The Lord taught us to pray, ‘Our Father in heaven.’ But what gives us the right to call God ‘Father’? We were once slaves to sin, but Jesus redeemed us with His blood and made us God’s adopted children. As such, God has granted us the same inheritance as His own sons, a fact confirmed by the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now, as those who call God ‘Father,’ we belong not to this world but to heaven. God instills this faith in us. Through faith, He reveals that the poor in spirit are blessed. In this world, our faith makes us faithful stewards of what belongs to our Father. However, without this spiritual insight, the Lord warns us that we risk obstructing the gates of heaven.

The Lord taught us to pray, ‘hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,’ Knowing the Father ourselves, we are called to share His presence with those who do not know Him, that His name may be held sacred. To this end, the Lord teaches us virtue. Virtue shines light into the darkness, enlightening those lost in it. Through virtue, He reveals to us that those who mourn are blessed. We are to mourn for those in darkness, treating them with kindness and mercy. However, without this spiritual vision, the Lord chastises us for not genuinely praying for the salvation of souls, but rather praying at length to appear devout before others.

The Lord taught us to pray, ‘your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ God’s will is to save souls through His Son. The Son of God incarnated as a man, fulfilling the Father’s will on the cross. To enable God’s will to be done on earth as well, He grants us the knowledge of Jesus. This knowledge helps us understand that the meek are blessed. Armed with this insight, we approach others with gentleness in every circumstance, aiming to save their souls. This gentleness opens people’s hearts, allowing us to capture these hearts—this ‘earth’—and bring them into the Kingdom of Heaven. Lacking this spiritual vision, the Lord warns us that we risk leading others further from salvation, making them twice as much a child of hell.

The Lord taught us to pray, Give us today our daily bread.’ Our ‘daily bread’ symbolizes our mission to do the Father’s will in the world and to complete His work. This work involves the harvesting of souls. To aid us, God teaches us to abstain from what does not nourish us spiritually. Through this discipline, He reveals the blessing in hungering and thirsting for righteousness. We find satisfaction in our souls as we curb our self-righteousness and diligently work towards fulfilling God’s righteousness. However, lacking this spiritual insight, the Lord admonishes us for prioritizing money over faith in God, thus seeking to establish our own righteousness.

The Lord taught us to pray, ‘as we also have forgiven our debtors.’ God cultivates patience within us to enable forgiveness. He also enlightens us to the blessings bestowed upon the merciful, for we are blessed when the Lord shows us mercy and forgives our debts. In this analogy, our debts to God are represented as ten thousand talents—a significant amount reflecting our deep offenses against Him. It is the Passion and Death of the Cross. In contrast, the hurts we endure in personal relationships are like a mere hundred denarii. Although small compared to ten thousand talents, we often struggle to forgive even these minor offenses. This challenges us to appreciate the profound depth of the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness. As we practice patience, we gradually find ourselves forgiving others. Lacking this spiritual insight, however, leads to rebuke from the Lord for abandoning righteousness, compassion, and faith.

The Lord taught us to pray, ‘Forgive us our debts,’ To facilitate this, God has taught us godliness. Godliness means emulating Jesus and walking alongside the Lord. Through godliness, He teaches us that the pure in heart are blessed. As we walk in the light with the Lord, we produce good fruit. However, there are times we find ourselves loving the world, which places us at odds with God. In these moments, we pray, ‘Forgive us our sins,’ and the Lord’s blood cleanses our conscience. Then, I behold the face of God who forgives me. Without this spiritual vision, the Lord reprimands us for being outwardly clean but inwardly filled with greed and excess.

The Lord taught us to pray, ‘And lead us not into temptation,’ To support us in this, God has bestowed upon us brotherly kindness, recognizing that often, our greatest tests come from those closest to us. Through this gift of brotherly kindness, He teaches us that the peacemakers are blessed. As we cultivate peace, we produce its fruits, leading others to recognize us as children of God. However, lacking spiritual insight, some may appear outwardly peaceful like whitewashed tombs, but inwardly they are filled with the bones of the dead. Such individuals will face the Lord’s rebuke.

The Lord taught us to pray, ‘but deliver us from the evil one.’ In response, God grants us love. This divine love compels us to live not for ourselves but for Christ for the remainder of our earthly lives. Through this love, God reveals to us that the persecuted for righteousness are truly blessed. It is this same love that enables us to love even our enemies and thus enter the kingdom of heaven. However, lacking love, we are spiritually blind. Despite claiming to be descendants of the prophets with our words, our actions betray our faith. The Lord then challenges us: without genuine love, how can we hope to escape the judgment of hell?

The Lord taught us to pray, ‘For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ With this prayer, we open ourselves to fully understand Christ and recognize that following Jesus is contrary to the ways of the world. Thus, even when we are cursed and maliciously slandered, we find joy because such experiences are part of following the Lord. This faithful endurance promises us a great reward in heaven. However, without this spiritual vision, no amount of testimony from God’s servants about His kingdom can persuade us to believe. This is why the Lord rebukes us with the words, ‘How often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling.’

The Lord’s Prayer is a call for God’s kingdom and His righteousness. Thus, if we faithfully pray this prayer, we will receive the grace of the Father, who will provide for our needs.

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