Posted on 06/17/2021 1:31:14 AM PDT by Cronos
Memorial of St. Emily de Vialar![]() Martyrs of Jordan Church, Amman, Jordan Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green
I was careful not to be a burden to you in any wayI only wish you were able to tolerate a little foolishness from me. But of course: you are tolerant towards me. You see, the jealousy that I feel for you is God’s own jealousy: I arranged for you to marry Christ so that I might give you away as a chaste virgin to this one husband. But the serpent, with his cunning, seduced Eve, and I am afraid that in the same way your ideas may get corrupted and turned away from simple devotion to Christ. Because any new-comer has only to proclaim a new Jesus, different from the one that we preached, or you have only to receive a new spirit, different from the one you have already received, or a new gospel, different from the one you have already accepted – and you welcome it with open arms. As far as I can tell, these arch-apostles have nothing more than I have. I may not be a polished speechmaker, but as for knowledge, that is a different matter; surely we have made this plain, speaking on every subject in front of all of you. Or was I wrong, lowering myself so as to lift you high, by preaching the gospel of God to you and taking no fee for it? I was robbing other churches, living on them so that I could serve you. When I was with you and ran out of money, I was no burden to anyone; the brothers who came from Macedonia provided me with everything I wanted. I was very careful, and I always shall be, not to be a burden to you in any way, and by Christ’s truth in me, this cause of boasting will never be taken from me in the regions of Achaia. Would I do that if I did not love you? God knows I do.
Your works, Lord, are justice and truth. or Alleluia! I will thank the Lord with all my heart in the meeting of the just and their assembly. Great are the works of the Lord, to be pondered by all who love them. Your works, Lord, are justice and truth. or Alleluia! Majestic and glorious his work, his justice stands firm for ever. He makes us remember his wonders. The Lord is compassion and love. Your works, Lord, are justice and truth. or Alleluia! His works are justice and truth, his precepts are all of them sure, standing firm for ever and ever; they are made in uprightness and truth. Your works, Lord, are justice and truth. or Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia! Speak, Lord, your servant is listening: you have the message of eternal life. Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia! The spirit you received is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Alleluia!
How to prayJesus said to his disciples: ‘In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. And do not put us to the test, but save us from the evil one. ‘Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.’ The readings on this page are from the Jerusalem Bible, which is used at Mass in most of the English-speaking world. The New American Bible readings, which are used at Mass in the United States, are available in the Universalis apps, programs and downloads. |
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7. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8. Be ye not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him.
AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) As the hypocrites use to set themselves so as to be seen in their prayers, whose reward is to be acceptable to men; so the Ethnici (that is, the Gentiles) use to think that they shall be heard for their much speaking; therefore He adds, When ye pray, do not ye use many words.
CASSIAN. (Collat. ix. 36.) We should indeed pray often, but in short form, lest if we be long in our prayers, the enemy that lies in wait for us, might suggest something for our thoughts.
AUGUSTINE. (Epist. 130, 10.) Yet to continue long in prayer is not, as some think, what is here meant, by using many words. For much speaking is one thing, and an enduring fervency another. For of the Lord Himself it is written, that He continued a whole night in prayer, and prayed at great length, setting an example to us. The brethren in Egypt are said to use frequent prayers, but those very short, and as it were hasty ejaculations, lest that fervency of spirit, which is most behoveful for us in prayer, should by longer continuance be violently broken off. Herein themselves sufficiently shew, that this fervency of spirit, as it is not to be forced if it cannot last, so if it has lasted is not to be violently broken off. Let prayer then be without much speaking, but not without much entreaty, if this fervent spirit can be supported; for much speaking in prayer is to use in a necessary matter more words than necessary. But to entreat much, is to importune with enduring warmth of heart Him to whom our entreaty is made; for often is this business effected more by groans than words, by weeping more than speech.
CHRYSOSTOM. Hereby He dissuades from empty speaking in prayer; as, for example, when we ask of God things improper, as dominions, fame, overcoming of our enemies, or abundance of wealth. He commands then that our prayers should not be long; long, that is, not in time, but in multitude of words. For it is right that those who ask should persevere in their asking; being instant in prayer, as the Apostle instructs; but does not thereby enjoin us to compose a prayer of ten thousand verses, and speak it all; which He secretly hints at, when He says, Do not ye use many words.
GLOSS. (ord.) What He condemns is many words in praying that come of want of faith; as the Gentiles do. For a multitude of words were needful for the Gentiles, seeing the dæmons could not know for what they petitioned, until instructed by them; they think they shall be heard for their much speaking.
AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) And truly all superfluity of discourse has come from the Gentiles, who labour rather to practise their tongues than to cleanse their hearts, and introduce this art of rhetoric into that wherein they need to persuade God.
GREGORY. (Mor. xxxiii. 23.) True prayer consists rather in the bitter groans of repentance, than in the repetition of set forms of words.
AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) For we use many words then when we have to instruct one who is in ignorance, what need of them to Him who is Creator of all things; Your heavenly Father knoweth what ye have need of before you ask Him.
JEROME. On this there starts up a heresy of certain Philosophers who taught the mistaken dogma, that If God knows for what we shall pray, and, before we ask, knows what we need, our prayer is needlessly made to one who has such knowledge. (Epicureans.) To such we shortly reply, That in our prayers we do not instruct, but entreat; it is one thing to inform the ignorant, another to beg of the understanding: the first were to teach; the latter is to perform a service of duty.
CHRYSOSTOM. You do not then pray in order to teach God your wants, but to move Him, that you may become His friend by the importunity of your applications to Him, that you may be humbled, that you may be reminded of your sins.
AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) Nor ought we to use words in seeking to obtain of God what we would, but to seek with intense and fervent application of mind, with pure love, and suppliant spirit.
AUGUSTINE. (Epist. 130, 9.) But even with words we ought at certain periods to make prayer to God, that by these signs of things we may keep ourselves in mind, and may know what progress we have made in such desire, and may stir up ourselves more actively to increase this desire, that after it have begun to wax warm, it may not be chilled and utterly frozen up by divers cares, without our continual care to keep it alive. Words therefore are needful for us that we should be moved by them, that we should understand clearly what it is we ask, not that we should think that by them the Lord is either instructed or persuaded.
AUGUSTINE. (Serm. in Mont. ii. 3.) Still it may be asked, what is the use of prayer at all, whether made in words or in meditation of things, if God knows already what is necessary for us. The mental posture of prayer calms and purifies the soul, and makes it of more capacity to receive the divine gifts which are poured into it. For God does not hear us for the prevailing force of our pleadings; He is at all times ready to give us His light, but we are not ready to receive it, but prone to other things. There is then in prayer a turning of the body to God, and a purging of the inward eye, whilst those worldly things which we desired are shut out, that the eye of the mind made single might be able to bear the single light, and in it abide with that joy with which a happy life is perfected.
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9. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
GLOSS. (e. Cypr.) Amongst His other saving instructions and divine lessons, wherewith He counsels believers, He has set forth for us a form of prayer in few words; thus giving us confidence that that will be quickly granted, for which He would have us pray so shortly.
