There is no person who does not hear or know about the existence of the prayer “Our Father, Who art in heaven!”. This is the main prayer that Christian believers around the world turn to. The Lord's Prayer, as it is customary to call our Father, is considered a key asset of Christianity, the oldest prayer. It is given in two Gospels: from Matthew - in chapter six, from Luke - in chapter eleven. The variant given by Matthew was very popular.
In Russian, the text of the prayer "Our Father" is in two versions - in modern Russian and in Church Slavonic. Because of this, many people mistakenly believe that there are 2 different prayers Lord's. In fact, this opinion is fundamentally wrong - both options are equivalent, and such a discrepancy occurred due to the fact that during the translation of the ancient letters, “Our Father” was translated from two sources (the above-mentioned Gospels) in different ways.
The biblical tradition says that the prayer "Our Father, Who art in heaven!" the apostles were taught by Christ himself, the Son of God. This event took place in Jerusalem, on the Mount of Olives, on the territory of the Pater Noster temple. The text of the Lord's Prayer was imprinted on the walls of this given temple in more than 140 languages of the world.
However, the fate of the Pater Noster temple was tragic. In 1187, after the capture of Jerusalem by the troops of Sultan Saladin, the temple was completely destroyed. Already in the XIV century, in 1342, they found a piece of the wall with the engraved prayer "Our Father".
Later, in the 19th century, in the second half of it, thanks to the architect André Leconte, a church appeared on the site of the former Pater Noster, which later passed into the hands of the female Catholic monastic order of the Barefoot Carmelites. Since then, the walls of this church have been decorated every year with a new panel with the text of the main Christian heritage.
When and how is the prayer “Our Father” recited?
Our Father is an indispensable part of the daily prayer rule... Traditionally, it is customary to read it 3 times a day - in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening. Each time the prayer is said three times. After her, "Theotokos Virgin" (3 times) and "I Believe" (1 time) are read.
Modern Russian version
In modern Russian "Our Father" is available in two versions - in the presentation of Matthew and in the presentation of Luke. The text from Matthew is the most popular. It sounds like this:
The version of the Lord's prayer from Luke is more abbreviated, does not contain glorious words and reads as follows:
A person praying for himself can choose any of the available options. Each of the Our Father's texts is a kind of personal conversation between the prayer and the Lord God. The Lord's Prayer is so strong, exalted and pure that after pronouncing it, everyone feels relief and calm.
Bread is called daily bread in three senses. And in order to know to us, when we pray, what kind of bread we ask from God and our Father, consider the meaning of each of these meanings.First, we call daily bread ordinary bread, bodily food, mixing with the bodily essence, so that our body grows and strengthens, and so that it does not die of hunger.
Therefore, having in mind bread in this sense, we should not look for those foods that will give our body nourishment and sensuality, about which the Apostle James says: “Ask the Lord and do not receive, for do not ask the Lord for what is necessary, but that use for your lusts. " And elsewhere: “You lived luxuriously on the earth and enjoyed; you have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. "
But our Lord says: "Look after yourself, so that your hearts are not burdened with overeating, drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day does not suddenly overtake you."
And therefore, we must ask us only for the necessary food, for the Lord condescends to our human weakness and commands us to ask only for our daily bread, but not for excesses. If it were different, then He would not have included main prayer the words "give us this day." And this "today" St. John Chrysostom interprets as "always." And therefore these words have a synoptic (survey) character.
Saint Maximus the Confessor calls the body the friend of the soul. The inflow instructs the soul, so that it does not take care of the body "with both feet." That is, so that she does not care about him unnecessarily, but cared only "with one foot." But this should happen rarely, so that, according to him, it does not happen that the body is full and rises above the soul, and that it does all the same evil that the demons, our enemies, do to us.
Let us hear the apostle Paul say: “Having food and clothing, we will be content with that. And those who want to get rich fall into the temptation and into the devil's net, and into many reckless and harmful lusts that plunge people and lead them into disaster and destruction. "
Perhaps, however, some think this: since the Lord commands us to ask Him for the necessary food, I will sit idle and carefree, waiting for God to send me food.
