One main longing dey wey the Creator don write inside every human soul: the desire for happiness wey completeโthat is, to truly dey happy for union with God. This desire for happiness wey we no fit escape dey give life to our thoughts, dey guide our choices, and dey move us to act. If we carefully check every decision wey we dey make throughout one day, we go discover say every action, for one way or another, dey aim towards happiness.
Sadly, as we dey pursue this main desire, we no always dey follow wetin truly fit make us happy. Sometimes, the โhappinessโ wey we dey seek no dey last, e dey depend on material things, and e dey deceive us. Even when we fall into sin, many times na because we don believe the lie say the sin go satisfy our longing for happiness.
If we truly want satisfy this deep desire for God, then we must expose every lie and see ourselves, our purpose, and all our efforts for the light of Eternal Truth, as e dey for God’s mind and will. When we do am well, this journey go bring joy and freedom, and e go help us become the people wey God create us to be.
Happiness Wey Complete
Happiness wey complete. This expression get deep power. For Greek, the word for this happinessโmakariosโget plenty deep meaning. People often dey translate am as โblessedโ or โhappy,โ but e point to something wey far pass feeling wey no deep or satisfaction with things of this world. E dey describe how the soul dey when e live in harmony with God and remain inside His grace and favour.
To live for the condition wey makarios dey describe na to live inside the joy and peace wey only close union with God fit bring. Na to full with happiness wey get root for God Himself, no be for property or comfort. This happiness dey reach perfection when we see God face to face. Na only then our souls go find true rest, perfect order, and satisfaction for every desire.
When you think about life wey get blessing, wetin dey come your mind? Many times, we dey connect blessing with receiving good things: good health, friendship, success, or prosperity. But for Sacred Scripture, makarios no mainly mean to receive blessings wey dey outside us. E dey describe the condition inside personโthe way person dey and dey live life wey dey rightly directed towards God.
Truly, when the โplenty good thingsโ wey we receive really good and come from God, dem dey serve as tools wey dey lead us towards that final goal of eternal happiness wey complete. But the word itself dey describe something wey deeper. To live for the condition wey makarios dey describe na to live life wey complete, wey whole, and wey holy. Na to live in union with the only highest Good, the One wey fit satisfy the human heart.
The Human Soul
When God create us, He give us the human ability to feel emotions and to desire things, so that through them we fit seek and love Him. Original Sin bring desires wey no dey for right order, and these desires dey make us pursue wrong things and bring confusion to our emotions. If our desires dey for right order, dem go agree completely with the fullness of TruthโWho God be and wetin He want for our lives.
Our desires get big role for shaping wetin we believe and how we dey act. When something dey draw us, we dey see that thing wey we desire as good, so we dey try get am. If our desires no dey for right order, dem fit lead us enter dangerous road, shaping who we be and wetin we dey do in ways wey dey draw us away from God.
But when we understand God’s Truth, we dey get strength to believe and to dey choose, as our regular way of life, to live by Truth, wey dey put our desires for right order. This order dey also bring peace and harmony to our emotions and strong feelings, and e dey give us drive for the mission wey God give us. When that one happen, our desires no go twist wetin we believe and how we dey act again. Instead, dem go strengthen our journey towards full union with God.
This book na to carry us on journey of discovery. As we dey go, we go surely meet desires wey no reflect how pure and perfect God’s will be. Even though this kind discovery fit pain us, we must allow am help humility grow inside us. This humility no be anything other than to honestly examine our lives inside the Light of Eternal Truth.
For the end, the perfect prayer wey we fit offer na the one wey express before God our desires wey dey for right orderโthe desires wey dey inside the human and Sacred Heart of Christ. When we desire wetin Jesus desire, e dey make us holy, and our prayer dey get power to change livesโour own lives and the lives of the people wey we dey pray for.
To Discover Who We Truly Be
The road to desires wey dey for right order na to discover and accept who we be as sons and daughters of God. Who you be? Why God make you? Wetin be your purpose for life? Where He dey call you go? These questions dey sound again and again inside every human heart. Some of us dey use too much work, distractions, or sin take drown their voice, while others dey recognise them as a call wey no dey stop and wey need answer.
