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
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.
People, Public DomainAccording to the Gospel, Jesus Christ gave it to his disciples in response to a request to teach them prayer. Quoted in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke:
“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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen". (Matt. 6:9-13)
“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; and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every debtor to us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Luke 11:2-4)
Slavic translations (Old Church Slavonic and Church Slavonic)
| Archangel Gospel (1092) | Ostrog Bible (1581) | Elizabethan Bible (1751) | Elizabethan Bible (1751) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our people like you are on nbskh. May I be humbled by your name. may your kingdom come. May you please. ꙗko on nbsi and on earth. our daily bread (daily) give us a day. (give us every day). and leave us our debts (sins). But we also left him as our debtor. and do not lead us into attack. spare us the hostility. Because yours is the kingdom. and power and glory otsa and sna and stgo dha forever. amen. | Just like ours and yours on the nbse, may Thy name stand, may Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, ѧko in nbsi and in ꙁєmli. Give us our daily bread and leave us our long debts, Who and we will remain our debtor and don’t lead us into misfortune but also add on Ѡтъ лукаваго. | Who is ours and who art in heaven, may Your name shine, may your kingdom come, Thy will be done, Like in heaven and on earth, Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, We too will leave him as our debtor, and do not lead us into misfortune, but deliver us from the evil one. | Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, may your kingdom come, Thy will be done as in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we also leave our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. |
Russian translations
| Synodal translation (1860) | Synodal translation (in post-reform spelling) | Good news (translation by RBO, 2001) |
|---|---|---|
Our Father who art in heaven! | Our Father who art in heaven! | Our Father in Heaven, |
Story
The Lord's Prayer is given in the Gospels in two versions, more extensive in and brief in the Gospel of Luke. The circumstances under which Jesus pronounces the text of the prayer are also different. In the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord's Prayer is included in the Sermon on the Mount, while in Luke, Jesus gives this prayer to the disciples in response to a direct request to “teach them to pray.”
A version of the Gospel of Matthew has become widespread throughout Christendom as the central Christian prayer, with the use of the Lord's Prayer as a prayer going back to the earliest Christian times. The text of Matthew is reproduced in the Didache, the oldest monument of Christian writing of a catechetical nature (late 1st - beginning of the 2nd century), and the Didache gives instructions to say prayer three times a day.
Biblical scholars agree that the original version of the prayer in the Gospel of Luke was significantly shorter; subsequent copyists supplemented the text at the expense of the Gospel of Matthew, as a result of which the differences were gradually erased. Mainly, these changes in the text of Luke occurred in the period after the Edict of Milan, when church books were massively rewritten due to the destruction of a significant part of Christian literature during the persecution of Diocletian. The medieval Textus Receptus contains almost identical text in the two Gospels.
One of the important differences in the texts of Matthew and Luke is the doxology that concludes the text of Matthew - “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen,” which is missing from Luke. Most of the best and oldest manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew do not contain this phrase, and biblical scholars do not consider it part of the original text of Matthew, but the addition of doxology was made very early, which proves the presence of a similar phrase (without mentioning the kingdom) in the Didache. This doxology has been used since early Christian times in the liturgy and has Old Testament roots (cf. 1 Chron. 29:11-13).
Differences in the texts of the Lord's Prayer sometimes arose due to the desire of translators to emphasize different aspects of polysemantic concepts. So in the Vulgate the Greek ἐπιούσιος (Ts.-Slav. and Russian “daily”) in the Gospel of Luke is translated into Latin as “cotidianum” (everyday), and in the Gospel of Matthew “supersubstantialem” (super-essential), which directly indicates on Jesus as the Bread of Life.
Theological interpretation of prayer
Many theologians have turned to the interpretation of the Lord's Prayer. There are known interpretations of John Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem, Ephraim the Syrian, Maximus the Confessor, John Cassian and others. General works were also written based on the interpretations of ancient theologians (for example, the work of Ignatius (Brianchaninov)).
Orthodox theologians
The Long Orthodox Catechism writes, “The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer that our Lord Jesus Christ taught to the apostles and which they passed on to all believers.” He distinguishes in it: invocation, seven petitions and doxology.
- Invocation - “Our Father who art in heaven!”
Faith in Jesus Christ and the grace of man’s rebirth through the sacrifice of the cross gives Christians the ability to call God Father. Cyril of Jerusalem writes:
“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.”
- Petitions
The indication “he who is in heaven” is necessary in order to, starting to pray, “leave everything earthly and corruptible and lift up the mind and heart to the Heavenly, Eternal and Divine.” It also indicates the location of God.
According to Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), “The petitions that make up the Lord’s Prayer are petitions for spiritual gifts acquired for humanity through redemption. There is no word in prayer about the carnal, temporary needs of a person.”
- “hallowed be thy name” John Chrysostom writes that these words mean that believers should first of all ask for “the glory of the Heavenly Father.” The Orthodox Catechism indicates: “The Name of God is holy and, without a doubt, holy in itself,” and at the same time can “still be holy in people, that is, His eternal holiness can appear in them.” Maximus the Confessor points out: “We sanctify the name of our heavenly Father by grace when we mortify the lust attached to matter and cleanse ourselves from corrupting passions.”
- “Thy Kingdom come” The Orthodox Catechism notes that the Kingdom of God “comes hidden and inward. The Kingdom of God will not come with observance (in a noticeable manner).” Regarding the impact of the feeling of the Kingdom of God on a person, Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes: “He who has felt the Kingdom of God within himself becomes alien to a world hostile to God. He who has felt the Kingdom of God within himself can desire, out of true love for his neighbors, that the Kingdom of God will open in all of them.”
