The Saint

By Catholic Editor, Faith Addington

Our Father

The Lord’s prayer begins with recognition of the eternal covenant made through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ – that we are His people – and through that, He became our Father.  The Father of those baptized in His name; a community of Christians believing to be “one heart and soul,” disregarding the individualistic nature of humanity (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2790). 

who art in Heaven

This phrase refers to the majesty and holiness of our Father and our desire for Him to dwell within us. 

hallowed be Thy name

We petition the sanctification of His name through our actions; when our actions are Christ-like, His name is blessed. However, when we sin, we blaspheme His name. 

Thy kingdom come

Referencing the second coming of Christ, this phrase is a prayer of hope and desire for the reign of God to come as quickly as possible. 

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

This phrase petitions to our Father to unite our will with Jesus Christ so that we can become one spirit with Him and live out His will. In the book of Romans, it is revealed that “God works for the good, with those who love him,” meaning that by living His will, we can “ask, and it will be given to you” (Rom. 8:28, Mt. 7:7).

Give us this day our daily bread

Our soul hungers for the Lord. In this prayer, we petition for the body of Christ – the Eucharist – so that we might be satisfied in this christified unity and become what we receive. 

and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us

We ask the Lord to forgive us our sins, however, first we must meet the requirement of forgiving those who have offended us. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells Peter that we should forgive someone “seventy times seven” as a reflection of our Father’s mercy for us; we did not earn salvation, yet were gifted it by grace (Mt. 18:22). We are called to “be merciful, as your Father is merciful” (Mt. 5:48).

and lead us not into temptation

Since the division of soul and flesh from original sin, we are faced with constant temptation and must make a decision from the heart to only serve one master. 

but deliver us from evil.

This last petition requests protection from the devil for the “whole human family” and freedom from all evils in the past, present and future (Catechism of the Catholic Church).

Amen

Featured Image: Painting by James Tissot