Our Father who art in heaven. Text of the Lord's Prayer
When the skies roar and the oceans roar, they call to You: Our Lord of hosts, Lord of the hosts of heaven!
When the stars fall and fire bursts out of the earth, they say to You: Our Creator!
When in the spring the flowers open their buds and the larks collect dry blades of grass to build a nest for their chicks, they sing to you: Our lord!
And when I raise my eyes to Your throne, I whisper to You: Our Father!
There was a time, a long time scary time when people called You Lord of Hosts, or Creator, or Master! Yes, then man felt that he was only a creature among creatures. But now, thanks to Your Only Begotten and To the Greatest Son, we learned Your real name. Therefore, I, together with Jesus Christ, decide to call You: Father!
If I call you: Vladyko, I fall on my face in fear before You, like a slave in a crowd of slaves.
If I call you: Creator, I am moving away from You, as the night is separated from the day, or as a leaf is torn from its tree.
If I look at You and tell You: Mister, then I am like a stone among stones or a camel among camels.
But if I open my mouth and whisper: Father, love will take the place of fear, the earth will seem to become closer to heaven, and I will go for a walk with You, as with a friend, in the garden of this light and will share Your glory, Your strength, Your suffering.
Our Father! You are the Father for us all, and I would humiliate both You and myself if I called You: My Father!
Our Father! You care not only about me, one single blade of grass, but about everyone and everything in the world. Your goal is Your Kingdom, not one person. Selfishness in me calls You: My Father, but love calls: Our Father!
In the name of all people, my brothers, I pray: Our Father!
In the name of all the creatures that surround me and with whom You have woven my life, I pray to You: Our Father!
I pray to You, Father of the Universe, for only one thing I pray to You: may the dawn of the day come soon when all people, living and dead, together with angels and stars, animals and stones, will call You Yours true name: Our Father!
Who is in heaven!
We raise our eyes to heaven every time we cry to You, and lower our eyes to the ground when we remember our sins. We are always below, at the very bottom because of our weakness and our sins. You are always on top, as befits Your greatness and Your holiness.
You are in heaven when we are not worthy to receive You. But You joyfully descend to us, into our earthly abodes, when we greedily strive for You and open the doors to You.
Although You condescend to us, You still remain in heaven. You live in heaven, you walk in heaven, and together with heaven you descend into our valleys.
Heaven is far, too far from the person who rejects You in spirit and heart, or who laughs when Your name is mentioned. However, heaven is close, very close to a person who has opened the gates of his soul and is waiting for You, our dearest Guest, to come.
If we compare the most righteous person with You, then You rise above him like the heavens above the valley of the earth, like immortal life over the kingdom of death.
We are made of corruptible, perishable material - how could we stand on the same peak with You, Immortal Youth and Strength!
Our Father Who is always above us, bow down to us and lift us up to Himself. What are we if not tongues created from the dust of Your glory! The dust would be forever mute and would not be able to pronounce Your name without us, Lord. How could the dust know You if not through us? How could You work miracles if not through us?
Oh Our Father!
hallowed be your name;
You do not become holier from our praises, however, by glorifying You, we make ourselves holier. Your name is wonderful! People bicker about names - whose name is better? It is good that Your name is sometimes remembered in these disputes, for at that very moment the speaking tongues become silent in indecision because all the great human names woven into a beautiful wreath cannot compare with Your name, Holy God, Most Holy!
When people want to glorify Your name, they ask nature to help them. They take stone and wood and build temples. People decorate altars with pearls and flowers and light fire with plants, their sisters; and they take incense from the cedars, their brothers; and give strength to their voices by the ringing of bells; and call the animals to glorify Your name. Nature is pure as Your stars and innocent as Your angels, Lord! Have mercy on us for the sake of pure and innocent nature, singing with us holy name Your, Holy God, Most Holy!
How can we glorify Your name?
Maybe innocent joy? - then have mercy on us for the sake of our innocent children.
Maybe suffering? - then look at our graves.
Or self-sacrifice? - then remember the torment of the Mother, Lord!
Your name is stronger than steel and brighter than light. Good is the man who places his hope in You and becomes wiser through Your name.
Fools say: “We are armed with steel, so who can fight us back?” And You destroy kingdoms with tiny insects!
Your name is terrible, Lord! It illuminates and burns like a huge cloud of fire. There is nothing holy or terrible in the world that is not associated with Your name. Oh, Holy God, give me as friends those who have Your name engraved in their hearts, and as enemies those who do not even want to know about You. For such friends will remain my friends until death, and such enemies will fall to their knees before me and submit as soon as their swords are broken.
