receive a lot, and by giving forgiveness to people, we ourselves receive forgiveness from God.

And don't lead us into temptation: because we have very many tempters, full of envy and always hostile, and many temptations from demons, from people, from the body and from the carelessness of the soul. Everyone is exposed to temptations - both those who strive and those who neglect salvation, the righteous are even more, for their trial and exaltation, and they all the more need patience: because the spirit, although vigorous, but the flesh is weak. Temptation is also if you despise your brother, if you seduce him, insult him, or show carelessness and negligence about works of piety. Therefore, whatever we have sinned before God and brother, we ask Him to have mercy on us, having mercy and letting go, and not to lead us into temptation. If anyone is even righteous, let him not rely on himself: because one can be righteous only with humility, mercy and forgiving others their sins.

But deliver us from the evil one: because he is an implacable, indefatigable and frantic enemy of ours, and we are weak before him, since he has a subtle and vigilant nature, - a crafty enemy, inventing and weaving thousands of intrigues for us, and always inventing dangers for us. And if You, the Creator and Master of everything and the most wicked, the devil with his minions, equally Angels and us, will not abduct us from them: then who is able to pluck us out? We do not have the strength to constantly confront this insubstantial, so envious, insidious and cunning enemy. Deliver us yourself from him.

As yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen... And who tempts and insults those under your dominion, God of all and Master, who owns the Angels? Or who can resist your strength? - Nobody: because you created and keep everyone. Or who will resist your glory? Who dares? Or who can embrace her? Heaven and earth are filled with her, and she is higher than heaven and angels: because you are one - always existing and eternal. And your glory, the kingdom and power of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit forever and ever, Amen that is, truly, undoubtedly and genuinely. Here is, in brief, the meaning of the trisagion and sacred prayer: "Our Father." And every Orthodox Christian should certainly know it all, and raise it to God, rising from sleep, leaving the house, going to the holy temple of God, before eating and after eating food, in the evening and going to sleep: for the prayer of the Trisagion and "Our Father" contains everything - and the confession of God, and praise, and humility, and the confession of sins, and the prayer for forsaking them, and the hope of future blessings, and the petition of the necessary, and the renunciation of the superfluous, and hope in God, and the prayer that no temptation befell us and we were free from the devil, so that we could do the will of God, be the sons of God and become worthy of the kingdom of God. That is why the Church performs this prayer many times day and night.

The Lord's Prayer is also called the Lord's Prayer, because Christ Himself gave it to His disciples in response to: “Teach us to pray” (Luke 11: 1).

Christians say this prayer every day in the morning and evening rules, read it before meals, say it in churches, moreover, during the service, all parishioners sing it aloud. But, unfortunately, often repeating the words of the prayer, we do not always comprehend, but what exactly is behind her words? We have compiled 10 basic questions about the prayer "Our Father" and tried to answer them.

1. DO WE CALL GOD FATHER BECAUSE HE CREATED US ALL?

No, for this reason we can call Him - the Creator, or - the Creator. The conversion of the Father presupposes a very definite personal relationship between the children and the Father, which must be expressed first of all in the likeness of the Father. God is Love, therefore our whole life should also become an expression of love for God and for the people around us. If this does not happen, then we run the risk of becoming like those about whom Jesus Christ said: your father is the devil; and you want to do the lusts of your father (John 8:44). The Old Testament Jews lost the right to call God Father. The prophet Jeremiah speaks about this with bitterness: And I said: ... you will call Me your father and will not depart from Me. But verily, just as a wife treacherously betrays her friend, so you, the house of Israel, have dealt treacherously with me, says the Lord. ... Return, rebellious children: I will heal your disobedience (Jer 3: 20-22). However, the return of the rebellious children took place only with the coming of Christ. Through Him, God again adopted all who are ready to live according to the commandments of the gospel.

Saint Cyril of Alexandria: “Only God himself can allow people to call God Father. He gave this right to people, making them sons of God. And in spite of the fact that they withdrew from Him and were in extreme anger against Him, He granted oblivion of offenses and the sacrament of grace. "

2. WHY "OUR FATHER" AND NOT "MY"? IN FACT, WHAT COULD BE MORE PERSONAL FOR A PERSONAL BUSINESS THAN AN APPEAL TO GOD?

The most important and most personal matter for a Christian is love for other people. Therefore, we are called to ask God for mercy not only for ourselves, but for all people living on Earth.

St. John Chrysostom: “... He does not say: my Father, Thou art in Heaven,” but - Our Father, and thus commands to offer prayers for the whole human race and never have in mind our own benefits, but always try for the benefits of our neighbors. 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. "

3. WHY “IN HEAVEN” IF THE CHURCH TEACHES THAT GOD IS OWN PRESENT?

God is truly omnipresent. But a person is always in a certain place, and not only in his body. Our thoughts also always have a certain direction. The mention of Heaven in prayer helps to distract our mind from the earthly and direct it to the Heavenly.

St. John Chrysostom: "When the henna of Heaven speaks," this word does not enclose God in heaven, but distracts the one who prays from the earth. "
"Hallowed be thy name"

4. WHY SPECIALLY ASK ABOUT THIS IF GOD IS ALWAYS HOLY?

Yes, God is always holy, but we ourselves are far from always holy, although we call Him Father. But can children not be like the Father? “Hallowed be Thy name” is a request that God help us to live righteously, that is, so that His name will be sanctified through our lives.

Saint John Chrysostom: “Let it be holy means that 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: Let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Heavenly Father (Matt 5:16). … Grant us, - as it were, the Savior teaches us to pray, - to live so purely that through us all will glorify You ”.
"Thy kingdom come"

5. WHAT KINGDOM ARE SPEAKING ABOUT? WE ASK GOD TO BECOME THE WORLD KING?

Kingdom of God - words that simultaneously mean two concepts here:

1. The state of the renewed world after the end of the world and the Last Judgment, in which people transformed by grace who inherited this Kingdom will live.

2. The state of a person who, fulfilling the commandments of the Gospel, conquered the action of the passions, and through this gave the grace of the Holy Spirit to work, which every Christian receives in the sacrament of Baptism.