CYPRIAN. (Tr. vii. 1.) He who gave to us to live, taught us also to pray, to the end, that speaking to the Father in the prayer which the Son hath taught, we may receive a readier hearing. It is praying like friends and familiars to offer up to God of His own. Let the Father recognize the Son’s words when we offer up our prayer; and seeing we have Him when we sin for an Advocate with the Father, let us put forward the words of our Advocate, when as sinners we make petition for our offences.
GLOSS. (ord.) Yet we do not confine ourselves wholly to these words, but use others also conceived in the same sense, with which our heart is kindled.
AUGUSTINE. (Serm. in Mont. ii. 4.) Since in every entreaty we have first to propitiate the good favour of Him whom we entreat, and after that mention what we entreat for; and this we commonly do by saying something in praise of Him whom we entreat, and place it in the front of our petition; in this the Lord bids us say no more than only, Our Father which art in Heaven. Many things were said of them to the praise of God, yet do we never find it taught to the children of Israel to address God as ‘Our Father;’ He is rather set before them as a Lord over slaves. But of Christ’s people the Apostle says, We have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father, (Rom. 8:15.) and that not of our deservings, but of grace. This then we express in the prayer when we say, Father; which name also stirs up love. For what can be dearer than sons are to a father? And a suppliant spirit, in that men should say to God Our Father. And a certain presumption that we shall obtain; for what will He not give to His sons when they ask of Him, who has given them that first that they should be sons? Lastly, how great anxiety possesses his mind, that having called God his Father, he should not be unworthy of such a Father. By this the rich and the noble are admonished when they have become Christians not to be haughty towards the poor or truly born, who like themselves may address God as Our Father; and they therefore cannot truly or piously say this unless they acknowledge such for brethren.
CHRYSOSTOM. For what hurt does such kindred with those beneath us, when we are all alike kin to One above us? For who calls God Father, in that one title confesses at once the forgiveness of sins, the adoption, the heirship, the brotherhood, which he has with the Only-begotten, and the gift of the Spirit. For none can call God Father, but he who has obtained all these blessings. In a two-fold manner, therefore, he moves the feeling of them that pray, both by the dignity of Him who is prayed to, and the greatness of those benefits which we gain by prayer.
CYPRIAN. (Tr. vii. 4.) We say not My Father, but Our Father, for the teacher of peace and master of unity would not have men pray singly and severally, since when any prays, he is not to pray for himself only. Our prayer is general and for all, and when we pray, we pray not for one person but for us all, because we all are one. So also He willed that one should pray for all, according as Himself in one did bear us all.
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. To pray for ourselves it is our necessity compels us, to pray for others brotherly charity instigates.
GLOSS. (ord.) Also because He is a common Father of all, we say, Our Father; not My Father which is appropriate to Christ alone, who is His Son by nature.
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. Which art in heaven, is added, that we may know that we have a heavenly Father, and may blush to immerse ourselves wholly in earthly things when we have a Father in heaven.
CASSIAN. (Collat. ix. 18.) And that we should speed with strong desire thitherward where our Father dwells.
CHRYSOSTOM. In heaven, not confining God’s presence to that, but withdrawing the thoughts of the petitioner from earth and fixing them on things above.
AUGUSTINE. (Serm. in Mont. ii. 5.) Or; in heaven is among the saints and the righteous men; for God is not contained in space. For the heavens literally are the upper parts of the universe, and if God be thought to be in them, then are the birds of more desert than men, seeing they must have their habitation nearer to God. But, God is nigh, (Ps. 34:18.) it is not said to the men of lofty stature, or to the inhabitants of the mountain tops; but, to the broken in heart. But as the sinner is called ‘earth,’ as earth thou art, and unto earth thou must return, (Gen. 3:19.) so might the righteous on the other hand be called ‘the heaven.’ Thus then it would be rightly said Who art in heaven, for there would seem to be as much difference spiritually between the righteous and sinners, as locally, between heaven and earth. With the intent of signifying which thing it is, that we turn our faces in prayer to the east, not as though God was there only, deserting all other parts of the earth; but that the mind may be reminded to turn itself to that nature which is more excellent, that is to God, when his body, which is of earth, is turned to the more excellent body which is of heaven. For it is desirable that all, both small and great, should have right conceptions of God, and therefore for such as cannot fix their thoughts on spiritual natures, it is better that they should think of God as being in heaven than in earth.
AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) Having named Him to whom prayer is made and where He dwells, let us now see what things they are for which we ought to pray. But the first of all the things that are prayed for is, Hallowed be thy name, not implying that the name of God is not holy, but that it may be held sacred of men; that is, that God may be so known that nothing may be esteemed more holy.
CHRYSOSTOM. Or; He bids us in praying beg that God may be glorified in our life; as if we were to say, Make us to live so that all things may glorify Thee through us. For hallowed signifies the same as glorified. It is a petition worthy to be made by man to God, to ask nothing before the glory of the Father, but to postpone all things to His praise.
CYPRIAN. (Tr. vii. 7.) Otherwise, we say this not as wishing for God to be made holy by our prayers, but asking of Him for His name to be kept holy in us. For seeing He Himself has said, Be ye holy, for I also am holy, (Lev. 20:7.) it is this that we ask and request that we who have been sanctified in Baptism, may persevere such as we have begun.
AUGUSTINE. (De Don. Pers. 2.) But why is this perseverance asked of God, if, as the Pelagians say, it is not given by God? Is it not a mocking petition to ask of God what we know is not given by Him, but is in the power of man himself to attain?
CYPRIAN. (ubi sup.) For this we daily make petition, since we need a daily sanctification, in order that we who sin day by day, may cleanse afresh our offences by a continual sanctification.
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10. Thy kingdom come.
GLOSS. (ord.) It follows suitably, that after our adoption as sons, we should ask a kingdom which is due to sons.
AUGUSTINE. (Serm. in Mont. ii. 6.) This is not so said as though God did not now reign on earth, or had not reigned over it always. Come, must therefore be taken for be manifested to men. For none shall then be ignorant of His kingdom, when His Only-begotten not in understanding only, but in visible shape shall come to judge the quick and dead. This day of judgment the Lord teaches shall then come, when the Gospel shall have been preached to all nations; which thing pertains to the hallowing of God’s name.
JEROME. Either it is a general prayer for the kingdom of the whole world that the reign of the Devil may cease; or for the kingdom in each of us that God may reign there, and that sin may not reign in our mortal body.
CYPRIAN. (Tr. vii. 8.) Or; it is that kingdom which was promised to us by God, and bought with Christ’s blood; that we who before in the world have been servants, may afterwards reign under the dominion of Christ.
AUGUSTINE. (Epist. 130, 11.) For the kingdom of God will come whether we desire it or not. But herein we kindle our desires towards that kingdom, that it may come to us, and that we may reign in it.
CASSIAN. (Collat. ix. 19.) Or; because the Saint knows by the witness of his conscience, that when the kingdom of God shall appear, he shall be partaker therein.
JEROME. But be it noted, that it comes of high confidence, and of an unblemished conscience only, to pray for the kingdom of God, and not to fear the judgment.