- “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” With this, the believer expresses that he asks God so that everything that happens in his life happens not according to his own desire, but as it pleases God.
- “Give us this day our daily bread” In the Orthodox Catechism, “daily bread” is “the bread necessary in order to exist or live,” but “the soul’s daily bread” is “the word of God and the Body and Blood Christ's." In Maximus the Confessor, the word “today” (this day) is interpreted as the present age, that is, the earthly life of a person.
- “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Debts in this petition refer to human sins. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) explains the need to forgive others their “debts” by saying that “Forgiving our neighbors of their sins before us, their debts, is our own need: without doing this, we will never acquire a mood capable of accepting redemption.”
- “Do not lead us into temptation” In this petition, believers ask God how to prevent them from being tempted, and if, according to the will of God, they should be tested and purified through temptation, then God would not completely give them over to temptation and not allow them to fall.
- “Deliver us from evil” In this petition, the believer asks God to deliver him from all evil and especially “from the evil of sin and from the evil suggestions and slander of the spirit of evil - the devil.”
- Doxology - “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
The doxology at the end of the Lord's Prayer is contained so that the believer, after all the petitions contained in it, gives God due reverence.
Lord's Prayer "Our Father"
One of the main prayers of an Orthodox person is the Lord's Prayer. It is contained in all prayer books and canons. Its text is unique: it contains thanksgiving to Christ, intercession before Him, petition and repentance.
It is with this prayer that we turn to the Almighty directly without the participation of saints and heavenly angels.
Reading rules
- The Lord's Prayer is included in the obligatory prayers of the morning and evening rules, and its reading is also recommended before meals, before starting any business.
- It protects from demonic attacks, strengthens the spirit, and delivers from sinful thoughts.
- If a slip of the tongue occurs during prayer, you need to apply the Sign of the Cross on yourself, say “Lord, have mercy,” and begin reading again.
- You should not treat reading a prayer as a routine job, say it mechanically. The request and praise of the Creator must be expressed sincerely.
Important! The text in Russian is in no way inferior to the Church Slavonic version of the prayer. The Lord appreciates the spiritual impulse and attitude of the prayer book.
Orthodox prayer "Our Father"
The main idea of the Lord's Prayer - from Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov)
The Lord's Prayer, Our Father, is integral prayer and unity, because life in the Church requires from a person complete concentration of his thoughts and feelings, spiritual aspiration. God is Freedom, Simplicity and Unity.
God is everything for a person and he must give absolutely everything to Him. Rejection from the Creator is detrimental to faith. Christ could not teach people to pray any other way. God is the only good, he is “existent”, everything is to Him and from Him.
God is the One Giver: Thy Kingdom, Thy Will, leave, give, deliver... Here everything distracts a person from earthly life, from attachment to earthly things, from worries and draws him to the One from Whom everything is. And petitions only indicate the statement that little space is given to earthly things. And this is correct, because renunciation of the worldly is a measure of love for God, the other side of Orthodox Christianity. God Himself came down from heaven to call us from earth to heaven.
Important! When reading a prayer, a person should be overcome by a mood of hope. The entire text is imbued with hope in the Creator. There is only one condition - “just as we forgive our debtors.”
The Lord's Prayer is a prayer for peace, tranquility and joy. We, sinful people with our problems, are not forgotten by the Heavenly Father. Therefore, you need to offer prayers to Heaven constantly, on the road or in bed, at home or at work, in sorrow or in joy. The Lord will definitely hear us!
Our Father: the text of the most important Orthodox prayer
Prayers in Christianity are divided into thanksgiving, prayers of petition, festive and universal. There are also prayers that every self-respecting Christian should know. One such prayer text is the “Our Father.”
The meaning of the Lord's Prayer
Jesus Christ passed this prayer on to the apostles so that they, in turn, would pass it on to the world. This is a petition for seven blessings - spiritual shrines, which are ideals for any believer. With the words of this prayer we express respect for God, love for Him, as well as faith in the future.
This prayer is suitable for any life situation. It is universal - it is read at every church liturgy. It is customary to offer it in honor of thanksgiving to God for the happiness sent, to ask for healing, for the salvation of the soul, in the morning and evening, before going to bed. Read “Our Father” with all your heart; it should not be like ordinary reading. As church leaders say, it is better not to say this prayer at all than to read it simply because it is necessary.
Text of the Lord's Prayer:
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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And now and ever, throughout the age of centuries. Amen.
"Hallowed be Thy name"- this is how we show respect for God, for his uniqueness and unchangeable greatness.
"Thy Kingdom come"- so we ask that the Lord deigns to rule us and does not turn away from us.
"Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"- this is how a believer asks God to take an invariable part in everything that happens to us.
"Give us this day our daily bread"- give us the body and blood of Christ for this life.
“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,”– our willingness to forgive insults from our enemies, which will return to us in God’s forgiveness of sins.
"Lead us not into temptation"- a request that God does not betray us, does not leave us to be torn to pieces by sins.
"Deliver us from evil"- this is how it is customary to ask God to help us resist temptations and the human desire for sin.
This prayer works wonders; she is able to save us in the most difficult moments of our lives. That is why most people read the Lord’s Prayer when danger approaches or in hopeless situations. Pray to God for salvation and happiness, but not earthly, but heavenly. Keep the faith and don't forget to push the buttons and
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How to read prayers correctly
The power of prayers is proven and undeniable. However, it is important to know how to read prayers correctly so that they are effective.