Holy and terrible is Your name, Holy God, Most Holy! May we remember Your name in every moment of our life, both in moments of joy and in moments of weakness, and let us remember it in our hour of death, our Heavenly Father, Holy God!
Thy kingdom come;
May Your Kingdom come, O Great King!
We are sick of kings who only imagined themselves to be greater than other people, and who now lie in their graves next to beggars and slaves.
We are sick of the kings who yesterday declared their power over countries and peoples, and today are crying from toothache!
They are disgusting, like clouds that bring ashes instead of rain.
"Look, here a wise man. Give him the crown! - the crowd shouts. The crown doesn't care whose head it's on. But You, Lord, know the value of the wisdom of the wise and the power of mortals. Do I need to repeat to You what You know? Need I say that the wisest among us ruled over us madly?
"Look, here strong man. Give him the crown! - the crowd shouts again; This is a different time, another generation. The crown silently moves from head to head, but You, Omnipotent, you know the price of the spiritual power of the exalted and the power of the strong. You know about the weakness of the strong and those in power.
We finally understood, after suffering, that there is no other king but You. Our soul passionately desires Your Kingdom and Your Power. Wandering everywhere, haven’t we, living descendants, received enough insults and wounds on the graves of small kings and the ruins of kingdoms? Now we pray to You for help.
Let it appear on the horizon Your Kingdom! Your Kingdom of Wisdom, Fatherland and Strength! Let this land, which has been a battlefield for thousands of years, become a home where You are the master and we are the guests. Come, King, an empty throne awaits You! With You will come harmony, and with harmony comes beauty. All other kingdoms are disgusting to us, so we are waiting now You, Great King, You and Your Kingdom!
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;
Heaven and earth are Your fields, Father. In one field You sow stars and angels, in another you sow thorns and people. The stars move according to Your will. The angels play the stars like a harp, according to Your will. However, a man meets a man and asks: “What is God's will?»
How long does man not want to know Your will? How long will he humble himself before the thorns under his feet? You created man to be equal to the angels and stars, but look - even thorns surpass him.
But you see, Father, a person, if he wants, can glorify Your name better than thorns, just like angels and stars. Oh, You, Spirit-Giver and Voled-Giver, give man Your Will.
Your will wise, clear and holy. Your will moves the heavens, so why not the same will move the earth, which in comparison with the heavens is like a drop before the ocean?
You never get tired, working with wisdom, Our Father. There is no place for any stupidity in Your plan. Now You are as fresh in wisdom and goodness now as on the first day of creation, and tomorrow you will be the same as today.
Your will holy because she is wise and fresh. Holiness is inseparable from You, like air from us.
Anything unholy may ascend to heaven, but nothing unholy will ever come down from heaven, from Your throne, Father.
We pray to You, our Holy Father: make the day come quickly when the will of all people will be wise, fresh and holy, like Your will, and when all creatures on earth will move in harmony with the stars in the sky; and when our planet will sing in choir with all Your amazing stars:
God, teach us!
God, lead us!
Father, save us!
Give us this day our daily bread;
He who gives the body also gives the soul; and He who gives air also gives bread. Your children, merciful Gifter, expect from You everything they need.
Who will brighten their faces in the morning if not You with Your light?
Who will watch over their breath at night while they sleep, if not You, the most tireless of all watchmen?
Where would we sow our daily bread if not in Your field? How could we refresh ourselves if not Your morning dew? How would we live without Your light and Your air? How could we eat if not with the lips that You have given us?
How could we rejoice and thank You for being full, if not for the spirit that You breathed into lifeless dust and created a miracle out of it, You, the most amazing Creator?
I do not ask you for my bread, but about our bread. What good would it do if I had bread, and my brothers starved next to me? It would be better and more just if You took away from me the bitter bread of the selfish, for satisfied hunger is sweeter if shared with a brother. Your will cannot be such that one person thanks You, and hundreds curse You.
Our Father, give us our bread, so that we glorify You in a harmonious choir and so that we joyfully remember our Heavenly Father. Today we pray for today.
This day is great, many new beings were born today. Thousands of new creations, which did not exist yesterday and which will no longer exist tomorrow, are born today under the same sunlight, fly with us on one of Your stars and together with us say to You: our bread.
O great Master! We are Your guests from morning to evening, we are invited to Your meal and wait for Your bread. No one except You has the right to say: my bread. He is yours.
No one except You has the right to tomorrow and to tomorrow’s bread, only You and those of today’s guests whom You invite.
If according to Your will the end today will be the dividing line between my life and death, I will bow to Your holy will.