CYPRIAN. (ubi sup.) The kingdom of God may stand for Christ Himself, whom we day by day wish to come, and for whose advent we pray that it may be quickly manifested to us. As He is our resurrection, because in Him we rise again, so may He be called the kingdom of God, because we are to reign in Him. Rightly we ask for God’s kingdom, that is, for the heavenly, because there is a kingdom of this earth beside. He, however, who has renounced the world, is superior to its honours and to its kingdom; and hence he who dedicates himself to God and to Christ, longs not for the kingdom of earth, but for the kingdom of Heaven.
AUGUSTINE. (De Don. Pers. 2.) When they pray, Let thy kingdom come, what else do they pray for who are already holy, but that they may persevere in that holiness they now have given unto them? For no otherwise will the kingdom of God come, than as it is certain it will come to those that persevere unto the end.
Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven.
AUGUSTINE. (Serm. in Mont. ii. 6.) In that kingdom of blessedness the happy life will be made perfect in the Saints as it now is in the heavenly Angels; and therefore after the petition, Thy kingdom come, follows, Thy will he done as in heaven, so in earth. That is, as by the Angels who are in Heaven Thy will is done so as that they have fruition of Thee, no error clouding their knowledge, no pain marring their blessedness; so may it be done by Thy Saints who are on earth, and who, as to their bodies, are made of earth. So that, Thy will be done, is rightly understood as, ‘Thy commands be obeyed;’ as in heaven, so in earth, that is, as by Angels, so by men; not that they do what God would have them do, but they do because He would have them do it; that is, they do after His will.
CHRYSOSTOM. See how excellently this follows; having taught us to desire heavenly things by that which He said, Thy kingdom come, before we come to Heaven He bids us make this earth into Heaven, in that saying, Thy will he done as in heaven, so in earth.
JEROME. Let them be put to shame by this text who falsely affirm that there are daily falls (ruinas) in Heavenb.
AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) Or; as by the righteous, so by sinners; as if He had said, As the righteous do Thy will, so also may sinners; either by turning to Thee, or in receiving every man his just reward, which shall be in the last judgment. Or, by the heaven and the earth we may understand the spirit and the flesh. As the Apostle says, In my mind I obey the law of God, (Rom. 7:25.) we see the will of God done in the spirit, But in that change which is promised to the righteous there, Let thy will he done as in heaven, so in earth; that is, as the spirit does not resist God, so let the body not resist the spirit. Or; as in heaven, so in earth, as in Christ Jesus Himself, so in His Church; as in the Man who did His Father’s will, so in the woman who is espoused of Him. And heaven and earth may be suitably understood as husband and wife, seeing it is of the heaven that the earth brings forth her fruits.
CYPRIAN. (ubi sup.) We ask not that God may do His own will, but that we may be enabled to do what He wills should be done by us; and that it may be done in us we stand in need of that will, that is, of God’s aid and protection; for no man is strong by his own strength, but is safe in the indulgence and pity of God.
CHRYSOSTOM. For virtue is not of our own efforts, but of grace from above. Here again is enjoined on each one of us prayer for the whole world, inasmuch as we are not to say, Thy will be done in me, or in us; but throughout the earth, that error may cease, truth be planted, malice be banished, and virtue return, and thus the earth not differ from heaven.
AUGUSTINE. (De Don. Pers. 3.) From this passage is clearly shewn against the Pelagians that the beginning of faith is God’s gift, when Holy Church prays for unbelievers that they may begin to have faith. Moreover, seeing it is done already in the Saints, why do they yet pray that it may be done, but that they pray that they may persevere in that they have begun to be?
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. These words, As in heaven so in earth, must be taken as common to all three preceding petitions. Observe also how carefully it is worded; He said not, Father, hallow Thy name in us, Let Thy kingdom come on us, Do Thy will in us. Nor again; Let us hallow Thy name, Let us enter into Thy kingdom, Let us do Thy will; that it should not seem to be either God’s doing only, or man’s doing only. But He used a middle form of speech, and the impersonal verb; for as man can do nothing good without God’s aid, so neither does God work good in man unless man wills it.
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11. Give us this day our daily bread.
AUGUSTINE. (Enchir. 115.) These three things therefore which have been asked in the foregoing petitions, are begun here on earth, and according to our proficiency are increased in us; but in another life, as we hope, they shall be everlastingly possessed in perfection. In the four remaining petitions we ask for temporal blessings which are necessary to obtaining the eternal; the bread, which is accordingly the next petition in order, is a necessary.
JEROME. The Greek word here which we render ‘supersubstantialis,’ is ἐπιούσιος. The LXX often make use of the word περιούσιος, by which we find, on reference to the Hebrew, they always render the word sogolac. Symmachus translates it ἐξαίρετος, that is, ‘chief,’ or ‘excellent,’ though in one place he has interpreted ‘peculiar.’ When then we pray God to give us our ‘peculiar’ or ‘chief’ bread, we mean Him who says in the Gospel, I am the living bread which came down from heaven. (John 6:51.)
CYPRIAN. (ubi sup.) For Christ is the bread of life, and this bread belongs not to all men, but to us. This bread we pray that it be given day by day, lest we who are in Christ, and who daily receive the Eucharist for food of salvation, should by the admission of any grievous crime, and our being therefore forbidden the heavenly bread, be separated from the body of Christ. Hence then we pray, that we who abide in Christ, may not draw back from His sanctification and His body.
AUGUSTINE. (De Don. Pers. 4.) Here then the saints ask for perseverance of God, when they pray that they may not be separated from the body of Christ, but may abide in that holiness, committing no crime.
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM.d. Or by ‘supersubstantialis’ may be intended ‘daily.’
CASSIAN. (Coll. ix. 21.) In that He says, this day, He shews that it is to be daily taken, and that this prayer should be offered at all seasons, seeing there is no day on which we have not need, by the receiving of this bread, to confirm the heart of e inward man.
AUGUSTINE. (Serm. in Mont. ii. 7.) There is here a difficulty created by the circumstance of there being many in the East, who do not daily communicate in the Lord’s Supper. And they defend their practice on the ground of ecclesiastical authority, that they do this without offence, and are not forbidden by those who preside over the Churches. But not to pronounce any thing concerning them in either way, this ought certainly to occur to our thoughts, that we have here received of the Lord a rule for prayer which we ought not to transgress. Who then will dare to affirm that we ought to use this prayer only once? Or if twice or thrice, yet only up to that hour at which we communicate on the Lord’s body? For after that we cannot say, Give us this day that which we have already received. Or will any one on this account be able to compel us to celebrate this sacrament at the close of the day?
CASSIAN. (ubi sup.) Though the expression to-day may be understood of this present life; thus, Give us this bread while we abide in this world.
JEROME. We may also interpret the word ‘supersubstantialis’ otherwise, as that which is above all other substances, and more excellent than all creatures, to wit, the body of the Lord.
AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) Or by daily we may understand spiritual, namely, the divine precepts which we ought to meditate and work.