What is prayer for a believer?
An integral part of any religion is prayer. Any prayer is a person’s communication with God. With the help of special words that come from the depths of our souls, we praise the Almighty, thank God, and ask the Lord for help and blessings in earthly life for ourselves and our loved ones.
It has been proven that prayer words can greatly influence a person’s consciousness. The clergy claim that prayer can change the life of a believer and his destiny in general. But it is not necessary to use complex prayer appeals. You can also pray in simple words. Often in this case, it is possible to invest great energy in a prayer appeal, which makes it more powerful, which means it will definitely be heard by the Heavenly forces.
It has been noticed that after prayer, a believer’s soul calms down. He begins to perceive the problems that have arisen differently and quickly finds a way to solve them. True faith, which is invested in prayer, gives hope for help from above.
Sincere prayer can fill spiritual emptiness and quench spiritual thirst. A prayerful appeal to the Higher Powers becomes an indispensable assistant in difficult life situations when no one can help. A believer not only receives relief, but also strives to change the situation for the better. That is, we can say that prayer awakens internal strength to confront current circumstances.
What types of prayers are there?
The most important prayers for a believer are prayers of thanksgiving. They glorify the greatness of the almighty Lord, as well as the mercy of God and all the Saints. This type of prayer should always be read before asking the Lord for any blessings in life. Any church service begins and ends with the glorification of the Lord and the singing of his holiness. Such prayers are always mandatory during evening prayer, when gratitude is offered to God for the day.
In second place in popularity are petitionary prayers. They are a way of expressing requests for help with any mental or physical needs. The popularity of petitionary prayers is explained by human weakness. In many life situations, he is not able to cope with the problems that have arisen and he definitely needs help.
Petitionary prayers not only ensure a prosperous life, but also bring us closer to the salvation of the soul. They necessarily contain a request for forgiveness of known and unknown sins and acceptance of repentance by the Lord for unseemly actions. That is, with the help of such prayers a person cleanses the soul and fills it with sincere faith.
A sincere believer must be sure that his petitionary prayer will definitely be heard by the Lord. You need to understand that God, even without prayer, knows about the misfortunes that befell the believer and his needs. But at the same time, the Lord never takes any action, leaving the believer the right to choose. A true Christian must offer his petition by repenting of his sins. Only a prayer that includes words of repentance and a specific request for help will be heard by the Lord or other heavenly Heavenly Powers.
There are also separate prayers of repentance. Their purpose is that with their help the believer frees the soul from sins. After such prayers, spiritual relief always comes, which is due to liberation from painful experiences about committed unrighteous acts.
A prayer of repentance involves a person’s sincere repentance. It must come from the depths of the heart. In such cases, people often pray with tears in their eyes. Such a prayerful appeal to God can save the soul from the most serious sins that interfere with life. Repentant prayers, cleansing a person’s soul, allow him to move further along the path of life, find peace of mind and acquire new mental strength for new achievements for good. Clergymen recommend using this type of prayer appeal as often as possible.
Rules for reading prayers
Prayers that are written in Old Church Slavonic are very difficult to read in the original. If this is done mechanically, then such appeals to God are unlikely to be effective. In order to convey a prayer to God, you need to fully understand the meaning of the prayer text. Therefore, it is hardly worth bothering yourself with reading prayers in church language. You can simply listen to them by attending a church service.
It is important to understand that any prayer will be heard only if it is conscious. If you decide to use the canonical prayer in the original, then you first need to familiarize yourself with its semantic translation into modern language or ask the priest to explain its meaning in accessible words.
If you constantly pray at home, then be sure to organize a red corner for this. There you need to install icons and put church candles, which will need to be lit during prayer. It is permissible to read prayers from a book, but it is much more effective to read them by heart. This will allow you to concentrate as much as possible and invest stronger energy in your prayer appeal. You shouldn't stress too much about this. If prayers become a rule, then it will not be difficult to remember them.
What actions accompany Orthodox prayer?
Very often, believers have a question about what additional actions strengthen prayer. If you are at a church service, the best advice that can be given is to carefully monitor the actions of the priest and other worshipers.
If everyone around is kneeling or crossing themselves, then you need to do the same. Indicative for repetition are all the actions of the priests, who always conduct services in accordance with church rules.
There are three types of church bows that are used when offering prayers:
- A simple bow of the head. It is never accompanied by the sign of the cross. Used in words in prayers: “we fall down”, “we worship”, “the grace of the Lord”, “the blessing of the Lord”, “peace to all”. In addition, you need to bow your head if the priest blesses not with the Cross, but with his hand or a candle. This action also takes place when a priest walks with a censer in a circle of believers. It is imperative to bow your head while reading the Holy Gospel.
- Bow from the waist. During this process, you need to bend at the waist. Ideally, such a bow should be so low that you can touch your fingers to the floor. It is important to remember that before such a bow you must make the sign of the cross. A waist bow is used in words in prayers: “Lord, have mercy”, “Lord grant”, “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us”, “Glory to Thee, Lord, Glory You". This action is mandatory before starting the reading of the Gospel and at the end, before the beginning of the “Creed” prayer, during the reading of akathists and canons. You need to bow from the waist when the priest blesses with the Cross, Icon or Holy Gospel.” Both in church and at home, you must first cross yourself, perform a bow from the waist, and after that read the well-known and very important prayer for all Orthodox Christians, “Our Father.”