Saint Theophan the Recluse: “This kingdom is - the future kingdom of heaven, which will open after the end of the world and the terrible judgment of God. But in order to sincerely desire the coming of this kingdom, we must be sure that we will be rewarded with it together with those to whom it will be said: come the blessing of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the folding of the world (Matthew 25:34). Worthy of this is the one in whom, during this still life, the kingdom of sin, passions and the devil has been suppressed. The suppression of this kingdom is accomplished by the action of grace through faith in the Lord Savior. He who has believed surrenders himself to the Lord, promising Him to live holy and blameless. For this, in the Sacrament of Baptism, the grace of the Holy Spirit is given, which revives him to a new life; from that moment on, it is no longer sin that reigns in him, but grace, teaching every good and strengthening him to do it. This is the kingdom of grace, of which the Lord said: the kingdom of God is within you. The future kingdom is the kingdom of glory, and this is spiritual, it is the kingdom of grace. The prayer "Our Father" together embraces both kingdoms. Otherwise, those who want the speedy coming of the future kingdom, but who have not become the son of the kingdom of grace, will want the end of the world to come as soon as possible, and the Last Judgment, at which he will inevitably be on the side of those who will be heard: move away from Me curse into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his aggression. "
"Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth"

6. IS GOD AND WITHOUT OUR SUCH ASKING DOES NOT EXERCISE HIS WILL ON EARTH?

The will of God is carried out on earth not only by His direct action, but also through us Christians. If we live according to the commandments of the Gospel, then we do the will of God. If not, then this will will remain unfulfilled in the place where we did not fulfill it. And then - through us - evil enters the world. Therefore, with the words of your will be done, we ask God to save us from such a disaster, and direct our life to the fulfillment of His good will.

Blessed Augustine: “Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth. Angels serve you in heaven, may we also serve you on earth. Angels in heaven do not offend You, but we also do not offend You on earth. How they do Your will; so we also create. “And what are we praying for here, if not to be kind to us?” For the will of God is then in us when we do it; and that is what it means to be kind. "
"Give us this day our daily bread"

7. WHAT DO THE WORDS “BREAD” AND “DAY” MEAN?

"Essential" means essential for our existence; "Today" means today. So this is a petition for what we need most at the moment, today. The holy fathers understood the word "bread" here in two meanings: bread as food; and bread as the Eucharist.

Saint Simeon of Thessalonica: “Although we ask for heavenly things, we are mortal and, as people, we ask for bread to support our being, knowing that it is from You. Asking only for bread, we are not asking for the superfluous, but only for what is necessary for us for the present day, since we have learned not to care about tomorrow either, because You care for us in the present day, you will be cared for tomorrow and forever.

But give us this day our other daily bread - the living bread, heavenly, the all-holy body of the living Word. This is daily bread: because it strengthens and sanctifies the soul and body, and it is not his poison that does not have a belly in him, but his poisonous one will live forever (John 6: 51-54). "
"And leave us our debts, as we also leave our debtors"

8. GOD RELEASES SINS ONLY TO THOSE WHO HIMSELF FORGIVEN THEIR OFFENSIVE? WHY WOULD NOT HIM FORGIVE EVERYONE AT ALL?

Resentment and revenge are not inherent in God. At any moment He is ready to accept and forgive everyone who turns to Him. But forgiveness of sins is possible only where a person has renounced sin, saw all its destructive abomination and hated him for the troubles that sin brought into his life and into the lives of other people. And the forgiveness of offenders is a direct commandment of Christ! And if we, knowing this commandment, still do not fulfill it, then we are sinning, and this sin is so pleasant and important for us that we do not want to give it up even for the sake of Christ's commandment. It is impossible to enter the Kingdom of God with such a burden on the soul. Only it is not God that is to blame, but ourselves.

St. John Chrysostom: “This absolution initially depends on us, and in our power is the judgment pronounced about us. So that none of the unreasonable, being condemned for a great or small crime, have no reason to complain about the judgment, the Savior makes you, the guilty one, 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, you will also receive the same benefit from Me. "
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."

9. DOES GOD TEMPT ANYONE OR LEAD INTO TEMPTATION?

God, of course, does not tempt anyone. But we cannot overcome temptations without His help. If, while receiving this grace-filled help, we suddenly decide that we can live virtuously without Him, then God takes away His grace from us. But He does this not for the sake of revenge, but so that through bitter experience we can be convinced of our own powerlessness before sin, and again turned to Him for help.

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk: “With this word: 'Do not lead us into temptation', we pray to God that He will preserve us by His grace from the temptation of the world, the flesh and the devil. And although we will fall into temptations, we ask that you do not allow us to be defeated by them, but help us to overcome and conquer them. This shows that without God's help we are powerless and weak. If we ourselves could resist the temptation, we would not be commanded to ask for help in this. We learn this, as soon as we feel the temptation that comes over us, to immediately pray to God and ask Him for help. We learn from this not to rely on ourselves and our strength, but on God. "

10. WHO IS THIS - EVIL? OR - EVIL? WHAT IS THE CORRECT UNDERSTANDING OF THIS WORD IN THE CONTEXT OF PRAYER?

The word crafty is the opposite in meaning to the word straight. The bow (as a weapon), the bend of the river, the famous Pushkin curvature - all these are words akin to the word crafty in the sense that they mean a kind of curvature, something indirect, curved. In the Lord's Prayer, the devil is called the evil one, who was originally created by a bright angel, but by his falling away from God he distorted his own nature, distorted its natural movements. Any of his actions also became distorted, that is, crafty, indirect, and wrong.

Saint John Chrysostom: “Christ calls the devil evil here, 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 battle against us. Therefore, the Savior did not say: Gizbav us “from the wicked, but: from the devil,” and thus teaches us not to be angry with our neighbors for those insults that we sometimes endure from them, but to turn all our enmity against the devil, as the culprit of all angry. "

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

People, Public Domain

According to the Gospel, Jesus Christ gave it to his disciples in response to a request to teach them prayer. Quoted in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke:

“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 this day; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and power and glory forever. Amen". (Matthew 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)

Slavic translations (Old Church Slavonic and Church Slavonic)

Archangel Gospel (1092)Ostrog Bible (1581)Elizabethan Bible (1751)Elizabethan Bible (1751)
Look at us like si on the nbsh.
let him be yours.
let your heart come.
let your will be.
ko on the NBSI and on the ground.
Khlѣb our nasuch (day)
give us dns.
(give us all the day).
and leave us dulgy (grѣkhy) ours.
But we will also leave it to ours.
and do not lead us into attack.
nn saved ѿ hostility.
For yours is the heart.
and strength and glory
appraisal and sleep and str.
въ вѣкы.
amin.
Ѡtchє our izhє єsi on nbsѣ,
yes, it is yours,
let thine kingdom come,
let it be your will,
ѧko in nbsi and mlí.
Bread our daily life
and leave us our debt,
ko and my leave a debtor to our
and don't lead us into trouble
but also bavi on Ѡt lowkavago.
That ours are like that in heavenѣh,
Yes, it is Yours,
let your kingdom come,
let thy will be,
But in heaven and on earth,
give us our daily bread,
and leave us our debt,
But we also leave our debtors,
and do not lead us into trouble,
but save us from the evil one.
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.