GREGORY. (Mor. xxiv. 7.) We call it our bread, yet pray that it may be given us, for it is God’s to give, and is made ours by our receiving it.
JEROME. Others understand it literally according to that saying of the Apostle, Having food and raiment, let us therewith be content, that the saints should have care only of present food; as it follows, Take no thought for the morrow.
AUGUSTINE. (Epist. 130. 11.) So that herein we ask for a sufficiency of all things necessary under the one name of bread.
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. We pray, Give us this day our daily bread, not only that we may have what to eat, which is common to both righteous and sinners; but that what we eat we may receive at the hand of God, which belongs only to the saints. For to him God giveth bread who earns it by righteous means; but to him who earns it by sin, the Devil it is that gives. Or that inasmuch as it is given by God, it is received sanctified; and therefore He adds our, that is, such bread as we have prepared for us, that do Thou give us, that by Thy giving it may be sanctified. Like as the Priest taking bread of the laic, sanctifies it, and then offers it to him; the bread indeed is his that brought it in offering, but that it is sanctified is the benefit from the Priest. He says Our for two reasons. First, because all things that God gives us He gives through us to others, that of what we receive of Him we may impart to the helpless. Whoso then of what he gains by his own toil bestows nothing on others, eats not his own bread only, but others’ bread also. Secondly, he who eats bread got righteously, eats his own bread; but he who eats bread got with sin, eats others’ bread.
AUGUSTINE. (Serm. in Mont. ii. 7.) Some one may perhaps find a difficulty in our here praying that we may obtain necessaries of this life, such as food and raiment, when the Lord has instructed us, Be not ye careful what ye shall eat, or wherewithal ye shall be clothed. But it is impossible not to be careful about that for the obtaining which we pray.
AUGUSTINE. (Epist. 130. 6.) But to wish for the necessaries of life and no more, is not improper; for such sufficiency is not sought for its own sake, but for the health of the body, and for such garb and appliances of the person, as may make us to be not disagreeable to those with whom we have to live in all good reputation. For these things we may pray that they may be had when we are in want of them, that they may be kept when we have them.
CHRYSOSTOM. It should be thought upon how when He had delivered to us this petition, Thy will be done as in heaven so in earth, then because He spake to men in the flesh, and not like angelic natures without passion or appetite, He now descends to the needs of our bodies. And He teaches us to pray not for money or the gratification of lust, but for daily bread; and as yet further restriction, He adds, this day, that we should not trouble ourselves with thought for the coming day.
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. And these words at first sight might seem to forbid our having it prepared for the morrow, or after the morrow. If this were so, this prayer could only suit a few; such as the Apostles who travelled hither and thither teaching—or perhaps none among us. Yet ought we so to adapt Christ’s doctrine, that all men may profit in it.
CYPRIAN. (Tr. vii. 14.) Justly therefore does the disciple of Christ make petition for to-day’s provision, without indulging excessive longings in his prayer. It were a self-contradicting and incompatible thing for us who pray that the kingdom of God may quickly come, to be looking unto long life in the world below.
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. Or; He adds, daily, that a man may eat so much only as natural reason requires, not as the lust of the flesh urges. For if you expend on one banquet as much as would suffice you for a hundred days, you are not eating to-day’s provision, but that of many days.
JEROME. In the Gospel, entitled The Gospel according to the Hebrews, ‘supersubstantialis’ is rendered ‘mohar,’ that is ‘to-morrow’s;’ so that the sense would be, Give us today to-morrow’s bread; i. e. for the time to come.
6:12
12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
CYPRIAN. (Tr. vii. 15.) After supply of food, next pardon of sin is asked for, that he who is fed of God may live in God, and not only the present and passing life be provided for, but the eternal also; whereunto we may come, if we receive the pardon of our sins, to which the Lord gives the name of debts, as he speaks further on, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me. (Mat. 18:32.) How well is it for our need, how provident and saving a thing, to be reminded that we are sinners compelled to make petition for our offences, so that in claiming God’s indulgence, the mind is recalled to a recollection of its guilt. That no man may plume himself with the pretence of innocency, and perish more wretchedly through self-exaltation, he is instructed that he commits sin every day by being commanded to pray for his sins.
AUGUSTINE. (De Don. Pers. 5.) With this weapon the Pelagian heretics received their deathblow, who dare to say that a righteous man is free altogether from sin in this life, and that of such is at this present time composed a Church, having neither spot nor wrinkle.
CHRYSOSTOM. That this prayer is meant for the faithful, both the laws of the Church teach, and the beginning of the prayer which instructs us to call God Father. In thus bidding the faithful pray for forgiveness of sin, He shews that even after baptism sin can be remitted (against the Novatians.)
CYPRIAN. (ubi sup.) He then who taught us to pray for our sins, has promised us that His fatherly mercy and pardon shall ensue. But He has added a rule besides, binding us under the fixed condition and responsibility, that we are to ask for our sins to be forgiven in such sort as we forgive them that are in debt to us.
GREGORY. (Mor. x. 15.) That good which in our penitence we ask of God, we should first turn and bestow on our neighbour.
AUGUSTINE. (Serm. in Mont. ii. 8.) This is not said of debts of money only, but of all things in which any sins against us, and among these also of money, because that he sins against you, who does not return money due to you, when he has whence he can return it. Unless you forgive this sin you cannot say, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. With what hope then does he pray, who cherishes hatred against another by whom he has been wronged? As he prays with a falsehood on his lips, when he says, I forgive, and does not forgive, so he asks indulgence of God, but no indulgence is granted him. There are many who, being unwilling to forgive those that trespass against them, will not use this prayer. How foolish! First, because he who does not pray in the manner Christ taught, is not Christ’s disciple; and secondly, because the Father does not readily hear any prayer which the Son has not dictated; for the Father knows the intention and the words of the Son, nor will He entertain such petitions as human presumption has suggested, but only those which Christ’s wisdom has set forth.
AUGUSTINE. (Enchir. 73.) Forasmuch as this so great goodness, namely, to forgive debts, and to love our enemies, cannot be possessed by so great a number as we suppose to be heard in the use of this prayer; without doubt the terms of this stipulation are fulfilled, though one have not attained to such proficiency as to love his enemy; yet if when he is requested by one, who has trespassed against him, that he would forgive him, he do forgive him from his heart; for he himself desires to be forgiven then at least when he asks forgiveness. And if one have been moved by a sense of his sin to ask forgiveness of him against whom he has sinned, he is no more to be thought on as an enemy, that there should be any thing hard in loving him, as there was when he was in active enmity.
6:13
13. And lead us not into temptation.
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. As He had above put many high things into men’s mouths, teaching them to call God their Father, to pray that His kingdom might come; so now He adds a lesson of humility, when He says, and lead us not into temptation.
AUGUSTINE. (Serm. in Mont. ii. 9.) Some copies read, Carry us not1, an equivalent word, both being a translation of one Greek word, εἰσενέγκης. Many in interpreting say, ‘Suffer us not to be led into temptation,’ as being what is implied in the word lead. For God does not of Himself lead a man, but suffer him to be led from whom He has withdrawn His aid.