- Bow to the ground. It involves kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground. When such an action should be performed at a church service, the clergy’s attention is necessarily focused on this. Praying at home with this action can strengthen the effect of any prayer request. It is not recommended to use prostrations in prayers during the period between Easter and Trinity, between Christmas and Epiphany, on the days of the twelve great church holidays, and on Sunday.
You should know that in Orthodoxy it is not customary to pray on your knees. This is done only in exceptional cases. Very often believers do this in front of a miraculous icon or a particularly revered church shrine. After bowing to the ground during regular prayer, you must rise and continue the prayer.
You should make the sign of the cross after simply bowing your head before reading any independent prayer. After its completion, you should also cross yourself.
How to read morning and evening prayers
Morning and evening prayers are read in order to strengthen faith in the soul. To do this, there are morning and evening rules that must be followed. After waking up and before going to bed, it is recommended to pray using the prayers below.
This prayer was conveyed to the apostles by Jesus Christ himself with the goal that they would spread it throughout the world. It contains a strong petition for seven blessings that make the life of any believer complete, filling it with spiritual shrines. In this prayer appeal, we express respect and love for the Lord, as well as faith in our own happy future.
This prayer can be used to read in any life situation, but in the morning and before going to bed it is mandatory. The prayer must always be read with increased sincerity; this is precisely why it differs from other prayer requests.
The text of the prayer reads as follows:
Prayer for agreement at home
It is believed that the power of Orthodox prayers increases many times over if several believers pray together. This fact is confirmed from an energy point of view. The energy of people praying at the same time unites and strengthens the effect of the prayer appeal. The prayer by agreement can be read at home with your household. It is considered the most popular and effective in cases when one of your loved ones is sick and you need to make common efforts for his recovery.
For such a prayer you need to use any directed text. You can use it not only to the Lord, but also to various Saints. The main thing is that the ritual participants are united by a single goal and that the thoughts of all believers are pure and sincere.
Particularly worth reading is the prayer to the “Detention” icon. Its text is available in the collection of prayers of Elder Pansophius of Athos, and it must be recited in the original during prayer. It is a powerful weapon against evil spirits, so priests do not recommend using this prayer at home without the blessing of a spiritual mentor. The whole point is that the wishes and phrases that it contains are close to the Old Testament, and are far from the traditional petitions of Orthodox believers. The prayer is read nine times a day for nine days. At the same time, you cannot miss a single day. In addition, there is a requirement that this prayer must be said in secret.
This prayer allows you to:
- Provide reliable protection from demonic forces and human evil;
- Protect from household damage and the evil eye;
- Protect yourself from the actions of selfish and evil people, including the meanness and cunning of your enemies.
When the prayer to Saint Cyprian is read
A bright prayer to Saint Cyprian is an effective way to ward off all sorts of troubles from a believer. It is recommended to be used in cases where damage is suspected. It is permissible to say this prayer to the water and then drink it.
The prayer text reads as follows:
What to address to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in prayer
Very often people turn to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with a variety of requests. This Saint is often turned to when a dark streak comes in life. The prayer request of a sincere believer will certainly be heard and fulfilled, since Saint Nicholas is considered the closest Saint to the Lord.
You can express a specific request in prayers, but there is a universal prayer for the fulfillment of a desire.
It sounds like this:
Correct reading of the Jesus Prayer
Only baptized people can recite the Jesus Prayer. This prayer appeal is considered the first step in the formation of faith in a person’s soul. Its meaning is to ask for mercy from the Lord God through His Son. This prayer is a real daily amulet for a believer and can help overcome any difficulties. Also, the Jesus Prayer is an effective remedy against the evil eye and damage.
In order for prayer to be effective, the following recommendations should be followed:
- While pronouncing words, you need to concentrate on them as much as possible;
- The prayer should not be memorized mechanically; it should be memorized by fully understanding each word;
- It is necessary to pray in a calm and quiet place;
- If faith is very strong, then it is allowed to pray while actively working;
- During prayer, all thoughts should be directed toward true faith in the Lord. The soul must contain love for God and admiration for the Almighty.
Prayer for amulet - red thread
A red thread on the wrist is considered a very common amulet. The history of this talisman is rooted in Kabbalah. In order for the red thread on the wrist to acquire protective properties, a special prayer must first be read over it.
Complete collection and description: Our Father who art in heaven is a prayer for the spiritual life of a believer.
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, 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).
In Greek:
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.
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 both during Morning Prayers and Bedtime Prayers. 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, Rev. 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”).
- Explanatory Orthodox prayer book(How to learn to understand prayers? Translation of the words of prayers from the prayer book for the laity from Church Slavonic, explanations of the meaning of prayers and petitions. Interpretations and quotes from the Holy Fathers) - ABC of Faith
- Morning prayers
- Prayers for the future(evening prayers)
- Complete psalter with all kathismas and prayers– in one text
- Which psalms to read in different circumstances, temptations and needs- reading psalms for every need
- Prayers for family well-being and happiness– a selection of famous Orthodox prayers for the family
- Prayer and its necessity for our salvation– a collection of instructive publications
- Orthodox akathists and canons. A constantly updated collection of canonical Orthodox akathists and canons with ancient and miraculous icons: the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, saints..
Read other prayers in the "Orthodox Prayer Book" section
Read also:
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Our Father, who art in heaven!
1. Hallowed be thy name.
2. Thy kingdom come.
3. Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth.
