There is one fundamental longing that the Creator has inscribed in every human soul: the desire for beatitudeโthat is, to be truly happy in union with God. This inescapable desire for happiness animates our thoughts, informs our choices, and motivates our actions. If we were to carefully examine each decision we make in the course of a day, we would discover that every action is directed, in one way or another, toward the goal of happiness.
Unfortunately, our pursuit of this fundamental desire does not always align with what truly makes us happy. Sometimes the โhappinessโ we seek is fleeting, materialistic, and deceptive. Even when we fall into sin, it is often because we are deceived into believing that the sin will satisfy our longing for happiness.
If we truly wish to fulfill this deep desire for God, then we must unmask every deception and see ourselves, our purpose, and our striving in the light of Eternal Truth, as it exists in mind and will of God. When done right, this is a joyful and freeing journey that will enable us to become who God created us to be.
Beatitude
Beatitude. What a powerful word. In Greek, the word for beatitudeโmakariosโis rich with meaning. Often translated as โblessedโ or โhappy,โ it points far beyond superficial emotion or worldly contentment. It speaks of the soulโs state when it lives in harmony with God, abiding in His grace and favor.
To live in a state of makarios is to live in the joy and peace that only divine communion can bring. It is to be filled with a happiness rooted in God Himself, not in possessions or comfort. Beatitude reaches perfection when we see God face to face. Only then do our souls find true rest, perfect order, and fulfillment of every desire.
When you think of a blessed life, what comes to mind? We often associate blessing with receiving good things: health, friendships, success, or prosperity. However, in Sacred Scripture, makarios does not primarily refer to the reception of external blessings. It describes an interior conditionโa state of being and living a life rightly ordered toward God.
Certainly, when the โmany good thingsโ we receive are truly good and come from God, they serve as instruments leading us toward that ultimate goal of eternal Beatitude. But the word itself describes something deeper. To live in a state of makarios is to live in completion, in wholeness, in holiness. It is to live in union with the only ultimate Good Who can satisfy the human heart.
The Human Soul
When God created us, He endowed us with the human capacity for emotions and desire as a means by which we might seek and love Him. Original Sin led to disordered desires that result in misguided pursuits and emotional turmoil. If our desires were rightly ordered, they would align perfectly with the fullness of TruthโWho God is and what He wills for our lives.
Our desires play a significant role in shaping what we believe and how we act. When we are drawn to something, we perceive that which we desire as good, so we seek to attain it. If our desires are disordered, they can lead us down a perilous path, shaping our identity and actions in ways that draw us away from God.
Conversely, when we understand Divine Truth, we are empowered to believe and habitually choose to live by Truth, which orders our desires. Order also brings peace and harmony to our emotions and passion, and drive to our God-given mission. When that happens, our desires no longer distort what we believe and how we act, but instead strengthen our journey toward full union with God.
This book is meant to be a journey of discovery. Along the way, we will inevitably encounter desires that do not reflect the purity and perfection of Godโs will. Though such a discovery can be painful, we must allow it to cultivate the virtue of humility within us, which is nothing other than an honest evaluation of our lives within the Light of Eternal Truth.
Ultimately, the perfect prayer we can offer is one that expresses our rightly ordered desires before Godโthe desires in the human and Sacred Heart of Christ. Desiring what Jesus desires makes us holy, and our prayer becomes powerful and transformativeโfor us and for those for whom we intercede.
Discovering Our True Identity
The pathway to rightly ordered desires is paved with the discovery and embrace of our identity as sons and daughters of God. Who are you? Why did God make you? What is your purpose in life? Where is He calling you? These questions echo in every human heart. Some of us drown them out with busyness, distractions, or sin, while others recognize them as a persistent call that demands an answer.
These questions resound within us because God has placed in each of us a natural desire for Himself, leaving us restless and searching. We were created for communion with Him, and, as famously noted by Saint Augustine, our hearts will remain restless until they rest in Him. Jesus is the Answer to all our questions and the only true fulfillment of every desire.