These questions dey echo inside us because God don put natural desire for Himself inside each of us, and this desire dey make our hearts restless as we dey search. God create us to share life with Him, and as Saint Augustine talk for im well-known words, our hearts go remain restless until dem find rest in Him. Jesus na the Answer to all our questions, and na only Him fit truly satisfy every desire.
Na prayer be the road to this discoveryโno be just to recite prayers, but prayer wey dey change us. True prayer na God dey start am, and e dey lead us towards Him as the final purpose of our life. Through this prayer, we dey become new creation in Christ.
The Prayer Wey Jesus Teach Us
Jesus no leave us without guidance as we dey search for true prayer. For Luke Gospel, we see say the disciples dey long for this same change. One day, after dem see Jesus dey pray, one of His disciples feel moved to ask, โLord, teach us how to pray, just as John teach im disciplesโ (Luke 11:1). E clear say the disciple fit see say Jesus prayer differentโe no be like the formal prayers and rituals of the religious leaders. This disciple na example for us. After e recognise say Jesus prayer na genuine prayer, e desire this kind prayer for imself, so e humbly ask Jesus to teach am and the others. We too must do the same.
Jesus answer by teaching dem wetin we now dey call the Lordโs Prayer, or the Our Father. As the perfect example of Christian prayer, e simple and direct, but deep meaning full inside am. We fit say the words, but if we understand dem, believe dem, and choose wetin dem talk, dem fit change us.
The Lordโs Prayer na the perfect prayer for one simple reason: na Jesus teach us am. For the prayer to fulfil im purpose, we must pray am as Jesus intend, from deep inside our hearts, as we dey offer God the Father pleas wey fit change us.
The Setting of the Lordโs Prayer
The Lordโs Prayer dey for Matthew 6:9โ13 and Luke 11:2โ4. This book dey follow Matthew own version, wey get more detail and wey Christians dey widely use for prayer. Matthew put the prayer inside the Sermon on the Mount, to show say e dey at the heart of wetin e mean to be Christ disciple. Both Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas base their explanation on Matthew Gospel. Before Jesus give the Lordโs Prayer, E warn against two things wey dey spoil prayerโto pray just to show off and to repeat words without meaning. E show how these ones different from the prayer wey E now dey teach His disciples.
Na this be the version of Jesus prayer wey dey for Matthew Gospel:
โWhen una dey pray, make una no be like hypocrites, wey like to stand dey pray for synagogues and street corners so that other people go see dem. Amen, I dey tell una, dem don receive their reward. But when you dey pray, enter your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father for secret. And your Father wey dey see wetin dey happen for secret go reward you.
When una dey pray, make una no dey pour out empty words like pagans, wey think say na because of their plenty words dem go hear dem. Make una no be like dem. Una Father know wetin una need before una ask Him.
โNa like this una go pray:
โOur Father wey dey heaven, make Your name dey holy, make Your Kingdom come, make Your will happen for earth as e dey happen for heaven. Give us today the food wey we need each day; and forgive us our offences, as we dey forgive those wey offend us; and no lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.โ
If una forgive other people their offences, una Father for heaven go forgive una. But if una no forgive other people, una Father no go forgive una offences too.โ Matthew 6:5โ15
As Jesus dey introduce the Lordโs Prayer,ย E show the difference between the kind of true prayer wey E dey teach and the prayer of โhypocrites,โ like the scribes and Pharisees, โwey like to stand dey pray for synagogues and street corners so that other people go see dem.โ Prayer wey person dey pray just to show off na empty prayer. The โrewardโ for this kind prayer na the short-lived admiration of people wey no understand God and true worship.
The โinner roomโ wey Jesus talk about, where we dey โclose the doorโ and pray to our Father for secret, mean the life wey we dey live inside us, the inner holy place of our conscience. The Vatican II document wey dem call Gaudium et SpesโโThe Constitution of the Church for the Modern Worldโโdescribe this inner room well.