We will answer in the same way that care and concern is one thing, and work is another. Caring is a distraction and excitement of the mind about many and excessive problems, while toil means to work, that is, to sow or ascend in other human works.
So, a person should not be overwhelmed by worries and worries and should not worry and darken his mind, but place all his hopes on God and entrust all his worries to Him, as the prophet David says: “Throw your sorrow on the Lord, and thee will bore you ", That is," Throw on the Lord the care of your food, and He will feed you. "
And he who places his hopes above all on the works of his own hands, or on the works of his own and those of his neighbors, let him hear what the prophet Moses says in the Book of Deuteronomy: whoever falls into many cares and troubles are also unclean. And the one who always walks on four is also unclean. "
And he walks both on his hands and on his feet who raises all his hopes on his hands, that is, on those deeds that his hands do, and on his skill, according to St. Nilus of Sinai: matters sensual, they are occupied by an incessantly dominant mind. A multi-legged person is one who is surrounded from everywhere by the corporeal and is based on it in everything and embraces it with both his hands and with all his strength. "
The Prophet Jeremiah says: “Cursed be the man who trusts in man and makes the flesh his support and whose heart moves away from the Lord. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. "
People, why do we care in vain? The path of life is short, as both the prophet and King David says to the Lord: “Behold, Lord, you have made the days of my life so small that they are numbered on the fingers of one hand. And the composition of my nature is nothing before Your eternity. But not only me, but all is in vain. Every person living in this world is in vain. For a restless person does not live his life for real, but life resembles his painted picture. And therefore he worries in vain and collects wealth. For he does not really know for whom he is collecting this wealth. "
Human, come to your senses. Do not rush like crazy, all day long for a thousand cases. And at night again, do not sit down to count the devil's interest and the like, for your whole life, in the end, passes through the accounts of Mammon, that is, in wealth arising from injustice. And therefore you do not find even a little time to remember your sins and weep over them. You don't hear the Lord telling us, "No one can serve two Lords." “You cannot,” he says, “serve both God and Mamon.” For He wants to say so that a person cannot serve two masters and have a heart in God, and riches in unrighteousness.
Have you not heard of a seed that fell in thorns, that thorns drowned it out, and that it did not bear any fruit? This means that the word of God fell on a person who was mired in cares and concerns about his wealth, and this person did not bring any fruit of salvation. Do you not see here and there rich people who have done similar to you, that is, who have collected great wealth, but after that the Lord blew into their hands, and the wealth went from their hands, and they lost everything, and with it their minds, and now they roam the earth, overwhelmed by malice and demons. They received what they deserved, for they made riches their own, and put their minds to it.
Hear, man, what the Lord tells us: "Do not lay up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal." And you should not collect treasures here on earth, so as not to hear from the Lord the same terrible words that He said to one rich man: "Madman, on this very night they will take your soul from you, and to whom will you leave everything that you have collected?" ...
Let us come to God and our Father and put on Him all the cares about our life, and He will take care of us. As the Apostle Peter says: let us come to God, as the prophet calls us, saying: "Come to Him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be ashamed that you were left without help."
This is how, with God's help, we interpreted the first meaning for you daily bread.
The second meaning: daily bread is the Word of God, as Holy Scripture testifies: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."The Word of God is the teaching of the Holy Spirit, in other words, all Holy Scripture. AND Old Testament, and New. From this Holy Scripture, as from a source, the Holy Fathers and teachers of our Church drew, who irrigated us with the pure spring waters of their divinely inspired teaching. And therefore, we must accept the books and teachings of the Holy Fathers as our daily bread, so that our soul does not die of hunger for the Word of life even before the body dies, as happened with Adam, who broke the commandment of God.