Russian translations

Synodal translation (1860)Synodal translation
(in post-reform spelling)
Good news
(RBO translation, 2001)

Our Father who exists in heaven!
hallowed be thy name;
let your kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as well as in heaven;
hlѣb our daily give us for 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.

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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Our Father is in Heaven,
May Your name be glorified
May your kingdom come
let Thy will be fulfilled on Earth, as in Heaven.
Give us our daily bread today.
And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive those who owe us.
Don't put us to the test
but protect us from the Villain.

Story

The Lord's Prayer is given in the Gospels in two versions, a longer one in and a short one in the Gospel of Luke. The circumstances under which Jesus pronounces the text of the prayer are also different. In the Gospel of Matthew, our Father is part of the Sermon on the Mount, while in Luke, Jesus grants this prayer to his disciples in response to a direct request to "teach them to pray."

The version of the Gospel of Matthew was widely spread in the Christian world as the main Christian prayer, and the use of our Father as a prayer dates back to the earliest Christian times. The text of Matthew is reproduced in the Didache, the oldest monument of Christian writing of a catechetical nature (late 1st - early 2nd century), and the Didache instructed to say a prayer three times a day.

Biblical scholars agree that the original version of the prayer in the Gospel of Luke was significantly shorter, subsequent scribes supplemented the text with the Gospel of Matthew, as a result of which the differences were gradually erased. Mostly, these changes in the text of Luke took place in the period after the Edict of Milan, when church books were massively copied due to the destruction of a significant part of Christian literature during the persecution of Diocletian. In the medieval Textus Receptus, the two Gospels contain almost identical text.

One of the important differences in the texts of Matthew and Luke is the doxology that concludes the text of Matthew - “For yours is the kingdom, and power, and glory forever and ever. Amen, "which Luke does not have. Most of the best and oldest manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew do not have this phrase, and biblical scholars do not consider it part of the original text of Matthew, but the addition of doxology was made very early, which proves the presence of a similar phrase (without mentioning the Kingdom) in the Didache. This doxology has been used since early Christian times in the liturgy and has Old Testament roots (cf. 1 Chr. 29: 11-13).

Differences in the texts of the Lord's Prayer sometimes arose due to the desire of the translators to emphasize different aspects of ambiguous concepts. So in the Vulgate, the Greek ἐπιούσιος (Ts. Slav. And Russian. "Vital") in the Gospel of Luke is translated into Latin as "cotidianum" (everyday), and in the Gospel of Matthew "supersubstantialem" (supersubstantial), which indicates directly on Jesus as the Bread of Life.

Theological interpretation of prayer

Many theologians turned to the interpretation of the prayer "Our Father". Known interpretations of John Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem, Ephraim the Syrian, Maximus the Confessor, John Cassian and others. General works based on the interpretations of theologians of antiquity have also been written (for example, the work of Ignatius (Bryanchaninov)).

Orthodox theologians

An extensive Orthodox catechism writes "The Lord's Prayer is such a prayer that our Lord Jesus Christ taught the apostles and which they passed on to all believers." He distinguishes in it: invocation, seven petitions and praise.

  • Invocation - "Our Father who art in heaven!"

To call God Father gives Christians faith in Jesus Christ and the grace of man's rebirth through the sacrifice of the cross. Cyril of Jerusalem writes:

“Only God himself can allow people to call God Father. He gave this right to people, making them sons of God. And, in spite of the fact that they withdrew from Him and were in extreme anger against Him, He granted oblivion of offenses and the sacrament of grace. "

  • Petitions

The indication "who is in heaven" is necessary in order to start praying "forsake everything earthly and perishable and raise the mind and heart to the Heavenly, Eternal and Divine." It also points to the dwelling place of God.

According to Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), “The petitions that make up the Lord's Prayer are petitions for spiritual gifts acquired by humanity through redemption. There is no word in prayer for the fleshly, temporary needs of man. "

  1. “Hallowed be thy name” John Chrysostom writes that these words mean that believers should first of all ask for “the glory of the Heavenly Father”. The Orthodox catechism indicates: "The name of God is holy and, without a doubt, holy in itself" and can at the same time "still be holy in people, that is, His eternal holiness in them can appear." Maximus the Confessor points out: "We sanctify the name of our heavenly Father by grace, when we put to death the lust attached to matter and cleanse ourselves of corrupting passions."
  2. “Thy kingdom come” The Orthodox catechism notes that the Kingdom of God “comes in secret and inwardly. The Kingdom of God will not come with observance (in a noticeable way). " As the effect of the sensation of the Kingdom of God on a person, Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes: “He who perceives the Kingdom of God in himself becomes alien to a world hostile to God. He who has felt the Kingdom of God in himself can desire, out of true love for his neighbors, that the Kingdom of God be revealed in all of them. "
  3. “Thy will be done on earth, as in heaven” By this, the believer expresses that he is asking God that everything that happens in his life happens not according to his own will, but as it pleases God.
  4. “Give us our daily bread for this day” In the Orthodox catechism, “daily bread” is “this is the bread necessary to exist, or to live,” but “daily bread for the soul” is “the word of God and the Body and Blood Christ's ". Maxim the Confessor interprets the word "today" (this day) as the present age, that is, the earthly life of man.
  5. “Forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors.” In this petition, debts are understood as human sins. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) explains the need to forgive others their "debts" by the fact that "Leaving our neighbors their sins before us, their debts is our own need: without fulfilling this, we will never acquire a mood capable of accepting redemption."
  6. “Lead us not into temptation” In this petition, believers ask God how to prevent their temptation, and if, according to the will of God, they should be tested and purified through temptation, then God would not completely surrender them to temptation and would not allow them to fall.
  7. “Deliver us from the evil one” In this petition, the believer asks God to deliver him from all evil and especially “from the evil of sin and from the crafty suggestions and slander of the spirit of evil - the devil”.
  • Doxology - “For thine is the kingdom and power and glory forever. Amen."

The doxology at the end of the Lord's Prayer is contained in order for the believer, after all the petitions contained in it, to give God due respect.

We are starting a very large and important topic dedicated to the prayer "Our Father". Why is this topic big and important? Then you will find out everything.

Foreword

Once the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ asked Him: "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11: 1).

And the Lord, in response to this request, told them: "When you pray, say":

This is the complete text of the Lord's Prayer.

Very often it is called the Lord's Prayer, because the Lord Himself left it to us. He gave it to us as a standard, as an example for prayer: pray exactly like this, so we will consider the prayer "Our Father" with all possible care.

