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"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray:
"Our Father in heaven,"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your 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 the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and
the power and the glory
forever. Amen.
- Matthew 6:7-15
We are currently in the middle of reading the Sermon on the Mount. For the previous readings in the Sermon, see The Beatitudes; Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven; Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven; I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No' and Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." ~~~ "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."
"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Of these verses, my study bible notes, first of all that Jesus doesn't condemn repetition per se, but "vain repetition." Of Our Father in heaven, it tells us: "The Father-Son relationship between God the Father and God the Son reveals the nature of our relationship with God. For Christ Himself, the Son of the Father by nature, grants us the privilege of calling the Creator our Father by the grace of adoption. As a 'son' of God in Christ, the Christian is called to love, trust and serve God, as a son would his father. The emphasis in Scripture is not on a universal Fatherhood of God through creation, but on a saving and personal relationship with Him who is our Father by adoption through the Spirit (see Romans 8:14-16)." In our prayer taught by Christ, let us note that the first thing we pray to is "Our Father in heaven," establishing this relationship my study bible speaks about. As God is our heavenly Father, we are workers in and inheritors of His kingdom, which we heartily pray be established in the world, and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
"Give us this day our daily bread." My study bible tells us, "Daily is a misleading translation of the Greek epiousios, which is literally 'above the essence' or 'supersubstantial.' The expression daily bread indicates not merely bread for this day, taken for sustenance of life; it is bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, for sustenance of our immortal life. It is living, 'superessential' bread. This bread, prepared by God in the beginning for the immortality of our nature, is the Bread of Life which will triumph over the death brought about by sin. Jesus commands us to seek first the Kingdom of God (v. 33). Here He tells us to ask not merely for material bread which keeps us in good physical health, but for the spiritual bread which gives us life -- the Living Bread, Christ Himself, given in the Holy Eucharist to those who receive Him."
"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." My study bible tells us, "We request God to forgive us . . . as we are to forgive others. By using the plural, Jesus directs each of us to pray for the Father's forgiveness of all, and for all of us to forgive one another. Although God's forgiveness is primary, Jesus clearly teaches that there is a reciprocal relationship between divine and human forgiveness. We request God to be to us as we are to our neighbors. Debts refers to spiritual debts: when we sin, we 'owe' restitution to our offended neighbor and to God."
"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." A note explains, "We pray not only that our sins be forgiven (v. 12, above), but that we not yield to temptation. God tempts no one (James 1:13), temptations are from the evil one, the devil. They are aimed at the soul's willful yielding to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5). No one can live without at some time encountering temptation. But to yield to temptation and commit sin is blameworthy. Thus we pray that great temptations, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Cor. 10:13), should not come our way."
"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Another note explains, "Once again Jesus insists on mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God's forgiveness. those who do not forgive are not forgiven. This teaching is repeated by Jesus in the parable of the unforgiving servant (18:23-35), which concludes with virtually the same words. The opinion that even unforgiving Christians are forgiven by God is contradicted by Christ Himself. The moral action of the faithful, when they forgive others their trespasses, is bound with the love of God: not to forgive others is to willfully alienate ourselves from the forgiveness of God." This conditional or reciprocal statement is one which mirrors many others in the Gospels, particularly on the topic of mercy. Christ asks us to treat others as we ourselves would like to be treated, and wish to be treated by God.
On the subject of forgiveness, it seems to me that forgiveness above all means first of all not seeking revenge or vengeance of any kind. We really have to watch our responses to injustices. It's important how we react. "Forgiveness" in the Greek is a kind of "giving up" or perhaps more closely, "letting go." Since this action or this sentence comes in prayer, it's important to think of letting go as what we give up to God. In this sense, we not only keep God in mind as Judge of all things, but we also keep God central -- in between, so to speak -- to all our relationships in the world. There's nothing better than prayer to lead us when we feel hurt or trespassed upon or harmed in some way. Prayer gives us a chance to take a breath, and to let go, and to ask for a better frame of mind from which to consider not just the situation and our relationship to whoever has harmed us, but also how we wish to wisely respond in our lives. I don't believe that's possible without this step back of "letting go" or "giving up." Having Our Father in heaven as the Person we give things to makes us a part of something greater than ourselves. It helps us to get the perspective that is necessary for a wise life, a response not conditioned only by what others do. I don't believe that forgiveness means simply that we return to a relationship that is harmful to us as if nothing has happened, but it does correct our perspective in the sense that we turn to God for the proper response, that we give up our own take and perspective, and seek God's instead. When we turn to Our Father in heaven, we're seeking to please God in the way that we live our lives, in the ways in which we respond to the things in this world, and we are also turning to the Person who is aware of all that we need. Let us consider today what "giving up" really is and what it really means in the context of pleasing God, finding the way through difficult situations, seeking a just and righteous way to create the true peace of reconciliation with God. Jesus does not call us to be doormats, nor to be unaware, but rather to be forbearing, to cultivate the strength of a better perspective, the sense in which He teaches us to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves. His Way is the best path. Let us remember that when we pray for our daily bread, this Gift is what we pray for.