Those who do not want to listen to the Word of God and do not allow others to listen to it, either by their own words or by a bad example that they set to others, but in a similar way those who not only do not contribute to the creation of schools or other similar undertakings for the benefit of Christian children, but also repair obstacles to those who wish to help will inherit the words "Alas!" and “Woe to you!” addressed to the Pharisees. And also those priests who, through negligence, do not teach their parishioners everything that they need to know for salvation, and those bishops who not only do not teach their flock the commandments of God and everything necessary for their salvation, but by their unrighteous life become an obstacle and cause deviation from the faith among ordinary Christians - and they will inherit "Alas!" and “Woe to you!” addressed to the Pharisees and scribes, for they close the Kingdom of Heaven for people, and neither themselves enter it, nor others - those who wish to enter - are not allowed. And therefore these people, as bad stewards, will lose the protection and love of the people.
In addition, teachers teaching children of Christians should also instruct them and lead them to good nature, that is, to good morals. For what is the use if you teach a child to read and write and other philosophical sciences, but leave a depraved disposition in him? How can all this benefit him? And what success can this person achieve, even in spiritual matters, even in worldly ones? Of course not.
I am talking about this so that God does not say to us the words that He also spoke to the Jews through the lips of the prophet Amos: “Now the days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send hunger to the earth - not a hunger for bread, not a thirst for water, but thirst hearing the words of the Lord. " This punishment befell the Jews for their cruel and unyielding intentions. And therefore, so that the Lord does not say such words to us, and so that this terrible grief does not overtake us too, may we all awaken from a heavy sleep of negligence and be saturated with the words and teachings of God, each according to his abilities, may not overtake our bitter soul and eternal death.
This is the second meaning of daily bread, which is as much superior in importance to the first meaning as it is more important and essential life soul life body.
The third meaning: the daily bread is the Body and Blood of the Lord, as different from the Word of God as the sun is from its rays. In the Sacrament of the Divine Eucharist, the entire God-man, like the sun, enters, unites and becomes one with all man. He illuminates, enlightens and sanctifies all soul and bodily strength and the feelings of a person and leads him from decay to incorruption. And that's why, mainly, we call our daily bread Holy Communion Of the Most Pure Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it supports and restrains the essence of the soul and strengthens it to fulfill the commandments of the Lord Christ and to any other virtue. And this is genuine food for both souls and bodies, for our Lord also says: "For my flesh is truly food, and my blood is truly drink."If anyone doubts that it is the Body of our Lord that is called the daily bread, let him listen to what the holy teachers of our Church say about this. And above all, the torch of Nyssa, the Divine Gregory, who says: “If a sinner comes to himself, like prodigal son from the parable, if he desires the Divine food of his Father, if he returns to His rich meal, then he will enjoy this meal, where there is an abundance of daily bread that nourishes the workers of the Lord. Workers are those who work and labor in His vineyard in the hope of receiving wages in the Kingdom of Heaven. "
Saint Isidore of Pelusio says: “The prayer that the Lord taught us does not contain anything earthly, but all of its content is heavenly and is aimed at spiritual benefit, even that which seems small and insignificant in the soul. Many wise people believe that the Lord wants by this prayer to teach us the meaning of the Divine Word and bread, which nourishes the disembodied soul, and in an incomprehensible way comes and unites with its essence. And therefore bread was also called daily, for the very idea of essence is more suitable for the soul than for the body. "
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem also says: “Ordinary bread is not daily bread, but this holy bread (the Body and Blood of the Lord) is daily bread. And it is called vital, for it is communicated to your entire composition of soul and body. "
Saint Maximus the Confessor says: “If we adhere to the words of the Lord's prayer in life, then we will accept it as our daily bread, as life food for our souls, but also to preserve everything that the Lord has given us, the Son and the Word of God, for He said: “I am the bread that came down from heaven” and gives life to the world. And this happens in the soul of everyone who takes the Sacrament, according to the righteousness and knowledge and wisdom that he possesses. "
Saint John of Damascus says: “This bread is the beginning of the future bread, which is our daily bread. For the word daily means either the future bread, that is, the age to come, or the bread that is eaten to preserve our being. Consequently, in that, and in another sense, the Body of the Lord will equally decently be called daily bread. "
In addition, Saint Theophylact also adds that "the Body of Christ is our daily bread, for the uncondemned Communion of which we must pray."