CYPRIAN. (Tr. vii. 17.) Herein it is shewn that the adversary can nothing avail against us, unless God first permit him; so that all our fear and devotion ought to be addressed to God.
AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) But it is one thing to be led into temptation, another to be tempted; for without temptation none can be approved, either to himself or to another; but every man is fully known to God before all trial. Therefore we do not here pray that we may not be tempted, but that we may not be led into temptation. As if one who was to be burnt alive should pray not that he should not be touched by fire, but that he should not be burnt. For we are then led into temptation when such temptations befal us as we are not able to resist.
AUGUSTINE. (Epist. 130, 11.) When then we say, Lead us not into temptation, what we ask is, that we may not, deserted by His aid, either consent through the subtle snares, or yield to the forcible might, of any temptation.
CYPRIAN. (ubi sup.) And in so praying we are cautioned of our own infirmity and weakness, lest any presumptuously exalt himself; that while a humble and submissive confession comes first, and all is referred to God, whatever we suppliantly apply for may by His gracious favour be supplied.
AUGUSTINE. (De Don. Pers. 5.) When the Saints pray, Lead us not into temptation, what else do they pray for than that they may persevere in their sanctity. This once granted—and that it is God’s gift this, that of Him we ask it, shews-none of the Saints but holds to the end his abiding holiness; for none ceases to hold on his Christian profession, till he be first overtaken of temptation. Therefore we seek not to be led into temptation that this may not happen to us; and if it does not happen, it is God that does not permit it to happen; for there is nothing done, but what He either does, or suffers to be done. He is therefore able to turn our wills from evil to good, to raise the fallen and to direct him into the way that is pleasing to Himself, to whom not in vain we plead, Lead us not into temptation. For whoso is not led into temptation of his own evil will, is free of all temptation; for, each man is tempted of his own lust. (James 1:14.) God would have us pray to Him that we may not be led into temptation, though He could have granted it without our prayer, that we might be kept in mind who it is from whom we receive all benefits. Let the Church therefore observe her daily prayers; she prays that the unbelieving may believe, therefore it is God that turns men to the faith; she prays that the believers may persevere; God gives them perseverance even unto the end.
But deliver us from evil. Amen.
AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) We ought to pray not only that we may not be led into evil from which we are at present free; but further that we may be set free from that into which we have already been led. Therefore it follows, Deliver us from evil.
CYPRIAN. (Tr. vii. 18.) After all these preceding petitions at the conclusion of the prayer comes a sentence, comprising shortly and collectively the whole of our petitions and desires. For there remains nothing beyond for us to ask for, after petition made for God’s protection from evil; for that gained, we stand secure and safe against all things that the Devil and the world work against us. What fear hath he from this life, who has God through life for his guardian?
AUGUSTINE. (Epist. 130, 11.) This petition with which the Lord’s Prayer concludes is of such extent, that a Christian man in whatever tribulation cast, will in this petition utter groans, in this shed tears, here begin and here end his prayer. And therefore follows Amen, by which is expressed the strong desire of him that prays.
JEROME. Amen, which appears here at the close, is the seal of the Lord’s Prayer. Aquila rendered ‘faithfully’—we may perhaps ‘truly.’
CYPRIAN. (ubi sup.) We need not wonder, dearest brethren, that this is God’s prayer, seeing how His instruction comprises all our petitioning, in one saving sentence. This had already been prophesied by Isaiah the Prophet, A short word will God make in the whole earth. (Is. 10:22.) For when our Lord Jesus Christ came unto all, and gathering together the learned alike and the unlearned, did to every sex and age set forth the precepts of salvation, He made a full compendium of His instructions, that the memory of the scholars might not labour in the heavenly discipline, but accept with readiness whatsoever was necessary into a simple faith.
AUGUSTINE. (Epist. 130, 12.) And whatever other words we may use, either introductory to quicken the affections, or in conclusion to add to them, we say nothing more than is contained in the Lord’s Prayer if we pray rightly and connectedly. For he who says, Glorify thyself in all nations, as thou art glorified among as, (Ecclus. 36:4.) what else does he say than, Hallowed be thy name? (Ps. 80:3.) He who prays, Shew thy face and we shall be safe, what is it but to say, Let thy kingdom come? (Ps. 119:133.) To say, Direct my steps according to thy word, what is it more than, Thy will be done? (Prov. 30:8.) To say, Give me neither poverty nor riches, what else is it than, Give us this day our daily bread? Lord, remember David and all his mercifulness! (Ps. 131:1.) and, If I have returned evil for evil, (Ps. 7:4.) what else but, Forgive us our debts even as we forgive our debtors? He who says, Remove far from me all greediness of belly, what else does he say, but Lead us not into temptation? (Ps. 59:1.) He who says, Save me, O my God, from my enemies, what else does he say but Deliver us from evil? And if you thus go through all the words of the holy prayers, you will find nothing that is not contained in the Lord’s Prayer. Whoever then speaks such words as have no relation to this evangelic prayer, prays carnally; and such prayer I know not why we should not pronounce unlawful, seeing the Lord instructs those who are born again only to pray spiritually. But whoso in prayer says, Lord, increase my riches, add to my honours; and that from desire of such things, not with a view to doing men service after God’s will by such things; I think that he finds nothing in the Lord’s Prayer on which he may build such petitions. Let such an one then be withheld by shame from praying for, if not from desiring, such things. But if he have shame at the desire, yet desire overcomes, he will do better to pray for deliverance from the evil of desire to Him to whom we say, Deliver us from evil.
AUGUSTINE. (Serm. in Mont. ii. 11.) This number of petitions seems to answer to the seven-fold number of the beatitudes. If it is the fear of God by which are made blessed the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, let us ask that the name of God be hallowed among men, a reverent fear abiding for ever and ever. If it be piety by which the meek are blessed, let us pray that His kingdom may come, that we may become meek, and not resist Him. If it be knowledge by which they that mourn are blessed, let us pray that His will may be done as in heaven so in earth; for if the body consent with the spirit as does earth with heaven, we shall not mourn. If fortitude be that by which they that hunger are blessed, let us pray that our daily bread be this day given us, by which we may come to full saturity. If it is counsel by which blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy, let us forgive debts, that our debts may be forgiven us. If it be understanding by which they of pure heart are blessed, let us pray that we be not led into temptation, lest we have a double heart in the pursuit of temporal and earthly things which are for our probation. If it be wisdom by which blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God, let us pray to be delivered from evil; for that very deliverance will make us free as sons of God.
CHRYSOSTOM. Having made us anxious by the mention of our enemy, in this that He has said Deliver us from evil, He again restores confidence by that which is added in some copies, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, since if His be the kingdom, none need fear, since even he who fights against us, must be His subject. But since His power and glory are infinite, He can not only deliver from evil, but also make glorious.
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. This is also connected with the foregoing. Thine is the kingdom has reference to Thy kingdom come, that none should therefore say, God has no kingdom on earth. The power, answers to Thy will be done, as in earth so in heaven, that none should say thereon that God cannot perform whatever He would. And the glory, answers to all that follows, in which God’s glory is shewn forth.