The path to this discovery is prayerโnot merely the recitation of prayers but prayer that transforms us. True prayer is initiated by God and ordered toward Him as our final end, by which we are made into a new creation in Christ.
The Prayer Jesus Taught Us
Jesus does not leave us without guidance in our search for true prayer. In Lukeโs Gospel, we see the disciples longing for this same transformation. One day, after witnessing Jesus at prayer, one of His disciples was moved to ask, โLord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciplesโ (Luke 11:1). Clearly, he could tell that Jesusโ prayer was uniqueโdifferent from the religious leadersโ formal and ritualistic prayers. This disciple is a model for us. After recognizing the authenticity of Jesusโ prayer, he desired it for himself, so he humbly asked Jesus to teach him and the others. We must do the same.
Jesus responded by teaching what we now call the Lordโs Prayer, or the Our Father. As the perfect model of Christian prayer, it is simple and straightforward, yet packed with depth and meaning. We can say the words, but if we understand them, believe them, and choose them, then they can transform us.
The Lordโs Prayer is the perfect prayer for one simple reason: Jesus taught it to us. To fulfill its purpose, we must pray it as He intended, offering transformative pleas to God the Father from the depths of our hearts.
The Context of the Lordโs Prayer
The Lordโs Prayer appears in Matthew 6:9โ13 and Luke 11:2โ4. This book follows Matthewโs version, the more detailed version that is widely used in Christian prayer. Matthew presents the prayer within the Sermon on the Mount, highlighting it as the heart of Christian discipleship. Both Saints Augustine and Thomas based their exposition on Matthewโs Gospel. Before presenting the Lordโs Prayer, Jesus warns against two distortionsโempty showmanship and meaningless repetitionโcontrasting them with the prayer He now teaches His disciples.
Here is the Gospel of Matthewโs version of Jesusโ prayer:
โWhen you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
โThis is how you are to pray:
โOur Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.โ
If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.โ Matthew 6:5โ15
In introducing the Lordโs Prayer,ย Jesus contrasts the form of true prayer He teaches with the prayer of โhypocrites,โ such as the scribes and Pharisees, โwho love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them.โ Prayer that is for show is empty. The โrewardโ for such prayer is fleeting admiration by those who misunderstand God and true worship.
The โinner roomโ of which Jesus speaks, where we โclose the doorโ and pray to our Father in secret, refers to our interior life, the inner sanctuary of our consciences. This inner room is well described in the Vatican II document Gaudium et SpesโโThe Constitution of the Church in the Modern World.โ
Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment. For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. His dignity lies in observing this law, and by it he will be judged. His conscience is manโs most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths. (Gaudium et Spes 16).
The โlawโ of which Gaudium et Spes speaks is Godโs Eternal Law, the full revelation of Who God isโTruth Himself. Though many might consider a โlawโ restrictive, Godโs Eternal Law is the opposite: It is freeing, enabling us to become who we were made to be. True prayer seeks to know and love the Eternal Law.
As Jesus continues His introduction to the Lordโs Prayer, He offers a further contrast between authentic prayer and the prayer common among the pagans: โIn praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.โ
The Greek word translated here as โbabbleโ conveys a meaningless repetition that is empty, mechanical, or even superstitious. Many pagans of Jesusโ time recited long incantations to appease or persuade their gods, believing they could manipulate divine action by sheer persistence. This is precisely the practice Jesus condemns, contrasting it with the trustful, intimate prayer He teaches His disciples.
Christian prayer does not seek to manipulate or compel God; it trusts in Godโs providence and unites our hearts to His will. When we pray the Rosary, for example, we do not simply repeat words to persuade God, but rather meditate on divine mysteries, allowing His grace to transform us by enlightening our minds with His Truth, strengthening our wills by His grace, and ordering our souls in accord with His will. Repetitive prayer, when done with faith and devotion, deepens our union with God.