However, this does not mean that since the Holy Fathers consider the Body of Christ to be our daily bread, they do not consider ordinary bread, necessary to maintain our body, to be our daily bread. For he is a gift from God, and no food is considered contemptible and reprehensible, according to the Apostle, if it is received and eaten with thanksgiving: "Nothing is reprehensible if it is received with thanksgiving."
Ordinary bread is incorrectly, not in its basic meaning, called daily bread, because it strengthens only the body, not the soul. Basically, however, and according to the generally accepted opinion, we call the Body of the Lord and the Word of God our daily bread, for they strengthen both the body and the soul. Many holy men testify to this in their lives: for example, Moses, who fasted for forty days and nights, did not eat bodily food. The prophet Elijah also fasted for forty days. And later, after the incarnation of our Lord, many saints lived long time only by the Word of God and Holy Communion, not eating any other food.
And therefore, we, who have been rewarded spiritually in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, must ceaselessly accept this spiritual food with fervent love and contrite hearts, in order to live a spiritual life and remain invulnerable to the poison of the spiritual serpent - the devil. For even Adam, if he ate this food, would not have experienced the double death of both soul and body.
It is necessary to partake of this spiritual bread with due preparation, for our God is also called a burning fire. And therefore only those who partake of the Body of Christ and drink His Most Pure Blood with a clear conscience, having previously sincerely confessed their sins, purifies, enlightens and sanctifies this bread. Woe, however, to those who partake unworthily, without first confessing their sins to the priest. For the Divine Eucharist burns them and decays completely their souls and bodies, as happened with the one who came to wedding feast without wedding clothes, as the Gospel says, that is, without doing good deeds and not having worthy fruits of repentance.
Listening to Satanic songs, silly conversations and useless chatter and other similar meaningless things, people are made unworthy to listen to the word of God. The same applies to those who live in sin, for they cannot partake and partake of the immortal life to which the Divine Eucharist leads, for their spiritual strength is mortified by the sting of sin. For it is obvious that both the members of our body and the receptacles of vital forces receive life from the soul, but if any of the members of the body begins to decompose or dry up, then life will no longer be able to enter it, for life force does not enter the dead members. Likewise, the soul is alive as long as the life force from God enters it. Having sinned and ceased to receive vitality, she dies in agony. And after a while the body also dies. And so the whole person perishes in eternal hell.
So, we talked about the third and final sense of daily bread, which is as necessary and beneficial for us as Holy Baptism... And therefore it is necessary to regularly partake of the Divine Sacraments and accept with fear and love our daily bread, which we ask in the Lord's prayer from our heavenly Father, as long as “this day” lasts.
This "today" has three meanings:
first, it can mean “every day”;secondly, the whole life of every person;
and thirdly, the present life of the "seventh day" that we are ending.
In the century to come, there will be neither "today" nor "tomorrow," but this whole century will be one eternal day.
"And leave us our debts, as we also leave our debtors"
Our Lord, knowing that there is no repentance in hell and that it is impossible for a person not to sin after Holy Baptism, teaches us to say to God and our Father: "Leave us our debts, as we also leave our debts."Since before this, in the Lord's Prayer, God spoke about the holy bread of the Divine Eucharist and urged everyone not to dare to partake of it without due preparation, therefore now he tells us that this preparation consists in asking for forgiveness from God and our brethren, and only then approach the Divine Mysteries, as they say elsewhere in Holy Scripture: “So, man, if you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. "
In addition to all this, our Lord touches three other questions in the words of this prayer:
firstly, he calls on the righteous to humble themselves, as He says elsewhere: “So you, when you have done everything you commanded, say: we are slaves, worthless, because we did what we had to do”;
secondly, He advises those who sin after Baptism not to despair;
and, thirdly, he reveals with these words that the Lord desires and loves when we have compassion and mercy for each other, for nothing so much likens a person to God as mercy.
Therefore, let us treat our brethren the way we want the Lord to treat us. And we will not say about anyone that he grieves us so much with his sins that we cannot forgive him. For if we think how much we grieve God with our sins every day, hourly and every second, and He forgives us this, then we will immediately forgive our brothers too.