6:14–15
14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
RABANUS. By the word Amen, He shews that without doubt the Lord will bestow all things that are rightly asked, and by those that do not fail in observing the annexed condition, For if ye forgive men their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you your sins.
AUGUSTINE. (Serm. in Mont. ii. 11.) Here we should not overlook that of all the petitions enjoined by the Lord, He judged that most worthy of further enforcement, which relates to forgiveness of sins, in which He would have us merciful; which is the only means of escaping misery.
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. He does not say that God will first forgive us, and that we should after forgive our debtors. For God knows how treacherous the heart of man is, and that though they should have received forgiveness themselves, yet they do not forgive their debtors; therefore He instructs us first to forgive, and we shall be forgiven after.
AUGUSTINE. (Enchir. 74.) Whoever does not forgive him that in true sorrow seeks forgiveness, let him not suppose that his sins are by any means forgiven of the Lord.
CYPRIAN. (Tr. vii. 16.) For no excuse will abide you in the day of judgment, when you will be judged by your own sentence, and as you have dealt towards others, will be dealt with yourself.
JEROME. But if that which is written, I said, Ye are gods, but ye shall die like men, (Ps. 83:6, 7.) is said to those who for their sins deserve to become men instead of gods, then they to whom sins are forgiven are rightly called men.
CHRYSOSTOM. He mentions heaven and the Father to claim our attention, for nothing so likens you to God, as to forgive him who has injured you. And it were indeed unmeet should the son of such a Father become a slave, and should one who has a heavenly vocation live as of this earth, and of this life only.
Matthew | |||
English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
Matthew 6 | |||
7. | And when you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens. For they think that in their much speaking they may be heard. | Orantes autem, nolite multum loqui, sicut ethnici, putant enim quod in multiloquio suo exaudiantur. | προσευχομενοι δε μη βαττολογησητε ωσπερ οι εθνικοι δοκουσιν γαρ οτι εν τη πολυλογια αυτων εισακουσθησονται |
8. | Be not you therefore like to them, for your Father knoweth what is needful for you, before you ask him. | Nolite ergo assimilari eis : scit enim Pater vester, quid opus sit vobis, antequam petatis eum. | μη ουν ομοιωθητε αυτοις οιδεν γαρ ο πατηρ υμων ων χρειαν εχετε προ του υμας αιτησαι αυτον |
9. | Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. | Sic ergo vos orabitis : Pater noster, qui es in cælis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. | ουτως ουν προσευχεσθε υμεις πατερ ημων ο εν τοις ουρανοις αγιασθητω το ονομα σου |
10. | Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. | Adveniat regnum tuum ; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo et in terra. | ελθετω η βασιλεια σου γενηθητω το θελημα σου ως εν ουρανω και επι της γης |
11. | Give us this day our supersubstantial bread. | Panem nostrum supersubstantialem da nobis hodie, | τον αρτον ημων τον επιουσιον δος ημιν σημερον |
12. | And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. | et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. | και αφες ημιν τα οφειληματα ημων ως και ημεις αφιεμεν τοις οφειλεταις ημων |
13. | And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen. | Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen. | και μη εισενεγκης ημας εις πειρασμον αλλα ρυσαι ημας απο του πονηρου οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην |
14. | For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences. | Si enim dimiseritis hominibus peccata eorum : dimittet et vobis Pater vester cælestis delicta vestra. | εαν γαρ αφητε τοις ανθρωποις τα παραπτωματα αυτων αφησει και υμιν ο πατηρ υμων ο ουρανιος |
15. | But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences. | Si autem non dimiseritis hominibus : nec Pater vester dimittet vobis peccata vestra. | εαν δε μη αφητε τοις ανθρωποις τα παραπτωματα αυτων ουδε ο πατηρ υμων αφησει τα παραπτωματα υμων |
(*) Verse 13 ends in the original "οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην" -- "for Thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory in the ages, amen".
Back home she was resented by a jealous housekeeper, who made her life difficult and misrepresented her to her father. This created an unpleasant home situation requiring patience and acceptance of suffering.
Devoted to prayer and chastity she sought to accomplish the will of God. She ran afoul of her father a number of ways including when in an effort to provide charity she brought food and medicines to the poor and even invited them to her home. She also dismissed several young men who sought her hand in marriage and spent considerable time closeted away in her room or sneaking off to the church for prayer. Her desire to live a deeper spiritual life was a source of many domestic troubles.
As she matured she gradually formed the idea of founding a Congregation so that the sick and poor could have constant care and attention day and night. Through her prayer and spiritual life she had developed a very close relationship with God, who favoured her with intimate graces and support. She had learnt to depend totally on the Providence of God and such was her faith and confidence that she was able to function, secure in the knowledge that she was following God’s will.
In 1832 at age 35 her maternal grandfather died and Emilie received a large inheritance. She used it to found the missionary community the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition with a passionate desire to bring Christ into the world through missionary outreach.
At her death in 1856 her Congregation had been in existence for twenty four years. It had supplied missionaries for countries as varied as Algeria, Tunisia, France, Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Syria, Greece, Burma, Palestine, Turkey, Crete and Australia.
She was canonized in 1951 by Pope Pius XII. Her feast day is June 17th.
From: 2 Corinthians 11:1-11
His Zeal
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[1] I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! [2] I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I betrothed you to Christ to present you as a pure bride to her one husband. [3] But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. [4] For if some one comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough. [5] I think that I am not in the least inferior to these superlative apostles. [6] Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not in knowledge; in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.
He Preached Accepting No Material Support
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[7] Did I commit a sin in abasing myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God's gospel without cost to you? [8] I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. [9] And when I was with you and was in want, I did not burden any one, for my needs were supplied by the brethren who came from Macedonia. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. [10] As the truth of Christ is in me, this boast of mine shall not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. [11] And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
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Commentary:
11:1-12:18. In spite of what he has just said, St Paul here goes on to provide an elaborate justification of his conduct. He has a profound distaste for this and throughout the apologia he repeatedly excuses himself (cf. 11:1, 16-18, 21, 23; 12:1, 6, 11); but he feels he has to go through with it because it is the only way he can counter the effects of his enemies' criticism. He opens his heart to the Corinthians to show the sufferings his life as an apostle involves and the wonderful revelations God has deigned to give him; this will make them realize who this man is who first preached the Gospel among them, and they can then compare his credentials with those his attackers.
The whole passage shows very clearly St Paul's passionate temperament and his ardent zeal for souls; he does not mind doing something which costs him a great deal, if that is what has to be done to ensure that souls he has won for Christ are not lost; and he overlooks the fact that the Corinthians have not spoken out on his behalf (as was their duty: cf. 12:11), that they have not responded to his love and vigilance for them (cf. 12:15), or that his words have been misinterpreted (cf. 12:19). His attitude stands as a very good example of upright intention: he devotes his whole life to souls, seeking no human recompense (cf. 12:15).