Let's think about it: Jesus Christ is God who became man. He "is the way, the truth and the life" (John 14: 6) took our infirmities upon Himself and bore our illnesses on Himself. The Son of God became the Son of Man. And when we asked Him to teach us how to pray, He said, "Pray to my Father like this."

What prayer is even truer if not the one given by the Son of God? What prayer will be quickly heard and accepted by our Heavenly Father, if not the prayer that the Son of God Himself gave us?

People often come to the priests and ask: “Father, this and such a problem is so bad with us. Please tell me what prayer should I read? They answer: "Do you know our Father?" And they: "Yes, we know" Our Father ", but this is so, something insignificant." This is a wrong attitude, because this prayer is the standard.

Does this mean that we can only pray the Lord's Prayer "Our Father", while others do not need it? Any other prayers that are incorrect or less effective? Not! We communicate with our Heavenly Father through prayer. In addition, prayer, if you think well, expresses the inner world of a person, his faith. How he looks at himself, how he looks at God. What are the values ​​in his life, what does he ask God for, how he asks God? That is, prayer expresses a certain inner world, the human essence, the essence of faith. As you pray, so you believe. As you believe, so you pray. Therefore, we can say that the prayer "Our Father" in a sense, as it were, reflects the inner peace of Christ Himself. After all, He taught us: "Pray so."

Interpretation of the prayer "Our Father"

Let's look at the structure of the Lord's Prayer. It consists of the address: "Our Father, Who art in heaven!" Seven petitions follow. The prayer ends with a short doxology, “Yours is the Kingdom and power and glory forever. Amen". The seven petitions are also heterogeneous.

The first three are not even petitions, but some form of praise, clothed in the form of petition "Hallowed be Your name, may Your Kingdom come, may Your will be done, like in Heaven and on earth." We, as it were, express our desire, our aspiration, that it should be like this, that the name of the Lord would be holy, that His Kingdom would come and His will would be, both in Heaven and on earth. And then there are those four petitions that relate to our needs “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. "

Four petitions that relate to our needs, about what? What are we asking God for? We ask, in fact, that the Lord will help us to remove those obstacles in our life that prevent us from sanctifying the name of the Lord, the Kingdom of the Lord in our hearts and the will of God in everything. And then - the concluding doxology “For Thy is the Kingdom and power and glory forever. Amen". But we pronounce it differently, it is modified. In practice, it is pronounced like this: “Thine is the Kingdom and the power and glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen". It is precisely this modified doxology that also seems to indicate that we are not clearly, rigidly enclosed within the framework of just such words. We can modify them a little.

"Our Father"

If all prayer is addressed to God the Father, then in praise we are already addressing the entire Trinity. For both the Son and the Holy Spirit are equal to the Father in all glory, honor and worship.

So, the invocation in the Lord's prayer: "Our Father, who art in heaven." Let's talk first about the initial phrase of the invocation - "Our Father".

The word "Father" is the vocative case of the word "father". This is how we address God: “Father,” our Father is God. We call the Creator of the Universe our Father. Thus, we testify that we are, as it were, transferred from the rank of a slave state to a son's state.

The Gospel contains the following words: “But to those who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the authority to be children of God” (John 1-12). Calling God Father, we call ourselves children of God. This means that we must live up to our rank. In the Gospel we read the following words of Jesus Christ:

This is what it means.

If you are a child of God, then you must be a child of God so that, looking at you, it would be clear who your father is. So easily, very unobtrusively, the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us with just one word to correspond to that great ideal that can only be in the Universe - our Heavenly Father.

"Our Father". Pay attention to the accuracy of the wording. How the Lord teaches us to be friendly to everyone, to love everyone, to treat absolutely everyone as brothers and sisters. He does not say, teaching us prayer: "My Father." He says: "Our Father." We are all brothers and sisters and should treat each other accordingly.

"Like Thou art in Heaven"

Let's talk about the end of the invocation of the Lord's Prayer. "Like Thou art in Heaven." Here we immediately come across a small jumble of incomprehensible words. The most incomprehensible of them is “you”. What is this word? What is it for and what does it mean?

It is not clear to us because it has no analogues in the Russian language. More precisely, there are, but they are not used or are used very rarely. Therefore, for our hearing, this word is not attached to anything. But in foreign languages ​​there are analogues. For example, in English. If a direct English phrase is translated into Russian, then it sounds like this: "this is a table", "this is a chair." Why do they say “this is” in English? We do not understand. And it’s so obvious that this is a table, this is a chair. Why pile up something else? In Russian, this verb is absent, but in English it is present. It is also present in the Church Slavonic language. This is the form of the verb "to be", in Slavic - "to be". This verb is conjugated by persons and by numbers, and (again, a feature of the Church Slavonic language) it also has a dual, a number other than the singular and plural. It is used when it comes to two people, two objects, or something paired.

So, the verb "to be" is conjugated in the singular - "I am". We recall the phrase from the film "Ivan Vasilyevich changes his profession": "Azm is the Tsar." In the second person - "you". In the third, there is. We see examples of use in Psalm 50: “Behold, in transgressions I have been conceived, and in sins, my mother, Behold, have loved the truth; Thy unknown and secret wisdom Thou art revealed to me ”(Ps. 50: 7-8).

The plural of this verb in the first person is "esma". In the second person - "natural", in the third - "essence". Example in the Gospel: “What is the essence of these words” (Luke 24:17). That is, what do these words mean, what are they, what is their meaning (here we are talking about many words). The dual of the verb "to be": "esva", "esta" and "esta" (in the second and third persons, the form is the same). But the dual number is used extremely rarely in prayers. After all, I and the Lord pray. Or I am turning to some saint. There is nowhere to use the dual here.

For completeness, let's add that there is a negative form of the verb "to be" in the present tense. Then the particle “not” is added and the result is “not”. In the first person - “I am the King”. In the second - “carry”, in the third - “bear”. In the plural: "nesmy", "neste", "bear". In the dual number: "nesva", "nesta", "nesta". Again, this negative form is used less frequently. The dual is practically not used.

What does the phrase "Like you are in heaven" means? "Izhe" - which is our Father, who is in heaven, or who is in heaven, which exists, is in heaven. When in addressing Him we say "Father" and this already means for us that we are His children and what we should be. Here is this phrase, "Who art in heaven" is said for us, not for Him.

"Hallowed be thy name"

The first petition of the Lord's Prayer: "Hallowed be Thy name." This is a petition, and a wish, and the glorification of God.