If it be Your will, tomorrow I will again be a companion of the great sun and a guest at Your table, and I will repeat my gratitude to You, as I constantly repeat day after day.
And I will bow before Your will again and again, as the angels in heaven do, the Giver of all gifts, physical and spiritual!
and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
It is easier for a person to sin and break Your laws, Father, than to understand them. However, it is not easy for You to forgive us our sins if we do not forgive those who sin against us. For You founded the world on measure and order. How can there be balance in the world if You have one measure for us, and we have another for our neighbors? Or if You give us bread, and we give our neighbors a stone? Or if You forgive us our sins, and we execute our neighbors for their sins? How then would measure and order be maintained in the world, O Lawgiver?
And yet You forgive us more than we can forgive our brothers. We defile the earth every day and every night with our crimes, and You greet us every morning with the clear eye of Your sun and every night You send Your merciful forgiveness through the stars, which stand as holy guards at the gates of Your Kingdom, Our Father!
You shame us every day, Most Merciful, for when we expect punishment, You send us mercy. When we wait for Your thunder, You send us a peaceful evening, and when we expect darkness, You give us sunlight.
You are eternally exalted above our sins and always great in Your silent patience.
It’s hard for a fool who thinks that he will alarm You with crazy speeches! He is like a child who angrily throws a pebble into the waves to drive the sea away from the shore. But the sea will only wrinkle the surface of the waters and continue to irritate weakness with its enormous power.
Look, our sins are common sins, we are all together responsible for the sins of everyone. Therefore, there are no pure righteous people on earth, for all righteous people must take upon themselves some of the sins of sinners. It is hard to be an immaculately righteous person, for there is not a single righteous person who does not bear the burden of at least one sinner on his shoulders. However, Father, the more a righteous person bears the sins of sinners, the more righteous he is.
Our heavenly Father, You, Who send bread from morning to evening to your children and accept their sins as payment, lighten the burden of the righteous and dispel the darkness of sinners!
The earth is full of sins, but also full of prayers; it is full of the prayers of the righteous and the despair of sinners. But isn't despair the beginning of prayer?
And in the end you will be the winner. Your Kingdom will stand on the prayers of the righteous. Your will will become a law for people, just as Your will is a law for angels.
Otherwise, why would You, our Father, hesitate to forgive the sins of mortals, because by doing so You give us an example of forgiveness and mercy?
and do not lead us into temptation,
Oh, how little it takes for a person to turn away from You and turn to idols!
He is surrounded by temptations like storms, and he is weak as foam on the crest of a stormy mountain stream.
If he is rich, he immediately begins to think that he is equal to You, or places You after himself, or even decorates his house with Your faces as luxury items.
When evil knocks at his gates, he falls into the temptation to bargain with You or throw You away completely.
If You call him to sacrifice himself, he becomes indignant. If You send him to death, he trembles.
If You offer him all earthly pleasures, in temptation he poisons and kills his own soul.
If You reveal to his eyes the laws of Your care, he grumbles: “The world is wonderful in itself, and without a Creator.”
We are embarrassed by Your holiness, O our Holy God. When You call us to the light, we, like moths at night, rush into the darkness, but, rushing into the darkness, we seek the light.
A network of many roads stretches out before us, but we are afraid to reach the end of any of them, because temptation awaits and beckons us at any edge.
And the path that leads to You is blocked by many temptations and many, many failures. Before temptation comes, it seems to us that You accompany us like a bright cloud. However, when temptation begins, You disappear. We turn around in concern and silently ask ourselves: what is our mistake, where are you, are you there or are you not?
In all our temptations we ask ourselves: “Are You really our Father?” All our temptations throw into our minds the same questions that the whole world around us asks us day after day and night after night:
“What do you think about the Lord?”
“Where is He and who is He?”
“Are you with Him or without Him?”
Give me strength Father and Creator mine, so that at any moment of my life I can correctly respond to every possible temptation.
The Lord is the Lord. He is where I am and where I am not.
I give Him my passionate heart and stretch out my hands to His holy robes, I reach out to Him like a child to its beloved Father.
How could I live without Him? This means that I could live without myself.
How can I be against Him? This means that I will be against myself.
A righteous son follows his father with honor, peace and joy.
Blow Your inspiration into our souls, Our Father, so that we may become Your righteous sons.
but deliver us from evil.
Who will free us from evil if not You, our Father?
Who will reach out to drowning children if not their father?
Who cares more about the cleanliness and beauty of the house, if not its owner?
You created us from nothing and made something out of us, but we are drawn to evil and again turn into nothing.
We warm to our hearts the snake that we fear more than anything in the world.