Deep inside im conscience, person dey discover one law wey no be im give imself, but wey e must obey. The voice of this law dey always call am to love, to do wetin good, and to avoid evil; e dey sound for im heart at the right time. Because person get one law for im heart wey God write there. Im dignity dey for im obedience to this law, and na by this law dem go judge am. Person conscience na im deepest secret place and im holy place. Na there e dey alone with God, wey His voice dey echo deep inside am. (Gaudium et Spes 16).
The โlawโ wey Gaudium et Spes dey talk about na God im Eternal Law, wey show fully Who God beโTruth Himself. Even though plenty people fit see โlawโ as something wey dey limit person, God im Eternal Law na the opposite: e dey set us free, so we fit become the kind people wey God create us to be. True prayer dey seek to know and love the Eternal Law.
As Jesus continue to introduce the Lordโs Prayer, E show another difference between true prayer and the kind prayer wey common among pagans: โWhen una dey pray, make una no dey repeat empty words like the pagans, wey think say God go hear dem because of their plenty words.โ
The Greek word wey dem translate here as โrepeat empty wordsโ mean repetition wey no get meaning, wey empty, wey person dey do without thought, or even with superstitious belief. Plenty pagans for Jesus im time dey recite long incantations to calm their gods or persuade dem, as dem believe say if dem persist enough, dem fit control wetin their gods go do. Na this very practice Jesus condemn, and E show how e different from the close, trusting prayer wey E teach Im disciples.
Christian prayer no dey try to control God or force Am to do something; e dey trust the way God dey care for and guide everything, and e dey join we hearts to Im will. For example, when we dey pray the Rosary, we no just dey repeat words to persuade God. Instead, we dey meditate on divine mysteries, as we allow Im grace to change us by using Im Truth to give we minds light, using Im grace to strengthen we will, and putting we souls in order according to Im will. Prayer wey we dey repeat, when we pray am with faith and devotion, dey deepen how we dey united with God.
Because God already โknow wetin una need before una ask Am,โ we dey come to prayer with trust, and we dey surrender ourselves to Am. Even though e good to bring wetin we need before God, the main purpose of true prayer na to seek God im glory above every other thing.
From the Greek Language
Even though we know the Lordโs Prayer well for im traditional English form, na Greek dem first use write these words down, and e likely say na Aramaic Jesus first use speak dem.
For the time wey dem write the Gospels, Greek na the language wey people speak and understand pass across the Mediterranean region, where the Apostles travel go preach. Even though some early manuscripts fit don dey for Aramaicโor at least written summaries of Jesus im teachingsโthe Greek manuscripts na the oldest and most reliable sources wey we get for the Gospels, including the words of the Lordโs Prayer for Matthew im Gospel.
Because languages get different grammar structures and their own special ways to express meaning, the best way to translate no be to follow every word one by one without flexibility, but to pass the meaning naturally for the language wey person dey translate enter. Still, when we examine the original Greek words, we dey understand more deeply, and we go continue to explore this as we go along.
For example, the Greek for โWe Papa wey dey Heavenโ from Matthew 6:9 na ฮ ฮฌฯฮตฯ แผกฮผแฟถฮฝ แฝ แผฮฝ ฯฮฟแฟฯ ฮฟแฝฯฮฑฮฝฮฟแฟฯ, wey dem write with Latin letters as Pรกter hฤmแนn ho en toรญs ouranoรญs. The translation wey follow the words most closely na โPapa of all of us, the One wey dey the heavens.โ For more natural English, dem fit translate am with the meaning โWe Papa, wey dey the heavensโ or โWe Papa, the One wey dey dwell for the heavens.โ
Even though to hold on to the traditional English form of the Lordโs Prayer get great value, each chapter go give other translations to help us understand the Greek meaning more deeply and encourage us to meditate with prayer. Below na one possible translation, with extra clarity for each request:
Papa of all of us, the One wey dey the heavensโYou wey dey reign over everything, including us, wey be Your children through grace,
Make Your name dey sanctifiedโmake e dey holy inside us and throughout everything wey You create.