"May Your name be holy among all people, among all nations, throughout the Earth and throughout the Universe." This is clear. What are we asking for here? What is in the implication here? What is the petition about? The fact is that in the Gospel there are words that Jesus Christ spoke to His disciples:

That is, in the words “Hallowed be thy name” in the subtext reads: “Lord, give us wisdom, give us strength. Give us the opportunity to live in such a way that, looking at us, Your name would be glorified among all people. "

"Thy Kingdom Come"

The second petition of the Lord's Prayer: "Thy kingdom come." Let's talk about the Kingdom of God. "The Lord's earth, and its fulfillment, the universe and all that live on it" (Ps. 23: 1) That is, the whole world, nature, the whole universe - this is the Kingdom of God, the kingdom of nature. But we cannot ask, "Thy kingdom come," with that in mind, because it is already there. And we are part of this world, part of this nature.

The fact is that the Kingdom of God is a multifaceted concept, and nature is only one of its sides. Another facet is the Kingdom of Glory, which will come in the future. This is the life of the century to come. This is what will happen after the end of the world and the Last Judgment, when the Lord will say to the righteous: “Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34).

The Kingdom of Glory is partly there now. We see off the souls of our dead and say: "The kingdom of heaven to him." That is, the soul can now inherit the Kingdom, in which there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but life is endless. Inherit life! There is no death and no sin. There is only the Kingdom of love, life, happiness. This is what the Kingdom of God is, the Kingdom of Glory. But there is one more facet of understanding the Kingdom of God: it is the Kingdom of grace. Christ at Pilate's trial said that “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). And in another place, answering questions, Christ said that “the Kingdom of God will not come in a perceptible way” (Luke 17:20), “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21).

The fact is that inside each person, somewhere deep in the heart, there is a certain territory that cannot be regulated by any external framework. It cannot be regulated even by morality and morality. This is a kind of territory of absolute freedom. Only the person himself decides what or who will reign in this place. He can let anything in there: any sin, any passion, vice, weakness, weakness. He can put anything in there. He can create an idol for himself from another person and put him on a pedestal. A holy place is never empty. We can put someone in this place. Or we can open our heart to God and say:

Elsewhere in Scripture, Christ says: “I am the vine, and you are the branches” (John 15: 5). “Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, if it is not on the vine, so you, if you are not in Me” (John 15: 4). “For without Me you can do nothing” (John, 15: 5) In fact, without God we cannot do anything genuine and good. We can try to do it, but it will always bear the stamp of our own weakness, sinfulness. One way or another, it will be saturated with something bad. What is inside us lives. And only Divine grace can cleanse our hearts.

That is why we ask in the prayer "Our Father": "Thy kingdom come." Come into my heart and reign. Not only in mine, because our Father is not my Father. After all, we pray for everyone.

"Thy will be done, as in Heaven and on earth"

In the prayer "Our Father" we, turning to God the Father, ask Him: "Thy will be done, as in Heaven and on earth." That is, not my will, which may be sinful, but your will be done, good and all-perfect. In essence, this is humility. The determination to fulfill the will of God, rejecting, if necessary, his own. This is humility, which is what the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us not only in word, but also in deed.

When He prayed to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane until bloody sweat: “My Father! If possible, may this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I want, but as You ”(Matt. 26:39). Why do we say: "Thy will be done, as in Heaven and on earth"? Here we again, as it were, ascend to the heavenly inhabitants, to Heaven. We ask Him to give us strength, wisdom. He gave us the determination to do His will, so that He would warm our hearts with His Love as well as the angels. So that we and our human world, just like the angelic world, are filled with an aspiration, a desire to do His will. How should we treat the wish: "May all your dreams come true"? Probably like this: "Let our will always agree with the will of God."

"Give us this day our daily bread"

At first glance, only one word can be incomprehensible here - "today". It means "today, now, today." And what is “our daily bread”? In fact, this concept is very multifaceted. Man is a being, both material and spiritual. And when we ask for “our daily bread,” we mean both.

What is "our daily bread" in the material sense? This is what we essentially need to keep the body alive. Food, water, rest, warmth - everything that is essential for biological existence. Does this mean that a Christian can no longer claim anything? Only this biological minimum, and that's it? No, it doesn't. We ask God for the very minimum on purpose, in order to emphasize, first of all, to ourselves our faith in God and trust in Him. We believe that He cares about us, that He loves us. That He is ready to give us everything that we want, even the whole world. But will it be useful to us? That's the question. If the Lord, the Creator of the Universe, pleased us to give His Kingdom of Heaven, then does He really feel sorry for something earthly, material for us? No, not at all sorry. The question is, how useful is it for us? We do not know. Therefore, we are, as it were, in the hands of God. He Himself knows what we need and what we can be given, what is useful for us. We ask only the most necessary minimum - “our daily bread”.

And what about spiritually? Man really needs God. We live by our Lord God. In fact, “our daily bread” is the Lord Himself. He said about this in the Gospel: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:51). The Jews asked Him that our fathers ate manna in the wilderness. The Lord sent the heavenly bread, but Jesus Christ said: "Your fathers ate manna and died: he who eats this bread will live forever" (John 6:58). “I am the bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:41). That is, we are talking.

What do we mean when we ask, "Give us yourself"? We mean: “Give us strength, wisdom, determination. Give us faith to live so as not to be rejected from the Sacrament, so that we can always be honored to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. "

But we do not receive communion every day. Some may receive Communion once a month, some more often. Someone even less often than once a month, but still not every day. And we are asking for today. The point is that we have communion with God not only through the Sacrament. We also communicate with God through prayer. Our whole life, by and large, can be walking before God. That's what the Bible says about it.

When we say: "Give us this day our daily bread," we mean: "Give us the opportunity to have daily communication with You and communion with You."

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

The Lord dwells separately on this petition, clarifies it, as it were, strengthens it, drawing our attention to it. Perhaps He wanted to emphasize by this that such a quality as rancor is especially abhorrent to Him. And the opposite quality is especially pleasing to Him - the breadth of the soul, the ability to forgive, the ability to understand a person. Why are our sins called debts?

By the way, in the Gospel of Matthew in the text of the prayer "Our Father" it says "debts." And in the Gospel of Luke - "sins". These two words, in fact, complement and explain each other. Why are sins called debts? Because the Lord expects love from us.

The text of the prayer "Our Father" from Matthew

The text of the prayer "Our Father" from Luke

We must love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our thoughts in response to the love that He shows us. The Lord gives us His love, His mercy, His care and expects from us a reciprocal love. If we do not show Him such love, then we become debtors. We must also love our neighbors.

Let's say we love a person, take care of him, show him love. And in return, we expect him to treat us accordingly. If he does not show us the same love in return, then he becomes our debtor. He sins against us, as it were. We are love to him, and he is a stone to us.