And if you think how many and incomparably greater are our sins in comparison with the sins of our brethren, that even the Lord Himself, Who is truth in His very essence, has likened them to ten thousand talents, while the sins of our brothers He has likened to a hundred denarii, then let us be convinced we are in how truly insignificant are the sins of our brothers before our sins. And therefore, if we let go of our brethren their little guilt before us, not only with our lips, as many do, but with all our heart, and God will forgive us our great and innumerable sins, of which we are guilty before Him. If we happen not to forgive the sins of our brothers, all our other virtues, which, as it seems to us, we have acquired, will be in vain.
Why do I say that our virtues will be in vain? For our sins cannot be forgiven, according to the decision of the Lord, who said: "If you do not forgive your neighbors for their sins, then your Heavenly Father will not forgive you your sins." In another place, about a man who has not forgiven his brother, he says: “Wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt, because you asked me to; Shouldn't you have had mercy on your companion, as I also had mercy on you? " And then, as they say further, being angry, the Lord gave him to the torturers until he gave him all the debt. And then: "So also my Heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart his sins."
Many say that sins are forgiven in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Others argue the opposite: that they are forgiven only if they confess with a priest. We tell you that preparation with confession is obligatory for the remission of sins, and the Divine Eucharist, for neither one gives everything, nor the other. But what happens here is similar to how, after washing a dirty dress, it must be dried in the sun from dampness and moisture, otherwise it will remain wet and rot, and a person cannot wear it. And just as the wound, having cleansed of worms and removing the decomposed tissue, cannot be left without smearing it, and washing away the sin, and cleansing it with confession, and removing its decomposed remnants, it is necessary to accept the Divine Eucharist, which completely dries up the wound and heals it, like some kind of healing ointment. Otherwise, according to the Lord, "man again falls into the first state, and the latter is worse for such as the first."
And therefore it is necessary to first cleanse oneself from any defilement by confession. And, first of all, cleanse yourself of rancor and only then approach the Divine Mysteries. For we need to know that just as love is the fulfillment and end of the whole law, so rancor and hatred are the abolition and violation of all law and any virtue. The inflower, wanting to show us all the malice of the vindictive, says: "The paths of the vindictive to death." And in another place: "He who is vindictive is the wicked."
It was this bitter leaven of rancor that the accursed Judas carried in himself, and therefore, as soon as he took the bread into his hands, Satan entered into him.
Let us be afraid, brethren, of condemnation and hellish torment rancor and forgive our brothers for everything they have done wrong before us. And we will do this, not only getting ready for Communion, but always, as the Apostle urges us to do with these words: "When you are angry, do not sin: let the sun not set in your anger and in anger against your brother." And in another place: "And do not give room to the devil." That is, do not let the devil dwell in you, so that you can cry with boldness to God and the remaining words of the Lord's prayer.
"And Lead Us Not Into Temptation"
The Lord calls us to ask God and our Father not to let us fall into temptation. And the prophet Isaiah on behalf of God says: "I form light and create darkness, make peace and allow disasters to happen." The prophet Amos says in a similar way: "Is there a calamity in the city that the Lord would not have allowed?"From these words, many of the ignorant and unprepared fall into different thoughts about God. Allegedly, God Himself throws us into temptations. All doubts on this issue are dispelled by the Apostle James with these words: “In temptation, no one say: God is tempting me; because God is not tempted by evil and He Himself does not tempt anyone, but everyone is tempted, being carried away and deceived by his own lust; But lust, having conceived, gives birth to sin, and the sin that is done gives birth to death. "
Temptations that come to people are of two kinds. One type of temptation comes from lust and happens at our will, but also at the instigation of demons. Another type of temptation comes from sorrow, suffering and misery in life, and therefore these temptations seem to us more bitter and sad. Our will does not participate in these temptations, but only the devil accompanies.
These two types of temptations were experienced by the Jews. However, they chose at their own will the temptations stemming from lust, and strove for riches, for glory, for freedom in evil and for idolatry, and therefore God allowed them to experience the opposite, that is, poverty, dishonor, captivity, and so on. And God again frightened them with all these troubles, so that they would return to life in God through repentance.