With all our strength we rebel against darkness, but still darkness lives in our souls, sowing the germs of death.
We are all unanimously against evil, but evil is slowly creeping into our home and, while we scream and protest against evil, it takes one position after another, getting closer and closer to our hearts.
Oh, Almighty Father, stand between us and evil, and we will lift up our hearts, and evil will dry up like a puddle on the road under the hot sun.
You are high above us and do not know how evil grows, but we are suffocating under it. Look, evil is growing in us day after day, spreading its abundant fruits everywhere.
The sun greets us every day" Good morning! and asks what can we show our great King? And we demonstrate only the old, broken fruits of evil. O God, truly dust, motionless and inanimate, purer than a man who is in the service of evil!
Look, we built our homes in the valleys and hid in caves. It is not at all difficult for You to command Your rivers to flood all our valleys and caves and wipe out humanity from the face of the earth, washing it away from our dirty deeds.
But You are above our anger and our advice. If you had listened to human advice, You would have already destroyed the world to the ground and You Yourself would have perished under the ruins.
O Wise One among fathers! You smile forever in Your divine beauty and immortality. Look, the stars grow from Your smile! With a smile You turn our evil into good, and graft the Tree of Good onto the tree of evil, and with endless patience you ennoble our uncultivated Garden of Eden. You patiently heal and patiently create. You are patiently building Your Kingdom of goodness, Our King and Our Father. We pray to You: free us from evil and fill us with good, for You abolish evil and fill us with good.
For Thine is the Kingdom,
The stars and the sun are citizens of Your Kingdom, Our Father. Enroll us in Your shining army.
Our planet is small and dark, but this is Your work, Your creation and Your inspiration. What else can come out of Your hands but something great? But still, with our insignificance and darkness, we make our habitat small and gloomy. Yes, the earth is small and gloomy every time we call it our kingdom and when we say in madness that we are its kings.
Look how many among us are those who were kings on earth and who now, standing on the ruins of their thrones, are surprised and ask: “Where are all our kingdoms?” There are many kingdoms that do not know what happened to their kings. Blessed and happy is the man who looks into the sky-high heights and whispers the words that I hear: Yours is the Kingdom!
What we call our earthly kingdom is full of worms and fleeting, like bubbles on deep water like clouds of dust on the wings of the wind! Only You have the true Kingdom, and only Your Kingdom has a King. Take us off the wings of the wind and take us to You, merciful King! Save us from the wind! And make us citizens of Your eternal Kingdom near Your stars and the sun, among Your angels and archangels, let us be close to You, Our Father!
and strength,
Yours is the power, for Yours is the kingdom. False kings are weak. Their royal power lies only in their royal titles, which are truly Your titles. They are wandering dust, and dust flies wherever the wind blows. We are just wanderers, shadows and flying dust. But even when we wander and wander, we are moved by Your power. By Your power we were created and by Your power we will live. If a person does good, he does it with Your power through You, but if a person does evil, he does it with Your power, but through himself. Everything that is done is done by Your power, used for good or abused. If a man, Father, uses Your power according to Your will, then Your power will be Yours, but if a man uses Your power according to His own will, then Your power is called his power and will be evil.
I think, Lord, that when You yourself have Your strength at your disposal, then it is good, but when the beggars who borrowed strength from You proudly dispose of it as their own, it becomes evil. Therefore, there is one Owner, but there are many evil stewards and users of Your power, which You graciously distribute at Your rich table to these unfortunate mortals on earth.
Look at us, Almighty Father, look at us and do not rush to bestow Your power on the dust of the earth until the palaces there are ready for it: good will and humility. Good will - to use the received divine gift for good deeds, and humility - to forever remember that all the power in the universe belongs to You, great Power-Giver.
Your power is holy and wise. But in our hands Your power is in danger of being desecrated and can become sinful and insane.
Our Father, who art in heaven, help us to know and do only one thing: to know that all power is Yours, and to use Your power according to Your will. Look, we are unhappy, because we have divided what is indivisible with You. We separated power from holiness, and separated power from love, and separated power from faith, and finally (and this is the first reason for our fall) we separated power from humility. Father, we pray to You, unite all that your children have divided through foolishness.
We pray to You, exalt and protect the honor of Your power, which has been abandoned and dishonored. Forgive us, for although we are like this, we are Your children.
and glory forever.
Your glory is eternal, like You, our King, our Father. It exists in You and does not depend on us. This glory is not from words, like the glory of mortals, but from a true, imperishable essence, such as You. Yes, she is inseparable from You, just as light is inseparable from the hot sun. Who has seen the center and halo of Your glory? Who has become famous without touching Your glory?