Make Your Kingdom comeโboth inside we hearts now and with im final fulfilment when You return in glory.
Make dem do Your will for earth as dem dey do am for Heavenโbecause the perfect obedience wey dey Heaven na the example wey we for Earth suppose follow.
Give us today we bread for the day wey dey comeโwetin we need each day, both food and other things to sustain we body and, above all, the spiritual food of the Eucharist.
Forgive us we debts, as we too don forgive those wey owe usโbecause to forgive completely those wey don sin against me na the necessary condition for me to receive Your forgiveness today.
No bring us enter trialโgive us strength to overcome every divine test wey You allow.
Deliver us from the evil oneโrescue us from satan im grip and all im works.
Six out of the seven requests use the aorist imperative, one verb form wey dey peculiar to Koine Greekโthe kind Greek wey dem use for the New Testament. For English, we fit compare the aorist imperative to adding three exclamation marks for the end of the request: one to show urgency, the second to show firm resolve, and the third to show completeness. Even though this no mean say the two things exactly equal for grammar, e capture the force and finality wey the aorist imperative dey express for the original Greek.
Foundation for Theology
Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas give us the basic understanding wey serve as foundation for the Lordโs Prayer, as dem guide us to understand im deeper meaning and im power to change us. Augustine explain say the Lordโs Prayer na the perfect example of how we suppose pray. Saint Thomas explain say prayer dey express and reveal wetin we desire before God.
Since na only wetin truly good we suppose desire, and we suppose put the good things wey we desire for their proper order, our prayers go follow this correct order when dem follow the Prayer wey the Lord teach us. This prayer first turn our hearts to God glory before e turn to our own needs, and e shape wetin we desire according to God wisdom. For the Prayer wey the Lord teach us, no be only everything wey we suppose desire we dey ask for; we still dey ask for these things for their proper order. So, this prayer dey teach us wetin to ask for, as e dey shape and direct everything wey our hearts love and desire.
Wetin Augustine Teach about Prayer
For Augustine, prayer no be to tell God wetin we need, since He don already know them. Instead, na to make more room inside us to receive His grace. E teach say the purpose of prayer na to shape our souls and bring them in line with God will, so that we go fit love as we suppose and live according to God wisdom.
Augustine teaching about prayer dey throughout the plenty works wey e write, but the most important contribution wey e make na im Letter to Proba. Inside this letter, e explain step by step wetin prayer be and how the Prayer wey the Lord teach us be the model for all Christian prayer. E still discuss prayer well well for im work About the Sermon on the Mount.
For im Letter to Proba, Augustine show the difference between true prayer and requests for worldly goods. E stress say prayer suppose face the highest goodโGod Himself. Even though we fit enjoy material comforts, dem no fit ever give the soul true peace. Na only heart wey don free from holding worldly desires too tight dey properly ready to encounter Christ for prayer.
Augustine give short, clear answer about wetin we suppose pray for: โPray for happy lifeโ (Letter 130.4.9),ย and e explain immediately say true happiness (beatitudo) dey only for God, no be for earthly prosperity. E write say: โSo, the person wey truly happy na the one wey get everything wey e wish to get, and wey no wish to get anything wey e no suppose wish forโ (Letter 130.5.1).
So, prayer no be to change God will, but to transform our own desires, so that to dey united with Him forever go matter to us pass every other thing. Through prayer, God grace dey make more room for our souls to receive God. E dey increase how much we long for Him and deepen our trust for the way He dey care for us and guide everything.
Augustine still stress say we need to dey persevere for prayer, no be to change God mind, but to strengthen our own faith and how we dey depend on Him: โAs we dey pray, we dey exercise our desire. Through desire, we dey become able to receive wetin God dey prepare to give usโ (Letter 130.8.15). To continue for prayer dey train the soul, dey teach am patience and trust, and dey free am from holding worldly concerns too tight.