Because God already โknows what you need before you ask him,โ we approach prayer with trust and surrender. While it is good to bring our needs before God, true prayer is ultimately about seeking Godโs glory above all else.
From the Greek
Though we are familiar with the Lordโs Prayer in its traditional English form, these words were first recorded in Greek and likely spoken originally in Aramaic by Jesus.
At the time the Gospels were written, Greek was the most widely spoken and understood language across the Mediterranean, where the Apostles journeyed and preached. While there might have been some early manuscripts in Aramaicโor at least written summaries of Jesusโ teachingsโthe Greek manuscripts are the oldest and most reliable sources we have for the Gospels, including the wording of the Lordโs Prayer in Matthewโs Gospel.
Because languages follow different grammatical structures and idiomatic expressions, the best approach to translation is not a rigid, word-for-word rendering, but rather one that conveys the meaning naturally in the target language. However, examining the original Greek wording offers deeper insight, which we will explore throughout.
For example, the Greek for โOur Father who art in Heavenโ from Matthew 6:9 is ฮ ฮฌฯฮตฯ แผกฮผแฟถฮฝ แฝ แผฮฝ ฯฮฟแฟฯ ฮฟแฝฯฮฑฮฝฮฟแฟฯ, transliterated as Pรกter hฤmแนn ho en toรญs ouranoรญs. The most literal translation is โFather of us, the One in the heavens.โ A more natural English translation would be โOur Father, Who is in the heavensโ or โOur Father, the One dwelling in the heavens.โ
Though there is great value in adhering to the traditional English form of the Lordโs Prayer, each chapter will present supportive translations to deepen our understanding of the Greek meaning and foster prayerful meditation. Below is one possible translation, with added clarity for each petition:
Father of us, the One in the heavensโYou who reign over all, including us, Your children, by grace,
Let your name be sanctifiedโbe made holy in us and throughout all creation.
Let your Kingdom comeโboth in our hearts now and in its final fulfillment when You return in glory.
Let your will be done, as in Heaven, so also upon the earthโfor the perfect obedience of Heaven is the model for us on Earth.
Give us today our bread for the coming dayโour daily provision, both material sustenance and, above all, the spiritual nourishment of the Eucharist.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtorsโfor the full act of forgiving those who have sinned against me is the necessary condition for me to receive Your forgiveness today.
Do not bring us into trialโstrengthen us to be victorious in every divine test You permit.
Deliver us from the evil oneโrescue us from the grip of satan and all his works.
Six of the seven petitions use the aorist imperative, a verb form distinctive to Koine Greekโthe form of Greek used in the New Testament. In English, the aorist imperative could be likened to adding three exclamation points to the end of the petition: one to express urgency, a second to express decisiveness, and a third to express completeness. While this is not a literal grammatical equivalence, it captures the forcefulness and finality conveyed by the aorist imperative in the original Greek.
Theological Foundation
Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas provide the foundational insights into the Lordโs Prayer, guiding us in its deeper meaning and transformative power. Augustine explains that the Lordโs Prayer is the perfect model of how we ought to pray. Saint Thomas explains that prayer expresses and reveals our desires before God.
Since we should only desire what is truly good, and desire good things in the right order, our prayers will reflect this proper ordering when they mirror the Lordโs Prayer, which first directs our hearts to Godโs glory and then turns to our own needs, shaping our desires according to divine wisdom. In the Lordโs Prayer, we not only ask for everything we should rightfully desire, but we also ask for these things in their proper order. Thus, this prayer teaches us what to ask for while shaping and directing all our affections.
Augustine on Prayer
For Augustine, prayer is not about informing God of our needs, since He already knows them, but is about expanding our capacity to receive His grace. He teaches that the purpose of prayer is to shape and align our souls with Godโs will so that we might love rightly and live according to divine wisdom.
