The Pater Noster

Learning and loving the Lord’s Prayer

03/03/2020

Matthew 6:7-15 Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This is how you are to pray: 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. “If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

Today’s gospel reading from Matthew 6 presents us with the perfect prayer, also known as the Our Father, or Pater Noster in Latin, based on the first two words of the prayer. By the way, that is usually how prayers and even major papal documents are identified in Latin: Ave Maria for Hail Mary, Salve Regina for Hail, Holy Queen, Humanae vitae for Paul VI’s encyclical On Human Life and Dominium et Vivificantem, the title of John Paul II’s letter on the Holy Spirit. It is also often called the Lord’s Prayer” because Jesus teaches it to his disciples in Matthew 6 as the core of the Sermon on the Mount and in Luke 11 when Jesus answers his disciples’ request to teach them how to pray as John the Baptist taught his followers how to pray.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says simply: “The Lord’s Prayer is truly a summary of the whole gospel” (Catechism, 2761). In other words, the Pater Noster is an excellent summation of the entire sacred scriptures. The Catechism a little later quotes St. Augustine, the doctor of grace, who wrote beautifully: “Run through all the words of the holy prayers [in Scripture], and I do not think that you will find anything in them that is not contained and included in the Lord’s Prayer.” Basically, if you memorize and meditate on the Our Father, you will understand the whole message of the Bible. The fourth part of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is devoted to “Christian Prayer,” and most of that provides an excellent explanation of the Lord’s Prayer. Today, you should take time to read the Catechism nn. 2759-2865, which concludes the Catechism.

Let me mention one of the many riches our Church offers us in this perfect prayer. Traditionally, the prayer has been recognized to contain seven petitions. The first three refer directly to our relationship with God – hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done. The last four petitions deal with life on earth and love of our brothers and sisters. In that way it is analogous to the Ten Commandments. How so? Well, the first three commandments concern how we should love God, and the remaining seven commandments have to do with loving our neighbor. In other words, the Lord’s Prayer, like the Ten Commandments, helps us fulfill the two-fold and basic law of love of God and love of neighbor.

And by the way, that two-fold commandment of love of God and love of neighbor is also “a summary of the whole gospel.” Hence, Jesus declared in Matthew 22:4, “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” Last night during our bible study class, I tried to demonstrate how that phrase “the law and the prophets” was a catch-phrase that referred to the whole Old Testament, all 46 books, not merely the Pentateuch and the prophets. Again, we see how the Lord’s Prayer is a summary of the gospel when we see how the seven petitions teach us to love God and our neighbor. The Lord’s Prayer fulfills the Law and the Prophets.

Now, I would like to do something a little fun. As you probably know, the 27 New Testament books were not originally written in English. I say that with great respect to some Protestants who rashly claim: “If the King James Bible was good enough for Jesus, then it’s good enough for me!” Well, the KJV was not published until 1611 by King James I, so I doubt that’s what Jesus was reading. The New Testament was originally written n Greek, and therefore the biblical version of the Lord’s Prayer was originally in Greek. Now, bear in mind, Jesus and his apostles spoke Aramaic, not Greek. But I would like to read the Lord’s Prayer to you in Greek, so you can how Matthew actually wrote it.

“Pater hēmōn ho en tois ouranois, hagiasthētō to onoma sou elthetō hē basileia sou, genēthētō to thelēma sou hōs en ouranō(i) kai epi gēs, ton arton hēmōn ton epiousion dos hēmin sēmeron, kai aphes hēmin ta opheilēmata hēmōn hōs, kai hēmeis aphēkamen tois opheiletais hēmōn, kai mē eisenegkēs hēmas eis peirasmon alla rhusai hēmas apo tou ponērou. Amen.”

Now if someone asks you what did Fr. John talk about in the homily today, you can answer honestly: “I don’t have any idea; it was all Greek to me.” That’s probably how most people feel after listening to one of my homilies. And please forgive me if I screwed up in pronouncing the perfect prayer.

Praised be Jesus Christ!