In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus doesn’t so much teach his disciples ‘a prayer’ — one among many others; rather, he is teaching them ‘to pray’ — thus, we find in this prayer a model and foundation for all prayer.

‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’ (Matthew 6:9).
God’s name is holy — but it is we who must hold it as holy in our hearts; this is fundamental for prayer.

‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done’ (Matthew 6:10).
Ultimately, there is no one who can stop the coming of the Kingdom, none who can thwart the will of God. Jesus is instructing us to pray so that we may be willing co-operators with the Reign of God and ardent doers of the will of God.

‘Give us this day’ (Matthew 6:11).
We ask for what we need, just enough for today. We remember that Jesus himself is the true bread from heaven.

‘Forgive us our debts’ (Matthew 6:12).
As we ask for the forgiveness of our sins, we remember that we are forgiven by the grace of God and so we must offer the grace of forgiveness to our brothers and sisters as well.

‘And do not bring us to the day of trial’ (Matthew 6:13).
Some adversity is to be expected, and God can work great good through our struggle against evil. Yet, we are reminded to pray because we fight a spiritual battle, and we need to consciously draw on the strength that comes from on high. It is only with God’s help that we will emerge as victorious alongside Christ.

May our dedication to prayer grow during this time of Lent. May we truly pray as Jesus taught us.

by Fr Michael Grace