These different guilt of God's punishments are called by the prophets "calamity" and "evil." As we said before, this happens because everything that causes pain and grief in people, people are used to calling evil. But this is not true. It's just how people perceive it. These troubles occur not according to the "original" will of God, but according to his "subsequent" will, for the purpose of enlightening and for the good of people.
Our Lord, combining the first cause of temptations with the second, that is, combining temptations that stem from lust with temptations stemming from grief and suffering, gives them a single name, calling them "temptations," for they tempt and test a person's intentions. However, in order to better understand all this, one should know that everything that happens to us is of three types: good, evil and mean. Good includes prudence, mercy, justice and all the like, that is, qualities that can never turn into evil. Fornication, inhumanity, injustice and everything similar to them, which can never turn into good, belong to the evil. The average are wealth and poverty, health and disease, life and death, fame and dishonor, pleasure and pain, freedom and slavery, and others like them, in some cases called good, and in others evil, in accordance with how they man's intention governs.
So, people divide these average qualities into two types, and one of these parts is called good, because that is what they love, for example, wealth, fame, pleasure and others. Others of them they call evil, for they abhor it, for example, poverty, pain, dishonor, and so on. And therefore, if we do not want to befall us what we ourselves consider evil, we will not do real evil, as the prophet advises us: “Man, do not enter into any evil or sin of your own free will, and then the Angel guarding you will not allow you to experience any evil. "
And the prophet Isaiah says: “If you will and obey, and you will keep all my commandments, you will taste the good things of the earth; but if you renounce and persist, the sword of your enemies will devour you. " And yet the same prophet says to those who do not fulfill His commandments: "Go into the flame of your fire, into the flame that you kindle with your sins."
Of course, the devil first tries to fight us with voluptuous temptations, for he knows how inclined we are to lust. If he realizes that our will in this is subordinated to his will, he alienates us from the grace of God that protects us. Then he asks God for permission to build upon us a bitter temptation, that is, grief and calamity, in order to completely destroy us, out of his great hatred for us, forcing us from many griefs to despair. If, in the first case, our will does not follow his will, that is, we do not fall into a voluptuous temptation, he again raises a second temptation of grief on us, in order to force us now from grief to fall into a voluptuous temptation.
And that is why the Apostle Paul calls to us, saying: "Be sober, my brethren, watch and stay awake, because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." God allows us to fall into temptations, either according to His economy in order to test us, as righteous Job and other saints, according to the Lord's disciples: "Simon, behold, Simon, Satan asked to sow you like wheat, that is, to shake you with temptations." And God allows us to fall into temptations by His permission, just as He allowed David to fall into sin and the Apostle Paul to deny Him in order to deliver us from self-righteousness. However, there are temptations stemming from being forsaken by God, that is, from the loss of Divine grace, as was the case with Judas and the Jews.
And the temptations that come to the saints through the economy of God come to the envy of the devil, in order to show everyone the righteousness and perfection of the saints, and in order to shine even brighter for them after their victory over their adversary the devil. Temptations that occur by allowance are sent in order to become an obstacle to the path of sin that has happened, is happening, or is yet to occur. The same temptations that are sent out of God’s forsakenness have as their reason the sinful life of man and his bad intentions, and are allowed for his complete destruction and annihilation.
And therefore, we must not only flee from temptations arising from lust, as from the poison of a wicked serpent, but if such a temptation comes to us against our will, we must not fall into it in any way.
And in everything that concerns the temptations in which our body is tested, let us not expose ourselves to danger out of our pride and insolence, but let us ask God to protect us from them, if such is His will. And may we give Him joy, without falling into these temptations. If these temptations come, we will accept them with great joy and pleasure, as great gifts. Only about this we will ask Him, so that He will strengthen us to victory to the very end over our tempter, for this is what He tells us with the words “and do not lead us into temptation”. That is, we ask you not to leave us, so as not to fall into the throat of the mental dragon, as the Lord tells us elsewhere: "Watch and pray so that you do not fall into temptation." That is, in order not to be overcome by temptation, for the spirit is vigorous, but the flesh is weak.