Your brilliant glory surrounds us on all sides and looks at us silently, smiling slightly and slightly surprised at our human worries and grumblings. When we fall silent, someone secretly whispers to us: you are the children of the glorious Father.
Oh, how sweet is this secret whisper!
What do we desire more than to be children of Your glory? Isn't that enough? Without a doubt, this is enough for righteous life. However, people want to be the fathers of fame. And this is the beginning and apogee of their misfortunes. They are not content to be children and participants in Your glory, but they want to be fathers and bearers of Your glory. And yet You alone are the only bearer of Your glory. There are many who abuse Your glory, and many who have fallen into self-deception. There is nothing more dangerous in the hands of mortals than fame.
You show Your glory, and people argue about theirs. Your glory is a fact, but human glory is only a word.
Your glory eternally smiles and comforts, but human glory, separated from You, frightens and kills.
Your glory nourishes the unfortunate and guides the meek, but human glory is separated from You. She is Satan's most terrible weapon.
How ridiculous people are when they try to create their own glory, outside of You and apart from You. They are like some fool who hated the sun and tried to find a place where there was no sunlight. He built himself a shack without windows and, entering it, stood in the darkness and rejoiced that he had escaped from the source of light. Such is the fool and such is the inhabitant of darkness, he who tries to create his glory outside of You and apart from You, Immortal Source of Glory!
There is no human glory, just as there is no human strength. Yours is both the power and the glory, Our Father. If we do not receive them from You, we will not have them, and we will wither and be carried away by the will of the wind, like dry leaves falling from a tree.
We are pleased to be called Your children. There is no greater honor on earth or in heaven than this honor.
Take from us our kingdoms, our strength and our glory. Everything we once called ours lies in ruins. Take from us what belonged to You from the very beginning. Our whole history has been a foolish attempt to create our kingdom, our power and our glory. Complete ours quickly old story where we have struggled to become masters in Your house, and begin new story, where we will strive to become servants in the house that belongs to You. Truly, it is better and more glorious to be a servant in Your Kingdom than to be the most important king in our kingdom.
Therefore, make us, Father, servants of Your Kingdom, Your power and Your glory in all generations and forever and ever. Amen!
The most basic prayer of all believers. It contains an appeal to the Lord, penetration into the hidden corners of a person’s soul, and a refusal from worldly vanity while reading the prayer. With the help of the Our Father, people direct their feelings to the Lord God himself.
The Lord's Prayer - Our Father
This prayer is also called the Lord’s prayer, since Jesus Christ himself gave it to us during his life on earth. The original text of the Lord's Prayer, unfortunately, was not found. But the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke contain the text of the prayer in different options. Matthew included the Lord's Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount. Luke, in turn, gives another story of the origin of the Lord’s Prayer: the disciples asked Jesus Christ to teach them how to pray to God correctly, in response to this the Son of God gave them the Our Father. The Gospel of Luke contains an abridged version. The modern text of the Lord's Prayer is the version of the Apostle Matthew.
Lord's Prayer included in the abbreviated prayer rule St. Seraphim Sarovsky, which can replace morning and evening prayers. The prayer Our Father, together with the Virgin Mary, Rejoice, is read three times and once - the Creed.
When is the Lord's Prayer recited?
It is found in any prayer book and is read in the morning and evening rules, following the sacrament of Holy Communion, and is used as a prayer before and after eating. But the Our Father is also read in any sorrow: illness, mental anguish; before important events, because with the help of the Lord’s prayer a direct “conversation” with God arises. One of the conditions for reading the Our Father is that it is necessary to stand at a consecrated icon, preferably Jesus Christ or the Mother of God with him. According to the Didache (this is an ancient document, one of the sources of Christian writing, compiled 100-200 years after the birth of the Son of God), prayer must be read at least three times a day.
The Lord's Prayer is used in church services every day. During the morning Divine Liturgy Our Father is sung together with the parishioners. It is also read in the evening service and during any church sacrament (communion, baptism, unction, wedding, etc.), as well as sacred rites.
Listen to the Lord's Prayer
Listen to the Lord's Prayer online
Text of the Lord's Prayer
Our Father prayer text in Church Slavonic:
Our Father, who art in heaven!
Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors;
and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.Our Father's Prayer text in Russian:
Our Father who art in heaven!
Hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
What is the Lord's Prayer for?
The Lord's Prayer is considered one of the most important prayers for Orthodox Christians. The prayer is available in any canon or prayer book. It is distinguished from other prayers by the content of gratitude to Christ, intercession before Him, and petition with repentance. Indeed, in the prayer “Our Father” we address the Almighty directly, without addressing angels and saints.