He begins by asking them to forgive his boasting (11:1-6), and goes on to point out that one of his boasts is that he had no worldly purpose of any kind when preaching in Corinth (11:7-1S). Again he asks them to forgive his boasting (11:16-21) and then lists the other points on which he can claim credit--the sufferings in which preaching has involved him (11:22-33) and the visions the Lord has granted him (12:1-10). And at the end of the apologia he again asks them to forgive him (12:11-18).
2-3. The simile of the husband and wife is often used in the Old Testament to describe the relationship between God and his people (cf. Is 62:5; Jer 3:6ff; Ezek 16:8ff). God--who says of himself, "I the Lord your God am a jealous God" (Ex 20:5)--tells his people, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might" (Deut 6:5; cf. Mt 22:37). In the New Testament Christ is the husband and the Church his bride (cf. Eph 5:25ff; Rev 21:9; 22:17), "whom he redeemed with his blood, and he gave the Holy Spirit to her as his pledge. He saved her from the slavery of the devil; he gave his life for her sins and he arose for her justification" (St Augustine, In Ioann. Evang., 8, 4).
St Paul acts the part of the bridegroom's friend (cf. Jn 3:29) whose duty it is to protect the virginity of the bride, and he sees the danger she is in from the snares of her enemies.
"The Apostle", St Thomas comments, "is saying that the Church is like Eve; the devil sometimes attacks her openly by the actions of tyrants and powers, in which case he is 'like a roaring lion (who) prowls around seeking some one to devour' (1 Pet 5:8). At other times he molests her in a hidden way through heresies which promise the truth and pretend to be sound--in which case he is like the serpent who seduces in an astute way, promising things he cannot give" (Commentary on 2 Cor, ad loc.).
4. It is not possible to say exactly whether the Apostle is referring to something which actually happened, or whether he is proposing an absurd hypothesis. If the first, he may be referring to the teachings of the Judaizers, who were arguing that in order to be saved it was necessary to keep the prescriptions of the Old Law--which meant substituting the spirit of sons of God for the spirit of slavery, thereby undervaluing the person of Christ and his work of salvation.
If he is proposing a theoretical case, what he means is that if anyone preaches to them a more sublime Gospel than the one he has preached they would do well to listen to that preacher; but that could not happen, because there is only one Jesus and only one Gospel (cf. Gal 1:6-9), and, moreover, as he goes on to tell them in detail, he is in no way inferior to these intruders who are making out that they are apostles.
"Another Jesus": this follows the Greek text. The New Vulgate has "another Christ".
5-6. In speaking here of these "superlative apostles" St Paul does not seem to be referring to the Apostles chosen by our Lord, but rather to be alluding sarcastically to his opponents. Later on he will refer to them again in the same terms (12:11; cf. 1 Cor 11:12f).
"Unskilled in speaking": this cannot mean that the Apostle had special difficulty in expressing himself: he must mean that he is not a professional orator, that is, someone who, after the style of the time, had been trained in rhetoric. Elsewhere he has spoken at length to the Corinthians (cf. 1 Cor 1:18-34) about his apparent lack of eloquence, and the divine wisdom which he nevertheless communicated.
7-15. St Paul made a point of preaching the Gospel without reward, not exercising his right to be financially supported by the faithful but instead earning enough through work to maintain himself: this clearly shows the uprightness of his intention. This he explained previously (cf. 1 Cor 9:4-18 and corresponding notes), and now repeats: he sees this as something praiseworthy and does not intend to alter his practice (v. 10), particularly as it marks him as different from the false apostles who have appeared in Corinth. So, it is not lack of affection for the Corinthians that has led him to act in this way, nor, as he says ironically (v. 1), is he wrong in doing so.
In Corinth, specifically, he worked at tent-making with Aquila and Priscilla (cf. Acts 18:1-3). He experienced want, and had to "rob" others--as he says, by way of exaggeration (v. 8)--in order to be able to keep on serving them: possibly he is referring to Silas and Timothy as those who brought him the wherewithal from Macedonia (Acts 18:5). As we point out in the note on I Corinthians 9:15-18, the only exception he made was in the case of the Philippians (Philippi was the capital of Macedonia), whom he allowed to meet his need on occasions (cf. Phil 4:15f).
Once again we can see Paul's remarkable capacity for work and self-sacrifice; in this he sets an example for all Christians. "What did the holy apostles teach us, or what do they teach us?", St Bernard asks himself. "Not the skill of the fisherman, not how to make tents or things like that [...]. They taught us how to live. Do you think that knowing how to live is not much? It is a great deal, or rather the greatest thing of all [...]. The upright life I judge to consist in suffering evils, doing good and persevering like that to death" (Sermon on the Feast of Sts Peter and Paul, I, 3).
11. "God knows I do": this sentence, in the original, is somewhat ambiguous; but he obviously is calling God to witness how much he loves the Corinthians
An Upright Intention in Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting
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(Jesus said to His disciples,) [7] "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. [8] Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. [9] Pray then like this: Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. [10] Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread; [12] And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors; [13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [14] For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father also will forgive you; [15] but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
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Commentary:
1-18. "Piety", here, means good works (cf. note on Matthew 5:6). Our Lord is indicating the kind of spirit in which we should do acts of personal piety. Almsgiving, fasting and prayer were the basic forms taken by personal piety among the chosen people--which is why Jesus refers to these three subjects. With complete authority He teaches that true piety must be practised with an upright intention, in the presence of God and without any ostentation. Piety practised in this way implies exercising our faith in God who sees us--and also in the safe knowledge that He will reward those who are sincerely devout.
7-8. Jesus condemns the superstitious notion that long prayers are needed to attract God's attention. True piety is not so much a matter of the amount of words as of the frequency and the love with which the Christian turns towards God in all the events, great or small, of his day. Vocal prayer is good, and necessary; but the words count only if they express our inner feelings.
9-13. The "Our Father" is, without any doubt, the most commented-on passage in all Sacred Scripture. Numerous great Church writers have left us commentaries full of poetry and wisdom. The early Christians, taught by the precepts of salvation, and following the divine commandment, centered their prayer on this sublime and simple form of words given them by Jesus. And the last Christians, too, will raise their hearts to say the "Our Father" for the last time when they are on the point of being taken to Heaven. In the meantime, from childhood to death, the "Our Father" is a prayer which fills us with hope and consolation. Jesus fully realized how helpful this prayer would be to us. We are grateful to Him for giving it to us, to the Apostles for passing it on to us and, in the case of most Christians, to our mothers for teaching it to us in our infancy. So important is the Lord's Prayer that from apostolic times it has been used, along with the Creed, the Ten Commandments and the Sacraments, as the basis of Christian catechesis. Catechumens were introduced to the life of prayer by the "Our Father", and our catechisms today use it for that purpose.
St. Augustine says that the Lord's Prayer is so perfect that it sums up in a few words everything man needs to ask God for (cf. Sermon, 56). It is usually seen as being made up of an invocation and seven petitions--three to do with praise of God and four with the needs of men.
9. It is a source of great consolation to be able to call God "our Father"; Jesus, the Son of God, teaches men to invoke God as Father because we are indeed His children, and should feel towards Him in that way.