Augustineโs teaching on prayer is found throughout his voluminous works, but his most significant contribution is his Letter to Proba, in which he systematically expounds on the nature of prayer and on the Lordโs Prayer as the model of all Christian prayer. He also treats prayer extensively in his work On the Sermon on the Mount.
In his Letter to Proba, Augustine distinguishes true prayer from petitions for worldly goods, emphasizing that prayer should be directed toward the highest goodโGod Himself. While we may enjoy material comforts, they will never bring the soul true peace. Only a heart freed from inordinate attachment to worldly desires is properly disposed to encounter Christ in prayer.
Augustine answers succinctly what we should pray for: โPray for a happy lifeโ (Letter 130.4.9),ย immediately clarifying that true happiness (beatitudo) is found only in God, not in earthly prosperity. He writes: โHe, therefore, is truly happy who has all that he wishes to have, and wishes to have nothing which he ought not to wishโ (Letter 130.5.1).
Thus, prayer is not about changing Godโs will but about transforming our own desires, so that we seek eternal union with Him above all else. Through prayer, divine grace expands our soulโs capacity to receive God, increasing our longing for Him and deepening our trust in His providence.
Augustine also underscores the necessity of perseverance in prayer, not to change Godโs mind, but to strengthen our own faith and reliance on Him: โBy praying, we exercise desire. Through desire, we become able to receive what God is preparing to give usโ (Letter 130.8.15). Persistence in prayer trains the soul, forming it in patience, trust, and detachment from worldly concerns.
The culmination of the letter comes with Augustineโs teaching on the Lordโs Prayer, which he declares to be the perfect and complete model of Christian prayer: โIf we pray rightly and in a manner fitting to our needs, we say nothing but what is already contained in the Lordโs Prayerโ (Letter 130.12.22).
Aquinas on Prayer
Though Thomasโ extensive writings are primarily on philosophy and theology, his theological insights provide a firm foundation for spiritual growth, since his teaching articulates divine truths with clarity. As Jesus teaches us in Johnโs Gospel, โIf you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you freeโ (John 8:31).
In his most significant theological work, Summa Theologiae, Saint Thomas devotes a section to prayer under the heading of the โVirtue of Religion,โ which he defines as the virtue that renders due worship to God. Worship is an act of justice, giving to God what is rightfully His. External acts of devotion and prayerโsuch as sacrifices, vows, and ceremoniesโexpress and strengthen interior worship. Ultimately, the virtue of religion directs the soul to God, fostering holiness and deepening oneโs relationship with Him.
In the Summa (II-II, q. 83), Thomas explains that prayer begins as an act of human reason, not merely desire. It intelligently comprehends and expresses our dependence on God and disposes us to receive His grace. Though God already knows our needs, authentic prayer transforms us by aligning our will with His divine providence. While we should make definite requests in prayer, particularly for spiritual goods, we should pray for material needs only in the right orderโseeking them insofar as they aid our salvation and conform to Godโs will.
The Lordโs Prayer, according to Thomas, is the perfect model for prayer because it orders our desires properly. Following Saint Augustine, he states:ย
โSince prayer is the expression of our desires before God, we should only ask for what we ought to desire. The Lordโs Prayer not only contains everything we should desire, but it presents them in the proper orderโthus shaping not only our petitions but also our heartsโ (Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 83, a. 9).
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Building on the insights of Saints Thomas and Augustine, the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers a detailed reflection on each petition of the Lordโs Prayer, teaching that it is a summary of the whole Gospel and also the foundation of desires. Insights from the Catechism will be offered throughout each chapter.
The Catechism is structured into four major parts, the fourth of which is dedicated to Christian prayer and is divided into two parts:
- Section One: โPrayer in the Christian LifeโโThis provides an overview of prayer in both the Old and New Testaments, tracing its development through Sacred Tradition. It offers practical insights into methods of prayer and struggles in prayer, presenting Jesus as the model of prayer.