The Lord's Prayer is called the Lord's Prayer, because according to legend, Jesus himself gave it to Christians when his disciples asked him to teach them how to pray. The prayer stage is the only one in Christianity that is used for all occasions.
What is the meaning of the words of the Lord's Prayer?
"Our Father who art in heaven"— do not forget that the Almighty is the creator of all things, and exists right now as a living person, and you need his help.
"Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come"- we must have a desire to make the works of the Lord attract everyone more people to him. That His laws and government may be manifested in our Everyday life(be it study or work, and the rest).
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”“The Lord gave man the opportunity to rule on earth, and does not interfere in our affairs without asking. But by saying these words, we ask him to carry out his plan, and we are ready to become conductors of his Godly wisdom, allowing him to cover his destiny and lead us on the right path.
“Give us this day our daily bread”“With this we ask the Lord to meet our daily needs.” This applies not only to physical needs, but also to spiritual ones. After all, the word of the Lord is called spiritual bread in the Bible.
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”- After all, how can we hope for forgiveness if we ourselves do not know how to forgive? After all, the Lord’s attitude towards us directly depends on our attitude towards others. With these words we confirm that we follow His commandments.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”- Here we ask the Lord for protection every day, from the machinations of the evil one (the devil). After all, the goal of the devil is the complete destruction of the human soul and further destruction. With these words we ask the Lord for protection from hostile influences from outside.
“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen"- The Lord is eternal, and his kingdom for which we are waiting will also be eternal.
It should be remembered that when reading the prayer, a person should have a slight mood of hope. After all, it is a symbol of peace, tranquility and joy. Therefore, when you offer this prayer in grief, it will help you, and in joy you will show the Lord that you do not forget about Him.
The text of the Lord's Prayer should be known and read by every Orthodox believer. According to the Gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ gave it to his disciples in response to a request to teach them prayer.
Prayer Our Father
Our Father, who art in Heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in Heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Our Father who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Matt., )
After reading the prayer, it should be completed with the sign of the cross and a bow. Our Father is said by believers, for example, at home in front of an icon, or in a church during a service.
Interpretation of the Lord's Prayer by St. John Chrysostom
Our Father, Who art in Heaven! Look how He immediately encouraged the listener and at the very beginning remembered all the good deeds of God! In fact, the one who calls God Father, by this one name already confesses forgiveness of sins, and liberation from punishment, and justification, and sanctification, and redemption, and sonship, and inheritance, and brotherhood with the Only Begotten, and the gift of the spirit, so just as someone who has not received all these benefits cannot call God Father. So, Christ inspires His listeners in two ways: both by the dignity of what is called, and by the greatness of the benefits that they received.
When does he speak in Heaven, then with this word he does not imprison God in heaven, but distracts the one praying from the earth and places him in the highest countries and in the mountain dwellings.
Further, with these words He teaches us to pray for all the brothers. He does not say: “My Father, who art in Heaven,” but - Our Father, and thereby commands us to offer prayers for the entire human race and never have in mind our own benefits, but always try for the benefits of our neighbor. And in this way he destroys enmity, and overthrows pride, and destroys envy, and introduces love - the mother of all good things; destroys the inequality of human affairs and shows complete equality between the king and the poor, since we all have equal participation in the highest and most necessary matters.
Of course, calling God Father contains a sufficient teaching about every virtue: whoever calls God Father, and the common Father, must necessarily live in such a way as not to prove unworthy of this nobility and show zeal equal to a gift. However, the Savior was not satisfied with this name, but added other sayings.
Hallowed be Thy name, He says. Let him be holy means let him be glorified. God has his own glory, full of all majesty and never changing. But the Savior commands the one who prays to ask that God may be glorified by our life. He said about this before: Let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Grant us, as the Savior teaches us to pray, to live so purely that through us everyone will glorify You. To display a blameless life before everyone, so that each of those who see it exalts praise to the Lord - this is a sign of perfect wisdom.
Thy kingdom come. And these words are appropriate for a good son, who is not attached to what is visible and does not consider present blessings to be something great, but strives for the Father and desires future blessings. Such prayer comes from a good conscience and a soul free from everything earthly.
Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Do you see the beautiful connection? He first commanded to desire the future and strive for one’s fatherland, but until this happens, those living here should try to lead the kind of life that is characteristic of the inhabitants of heaven.
So, the meaning of the Savior’s words is this: just as in heaven everything happens without hindrance and it does not happen that the Angels obey in one thing and disobey in another, but in everything they obey and submit - so do you grant us, people, not half-heartedly to do Your will , but do everything as You please.