"The Lord [...] is not a tyrannical master or a rigid and implacable judge; He is our Father. He speaks to us about our lack of generosity, our sins, our mistakes; but He also does so in order to free us from them, to promise us His friendship and His love [...]. A child of God treats the Lord as his Father. He is not obsequious and servile, he is not merely formal and well-mannered; he is completely sincere and trusting" (St J. Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 64).
"Hallowed by Thy name": in the Bible a person's "name" means the same as the person himself. Here the name of God means God Himself. Why pray that His name be hallowed, sanctified? We do not mean sanctification in the human sense--leaving evil behind and drawing closer to God--for God is Holiness Itself. God, rather, is sanctified when His holiness is acknowledged and honored by His creatures—which is what this first petition of the "Our Father" means (cf. St. Pius Catechism, IV, 10).
10. "Thy Kingdom come": this brings up again the central idea of the Gospel of Jesus Christ--the coming of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is so identical with the life and work of Jesus Christ that the Gospel is referred to now as the Gospel of Jesus Christ, now as the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 9:35). On the notion of the Kingdom of God see the commentary on Matthew 3:2 and 4:17. The coming of the Kingdom of God is the realization of God's plan of salvation in the world. The Kingdom establishes itself in the first place in the core of man's being, raising him up to share in God's own inner life. This elevation has, as it were, two stages--the first, in this life, where it is brought about by grace; the second, definitive stage in eternal life, where man's elevation to the supernatural level is fully completed. We for our part need to respond to God spontaneously, lovingly and trustingly.
"Thy will be done": this third petition expresses two desires. The first is that man identify humbly and unconditionally with God's will--abandonment in the arms of his Father God. The second that the will of God be fulfilled, that man cooperate with it in full freedom. For example, God's will is to be found in the moral aspect of the divine law--but this law is not forced on man. One of the signs of the coming of the Kingdom is man's loving fulfillment of God's will. The second part of the petition, "on earth as it is in Heaven", means that, just as the angels and saints in Heaven are fully at one with God's will, so--we desire--should the same thing obtain on earth.
Our effort to do God's will proves that we are sincere when we say the words, "Thy will be done." For our Lord says, "Not every one who says to Me, `Lord, Lord' shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven." (Matthew 7:21). "Anyone, then, who sincerely repeats this petition, `Fiat voluntas tua', must, at least in intention, have done this already" (St. Teresa of Avila, Way of Perfection, chapter 36).
11. In making this fourth petition, we are thinking primarily of our needs in this present life. The importance of this petition is that it declares that the material things we need in our lives are good and lawful. It gives a deep religious dimension to the support of life: what Christ's disciple obtains through his own work is also something for which he should implore God--and he should receive it gratefully as a gift from God. God is our support in life: by asking God to support him and by realizing that it is God who is providing this support, the Christian avoids being worried about material needs. Jesus does not want us to pray for wealth or to be attached to material things, but to seek and make sober use of what meets our needs. Hence, in Matthew as well as in Luke (Luke 11:2), there is reference to having enough food for every day. This fourth petition, then, has to do with moderate use of food and material things--far from the extremes of opulence and misery, as God already taught in the Old Testament "Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food which is needful for me, lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, `Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God" (Proverbs 30:8).
The Fathers of the Church interpreted the bread asked for here not only as material food but also as referring to the Blessed Eucharist, without which our spirit cannot stay alive.
According to the St. Pius V Catechism (cf. IV, 13, 21) the Eucharist is called our daily bread because it is offered daily to God in the Holy Mass and because we should worthily receive it, every day if possible, as St. Ambrose advises: "If the bread is daily, why do you take it only once a year [...]? Receive daily what is of benefit to you daily! So live that you may deserve to receive it daily!" (De Sacramentis, V, 4).
12. "Debts": clearly, here, in the sense of sin. In the Aramaic of Jesus' time the same word was used for offense and debt. In this fifth petition, then, we admit that we are debtors because we have offended God. The Old Testament is full of references to man's sinful condition. Even the "righteous" are sinners. Recognizing our sins is the first step in every conversion to God. It is not a question of recognizing that we have sinned in the past but of confessing our present sinful condition. Awareness of our sinfulness makes us realize our religious need to have recourse to the only One who can cure it. Hence the advantage of praying insistently, using the Lord's Prayer to obtain God's forgiveness time and again.
The second part of this petition is a serious call to forgive our fellow-men, for we cannot dare to ask God to forgive us if we are not ready to forgive others. The Christian needs to realize what this prayer implies: unwillingness to forgive others means that one is condemning oneself (see the notes on Matthew 5:23-24 and 18:21:21-35).
13. "And lead us not into temptation": "We do not ask to be totally exempt from temptation, for human life is one continuous temptation (cf. Job 7:1). What, then, do we pray for in this petition? We pray that the divine assistance may not forsake us, lest having been deceived, or worsted, we should yield to temptation; and that the grace of God may be at hand to succor us when our strength fails, to refresh and invigorate us in our trials" (St. Pius V Catechism, IV, 15, 14).
In this petition of the "Our Father" we recognize that our human efforts alone do not take us very far in trying to cope with temptation, and that we need to have humble recourse to God, to get the strength we need. For, "God is strong enough to free you from everything and can do you more good than all the devils can do you harm. All that God decrees is that you confide in Him, that you draw near Him, that you trust Him and distrust yourself, and so be helped; and with this help you will defeat whatever hell brings against you. Never lose hold of this firm hope [...] even if the demons are legion and all kinds of severe temptations harass you. Lean upon Him, because if the Lord is not your support and your strength, then you will fall and you will be afraid of everything" (St. John of Avila, Sermons, 9, First Sunday of Lent).
"But deliver us from evil": in this petition, which, in a way, sums up the previous petitions, we ask the Lord to free us from everything our enemy does to bring us down; we cannot be free of him unless God Himself free us, in response to our prayers.
This sentence can also be translated as "Deliver us from the Evil One", that is to say, the devil, who is in the last analysis the author of all evils to which we are prone.
In making this request we can be sure that our prayer will be heard because Jesus Christ, when He was on the point of leaving this world, prayed to the Father for the salvation of all men: "I do not pray that Thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldst keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15).
14-15. In verses 14 and 15 St. Matthew gives us a sort of commentary of our Lord on the fifth petition of the "Our Father".
A God who forgives is a wonderful God. But if God, who is thrice-holy, has mercy on the sinner, how much more ought we to forgive others—we sinners, who know from our own experience the wretchedness of sin. No one on earth is perfect. Just as God loves us, even though we have defects, and forgives us, we should love others, even though they have defects, and forgive them. If we wait to love people who have no defects, we shall never love anyone. If we wait until others mend their ways or apologize, we will scarcely ever forgive them. But then we ourselves will never be forgiven. "All right: that person has behaved badly towards you. But, haven't you behaved worse towards God?" (St J. Escriva, The Way, 686).
Thus, forgiving those who have offended us makes us like our Father, God: "In loving our enemies there shines forth in us some likeness to God our Father, who, by the death of His Son, ransomed from everlasting perdition and reconciled to Himself the human race, which before was most unfriendly and hostile to Him" (St. Pius V Catechism, IV, 14, 19).
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