Piotr Bakalarz
It happens that we pray without understanding the deeper meaning of the words we utter. We recite the words of many prayers like school lessons, thus giving honor to God only with our lips, and not with our hearts. We become mere instruments that play only because of the musician but fall silent as soon as they are set aside.
A good prayer does not need many words. “Do not be vainly repetitive,” says the Lord Jesus when he recommends the short yet meaningful “Our Father.” We have reason to expect that within it we will find what is especially dear to God, what is significant for him and for us. Let us try to approach the content of the Our Father, so that we may learn to pray this daily prayer more with our hearts and minds than just with our lips.
OUR FATHER
The words with which the Our Father begins deserve our special attention, as they lead us to recognize the attributes of God.
Firstly, the word “our” clearly emphasizes the fact that God's grace is not a privilege for anyone but includes all people. It is also a joyful message for us that we can speak of God as our father and friend, and not as a director or ruler, that is, someone who brought everything to life and left it to itself. Jesus indeed said: “I no longer call you servants... but I have called you friends... The Father will give you what you ask in my name” (John 15:15-16). The Father is someone very close to us, who truly cares about our problems and desires. He has the power to guide our lives and lead us as his beloved children, provided we do not become prematurely “grown-up” and wise in our own eyes. That is why Jesus repeats that we should be like children, for children long for instruction and do not know the arrogance of pride.
WHO ART IN HEAVEN
This part of the Our Father precisely defines the place where God resides – heaven. It is not as some proponents of Eastern religions and the New Age movement claim that God dwells in us, but rather “in the midst of us” (Matthew 18:20). The view of God's dwelling in a person is unbiblical and consequently leads to a false deification of oneself. These are familiar echoes of paradise, where Eve also in her disobedience longed to be equal to the Lord, to elevate to a higher state of consciousness and to know good and evil “as God does” (Genesis 3:5). However, this does not mean that his Spirit does not work in us, does not warm our hearts, does not enlighten our minds; but he certainly is not a constant and inseparable part of us that we must find and “release.”
HALLOWED BE THY NAME
There is no need to convince anyone of the great significance of showing respect for God's name. The only question remains: what is his name and where do we find it? It is often defined in relation to his person. The answer to this question can be found in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), which are like an eternal constitution of the chosen people, and in which his name is forever inscribed. According to the words of the Decalogue, two designations, Savior and Creator, together form his holy name. As the Savior, we honor him by believing in the sacrifice of Christ, and as the Creator, we worship him when we sanctify the Lord's day and believe that the whole world was created by his hand.
THY KINGDOM COME
After the ascension of the Lord Jesus, the apostles eagerly awaited his promised return. They did not know when it would happen, but they believed it would be soon. The Master’s words: “Yes, I am coming soon,” recorded in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 22:20), filled them with trust and love. “Come, Lord Jesus!” those words best express not only the personal honors of the beloved disciple but also the sentiment of the entire Church of God – the bride, constantly awaiting her beloved (Revelation 22:17). But why did the Lord Jesus say that he would come soon, when he has not yet come in his glory? The answer is simple. For God, “one year is like a day” (Ezekiel 4:6), therefore for him a period of two thousand years is like a brief moment, even though for us it is an immensely long time. Secondly, Christ’s words about his swift return were meant to inspire Christians to a state of constant readiness, to “keep oil in their lamps,” as one parable mentions. The Lord Jesus recommended to his disciples that they be vigilant – this admonition is recorded in all the gospels – because he will come unexpectedly “like a thief.” We should not forget this warning, as it is part of the Our Father, which we repeat daily.
THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
Here we find an extraordinarily important aspect of our relationship with God. These words express what should characterize a Christian: humility. This beautiful virtue of spirit is the key to our relationship with our heavenly Father. The most beautiful expression of humility is seen in Christ’s prayer. “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). It was an example for the disciples. To fulfill the will of God should be our top priority; everything else will be added to us.
This part of the Our Father also touches upon another reality. As we know, God, who rules in heaven, cast the fallen angel down to earth, which became the dwelling of Satan. Therefore, this part of the prayer is a plea to God for his gracious reign on earth in justice and freedom, since God’s enemy employs entirely different methods of governance: oppression and violence.
GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD
Bread is a symbol of life for all. The plea of God's people expressed in this fragment has not only the character of a request for bread, which nourishes our bodies (“do not worry about what you will eat...”); rather, it signifies concern for spiritual food – the Word of God. Jesus powerfully stated that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). By partaking of the table that the Lord has prepared for us, we strengthen our spiritual growth and deepen our Christian awareness, which is so important for every follower of Christ.
But this part of the prayer also contains another lesson. It is about asking God for the gift of bread. And not demanding it, or passively expecting this divine gift as something we have the right to. And again, in beautiful harmony with these words, the Lord Jesus says: “Ask, and it will be given to you.” Prayer that comes from the Holy Scriptures always brings good fruit.
AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES, AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US
These beautiful words relate to the statement made by the Lord Jesus: “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 6:38). The mystery of forgiveness of our sins lies in our forgiveness, or as we say “write-off” of debts to those who have wronged us. In other words, the debt we owe to God can be forgiven to us, provided that we do not demand the return of the borrowed amount from our debtors.
In this plea also lies the recipe for a happy life. For when we are consumed with anger towards someone who has wronged us, how can we feel happy? Do we not also feel such anger towards our own health? Stress, circulatory diseases, and poor mental state all have their beginning in our minds. Here, God presents himself to us as a physician who removes the cause of our mental and physical troubles.
AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. AMEN.
How often do our efforts not align with God's will. It happens that we stray from his path, fall into errors, and deviate from his unbreakable laws. As we prepare for the second coming of Jesus Christ, we must therefore pray for his grace that we may not walk our own paths but faithfully follow him, giving honor to his name. Stubbornly persevering in sin distances us from the one who has the power to save us.
The final words of the Lord's Prayer also teach us that those who disregard God's grace cannot rely on God's help and may completely stray from the path. Let us pray that this does not happen to any of us. Let us keep the flame of faith alive within us and not be discouraged by the falls that will not spare any of us.
From the Polish magazine W cieniu Karmelu (no. 2/1995, pp. 12-14)
translated by Růžena Kouřimová.
Scripture quotes are from the Ecumenical Edition of the Bible
(Zvon, Prague 1991).