- Section Two: โThe Lordโs PrayerโโThis focuses entirely on the Our Father as the perfect model of prayer.
In describing the Lordโs Prayer, the Catechism states:
The Lordโs Prayer โis truly the summary of the whole gospelโ (Tertullian, De orat. 1: PL 1, 1155). โSince the Lordโฆafter handing over the practice of prayer, said elsewhere, โAsk and you will receive,โ and since everyone has petitions which are peculiar to his circumstances, the regular and appropriate prayer [the Lordโs Prayer] is said first, as the foundation of further desiresโ (Tertullian, De orat. 10: PL 1, 1165; cf. Lk 11:9) (CCC #2761).
A Path to Transformation
More than words, the Lordโs Prayer is a path to holiness, intimacy with God, and the fulfillment of our deepest and rightly ordered desires. Each petition challenges us to reorient our hearts toward Godโs Kingdom, shaping our thoughts, actions, and aspirations.
Though each of us has many different desiresโsome good, some neutral, and others not so goodโit is essential that our disordered desires be eliminated and the others be ordered properly. Having an ordered life, one that aligns with Godโs will, frees us. A life controlled by disordered and conflicting desires leads us down a dark and painful road of interior turmoil, confusion, and a lack of direction.
True peace is attained when grace brings order to our weary souls, taming and directing us toward God Himself. Our desires become like the instruments in an orchestra. When they are directed by the Divine Conductor, our lives produce a beautifully harmonious symphony that glorifies Him.
The End Directs the Means
A common tendency people share is to give more importance to the means to a goal than to the goal itself. For example, what is the purpose of money? Money enables us to feed, shelter, and clothe ourselves and our families. If money becomes an end in itself, then we accumulate wealth for its own sake, which is a mistake. Money is only a means to be used for the greater good.
This principle applies to every area of life. If your highest aim is wealth, entertainment, worldly success, or personal comfort, then your daily choicesโyour meansโwill align with that goal. You might work long hours to accumulate riches, build a reputation, invest in luxuries, or prioritize leisure.
But if your ultimate goal is to live the Beatitudesโeternal happiness in Godโs presenceโthen your means will look very different. You will strive for holiness, prioritize prayer, pursue virtue, and make sacrifices that lead to Heaven. Once you determine your true end, you can rightly order the means to attain it.
The Ultimate End of Man
What is the purpose of life? Jesus answered this question in His High Priestly Prayer on the night before He died: โNow this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christโ (John 17:3).
This brief yet profound statement encapsulates the entire purpose and end of our lives. We are created for eternal life, and that life is attained only by knowing God. This โknowingโ is a deep, personal, and transformative knowledge of Himโan intimate communion of love.
Since this is our ultimate end, everything we do in life must become a means to attain it. Otherwise, we will inevitably work toward lesser, misplaced ends.
Can we have multiple ultimate ends? For example, can we seek both knowledge of God and material wealth as equal goals? Can we also add enjoying life, raising a family, or traveling as additional ends?
By definition, there can be only one ultimate end. That which is ultimate is singularโit orders everything else toward itself. Certainly, having a family, enjoying vacations, or working toward financial stability can be means that serve the ultimate end, but they must not become ends in themselves. If knowing, loving, and glorifying God is not our ultimate end, then everything else in life becomes misdirected.
Choosing the highest and greatest good we canโeternal beatitude in perfect union with Godโand making that the guiding principle of our lives is not always easy, because we often live with divided hearts. We might desire God but still cling to lesser goods. An ordered life is a life in which everything is rightly directed toward our true ultimate end so that everything else aligns accordingly.
Bringing Order to Our Lives
When we choose eternal beatitudeโthe life of perfect union with Godโas our ultimate end, everything in life begins to align with that goal. For example, if knowing and loving God is our ultimate purpose, then loving our family will become a supportive goal. True love for family is not selfish or merely sentimental; it seeks the highest good for our loved ones. Therefore, we will love them in a way that draws them toward God and gives glory to God, not in a way that prioritizes earthly comfort or fleeting happiness.