The letter reach im highest point with Augustine teaching about the Prayer wey the Lord teach us. E declare say na the perfect and complete model for Christian prayer: โIf we pray as we suppose and for the way wey fit our needs, we no dey talk anything wey no already dey inside the Prayer wey the Lord teach usโ (Letter 130.12.22).
Wetin Aquinas Teach about Prayer
Even though the plenty things wey Thomas write mainly concern philosophy and theology, im deep understanding of theology give strong foundation for spiritual growth, because im teaching explain divine truths clearly. As Jesus teach us for John Gospel, โIf una remain for my word, una go truly be my disciples, and una go know the truth, and the truth go set una freeโ (John 8:31).
For im most important work on theology, Summa Theologiae, Saint Thomas set aside one section for prayer under the heading โVirtue wey Concern Religion.โ E explain this virtue as the one wey dey give God the worship wey be His due. Worship na act of justice: to give God wetin rightly belong to Him. Outward acts of devotion and prayerโlike sacrifices, vows and ceremoniesโdey express and strengthen the worship wey dey inside our hearts. For the end, the virtue wey concern religion dey direct the soul to God, dey help person grow for holiness and deepen im relationship with Him.
For the Summa (II-II, q. 83), Thomas explain say prayer dey begin as act of human reasoning, no be just desire. With understanding, e dey recognise and express how we depend on God, and e dey make us ready to receive His grace. Even though God don already know wetin we need, true prayer dey transform us by bringing our will in line with the way God, for His wisdom, dey care for us and guide everything. Even though we suppose make clear, specific requests for prayer, especially for spiritual good things, we suppose pray for material needs only for their proper orderโwe go seek them only as far as dem dey help our salvation and agree with God will.
According to Thomas, the Prayer wey the Lord teach us na the perfect model for prayer because e dey arrange our desires for their proper order. As e follow Saint Augustine teaching, e talk say:ย
โSince prayer na how we dey express our desires before God, na only wetin we suppose desire we suppose ask for. The Prayer wey the Lord teach us no just contain everything wey we suppose desire; e still present them for their proper orderโso e dey shape no be only our requests, but our hearts tooโ (Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 83, a. 9).
Catechism of the Catholic Church
As e dey build on di deep understanding wey Saints Thomas and Augustine get, di Katekizim of di Katolik Church give detailed reflection on each request inside di Preya of di Lord. E teach say dis preya na summary of di whole Gospel and na still di foundation of our desires. We go share insights from di Katekizim throughout each chapter.
Di Katekizim get four main parts. Di fourth part na about Christian preya, and e divide into two sections:
- Section One: โPreya for Christian LifeโโDis section give general overview of preya for both di Old and New Testaments, and e trace how preya develop through Sacred Tradition. E give practical insights about ways to pray and struggles wey person fit face for preya, and e present Jesus as di example wey we suppose follow for preya.
- Section Two: โDi Preya of di LordโโDis section focus completely on di Our Father as di perfect example of preya.
As di Katekizim dey describe di Preya of di Lord, e talk say:
Di Preya of di Lord โna truly di summary of di whole gospelโ (Tertullian, De orat. 1: PL 1, 1155). โSince di Lordโฆafter E don teach di practice of preya, talk for another place say, โAsk and you go receive,โ and since everybody get requests wey concern im own situation, dem dey first pray di regular and fitting preya [di Preya of di Lord], as di foundation for other desires wey go followโ (Tertullian, De orat. 10: PL 1, 1165; cf. Lk 11:9) (CCC #2761).
Road to Deep Change
Di Preya of di Lord no be just words; na road to holiness, close relationship with God, and di fulfilment of our deepest desires wey dey properly ordered. Each request challenge us to turn our hearts face God Kingdom again, as e dey shape our thoughts, actions, and wetin we dey hope to achieve.
