Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test."

~Lk 11:1-4

In today’s Gospel, we are taken to the roots of the Lord’s Prayer. If you are like me, there are times when I desire to pray but feel unworthy or unsure of what to say. To go to Christ, most holy, when I feel abandoned or confused, it is difficult enough to pray, so finding the words feel almost impossible. Today Christ gives us the words…

In honor of this, I think it is only fitting to break them down.

“Father, hallowed be your name,” Hallowed means holy or sanctified. God’s name is holy, as God is the epitome of sanctity. “There is no one holy like the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:2). Therefore, when we begin the Lord’s Prayer, we first acknowledge the holiness of God. It is then up to us to be humble and recognize our weakness without him. So that w are able to greet him with humility and a thankful heart.

“your Kingdom come.” In this second verse, we pray that the promise of a “new heaven and a new earth” be fulfilled. In Psalm 119:49-50, Daniel urges us to remind God of His promises by saying, “Remember Your word to Your servant, in which You have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction that Your promise gives me life.”

“Give us each day our daily bread,” this refers to Christ, who is the “bread of life” that comes down from Heaven so that “whoever feeds on this bread will live forever” (John 6:48-58).

Then we read, “forgive us our sin, for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us.” This section of the Lord’s Prayer may be the toughest to pray. However, this request contains much wisdom. It follows the theme similar to the Golden Rule, “treat others the way you would like to be treated.” This call leads us to understand our “debts” (sins) better and have the humility to leave final judgment to God.

Finally, we pray, “do not subject us to the final test.” This petition implores the Spirit of discernment and strength; it requests the grace of vigilance and final perseverance.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters in Christ lean heavily into His words. In times of despair or lack of words, pray how Christ taught us. God Bless!