Likewise, our occupation, possessions, hobbies, and daily activities will no longer be ends in themselves. Instead, they will become means that help us grow in love of God and neighbor. Work, for instance, is no longer merely a pursuit of wealth or status, but an opportunity to glorify God through diligence, integrity, and providing for our family.
To bring true order to our lives, we must ensure that everything we doโour relationships, ambitions, and daily choicesโbecomes an instrument leading us toward God.
โKnowingโ the One True God
If eternal life is our purpose and goal, then we must understand what it means to โknowโ the only true God and the One whom He sent, Jesus Christ.
In Scripture, โknowingโ God is union with Him, a deep and personal communion. We are called to share in Christโs divinity, made possible by the fact that He humbled Himself to share in our humanity.
This sharing in Godโs life finds its perfect fulfillment in Heaven, where we will worship before the Beatific Vision, seeing God as He is in all His glory. The eternal prayer of HeavenโโHoly, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, Who Was, Who Is, and Who Is to Beโโexpresses this perfect communion. To achieve this highest and final reality, we must conform our entire earthly life to that heavenly reality even now.
The prayer that perfectly teaches us this ultimate end, and how every means must serve that end, is the Lordโs Prayer. It is not only the perfect model for prayerโit is the perfect model for life.
Structure of the Lordโs Prayer
Before entering into detailed reflections on each line of the Lordโs Prayer, it will be helpful to consider the prayer as a whole. Understanding its structure will help us to pray it rightly and use it as a model for our prayer so that it can shape us and order our souls rightly.
As Saints Thomas Aquinas and Augustine taught, the seven short, perfect, and transformative petitions Jesus gave us in the Lordโs Prayer are ordered in the way we ought to desire them. The first petition we are invited to pray is for the highest desire. โHighestโ does not mean โgreatestโ in terms of importance. All seven petitions are woven together, making one prayer to the Father. Rather, โhighestโ refers to the order in which we should desire the goods of the seven petitionsย (cf. Summa Theologica II-II, q. 83, a. 9).
This right ordering does not distinguish between greater and lesser desires, but rather between those that lead us toward our final endโGod Himselfโand those that are subordinated to and supportive of that ultimate and highest goal.
The opening line of the Lordโs PrayerโโOur Father, Who art in Heavenโโimmediately orients us toward God. It is not a petition but a fundamental disposition: an act of turning our hearts toward our loving Father.
Once oriented to the Father, we begin our petitions in the order given by Christ.
First, we desire God Himself and His glory:
- Hallowed be Thy Name: seeking the sanctification of Godโs name in us and all creation
- Thy Kingdom come: praying for the establishment of Godโs Kingdom in our hearts now and in its final fulfillment
Second, we desire the means to attain this end:
- Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven: aligning our will with Godโs perfect will
- Give us this day our daily bread: requesting both material sustenance and spiritual nourishment
- Forgive us our trespasses: seeking reconciliation with God and others through mutual forgiveness
Finally, we desire the removal of obstacles that prevent us from attaining this end:
- Lead us not into temptation: asking for strength during times of testing
- Deliver us from evil: seeking protection from the evil one and his works
These seven petitions form a unified whole that reflects the proper ordering of our desires before God. The structure can be simplified as follows:
- The first two petitions direct us to our ultimate end: participating in Godโs holiness and Kingdom.
- The middle three petitions focus on the essential means: conforming to Godโs will, relying on His providence, and participating in His mercy.
- The final two petitions address the obstacles: overcoming trials and resisting evil.