4. Give us this day our daily bread.
5. And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors.
6. And do not lead us into temptation.
7. But deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Our heavenly Father!
1. Hallowed be thy name.
2. Thy kingdom come.
3. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
4. Give us this day our daily bread.
5. And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
6. And do not allow us to be tempted.
7. But deliver us from evil.
Because to You belongs the kingdom, the power and the glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Father - Father; Izhe- Which; Who art thou in heaven– Which is in heaven, or heavenly; Yes- let be; hallowed- glorified: like- How; in heaven- in the sky; urgent– necessary for existence; give me a shout- give; today- today, for the present day; leave it- sorry; debts– sins; our debtor– to those people who have sinned against us; temptation– temptation, danger of falling into sin; sly- everything cunning and evil, that is, the devil. An evil spirit is called the devil.
This prayer is called the Lord's, because the Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave it to His disciples when they asked Him to teach them how to pray. Therefore, this prayer is the most important prayer of all.
In this prayer we turn to God the Father, the first Person of the Holy Trinity.
It is divided into: invocation, seven petitions, or 7 requests, and doxology.
Summoning: Our Father, who art in heaven! With these words we turn to God and, calling Him Heavenly Father, we call upon Him to listen to our requests or petitions.
When we say that He is in heaven, we must mean spiritual, invisible sky, and not that visible blue vault that is spread above us, and which we call “sky”.
Request 1: Hallowed be your name, that is, help us to live righteously, holyly and glorify Your name with our holy deeds.
2nd: Thy Kingdom come, that is, honor us here on earth with Your heavenly kingdom, which is truth, love and peace; reign in us and rule us.
3rd: Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth, that is, let everything not be as we want, but as You please, and help us to obey this Your will and fulfill it on earth as unquestioningly, without grumbling, as it is fulfilled, with love and joy, by the holy angels in heaven . Because only You know what is useful and necessary for us, and You wish us good more than we ourselves.
4th: Give us our daily bread today, that is, give us for this day, for today, our daily bread. By bread here we mean everything necessary for our life on earth: food, clothing, housing, but most importantly, the most pure Body and honest Blood in the sacrament of holy communion, without which there is no salvation, no eternal life.
The Lord commanded us to ask for ourselves not wealth, not luxury, but only the most necessary things, and to rely on God in everything, remembering that He, as a Father, always cares and takes care of us.
5th: And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors., that is, forgive us our sins just as we ourselves forgive those who have offended or offended us.
In this petition, our sins are called “our debts,” because the Lord gave us strength, abilities and everything else in order to do good deeds, but we often turn all this into sin and evil and become “debtors” before God. And so, if we ourselves do not sincerely forgive our “debtors,” that is, people who have sins against us, then God will not forgive us. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself told us about this.
6th: And do not lead us into temptation. Temptation is a state when something or someone draws us to sin, tempts us to do something lawless and bad. So, we ask - do not allow us to fall into temptation, which we do not know how to endure; help us overcome temptations when they happen.
7th: But deliver us from evil, that is, deliver us from all evil in this world and from the culprit (chief) of evil - from the devil (evil spirit), who is always ready to destroy us. Deliver us from this cunning, crafty power and its deceptions, which is nothing before You.
Doxology: For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Since to You, our God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, belongs the kingdom, and the power, and the eternal glory. All this is true, truly so.
QUESTIONS: Why is this prayer called the Lord's Prayer? Who are we addressing in this prayer? How does she share? How to translate in Russian: Who art thou in heaven? How to convey in your own words the 1st petition: Hallowed be Thy Name? 2nd: Thy kingdom come? 3rd: Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth? 4th: Give us our daily bread this day? 5th: And forgive us our debts, just as we also forgive our debtors? 6th: And lead us not into temptation? 7th: But deliver us from evil? What does the word: amen mean?
Lord's 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.
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.
Our Father in heaven prayer
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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Father - Father (appeal is a form of the vocative case). Who art in heaven - existing (living) in Heaven, that is, Heavenly ( others like it- which). Yesi– form of the verb being in the 2nd person singular. Numbers of the present tense: in modern language we speak you are, and in Church Slavonic - you are. Literal translation of the beginning of the prayer: O our Father, He who is in Heaven! Any literal translation is not entirely accurate; words: Father Dry in Heaven, Heavenly Father - more closely convey the meaning of the first words of the Lord's Prayer. Let him be holy - may it be holy and glorified. Like in heaven and on earth - both in heaven and on earth (like - How). Urgent- necessary for existence, for life. Give it - give. Today- Today. Like- How. From the evil one- from evil (words crafty, wickedness– derivatives from the words “bow”: something indirect, curved, crooked, like a bow. There is also a Russian word “krivda”).
This prayer is called the Lord’s Prayer because our Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave it to His disciples and all people:
It happened that when He was praying in one place and stopped, one of His disciples said to Him: Lord! Teach us to pray!
– When you pray, say: 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; and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every debtor to us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Luke 11:1-4).
Our Father who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done both on earth and in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen (Matt. 6:9-13).
By reading the Lord's Prayer daily, let us learn what the Lord requires of us: it indicates both our needs and our main responsibilities.
Our Father… In these words we still do not ask for anything, we only cry out, turn to God and call him father.
“Saying this, we confess God, the Ruler of the universe, as our Father - and thereby we also confess that we have been removed from the state of slavery and appropriated to God as His adopted children.”
(Philokalia, vol. 2)
...Who art thou in Heaven... With these words, we express our readiness to turn away in every possible way from attachment to earthly life as wandering and separating us far from our Father and, on the contrary, to strive with the greatest desire for the region in which our Father dwells...
