Our Father
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is 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. Amen.
What do the various parts of the Lord’s Prayer mean? (CCC: 2777-2856)
We Dare to Say: How dare we even approach God like Moses did the burning bush when he removed his sandals (Exodus 3:5)
Father! If He is our Father, we are his little children. He is Father by invitation of Jesus who encourages us to pray to Him as Father. He is Father as our creator but far beyond our cultural conception of father, both intimate (immanent) and evoking awe (transcendent).
“Our” Father: We are his people and He is our God. He is not our possession but we are intended to be part of His family, part of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We leave individualism behind, joining in prayer with all of our brothers and sisters, especially those who share in a common Baptism.
Who Art in Heaven: We are seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:6). We are there insofar as we are holy. At the same time we seek to be with Him for all eternity in the homeland, the dwelling place of the Trinity.
Hallowed Be Thy Name: We recognize that God is all holy even as we seek to be holy and blameless before him in love (Eph 1:9,4)
Thy Kingdom Come: refers primarily to the final coming of the reign of God through Christ’s return (Titus 2:13). We desire that the Father’s plan will happen as He as always wished, that all creation will be part of the eternal Kingdom.
Thy Will be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven: Prefect love exists within the Trinity. God wishes that we will learn to love this same way among ourselves on Earth: “that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” Jn 13:34.
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread: a petition for the nourishment that life requires which shows our faith in God’s goodness and our responsibility to help one another. It refers to our need for earthly food and the Eucharist for physical and spiritual survival.
And Forgive Us our Trespasses, as We Forgive Those Who Trespass against Us: We must show mercy to others if we expect the Father to be merciful to us (Mt 18:23-35).
And Lead Us Not into Temptation: “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, so that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Cor 10:13
But Deliver Us from Evil: We seek delivery from the power of the Evil One. “We know that anyone born of god does not sin, but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one.” 1 Jn 5:18-19.
WHY DO CATHOLICS CALL THEIR PRIESTS "FATHER"?
Why has the rest of the Our Father from the King James Version and ordinary Protestant use been omitted? See below:
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