No one, however, hearing that it is necessary to avoid temptations, let them not justify themselves by “excuses for sinful deeds,” referring to their weakness and the like when temptations come. For in difficult times, when temptations come, the one who is afraid of them and will not resist them will thereby deny the truth. For example: if it happens to a person to be subjected to threats and violence for his faith, or in order to deny the truth, or to trample on justice, or to deny mercy to his neighbors or any other commandment of Christ, if in all these cases he retreats out of fear for his flesh and will not be able to bravely resist these temptations, then let this person know that he will not be a partaker of Christ and in vain is he called a Christian. Unless he will repent of this later and will shed bitter tears. And he must repent, for he did not imitate true Christians, martyrs who suffered so much for their faith. I did not imitate Saint John Chrysostom, who went through so many torments for justice, the Monk Zosima, who endured hardships for his mercy to his brethren, and many others whom we cannot even list now and who have endured many torments and temptations in order to fulfill the law and commandments of Christ. ... We must also keep these commandments, so that they free us not only from temptations and sins, but also from the evil one, according to the words of the Lord's prayer.
"But deliver us from the evil one"
The devil himself is mainly called the devil, brethren, for he is the beginning of all sin and the creator of all temptation. It is from the actions and instigations of the evil one that we learn to ask God to free us and believe that He will not allow us to be tempted above our strength, according to the Apostle, that God “will not allow you to be tempted beyond our strength, but when tempted, he will also give relief, so so you can transfer. " It is necessary, however, and it is imperative not to forget to ask Him and pray to Him for this in humility.“For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen"
Our Lord, knowing that human nature always falls into doubts due to its lack of faith, comforts us, saying: since you have such a powerful and glorious Father and King, do not hesitate to turn to Him with requests from time to time. Only, bothering Him, do not forget to do it the way the widow bothered her master and the heartless judge, saying to Him: “Lord, deliver us from our adversary, for yours is an everlasting Kingdom, invincible power and incomprehensible glory. For You are a mighty King, and you command and punish our enemies, and You are the most glorious God, and You glorify and exalt those who glorify You, and You are a loving and loving Father, and you bore and love those who, by Holy Baptism, were honored to become Your sons, and they loved You with all their hearts, now and ever, and forever and ever. " Amen.
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Our Father, Who art in heaven! Hallowed your name yes it will come Your kingdom 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 DomainAccording 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! | Our Father who art in heaven! | Our Father is in Heaven, |
History
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 Sermon on the Mount, while in Luke, Jesus grants this prayer to the disciples in response to a direct request to "teach them to pray."
The version of the Gospel of Matthew was widely disseminated in the Christian world as the main christian prayer, and the use of our Father as a prayer goes 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. Written and general work based on the interpretations of theologians of antiquity (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. "
- “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."
- “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. "
- "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 would not happen according to him on their own, but as it pleases God.
- "Give us our daily bread for this day" 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 of Christ." Maxim the Confessor interprets the word "today" (this day) as the present age, that is, the earthly life of man.
- “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."
- “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.
- “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.
For man Orthodox faith the prayer "Our Father" is one of the paramount.
It is easy to find her in all canons and prayer books. Saying this prayer, the believer directly addresses God without the participation of the angels of heaven and saints.
As if God had told him how to talk to him.
The full text in Russian looks like this:
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.
For yours is the kingdom and power and glory forever.
The text is unique because it combines repentance, petition, thanksgiving to God and intercession before the Almighty.
Important rules
In order to properly ask or thank the Father for something, you must adhere to several rules for reading a prayer:
- one should not regard the reading of the prayer as an obligatory and routine work performed mechanically. Everything in this petition must be sincere and from a pure heart;
- it has a strengthening effect on the spirit, protects from the manifestation of satanic forces, and also delivers from sinful impulses;
- if a reservation occurs during prayer, you need to say: "Lord, have mercy", cross yourself and only then continue your reading;
- this prayer refers to the must-read prayer in the morning and evening, as well as before meals and before starting any business.
Prayer Our Father with stress
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.
What do the words of the prayer Our Father mean?
A direct prayer-appeal to the Almighty was given to his disciples by Jesus Christ, when they began to ask him to teach how to pray and be heard correctly.