Even though each of us get plenty different desiresโsome good, some no good or bad, and others no too goodโwe must remove our desires wey no dey proper order and arrange di others properly. Life wey dey proper order, wey follow God will, dey set us free. Life wey desires wey scatter and dey fight each other dey control go carry us enter dark and painful road of trouble inside our hearts, confusion, and lack of direction.
We dey get true peace when grace put our tired souls for proper order, calm us down, and guide us towards God Himself. Our desires go come be like di instruments inside one orchestra. When God, di Conductor, dey direct dem, our lives go produce beautiful music wey all di parts blend well together and give am glory.
Di Goal Na Im Dey Guide Di Ways to Reach Am
One thing wey people often dey do na to give di ways to reach one goal more importance pass di goal itself. For example, wetin be di purpose of money? Money dey help us feed ourselves and our families, give us place to stay, and buy clothes. If money come become goal on im own, we go dey gather wealth just to get wealth, and dat one na mistake. Money na only something wey we suppose use to achieve greater good.
Dis principle concern every area of life. If your highest goal na wealth, entertainment, success for dis world, or your own comfort, di choices wey you dey make every dayโyour ways to reach your goalโgo follow dat goal. You fit work for long hours to gather riches, build name for yourself, put money for expensive comforts, or put enjoyment first.
But if your final goal na to live di Beatitudesโhappiness wey no go end for God presenceโdi ways wey you go use reach am go different well-well. You go work hard to become holy, put preya first, pursue virtue, and make sacrifices wey go lead to Heaven. Once you don know your true final goal, you fit arrange di ways to reach am properly.
Di Final Goal of Human Life
Wetin be di purpose of life? Jesus answer dis question for Im Preya as High Priest for di night before E die: โNow, dis na eternal life: make dem know You, di only true God, and di One wey You send, Jesus Christโ (John 17:3).
Dis short statement wey get deep meaning contain di whole purpose and final goal of our lives. God create us for eternal life, and na only by knowing God we fit get dat life. Dis โknowingโ na deep, personal knowledge of am wey dey change our livesโclose union of love with am.
Since na dis be our final goal, everything wey we dey do for life must become way to reach am. If no be so, we go surely dey work towards smaller goals wey no dey their proper place.
We fit get more than one final goal? For example, we fit pursue both knowledge of God and material wealth as goals wey equal? We fit still add enjoyment of life, raising family, or travelling as other goals?
By wetin di word mean, na only one final goal fit dey. Wetin be final goal na only oneโna towards am e dey direct every other thing. Truly, to get family, enjoy holidays, or work to get steady financial life fit be ways to serve di final goal, but dem no suppose become goals on their own. If to know God, love am, and give am glory no be our final goal, every other thing for life go dey follow wrong direction.
To choose the highest and greatest good wey we fit getโjoy wey go last forever as we join with God perfectlyโand make am the main principle wey dey guide our life no dey always easy, because many times our heart dey divided. We fit want God, but still dey hold tight to other good things wey no reach Him. Life wey dey in order na life where everything face the right direction towards our true final purpose, so that every other thing go follow that same direction.
How to Put Our Life in Order
When we choose joy wey go last foreverโlife where we join with God perfectlyโas our final purpose, everything for life go begin follow that goal. For example, if to know and love God na our highest purpose, then to love our family go become another goal wey support am. True love for family no dey selfish, and e no be just tender feelings; e dey seek the highest good for the people wey we love. So, we go love dem in a way wey go draw dem near God and give God glory, no be in a way wey put comfort for this world or happiness wey no dey last first.
Na so too, our work, the things wey we get, the things wey we like to do for leisure, and our everyday activities no go remain goals on their own. Instead, dem go become ways wey dey help us grow for love of God and our neighbour. For example, work no go just be way to pursue wealth or high position again, but opportunity to give God glory through hard work, honesty, and providing wetin our family need.
To put our life in true order, we must make sure say everything wey we dey doโour relationships, the things wey we dey aim for, and our everyday choicesโbecome means wey dey lead us towards God.