All of the petitions together draw us to the fulfillment of Eternal Beatitude, where we will eternally fulfill our purpose of glorifying God, crying out forever: Holy, Holy, Holy! โSo whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of Godโ (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Gifts of the Spirit and the Beatitudes
In addition to highlighting the order of desire taught by the Lordโs Prayer, Saints Augustine and Thomas Aquinas further align each petition with the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Beatitudes, showing how the prayer forms us in the spiritual qualities Christ extols in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 3โ12). Their model is as follows:
PetitionโGift of the SpiritโBeatitude
Hallowed be Thy Nameโ Fear of the LordโBlessed are the poor in spirit
Thy Kingdom Comeโ PietyโBlessed are the meek
Thy Will Be Doneโ KnowledgeโBlessed are those who mourn
Give Us This Day Our Daily Breadโ FortitudeโBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
Forgive Us Our Trespassesโ CounselโBlessed are the merciful
Lead Us Not Into Temptationโ UnderstandingโBlessed are the clean of heart
Deliver Us from Evilโ WisdomโBlessed are the peacemakers
By structuring the prayer in this way, we see that each petition makes a request of God and also relies on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to shape us according to the Beatitudes, making the Lordโs Prayer a pathway to sanctification, opening us to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to progressively conform our thoughts, actions, and desires to Divine Wisdom.
Saints Augustine and Thomas do not explicitly align the final two Beatitudesโthose concerning persecutionโwith the petitions of the Lordโs Prayer. Instead, they see patiently endured persecution as the consequence of a life lived in beatitude rather than a distinct interior disposition to be cultivated. Persecution, particularly martyrdom, is the ultimate proof of oneโs fidelity to Christ, endured with supernatural virtue, rather than actively pursued as an interior disposition (Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 124, a. 3).
Entering the Petitions
Now that we have reflected on an overview of the Lordโs Prayer, we are ready to first ponder who God is and how we come to know Him (Chapters OneโTwo). From there, we enter into the seven petitions in detail (Chapters ThreeโNine).
As you move forward through the chapters, keep the three-fold structure outlined in this Introduction in mind. Understanding this structureโthe end, means, and obstaclesโwill bring the Lordโs Prayer to life, helping you to pray it the way God intends it to be prayed.
Below is an expanded introductory reflection on the Lordโs Prayer to pray as a preparation for a more detailed exploration of each petition.
Let Us Pray:
Father of ours, the One in the Heavens, Let your name be made holy in me and throughout all creation for You are Holy, Holy, Holy!!!
Father of ours, the One in the Heavens, Let your Kingdom come in our hearts now by grace and when You return in glory to establish the New Heavens and New Earth so that all the angels and saints will cry out Holy, Holy, Holy, today and for eternity!
Father of ours, the One in the Heavens, let your will be done, as in Heaven, so also upon the earth, for the perfect obedience of Heaven is our model on Earth. Your ultimate will for all of us is to cry out Holy, Holy, Holy, and to magnify Your holiness in our lives!
Father of ours, the One in the Heavens, Grant us our daily needs, our material sustenance, grace to fulfill Your will, and above all, the spiritual nourishment of the Eucharist, in which we receive a foretaste of the Eternal Banquet of Heaven in which we will eternally cry out Holy, Holy, Holy!
Father of ours, the One in the Heavens, Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors, for forgiveness and mercy must be given to be received so as to bring about complete reconciliation with You and with all Your children so that we all worship You, singing, Holy, Holy, Holy!
Father of ours, the One in the Heavens, Strengthen us to be victorious in every divine test You permit, for their purpose is our sanctification, enabling us to praise and glorify You eternally Who are Holy, Holy, Holy!
Father of ours, the One in the Heavens, Rescue us from the evil one and all his works, so that we may enter into Your Kingdom and and in the New Heavens and New Earth to come where the entire Celestial Hierarchy will cry out forever, with one mind, heart, soul, and strength that You, the One and Eternal God, the Great I AM WHO AM, is Holy, Holy, Holy!
Paperback โย Kindle eBook โ Audible โ Google Play โ Apple Books โ and more!