As we forgive those who sin against us, do not repay us the debt of love, so You forgive us. That's what this petition is about. If it seems that there is some kind of justice, then this is not entirely true. There is justice, but Divine. Still, there is shown great mercy and God's bounties, because we forgive those who owe us. But we ourselves are debtors to God. By forgiving them, we hope to receive forgiveness from God.

In fact, the great love of God is manifested here.

"And Lead Us Not Into Temptation"

Probably the most incomprehensible petition of the Lord's Prayer is "and do not lead us into temptation." Here it is necessary to consider especially carefully what temptation is. Temptation is our position when we are faced with a choice. When life, circumstances by a certain providence of God develop in such a way that we find ourselves in a situation of choice. And in this situation, we can, gathering ourselves, concentrating, straining all our forces, having received God's help, grow in virtue, overcoming a certain temptation. Or we can, by showing carelessness, negligence, arrogance, grow in sin. This fork, this state of choice, is the temptation.

Temptation comes from three sources. First, we are tempted by our own flesh, by our human nature, which, what can we do, is sinful. And sometimes it inclines us to something bad, wrong, base.

Secondly, we are tempted from the world that surrounds us. This "world lies in wickedness" (1in. 5:19). Something in him seems attractive to us, seduces us. Or the people around us, by their way of life, seem to demonstrate: “It's okay, in my life there is something so attractive for you. And I get it because I live like this, sinful. " That is, by their example, they lead us into temptation. This is the second source of temptation - from the outside world.

And the third is temptation from the evil one. When the demon inclines us, calls for something. Just as he tempted Eve in paradise, telling her about the forbidden fruit. God never tempts anyone. Some people think that the Lord is sending us trials. So the Lord sent us tests and looks whether we can withstand them or not. No. The Lord never does that. First, because He has no need to test us. He already sees right through us, without any test. He knows what we are capable of, what we can, what we cannot. For Him, this is all clear and simple. Therefore, He does not need to send us any tests and see how we will cope with it.

So, the sources of temptations: either from oneself, or from the outside world, or from the evil one. Temptation is essential to us in our spiritual life. If we live absolutely free of temptation, we will never learn anything.

Note that the word "temptation" and the word "art" are cognate words. If a person exercises in some business, he develops the art of this. And he becomes in this matter a skillful, sophisticated person. He knows everything about him, understands, copes with him better than others. That is, we need temptation, in principle, for spiritual life. If it does not exist, then we will remain babies in faith and will in no way be able to develop our virtues. Once again I draw your attention to the following: temptation is a state of choice, when you can either grow in virtue, or incline to sin and grow in sin. It is impossible to grow in virtue without risking to grow in sin. Thus, we need a temptation.

What then do we pray for when we say: "Lord," do not lead us into temptation "? Are we asking Him to make our lives completely carefree and safe? So that we never have a choice? No way. First, we ask Him to deliver us from temptations that would exceed our strength and our ability, when we certainly would not be able to cope. Secondly, we ask that during the temptation, during this situation, He does not leave us on our own, alone with this temptation. That He would give us His Divine help to overcome and grow in virtue. Temptations that arise in our lives must be providential. And we must be called to this feat. So that it doesn't come from ourselves, out of our arrogance, out of pride, out of arrogance. So that we ourselves do not create these temptations. So that He will deliver us from these temptations. Because the Lord, by His providence, allows us to find ourselves only in a situation of temptation in which we can really make a good, right choice, a right step and grow in virtue. We can, of course, make other choices. But we have every chance to grow in virtue. If we do it arrogantly, we go out to the feat to which we were not called, then we are deprived of God's help and find ourselves face to face before our own temptation. With such a situation, with almost one hundred percent probability, we will not be able to cope.

"But deliver us from the evil one"

The last petition of the Lord's Prayer: "But deliver us from the evil one." Who is the crafty one? This is the devil himself, Satan. But in prayer he is called not the devil or Satan, but precisely the evil one. Because this is its property. He is a liar and the father of lies. When he speaks a lie, he speaks his own. Even if he wants to tell the truth, the truth, in his mouth this truth will immediately become false.

That is why the Lord Jesus Christ, when he cast out demons from people, forbade them to say that they know who He is. We read about this many times in the Gospel. Demons are trying to say that this is the Son of God, Christ, listen to Him. Christ forbids them. The evil one, the demon, Satan, the devil has existed for about the same time as this world exists. As long as there are people, so much he builds his intrigues. By his cunning, by his cunning, he tries to sow enmity between people, between people and God, starting with Adam and Eve. The whole history of mankind is before his eyes. He doesn't eat, he doesn't drink, he doesn't sleep, he doesn't go on vacation. He only does what he tempts. Moreover, he pays more attention to those people who strive to go to God. Trying to fight him, to resist him is completely arrogant and absolutely futile. That is why in the Lord's prayer we humbly, confessing our weakness, ask the Lord: "But deliver us from the evil one."

Moreover, not only from himself but also from his deeds. After all, all people, perhaps at war with us, causing us some inconvenience, building plans and tricks against us, are either free or involuntary instruments of this very evil one.

“Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen"

Glorification of the Lord's Prayer: “For Thine is the Kingdom, and power, and glory forever and ever. Amen". Glorification again reminds us of the reverence that we should feel when turning to God, as at the beginning of prayer, when we just started it and said: "Our Father, who art in Heaven!" That is, our mind ascended immediately from the earthly to the heavenly. So it is here: we are talking with the One to whom the Kingdom belongs, both power and glory. That is, we are talking with the King and Ruler of the entire Universe. In addition, praise awakens hope in us, because if we turn to our Father, who is still the King and Ruler of the Universe, and He owns the Kingdom, and power, and glory forever, and nothing can dispute, change this, then really our Heavenly Father will not give us what we asked of Him just now?

In this ending of prayer, in doxology, our confidence is manifested that we will receive what we ask. In the text of the Gospel itself, the prayer ends as follows: “Thine is the Kingdom and power and glory forever. Amen ”(Matt. 6:13). But in practice, we modify it a little and say: “Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen".

The Lord's Prayer: A Short Version

The prayer "Our Father" is included in the morning and prayer rules. In addition, the clergy are advised to read it before eating and starting any important business. This is because she is able to protect a person from demons, strengthen faith and cleanse the soul from sin. If suddenly you made a reservation during prayer, then do not worry, just say "Lord, have mercy" and continue reading. Do not treat the reading of a prayer as a routine work, you should not pronounce it purely mechanically, otherwise it will not be effective and may even offend the Almighty. All requests addressed to Him should be sincere. Collect your thoughts and feelings, concentrate and pray with trust in the Creator.