To โKnowโ the Only True God
If eternal life na our purpose and goal, then we must understand wetin e mean to โknowโ the only true God and the One wey He send, Jesus Christ.
For Scripture, to โknowโ God na to join with Him in deep and personal communion. God dey call us to share in Christโs divine life, and this one dey possible because He humble Himself to share in our human nature.
This sharing in Godโs life go reach perfect fulfilment for Heaven, where we go worship before the Beatific Vision, as we dey see God as He be, for all His glory. The prayer wey dem dey pray forever for HeavenโโHoly, Holy, Holy, na the Lord God Almighty, Who Dey Before, Who Dey Now, and Who Go Deyโโdey express this perfect communion. To reach this highest and final reality, we must make our whole life for this earth match that heavenly reality even now.
The prayer wey dey teach us this final purpose perfectly, and how every means must serve that purpose, na the Prayer wey the Lord Teach Us. E no be only the perfect example for prayerโe also be the perfect example for life.
How the Prayer wey the Lord Teach Us Take Arrange
Before we begin reflect in detail on each line of the Prayer wey the Lord Teach Us, e go help us to first consider the whole prayer. To understand how e take arrange go help us pray am well and use am as example for our prayer, so that e go shape us and put our souls in the right order.
As Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Augustine teach, the seven short and perfect requests wey Jesus give us for the Prayer wey the Lord Teach Us, and wey fit change our lives, dey arranged in the order wey we suppose desire dem. The first request wey He invite us to pray na for the desire wey high pass. โWey high passโ no mean โwey great passโ in terms of importance. All the seven requests join together to make one prayer to the Father. Instead, โwey high passโ dey refer to the order wey we suppose follow to desire the good things for the seven requestsย (see Summa Theologica II-II, q. 83, a. 9).
This right arrangement no dey separate desires wey great pass from the ones wey no reach dem. Instead, e dey separate the desires wey dey lead us towards our final purposeโGod Himselfโfrom the ones wey dey under that final and highest goal and dey support am.
The first line of the Prayer wey the Lord Teach UsโโOur Father, You wey dey for Heavenโโdey turn us towards God straight away. E no be request, but the basic way wey our heart suppose stand: na to turn our hearts towards our Father wey love us.
Once we don turn towards the Father, we begin make our requests in the order wey Christ give us.
First, we desire God Himself and His glory:
- Make dem honour Your Name as holy: to seek make Godโs name dey held holy inside us and for all creation
- Make Your Kingdom come: to pray make Godโs Kingdom take root for our hearts now and reach its final fulfilment
Second, we desire the means to reach this purpose:
- Make Your will happen for earth as e dey happen for heaven: to make our will agree with Godโs perfect will
- Give us today our daily bread: to ask for both wetin go sustain our body and wetin go feed our spirit
- Forgive us our sins: to seek to reconcile with God and other people through forgiveness wey we dey give one another
Finally, we desire make the things wey dey block us from reaching this purpose comot:
- No lead us into temptation: to ask for strength when we dey face trials
- Save us from evil: to seek protection from the evil one and his works
These seven requests join together as one whole prayer wey show the right order wey our desires suppose follow before God. We fit put the arrangement in simple form like this:
- The first two requests dey direct us towards our final purpose: to share in Godโs holiness and Kingdom.
- The three requests wey dey the middle focus on the main ways to reach our goal: to live according to wetin God want, to depend on how He dey provide for us, and to share for His mercy.
- The last two requests concern the things wey fit block our way: to overcome trials and stand against evil.