Give us this day our daily bread. What is daily bread? Everyday. Since Christ said: Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth, and He spoke with people clothed in flesh, who are subject to the necessary laws of nature and cannot have angelic dispassion, although He commands us to fulfill the commandments in the same way as the Angels fulfill them, but condescends to the weakness of nature and seems to say: “I demand from you the equal angelic severity of life, however, not demanding dispassion, since your nature, which has a necessary need for food, does not allow it.”
Look, however, how there is a lot of spirituality in the physical! The Savior commanded us to pray not for wealth, not for pleasures, not for valuable clothes, not for anything else like that - but only for bread, and, moreover, for everyday bread, so that we would not worry about tomorrow, which is why he added: daily bread, that is, everyday. He was not even satisfied with this word, but then added another: give it to us today so that we do not overwhelm ourselves with worry about the coming day. In fact, if you don’t know whether you will see tomorrow, then why bother yourself with worrying about it?
Further, since it happens to sin even after the font of rebirth (that is, the Sacrament of Baptism. - Comp.), the Savior, wanting in this case to show His great love for mankind, commands us to approach the man-loving God with a prayer for the forgiveness of our sins and say so: And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Do you see the abyss of God's mercy? After taking away so many evils and after the indescribably great gift of justification, He again deigns to forgive those who sin.
By reminding us of sins, He inspires us with humility; by commanding to let others go, he destroys rancor in us, and by promising us forgiveness for this, he affirms good hopes in us and teaches us to reflect on the ineffable love of God for mankind.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Here the Savior clearly shows our insignificance and overthrows pride, teaching us not to abandon exploits and not to arbitrarily rush towards them; in this way, for us, victory will be more brilliant, and for the devil, defeat will be more painful. As soon as we are involved in a struggle, we must stand courageously; and if there is no call to it, then we must calmly wait for the time of exploits in order to show ourselves both unconceited and courageous. Here Christ calls the devil evil, commanding us to wage irreconcilable warfare against him and showing that he is not like that by nature. Evil does not depend on nature, but on freedom. And the fact that the devil is primarily called the evil one is due to the extraordinary amount of evil that is found in him, and because he, without being offended by anything from us, wages an irreconcilable battle against us. Therefore, the Savior did not say: “Deliver us from the evil ones,” but from the evil one, and thereby teaches us never to be angry with our neighbors for the insults that we sometimes suffer from them, but to turn all our enmity against the devil as the culprit of all angry By reminding us of the enemy, making us more cautious and stopping all our carelessness, He further inspires us, introducing us to the King under whose authority we fight, and showing that He is more powerful than all: For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen,- says the Savior. So, if His is the Kingdom, then one should not be afraid of anyone, since no one resists Him and no one shares power with Him.
The interpretation of the Lord's Prayer is given in abbreviations. “Interpretation of St. Matthew the Evangelist of Creation” Vol. 7. Book. 1. SP6., 1901. Reprint: M., 1993. P. 221-226
There is no person who has not heard or does not know about the existence of the prayer “Our Father who art in heaven!” This is the most important prayer to which Christian believers around the world turn. The Lord's Prayer, as it is commonly called “Our Father,” is considered the key property of Christianity, the oldest prayer. It is given in two Gospels: from Matthew - in chapter six, from Luke - in chapter eleven. The version given by Matthew has gained great popularity.
In Russian, the text of the prayer “Our Father” exists in two versions - in modern Russian and in Church Slavonic. Because of this, many people mistakenly believe that in Russian there are 2 different Lord's prayers. In fact, this opinion is fundamentally incorrect - both options are equivalent, and such a discrepancy occurred due to the fact that during the translation of ancient letters, “Our Father” was translated from two sources (the above-mentioned Gospels) differently.
Biblical tradition says that the prayer “Our Father who art in heaven!” Christ himself taught the apostles God's Son. This event took place in Jerusalem, on the Mount of Olives, on the territory of the Pater Noster temple. The text of the Lord's Prayer was imprinted on the walls of this of this temple in more than 140 languages of the world.
However, the fate of the Pater Noster temple was tragic. In 1187, after the capture of Jerusalem by the troops of Sultan Saladin, the temple was completely destroyed. Already in the 14th century, in 1342, a piece of a wall with an engraving of the prayer “Our Father” was found.
Later, in the 19th century, in the second half, thanks to the architect Andre Leconte, a church appeared on the site of the former Pater Noster, which subsequently passed into the hands of the female Catholic monastic order of the Discalced Carmelites. Since then, the walls of this church have been decorated every year with a new panel with the text of the main Christian heritage.