The words of the prayer should be known by heart not only by adults, but also by children. Parents should teach their children about spiritual values ​​from an early age.

Prayer "Trisagion according to our Father"

In this topic we will talk about a whole group of prayers addressed to the Holy Trinity. Sometimes in church books this group of prayers is called "Trisagion", but "Trisagion" is the name of the very first prayer in this group. It sounds like this: "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us"... It is always read three times with the sign of the cross and bow.

The history of this prayer goes back many centuries. At the beginning of the fifth century, a prayer service was held in Constantinople on the occasion of a very strong earthquake. During this prayer service, one of the youths present was ascended to heaven by some invisible force, and then also lowered back, and unharmed. He was asked what he saw and heard. The child said that he had heard the angelic singing: "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal." People added, "Have mercy on us." And in this form, prayer immediately, in a very short time, entered into church use.

It is also read during home prayers. It is often read during church services. Consider the meaning of prayer.

  • “Holy God” is an appeal to God the Father.
  • "Holy Mighty" is an appeal to God the Son. We call Him strong because He is the Conqueror, He is the Almighty. He conquered death. He conquered hell with his Resurrection. Defeated the devil, which is why we call him "Holy Mighty". This does not mean that the Father and the Holy Spirit are not omnipotent. We do not deprive them of their omnipotence, but it is precisely this feature that we emphasize in the Son.
  • “Holy Immortal” is an appeal to the Holy Spirit. We have already spoken with you that the Holy Spirit gives life, gives life, that is why here He is called the “Holy Immortal”. But we do not deprive the Son or the Father of immortality. We just emphasize this feature in the Holy Spirit. This is a Trinity, although God is one. God is one, but in three persons he is glorified and cognized. That is why, turning to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we ask in the singular: "Have mercy on us." Do not "have mercy on us," but "have mercy on us."

This is followed by a small doxology: “Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, both now, and ever, and forever and ever. Amen"... This small doxology is very often used in divine services and in home prayers and in the temple. It is divided conditionally into two parts.

  1. First part: "Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit." Here everything seems to be clear and all words are clear.
  2. The second part: “And now, and forever, and forever and ever. Amen". There are incomprehensible words here. “And now” means “now”. "And everlastingly" means "forever", "until the end of the century", "as long as this world exists." The phrase "and forever and ever" means "outside this world too." "Amen" - "truly so", "so be it."

Since this prayer, a small doxology, is very often used, it is abbreviated in prayer books and church books that it is designated as “Glory to now”. When you see such an inscription, it means that this doxology is being read here. Moreover, it reads in its entirety: “Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen". If only "Glory" is written, then the first part is read: "Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit." If it says “and now,” then only the second part is read: “Both now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen".

Prayer "Our Father" in Church Slavonic with stress

Why is this Orthodox prayer considered the most powerful? It's simple - it was commanded by the believers themselves by Jesus Christ, while it is one of a kind. It is in the Bible, the New Testament, where the disciples of the Creator, the apostles, wrote it down. The Old Believers' Prayer "Our Father" will help you in a variety of situations.

The prayer should be said not in front of people, but indoors, with the door closed. Protect yourself from everything that could interfere with your communication with God.

If you are praying at the liturgy, then do it as if you are alone with the Creator. Try to concentrate and ignore the people around you. Having learned how to pray correctly, it will be difficult for you to refuse such communication with the Lord.

Strong prayer "Our Father": listen online 40 times


There is such a principle of life: "Learn to do what you already know how, and the unknown will open to you." It fully concerns the prayer "Our Father", which we all know well.

The theological people call the prayer "Our Father" the abbreviated Gospel. Everything in it is simple, there is not a single theological term. Father, name, heaven, kingdom, bread, debtor, temptation, evil one, amen. The set of nouns is very simple and specific. At the same time, in prayer everything is about Christ, the Trinity, the Sacrament of the Church, Eternal life.

Why is it so difficult to live on earth? Yes, because here everyone has their own will, their own desire, their own will. We all want different things. We will not ask for bread in Heaven either, since a person who has reached eternity will be abundantly saturated with a stream of sweetness.

Basically, in Heaven we will praise and praise God, and we will not ask for anything. And what will remain of the prayer “Our Father”: “Our Father, who art in Heaven. Hallowed be Thy name. Amen". We will stand before Him and rejoice in Him. In addition, we will look at each other, because the great beauty is to see before us those who are better than you. For example, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijah, Moses, John the Baptist and everyone, everyone, not to mention the Mother of God, the apostles and Jesus Christ himself.

From such an unexpected perspective, we examined the prayer "Our Father". Of course, you need to know it by heart.

In order not to lose the desire to pray, you need to feel the words of the prayer with your heart, listen to the prayer "Our Father" online performed by choirs.

How to read correctly

Prayer can be really prayer, or it can be a purely external form. And do you know what a tragedy? Almost no one knows how to pray correctly. The Holy Fathers emphatically say: "Prayer without attention and sincere attitude to words is an empty exercise." And not only empty, but even offensive to God.

Prayer without attention is self-deception. Anyone can just read the text, but without faith it means nothing. Do not engage in such terrible self-deception.

Saint Theophan the Recluse said: “If you do not have time or you are very tired and cannot read a prayer, well, do this: think, 5 minutes you can resist, pray. (- Yes I can). Set the alarm so that it rings in 5 minutes. During these 5 minutes, read the prayers that you want with full attention. Pray this time, and it will turn out to be a thousand times more valuable and useful than you will mindlessly chatter these prayers to the end. "

How does the prayer "Our Father" help?

Many people underestimate the power of this prayer, although they have heard more than once that it can work miracles. With the help of it, people restored health, found peace of mind, got rid of troubles in life. But when saying a prayer, you need to be in a good reverent state of mind.

When the prayer "Our Father" is read:

  • fighting depression;
  • guidance on the right path;
  • getting rid of misfortunes and troubles;
  • cleansing the soul from sinful thoughts;
  • healing from diseases, etc.

As you can see, prayer is not just a text, but words that have healing powers. If you pronounce them correctly with sincere faith in your heart, then you will only increase the effect. This was repeatedly noted even by those people who previously did not believe in the miraculous powers of prayer. But you need to turn to the Lord sincerely, without any lies.

It is customary to read the prayer 40 times. When turning to the Lord, do not ask him for material benefits or punish the enemy. Your thoughts must be extremely pure, otherwise the request will not be heard or you will anger the Creator.

Download the prayer "Our Father"

Once you are convinced of the benefits of prayer, you will read it daily. It will not take much of your time. You can download it in several versions from Luke, from Matvey, in Church Slavonic, Russian and other languages. We will provide several options that you can easily download and print.