All the requests together dey draw us towards the fullness of happiness wey no dey end, where we go forever fulfil the purpose why we deyโto give God glory, as we dey shout forever: Holy, Holy, Holy! โSo whether una dey eat or drink, or whatever una dey do, make una do everything for the glory of Godโ (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Beatitudes
Apart from showing the order wey our desires suppose follow as the Our Father prayer teach us, Saints Augustine and Thomas Aquinas still connect each request with the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Beatitudes. Dem show how the prayer dey form us in the spiritual qualities wey Christ praise for the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 3โ12). Na so dem arrange am:
RequestโGift of the Holy SpiritโBeatitude
Make dem hold Your Name holyโ Fear of the LordโBlessing dey for people wey dey poor in spirit
Make Your Kingdom comeโ Devotion to GodโBlessing dey for people wey dey gentle and humble
Make wetin You want happenโ KnowledgeโBlessing dey for people wey dey mourn
Give us today the food wey we need every dayโ CourageโBlessing dey for people wey hunger and thirst for righteousness
Forgive us our offencesโ CounselโBlessing dey for people wey dey show mercy
No lead us into temptationโ UnderstandingโBlessing dey for people wey get clean heart
Deliver us from evilโ WisdomโBlessing dey for people wey dey make peace
As dem arrange the prayer like this, we see say each petition na request wey we dey make to God, and e still depend on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to form us according to the Beatitudes. This one make the Our Father prayer become road wey dey lead us to holiness, as e dey open us to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, so that small small, our thoughts, actions and desires go dey follow Divine Wisdom.
Saints Augustine and Thomas no directly connect the last two Beatitudesโthe ones wey concern persecutionโwith the requests for the Our Father prayer. Instead, dem see persecution wey person endure with patience as wetin dey follow life wey person live according to the Beatitudes, rather than as one separate attitude of the heart wey person suppose develop. Persecution, especially martyrdom, na the greatest proof say person remain faithful to Christ. Na something wey person dey endure with virtue wey come from God, no be something wey person suppose actively seek as an attitude of the heart (Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 124, a. 3).
Make We Enter the Requests
Now wey we don reflect on the general meaning of the Our Father prayer, we don ready to first think deeply about who God be and how we take come know Am (Chapters OneโTwo). From there, we go enter the seven requests one by one in detail (Chapters ThreeโNine).
As you dey move forward through the chapters, keep the three-part arrangement wey this Introduction don explain for mind. To understand this arrangementโthe final goal, the ways to reach am, and the things wey fit block the wayโgo make the Our Father prayer come alive for you and help you pray am the way God want make you pray am.
Below na fuller reflection to introduce the Our Father prayer, wey you fit use pray as preparation to look into each request more deeply.
Make We Pray:
Our Father, the One wey dey Heaven, Make Your Name dey holy for my life and throughout everything wey You create, because You dey Holy, Holy, Holy!!!
Our Father, the One wey dey Heaven, Make Your Kingdom come into our hearts now through grace, and when You return in glory to establish the New Heavens and New Earth, so that all the angels and saints go shout Holy, Holy, Holy, today and forever!
Our Father, the One wey dey Heaven, make wetin You want happen for earth as e dey happen for Heaven, because the perfect obedience for Heaven na the example wey we dey follow for Earth. Wetin You want above all for all of us na make we shout Holy, Holy, Holy, and make our lives proclaim how great Your holiness be!
Our Father, the One wey dey Heaven, Give us wetin we need every day, the material things wey go sustain us, grace to do wetin You want, and above all, the spiritual food of the Eucharist. Inside the Eucharist, we dey get small taste ahead of the Eternal Feast for Heaven, where we go forever dey shout Holy, Holy, Holy!
Our Father, the One wey dey Heaven, Forgive us our debts, as we too dey forgive people wey owe us, because we must give forgiveness and mercy before we fit receive them, so that we fit fully reconcile with You and with all Your children, and all of us go worship You as we dey sing, Holy, Holy, Holy!
Our Father, the One wey dey Heaven, Give us strength to win every divine test wey You allow, because their purpose na to make us holy, so that we fit praise You and give You glory forever, You wey dey Holy, Holy, Holy!
Our Father, the One wey dey Heaven, Rescue us from the evil one and all im works, so that we fit enter Your Kingdom and the New Heavens and New Earth wey dey come, where all the ranks of Heaven go shout forever, with one mind, heart, soul and strength, say You, the One and Eternal God, the Great I AM WHO AM, dey Holy, Holy, Holy!
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