“Having reached such a high degree of sons of God, we must burn with such filial love for God that we no longer seek our own benefits, but with all desire desire the glory of Him, our Father, saying to Him: Hallowed be thy name,- by which we testify that all our desire and all our joy is the glory of our Father - may the glorious name of our Father be glorified, reverently honored and worshiped.”
Venerable John Cassian the Roman
Thy Kingdom come- that Kingdom “by which Christ reigns in the saints, when, after taking away power over us from the Devil and expelling passions from our hearts, God begins to reign in us through the fragrance of virtues - or that which at a predetermined time is promised to all the perfect, to all children God, when Christ says to them: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25, 34).”
Venerable John Cassian the Roman
Words "Thy will be done" turn us to the Lord's prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: Father! Oh, that You would deign to carry this cup past Me! however, not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42).
Give us this day our daily bread. We ask to be given the bread necessary for food, and not in large quantities, but only for this day... So, let us learn to ask for the most necessary things for our life, but we will not ask for everything leading to abundance and luxury, for we do not know how much wood is needed. is it for us? Let us learn to ask for bread and everything necessary only for this day, so as not to become lazy in prayer and obedience to God. If we are alive the next day, we will ask for the same thing again, and so on all the days of our earthly life.
However, we must not forget the words of Christ that Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). It is even more important to remember other words of the Savior : I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world (John 6:51). Thus, Christ means not only something material, necessary for a person for earthly life, but also eternal, necessary for life in the Kingdom of God: Himself, offered in Communion.
Some holy fathers interpreted the Greek expression as “supra-essential bread” and attributed it only (or primarily) to the spiritual side of life; however, the Lord's Prayer embraces both earthly and heavenly meanings.
And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors. The Lord Himself concluded this prayer with an explanation: For if you forgive people their sins, then your Heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive people their sins, then your Father will not forgive you your sins. (MF. 6, 14-15).
“The merciful Lord promises us forgiveness of our sins if we ourselves set an example of forgiveness to our brothers: leave it to us, just as we leave it. It is obvious that in this prayer only those who have forgiven their debtors can boldly ask for forgiveness. Whoever with all his heart does not let go of his brother who sins against him, with this prayer he will ask for himself not mercy, but condemnation: for if this prayer of his is heard, then in accordance with his example, what else should follow, if not inexorable wrath and indispensable punishment ? Judgment without mercy for those who show no mercy (James 2:13).”
Venerable John Cassian the Roman
Here sins are called debts, because by faith and obedience to God we must fulfill His commandments, do good, and shun evil; is that what we do? By not doing the good we should do, we become debtors to God.
This expression of the Lord’s Prayer is best explained by Christ’s parable about the man who owed the king ten thousand talents (Matthew 18:23-35).
And do not lead us into temptation. Bringing to mind the words of the apostle: Blessed is the man who endures temptation, because, having been tried, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12), we should understand these words of prayer not like this: “do not let us ever be tempted,” but like this: “do not let us be overcome by temptation.”
When tempted, no one should say: God is tempting me; because God is not tempted by evil and does not tempt anyone Himself, but everyone is tempted by being carried away and deceived by his own lust; lust, having conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin that is committed gives birth to death (James 1:13-15).
But deliver us from evil - that is, do not allow yourself to be tempted by the devil beyond our strength, but with give relief to temptation, so that we can endure (1 Cor. 10:13).
Venerable John Cassian the Roman
The Greek text of the prayer, like Church Slavonic and Russian, allows us to understand the expression from the evil one and personally ( sly– the father of lies – the devil), and impersonally ( crafty- everything unrighteous, evil; evil). Patristic interpretations offer both understandings. Since evil comes from the devil, then, of course, the petition for deliverance from evil also contains a petition for deliverance from its culprit.
Prayer “Our Father, Who art in heaven”: text in Russian
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.
From the story “Our Father, Who art in heaven!”
Biblical tradition says that the prayer “Our Father who art in heaven!” The apostles were taught by Jesus Christ himself, the Son of God. 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 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” serves as 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.
As Luke reports in his Gospel, Jesus Christ, before giving the Lord’s Prayer to the believers, said: “Ask, and it will be given to you.” This means that “Our Father” must be read before any prayer, and after that you can pray in your own words. When Jesus bequeathed it, he gave permission to call the Lord father, therefore, addressing the Almighty with the words “Our Father” (“Our Father”) is the complete right of all those who pray.
The Lord's Prayer, being the strongest and most important, unites believers, so it can be read not only within the walls of a religious institution, but also outside it. For those who, due to their busyness, are unable to devote due time to the pronunciation of “Our Father,” St. Seraphim of Sarov recommended reading it in every position and at every opportunity: before eating, in bed, during work or exercise, while walking and etc. In support of his point of view, Seraphim cited words from Scripture: “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
When turning to the Lord with the help of “Our Father,” believers should ask for all people, and not just for themselves. The more often a person prays, the closer he becomes to the Creator. “Our Father” is a prayer that contains a direct appeal to the Almighty. This is a prayer in which one can trace a departure from the vanity of the world, penetration into the very depths of the soul, detachment from a sinful earthly life. An indispensable condition when saying the Lord’s Prayer is aspiration to God with thoughts and heart.
Structure and Russian text of the prayer “Our Father”
“Our Father” has its own characteristic structure: at its very beginning there is an appeal to God, an invocation to him, then seven petitions are voiced, which are closely intertwined with each other, and it all ends with a doxology.
The text of the prayer “Our Father” in Russian is used, as indicated above, in two equivalent versions - Church Slavonic and modern Russian.