The text of the prayer "Our Father" in Latin

"Our Father" or, as many call it, "The Lord's Prayer" is the main prayer book of the Christian world and tradition. You can find it in the Gospel of Matthew and in the Gospel of Luke. In Latin, "Pater noster" is used by Catholics. It is in this language that it is written on a marble slab found during excavations at the beginning of the last century in Jerusalem. This place is now home to the Church of Pasteur Noster, one of the main attractions of the country, open to all Christians. According to legend, "Pater noster" is the only prayer left by the believer by Jesus Christ himself, our Savior.

The text of the prayer "Our Father" in English

“Our Father, who art in heaven” just with such a phrase begins “Our Father”, translated into English. As in the case with other versions of this prayer book in different languages, the translators have worked wonderfully over this, having done everything possible to preserve the main meaning of the main prayer in the Christian tradition, which has collected all the needs and aspirations of a person for the salvation of the soul. Our Father in English is almost the same size as the Russian version. It is convenient to read it, focusing on the transcription with accents in the text. So even people with minimal knowledge of English can familiarize themselves with the translation of the most important prayer for Christians.

The text of the prayer "Our Father" in Ukrainian

The main text of the "Lord's Prayer" written, as is known in the Aramaic language, has survived to this day. What was the original sermon of our Savior is unknown. Nevertheless, this prayer book continues to be considered the only one transmitted to believers and the Church by the Son of God himself. For the convenience of reading and studying it, it has been translated into different languages, including Ukrainian. At the same time, there is not one, but two whole versions of translations, which in their essence differ little from each other. In different versions, the forms of the same words are slightly different, but the meaning of the main prayer in the Christian world is preserved.

In polish

The first versions of the translation of Our Father into Polish existed, according to historians, as early as the middle of the 17th century. However, scholars now call those translations a parody of the main Christian prayer, which was not rare for medieval Poland, given the popularity of the Polish tradition of parodying religious texts. Nowadays, modern Christians have the opportunity to use a full, correct, maximally accurate translation of Our Father, the universal word of the Lord, which we use to protect us from all evil, to bless the path chosen by a person, and to save us from troubles and diseases.

In Belarusian

The main prayer for any Christian "Our Father" has been translated into all languages ​​of the world, including Belarusian. It is in this language that this prayer book can be heard in the overwhelming majority of Belarusian churches at liturgies organized by clergy. It is interesting that this version of Our Father, according to the latest data, will not be changed after the corresponding statement by Pope Francis, who expressed doubts about the correctness of the translation of the line “do not lead us into temptation” from the original into a number of languages, including Belarusian. In the opinion of the Belarusian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, there is no need to correct the translation.

In the Chuvash language

It is believed that the author of the first official translation of Our Father into the Chuvash language is Gerard Friedrich Miller, who in the 18th century included such a text in his book Description of the pagan peoples living in the Kazan province, like the Cheremis, Chuvash and Votyaks, which was written by a Russian historiographer of German origin when he returned home after an expedition to Siberia. The Chuvash version of "Our Father" in the republic itself was popularized long ago, which is not surprising, given that the main faith of the population of this subject of the Russian Federation, as well as other subjects located within the borders of the Volga region, is Christian.

In Aramaic

A well-known historical fact - in ancient times the Aramaic language was generally understood throughout the entire Middle East. The merchants, the ambassadors of Judea and Israel also spoke this language. For this reason, scholars dare to suggest that he was a worthy competitor to the Greek in the Hellenistic era. Aramaic was spoken during the time of the worldly life of our Savior, therefore it is not surprising that the so-called most accurate text "Our Father" was written in the Aramaic language. In this form, the main Christian prayer, according to many, is able to work miracles, to bring to life what a person most wants.

In Armenian

"Our Father" is an important prayer for all Christians, which has elevated people in relations with the Universe. Thanks to her, a person gets the opportunity to address the Lord directly, without falling down, without belittling himself, as is typical for many other religions. Considering this, as well as the fact that the Christian faith is, without exaggeration, the world, it is not surprising that this prayer book has been translated into all currently existing languages, including Armenian. In Armenia, as you know, the Apostolic Church has the official status of the national church of the Armenian people. And "Our Father" in this church at the liturgies can be heard in translation.

In German

The German version of the well-known "Our Father" begins with the line "Unser tägliches Brot". As in the case with other translations of the main Christian prayer book, in this particular one, thanks to the efforts of the translators, the main essence of the appeal to the Lord, the text left by the believer by Jesus Christ himself, was preserved. At the same time, there are several versions of the text "Our Father" in German, which differ slightly from each other. Various translations by specialists were created taking into account the display of compositional, grammatical and lexical features of the German language in the text.

In French

The "Lord's Prayer" is known even to those people who do not consider themselves religious. For church members, this is the most important prayer book, which Christians use to read in the most difficult situations in life, as well as to glorify the One Creator and express gratitude to Him. Considering all this, it is not surprising that “Our Father” was translated into different languages ​​of the world, including French, for the convenience of divine services. For many years, Christians in France have used one version of the translation of this prayer book, but since December 2017, this text has been slightly corrected. On the advice of Pope Francis, the line "Ne nous soumets pas à la tentation" (and do not lead us into temptation) was changed to "Ne nous laisse pas entrer en tentation".

In greek

About 98% of the population of Greece considers themselves to be Christians, which is not surprising given the history of this state. Nor is it surprising that the text of Our Father was translated from Aramaic into Greek. Moreover, this translation, one of the oldest, has its own characteristics. In the short form of the prayer book, one cannot fail to notice the traditional Jewish style of religious texts. Every Russian can get acquainted with it. It is easy to read Our Father in Greek, relying on the transcription, in which consonants are often difficult to pronounce and that sound like a voiceless and voiced th in English, respectively.

Hungarian

According to the latest data, more than 54% of the population of Hungary are Christians, so the popularization of the prayer "Our Father" translated into the official state language of this country is not at all surprising. In this language, the main prayer book of world religion can be heard not only in Catholic churches in Hungary, but also in Orthodox Ukrainian churches, in particular those located on the territory of “Hungarian Transcarpathia,” where many clergy are bilingual and for this reason the liturgy is held in two languages. Everyone can study the text of the Hungarian "Our Father", for this it is enough to use the letter-by-letter transcription of the prayer.

conclusions

Our Father is a powerful prayer, the text of which every believer should know and read regularly. It was commanded to mankind by Jesus Christ himself, so there is no need to doubt its power. At home it is customary to read it in the morning and at night before going to bed. And in the church, you can make a request to the Creator at any time. Help the Lord.

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