WITH THE OUR FATHER JESUS BOTH TAUGHT US HOW TO PRAY AND GAVE US A SUMMARY OF THE GOSPEL
Compendium 578-598 Matthew 6:913 Luke 11:1-4
The Our Father embodies the Beatitudes, which are a self portrait of Christ and a blueprint for holiness. The true home of the Our Father is in the Eucharist which embodies its seven petitions. The Our Father allows us to speak to God with the very word of God. "Our" means it is a prayer of unity for all humanity. "Father" means we are already brothers and sisters and one holy family. "Who art in heaven" lifts us up to his glory. We ask God to feed us, forgive us, sustain us in temptation and to free us from all evil. "Hallowed be the name" means we want his holiness to envelop the whole earth. "The kingdom come" asks for the civilization of love to be realized. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" asks that we may imitate the lives of Jesus and Mary in total obedience to the Father for the salvation of the world. "Our daily bread" recognizes that we do not live on material food alone but we need the Eucharist and every word of the Gospel. "Forgive us our sins" acknowledges the power of God's love to heal us. "As we forgive" echoes Jesus's "Blessed are the merciful" and is the only path to peace and joy. "Lead us not into temptation" asks for strength and perseverance with a clear understanding of right from wrong. "Deliver us from evil" proclaims that Jesus has conquered sin and death and the Devil for all of us forever. "Amen" echoes Mary at the Annunciation and Jesus at Gethsemani and is our assent to this prayer which must rule our lives.
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