When and how is the Lord's Prayer said?
“Our Father” is an obligatory part of the daily prayer rule. Traditionally, it is customary to read it 3 times a day - in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening. Each time the prayer is said three times. After it, “To the Virgin Mary” (3 times) and “I Believe” (1 time) are read.
Modern Russian version
In modern Russian, the “Our Father” is available in two versions - in the presentation of Matthew and in the presentation of Luke. The text from Matthew is the most popular. It sounds like this:
Luke's version of the Lord's Prayer is more abbreviated, does not contain doxology, and reads as follows:
A praying person can choose any of the available options for himself. Each of the texts of “Our Father” is a kind of personal conversation between the person praying and the Lord God. The Lord's Prayer is so strong, sublime and pure that after saying it, every person feels relief and peace.
“Our Father” in Church Slavonic, Russian, Greek, Latin, English. An explanation of prayer and its use in daily life...
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Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Lord Almighty (Pantocrator). Icon
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“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us our daily bread this day; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors ours; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen" (Matthew 6:9-13).
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In Greek:
Πάτερ ἡμῶν, ὁἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. ἁγιασθήτω τὸὄνομά σου, ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου, γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶἐπὶ γής. Τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον. Καὶἄφες ἡμῖν τὰὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν. Καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ρυσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ του πονηρου.
In Latin:
Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie. Et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo.
In English (Catholic liturgical version)
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed to be your name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in 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.
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Why did God Himself give a special prayer?
“Only God Himself can allow people to call God Father. He granted this right to people, making them sons of God. And despite the fact that they withdrew from Him and were in extreme anger against Him, He granted oblivion of insults and the sacrament of grace” ( St. Cyril of Jerusalem).
How Christ taught the apostles to pray
The Lord's Prayer is given in the Gospels in two versions, more extensive in the Gospel of Matthew and brief in the Gospel of Luke. The circumstances under which Christ pronounces the text of the prayer are also different. In the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord's Prayer is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Evangelist Luke writes that the apostles turned to the Savior: “Lord! Teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1).
"Our Father" in the home prayer rule
The Lord's Prayer is part of the daily prayer rule and is read as during Morning prayers, so also Prayers for the future sleep. The full text of the prayers is given in Prayer Books, Canons and other collections of prayers.
For those who are especially busy and cannot devote much time to prayer, Venerable Seraphim of Sarov gave a special rule. "Our Father" is also included in it. In the morning, afternoon and evening you need to read “Our Father” three times, “Virgin Mother of God” three times and “I Believe” once. For those who, due to various circumstances, cannot follow this small rule, Rev. Seraphim advised reading it in any position: during classes, while walking, and even in bed, presenting the basis for this as the words of Scripture: “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
There is a custom to read “Our Father” before meals along with other prayers (for example, “The eyes of all trust in You, O Lord, and You give them food in due season, You open Your generous hand and fulfill every animal’s good will”).
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Interpretation of Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria on the Lord's Prayer "Our Father..."
“Pray like this: Our Father who art in heaven!” A vow is one thing, prayer is another. A vow is a promise to God, as when someone promises to abstain from wine or anything else; prayer is asking for benefits. Saying “Father” shows you what blessings you have received by becoming the son of God, and with the word “in heaven” he points you to your fatherland and your father’s house. Therefore, if you want to have God as your Father, then look at heaven, not at earth. You do not say: “My Father,” but “Our Father,” because you must consider all the children of one Heavenly Father to be your brothers.
"Hallowed be Thy name" - that is, make us holy, so that Your name may be glorified, for just as God is blasphemed through me, so through me He is sanctified, that is, glorified as Holy.
"Thy kingdom come"- that is, the second coming: for a person with a clear conscience prays for the coming of resurrection and judgment.
"Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." As the angels, he says, carry out Your will in heaven, so grant us to do it on earth.
"Give us this day our daily bread." By “daily” the Lord means that bread that is sufficient for our nature and condition, but He eliminates concern for tomorrow. And the Body of Christ is our daily bread, for whose uncondemned communion we must pray.
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Since we sin even after baptism, we pray that God will forgive us, but forgive us in the same way that we forgive. If we hold a grudge, He will not forgive us. God has me as His example and does to me what I do to others.
"And do not lead us into temptation". We are weak people, so we should not expose ourselves to temptation, but if we fall, we must pray so that temptation does not consume us. Only the one who is consumed and defeated is drawn into the abyss of trial, and not the one who fell and then won.