Then the Savior made it possible to speak with God, to repent of our sins, to ask for protection from everything, bread and, moreover, to be able to praise the Creator.
If you parse the words and translate them into the familiar Russian language, then everything will look like this:
- Father - Father;
- Izhe - which;
- If you are in heaven - heavenly or who lives in heaven;
- yes - let;
- sanctified - glorified;
- yako - how;
- in heaven - in heaven;
- vital - necessary for life;
- give - give;
- today - for the present day, today;
- leave - forgive;
- debts are sins;
- to our debtors - to those people in whom there is sin before us;
- temptation - the danger of falling into sin, temptation;
- the evil one - everything that is cunning and evil, that is, the devil. The devil is called a wicked, evil spirit.
Saying: “Hallowed be Your name, may Your kingdom come”, we ask you to give us strength and wisdom to live right.
To glorify the name of the Almighty with your deeds: "Glory forever." We urge you to honor the earthly kingdom here on earth and thereby experience grace heavenly kingdom where there is the kingdom and the power and glory of the Lord himself. "Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come."
We ask "Thy will be done, and on earth, as in heaven, give us our daily bread for this day", meaning everything that a person needs for life, however, first of all, we ask the Honest Blood and the Most Pure Body in the sacrament of Holy Communion , without which it does not seem to be forgiven in eternal life.
Also follows the request for forgiveness of debts (sins), as each of the believers forgives those who have sinned against them, offended or offended. A request to take away from any temptations and influence of evil forces.
This last petition still embraces protection from everything evil that can await a person not only on the path to eternal life, but also what is in real world and meets every day. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."
Prayer "Our Father" in the memoirs of the prophets
The apostle Paul writes: “Pray incessantly. Be constant in prayer, being awake, with thanksgiving. Pray in the spirit at all times. " This emphasizes the importance of the prayer "Our Father" for each person.
All followers of the Lord Jesus Christ talk about her in their books.
Prayer "Our Father" from Matthew:
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 yours is the kingdom and power and glory forever. Amen.
Prayer "Our Father" from 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 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.
Following the instructions of John the Theologian, a person must constantly be in dialogue with God and perceive the world around him and the living beings living in it also through it.
This behavior is the life of an immortal soul and the knowledge of this nobility every moment. Thus, the Father's great philanthropy is glorified now and always.
He speaks more than once about the grace-filled power that the petition of the Lord's Prayer gives:
“Pray to God when you are inclined to prayer; pray when you are not disposed to prayer; pray to God until you feel disposed to prayer. "
Like John, so Christ himself called believers to “obey all,” meaning God. Only he knows what will be right for everyone living on Earth.
Everything is hidden in the Word of God to make a person happy and lead him to eternal life, because Heavenly father loves all people and longs to hear their prayers.
We pray every day
One should not think that this is the only way to pray. This idea is not entirely correct. Followers of Christ urged people to "walk in God."
Christ said that a person's conversion must be sincere and pure, then the Father will hear everything. Our hearts speak of both great needs and small ones, however, "for a good son who does not get attached to the earthly, it will be easier to find spiritual things."
It is not so important whether a person addresses the Father in the temple or in his own home. The important thing is that the human soul is immortal and it glorifies the Father and the Son.
Everyday communication with God will not be complete without words to His Son: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” because all good is available thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus.
This could be an example of the Lord's Prayer short version. Even just listening to the prayer "Our Father" on Russian will go for the good of the believer.
It makes no difference whether the text of the prayer is in Russian or in Church Slavonic. The main thing is that man should never forget the Lord's Prayer "Our Father", because neither before the glory nor later will there be greater than the Most High has.
"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 forgetfulness of insults and the communion of grace that they also call Him His 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. Hear also in another place how the full face of the Saints thanks for deliverance from temptation: you tempted, God, you kindled us, as if money would be 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. Edition of the Australian-New Zealand Diocese of Russia Orthodox Church Abroad, 1991. (Reprint from: M., 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 contains in itself 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 so: 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 last 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, you never know, when you have already learned to keep in yourself human soul 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 our 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 warfare 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