Church Slavonic version
With the Old Church Slavonic version of the sound of “Our Father” as follows:
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.
The only prayer that I know by heart and read in any difficult situation in life. After it it really becomes easier, I become calm and feel a surge of strength, I find a solution to the problem faster.
This is the most powerful and main prayer that every person must know! My grandmother taught it to me as a child, and now I teach it to my children myself. If a person knows “Our Father,” the Lord will always be with him and will never leave him!
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Lord's Prayer
But you, when you pray, go into your room and, having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.
7 And when you pray, do not say too much, like the pagans, for they think that in their many words they will be heard;
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
9 Pray like this: (Matthew 6:6-9)
Our Father, who art in heaven!
Hallowed be Thy name,
May your 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, as we also 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.
(Matthew 6:9-13)
"Our Father, Who art in heaven!" (Matthew 6:9)
To the speaker Father what kind of soul is needed? How much boldness does it take? What kind of conscience do you need to have, so that after knowing God and understanding that the nature of God is goodness, holiness, joy, power, glory, purity... then you dare to pronounce this word and call such a Being your Father? It is obvious that if someone has any intelligence, then, not seeing in himself the same as in God, he will not dare to utter these words to him and say:Father! For it is unnatural for someone who is good in essence to become the father of someone who is evil in deeds, for a saint to become the father of someone defiled in life, for the Father of life to become the father of someone killed by sin... Therefore, when the Lord teaches us in prayer to call God Father, he does nothing more than legitimize an exalted way of life.
When the Lord teaches us to call Himself Father, it seems to me that He legitimizes an exalted and lofty way of life, because the Truth teaches us not to lie, not to say about ourselves what is not in us, not to call ourselves what we were not. But, calling the Imperishable, the Righteous and the Good as your Father, you must justify this relationship with life. Therefore, you see, how much preparation we need, what kind of life we need, how much and what thoroughness is needed in order to, with the elevation of our conscience, achieve such a measure of boldness and dare to say to God: “Father”... When we approach God, let us first pay attention on our life: do we have anything in ourselves worthy of Divine kinship, and then we dare to say the word “Father”.St. Gregory of Nyssa
When the Lord says in prayer:who is 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 mountain dwellings.St. John Chrysostom
"Hallowed be thy name" (Matthew 6:9)
Yes hallowed that means let him be glorified. That is, vouchsafe us 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 will offer praise to the Lord.St. John Chrysostom
We are speaking Hallowed be thy name not in the sense that we wish God that He may be sanctified by our prayers; but we ask Him that His name may be sanctified in us. For from whom will God, who Himself sanctifies everyone, be sanctified?Sschmch. Cyprian of Carthage
We sanctify the name of the Heavenly Father by grace when we mortify all lust... and cleanse ourselves from corrupting passions, for holiness is the complete stillness and deadness of lust in the heart.St. Maxim the Confessor
"Thy kingdom come" (Matthew 6:10)
The Kingdom that we ask from the Heavenly Father is the future Kingdom after the end of the world. We pray to Him for the speedy coming of this Kingdom, so that we can quickly enter into it... This is the desire of Christians, the confusion of the pagans, the triumph of Angels; For the sake of the Kingdom we suffer and desire it uncontrollably.Tertullian
What a wondrous sequence in the Lord’s Prayer!.. After asking for the gift of perfect knowledge of God, the Lord teaches a person adopted by God to ask for the Kingdom of God to descend into his soul. He commands us to ask for this Kingdom with the humble but strong prayer of faith... He who has felt the Kingdom of God within himself becomes alien to a world hostile to God... He can infallibly wish for the visible Kingdom of God to come on earth, to destroy sin from the face of the earth, to establish with her is the dominion of Truth.St. Ignatiy Brianchaninov
"Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 6:10)
Speaking: Thy will be done , we do not pray that God will do what he wants, but that we can do what God wants. For who can stop God from doing what he wants? But since the devil prevents us from following God in everything in our spirit and in our deeds, we ask and pray: may God’s will be done in us.Sschmch. Cyprian of Carthage
God 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 celestials. For one must desire, He says, Heaven and the Celestial. But before reaching Heaven, we must make the earth Heaven, so that while living on it, we can act and speak as if we were in Heaven, and pray to the Lord for this.St. John Chrysostom
“In one place,” said the elder, “they prayed for rain, and in another - so that it would not rain. It turned out that God wanted it.” Go where they lead you, see what they show you, and keep saying: “Thy will be done.”St. Ambrose Optinsky
"Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11)
The bread of God is the one that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. In. 6, 33
I am the seven bread of life. In. 6, 47
What a wonderful order Divine wisdom has given to prayer requests. When after the heavenly, i.e. the name of God, the Kingdom of God, the will of God gave place to petition for earthly needs... However, the wordsgive us this day our daily bread Let us understand it more in a spiritual sense. For Christ is our bread: He is our life and the bread of life, as He himself says:I am the bread of life... Asking for our daily bread, we pray for unceasing abiding in Christ through the communion of His Body.Tertullian
In the Discourse on the Mount, the Lord says that bread can have three meanings: it can mean material bread, and the sacrament of the Body of Christ... and spiritual food. Of these three meanings, He sometimes talks primarily about one, sometimes about the other, but always has all three in mind.Blzh. Augustine
“And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12)
Debts here mean sins - words, deeds and thoughts that are contrary to the law of God... Sins are called debts because, just as in citizenship it happens that debts oblige the debtor to repay the lender... so sins oblige us to satisfy the righteousness of God, and when we have no means to pay, they imprison us in eternal prison. We cannot pay these debts through ourselves, and for this we resort to the merits of Christ and the mercy of God... When we ask,forgive us our debts , then through this it is clear that we pray not only for ourselves, but also for each other...
It says: as we also leave our debtor . With this word we learn so that we ourselves can forgive the sins of our neighbors... God forgives us our sins out of mercy; and we, imitating Him, out of mercy must forgive the sins of our brethren.St. Tikhon Zadonsky
"And do not lead us into temptation" (Matthew 6:13)
Temptations, according to Scripture, are of two kinds: some come through what is pleasant, and others through what is sorrowful and painful; some are voluntary and others are involuntary. From them sin is born, and we are commanded to pray not to enter into them, according to the commandment of the Lord, who taught us to say in prayer:and do not lead us into temptation... And others are the executioners of sin, punishing a sin-loving disposition by inflicting involuntary grave sorrows, which if anyone endures... will find the words of the great Jacob applicable to himself:Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance (James 1:2-3) . The evil one maliciously spies on both such temptations, and during the first he manages, through allure and excitement of carnal pleasures, to tempt the soul to lag behind the God-loving mood, and during the second he attempts to deceive the soul, suppressed by the weight of sorrows and troubles, to accept thoughts of murmuring and bringing injustice against the Creator.St. Maxim the Confessor
This raises an important question! If we pray so as not to be tempted, how can we prove the virtue of our firmness, which is required by Holy Scripture?..Blessed is the man who endures temptation (James 1:12) . So, the words of the prayer - do not lead us into temptation - do not mean that do not allow us to ever be tempted, but do not allow us to be defeated in temptation. Job was tempted, but was not led into temptation, for he did not say anything unreasonable about God (Job 1:22) and did not defile his lips with blasphemy, to which the tempter wanted to lead him. Abraham was tempted, Joseph was tempted, but neither one nor the other of them was led into temptation, for neither fulfilled the will of the tempter.St. John Cassian the Roman
It is not God Himself who leads into temptation, but He allows to be led into it by the one whom He deprives of His help according to His deepest intentions, because he deserves it.Blzh. Augustine
"But deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13)
After all, at the end of the prayer there is a conclusion that briefly expresses all our prayers and petitions. At the end we say:but deliver us from evil , meaning by this all sorts of troubles that the enemy is plotting against us in this world and against which we will have faithful and strong defense if we have God as a deliverer from them, if, at our request and prayer, He gives us His help. Then, after the words - deliver us from the evil one - we ask for the complete protection of God against the evil one, and having received such protection, we are already safe and protected from all the snares of the devil and the world. Indeed, why should one who has God as a Protector in this world be afraid of the world?Sschmch. Cyprian of Carthage
With this we pray to the Heavenly Father to protect us from it, from which we ourselves (on our own) cannot protect ourselves... With this word our Savior stirs us up to prayer and through prayer teaches us to get rid of it.St. Tikhon Zadonsky
"For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever." (Matthew 6:13)
A reminder of the enemy in wordsdeliver us from evil Having made us cautious and stopped all our carelessness, He further inspires us, presenting to us the King under whose authority we fight, and showing that He is more powerful than all.As Yours is , says the Savior,Kingdom and power and glory . So, if His is the Kingdom, then we should not be afraid, since no one resists Him and no one shares power with Him. For when the Savior said:Yours is the Kingdom , then shows that this enemy of ours is subordinate to God, although he still resists by God’s permission... In a word:and glory it is shown that this King not only frees you from the evils that threaten you, but can also make you glorious... for just as His power is great, so His glory is inexpressible, and all this is boundless and infinite.St. John Chrysostom
Brief prayer rule of St. Seraphim of Sarov
The Monk Seraphim of Sarov taught everyone the following prayer rule: “Having risen from sleep, every Christian, standing before the holy icons, let him read the Lord’s PrayerOur Father three times*, in honor of the Holy Trinity, thenhymn to the Mother of God :
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, O Blessed Mary, the Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women, and Blessed is the fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.(three times)
Symbol of faith:
I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were.
For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human.
She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried.
And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.
And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the life-giving, who proceeds from the Father, who is with the Father and the Son, worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets.
Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.
I drink the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the next century. Amen. (one time)
- Having completed this rule, let him go about his business to which he has been assigned or called. While working at home or on the road somewhere, let him read quietly:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner (or sinner) ,
and if others surround him, then, while doing business, let him speak only with his mind
Lord have mercy
and continues until lunch.
- Just before lunch, let him perform the above morning rule. After lunch, while doing his job, he reads quietly:
Most Holy Theotokos, save me, a sinner (or a sinner), or
Lord Jesus Christ, through the Mother of God, have mercy on me, a sinner (or sinner) ,
and let this continue until sleep. When going to bed, let every Christian read the above morning rule again; after that, let him fall asleep, protecting himself with the sign of the cross.”
“By adhering to this rule,” says Father Seraphim, “one can achieve a measure of Christian perfection, for the above three prayers are the foundation of Christianity: the first, as a prayer given by the Lord Himself, is a model of all prayers; the second was brought from heaven by the Archangel in greeting to the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Lord; The symbol briefly contains the saving dogmas of the Christian faith.” For those who, for various reasons, cannot follow this small rule, St. Seraphim advised reading it in every position: during classes, while walking, and even in bed, presenting the basis for this as the words of Holy Scripture: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord , will be saved.