On the Lord's Prayer 23–36

He has plainly joined and added a law, binding us by a fixed condition and pledge, that we should ask for our debts to be forgiven us in the same way as we ourselves forgive our debtors, knowing that what we ask for our sins cannot be obtained unless we ourselves have done the same to those who sin against us. Therefore he says in another place too: "With the measure with which you have measured, it will be measured back to you." And the servant who, after all his debt had been forgiven him by his master, would not himself forgive his fellow servant, is bound again in prison: because he would not pardon his fellow servant, he lost what had been pardoned him by his master. Christ sets this forth still more strongly in his precepts with greater force of his censure: "When you stand to pray," he says, "forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven may also forgive you your sins. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive you your sins." No excuse remains for you on the day of judgment, when you are judged according to your own sentence, and whatever you have done you yourself also suffer. For God commanded us to be peacemakers and in concord and of one mind in his house, and such as he made us by the second birth, such he wishes us to persevere when reborn, so that we who are sons of God may remain in the peace of God, and that those who have one Spirit may have one heart and one mind. So God does not receive the sacrifice of one who is at variance, and bids him turn back from the altar and first be reconciled to his brother, so that God too may be appeased by peaceful prayers. The greater sacrifice to God is our peace and brotherly concord, and a people made one from the unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

For in the sacrifices which Abel and Cain first offered, God looked not at their gifts but at their hearts, so that he was pleasing in his gift who was pleasing in his heart. Abel, peaceable and righteous, while he sacrificed innocently to God, taught others also, when they offer their gift at the altar, to come so: with the fear of God, with a simple heart, with the law of righteousness, with the peace of concord. Rightly, being such in God's sacrifice, he himself afterwards became a sacrifice to God, so that, being the first to show martyrdom, he began the Lord's passion by the glory of his own blood, having both the righteousness and the peace of the Lord. Such, in the end, are crowned by the Lord; such will be vindicated with the Lord on the day of judgment. But one who is discordant and at variance, and has no peace with the brothers, as the blessed apostle and holy Scripture testify, will not escape the crime of brotherly dissension even if he is killed for the name; because, as it is written, "He who hates his brother is a murderer," and a murderer does not attain to the kingdom or live with God. He cannot be with Christ who has preferred to be an imitator of Judas rather than of Christ. What a sin it is that cannot be washed away even by the baptism of blood! What a crime that cannot be expiated by martyrdom!

The Lord also necessarily warns us to say in prayer: "And do not allow us to be led into temptation." In this part it is shown that the adversary can do nothing against us unless God has first permitted it, so that all our fear and devotion and attention may be turned to God, since in temptations nothing is lawful for the evil one unless power is granted from there. Scripture proves it, saying: "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it, and the Lord gave it into his hand." And power is given to the evil one against us according to our sins, as it is written: "Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to those who plundered him? Was it not God, against whom they sinned, and in whose ways they would not walk, nor hear his law? And he brought upon them the wrath of his fury." And again, when Solomon sinned and departed from the precepts and ways of the Lord, it is set down: "And the Lord stirred up Satan against Solomon himself."

Power is given against us in two ways: either for punishment when we sin, or for glory when we are tested, as we see was done in the case of Job, God making it plain and saying: "See, all that he has I give into your hands; but beware of touching him himself." And the Lord in the gospel speaks at the time of his passion: "You would have no power against me unless it were given you from above." And when we ask that we may not come into temptation, we are reminded of our weakness and frailty as we ask so, lest anyone exalt himself insolently, lest anyone proudly and arrogantly claim anything for himself, lest anyone regard as his own the glory of confession or suffering; since the Lord himself, teaching humility, said: "Watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak"; so that, while a humble and submissive confession goes first and all is given to God, whatever is asked suppliantly with fear and honour of God may be granted by his kindness.

After all these, at the completion of the prayer comes a closing clause, concluding all our petitions and prayers in a brief summary. For at the end we put: "But deliver us from evil," including all adverse things which the enemy plots against us in this world, from which there can be a firm and faithful protection if God delivers us, if he grants his help to us as we pray and implore. And when we say "Deliver us from evil," nothing remains that ought to be asked further, once we ask for God's protection against evil; and when this has been obtained, we stand secure and safe against all that the devil and the world contrive. For what fear from the world is there for him whose protector in the world is God?

What wonder is it, dearest brothers, if such is the prayer that God taught, who by his teaching has shortened all our prayer into a saving word? This had already been foretold through the prophet Isaiah, when, filled with the Holy Spirit, he spoke of God's majesty and kindness: "Completing and shortening the word in righteousness," he says, "for God will make a shortened word in the whole world." For when the Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, came to all, and, gathering learned and unlearned alike, gave out the precepts of salvation to every sex and age, he made a great summary of his precepts, so that the memory of learners should not labour in the heavenly teaching, but should learn quickly what was necessary to simple faith. So, when he was teaching what eternal life is, he embraced the mystery of life with great and divine brevity, saying: "And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." Likewise, when he was drawing out the first and greatest precepts from the law and the prophets, he said: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord your God is one Lord," and: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. This is the first; and the second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole law and the prophets." And again: "Whatever good things you wish that men should do to you, so do also to them. For this is the law and the prophets."

Not only by words but also by deeds God has taught us to pray, himself praying and entreating frequently, and showing by the testimony of his example what we ought to do, as it is written: "But he withdrew into the wilderness and prayed"; and again: "He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." But if he who was without sin prayed, how much more ought sinners to pray! And if he prayed with continual petitions, watching constantly through the whole night, how much more ought we to watch at night in frequent prayer!

But the Lord prayed and asked not for himself (for what would the innocent one pray for on his own behalf?) but for our sins, as he himself declares when he says to Peter: "See, Satan asked to trouble you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail." And afterwards he entreats the Father for all, saying: "But I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us." Great is God's kindness and goodness alike for our salvation, that, not content to redeem us with his blood, he should pray for us still more. But see what the desire of him who prayed was: that as the Father and the Son are one, so we too should remain in that very unity; so that from this too it may be understood how greatly he sins who splits unity and peace, since the Lord prayed for this very thing, wishing, of course, that his people should live, since he knew that discord does not come to the kingdom of God.

And when we stand for prayer, dearest brothers, we ought to be watchful and apply ourselves to our petitions with our whole heart. Let every fleshly and worldly thought depart, and let the mind think of nothing but that alone for which it prays. For this reason the priest too, before the prayer, prepares the minds of the brothers by first saying a preface: "Lift up your hearts," so that, when the people answer, "We lift them up to the Lord," they may be reminded that they ought to think of nothing but the Lord. Let the heart be closed against the adversary and be open to God alone, and let it not allow the enemy of God to approach it at the time of prayer. For he often creeps in and penetrates, and, subtly deceiving, calls our prayers away from God, so that we have one thing in our heart and another in our voice, when not the sound of the voice but the mind and heart ought to pray to the Lord with sincere intention. And what sloth it is to be distracted and carried away by foolish and profane thoughts when you are praying to the Lord, as if there were anything you ought to think of more than that you are speaking with God! How do you ask to be heard by God when you do not hear yourself? Do you want the Lord to be mindful of you when you pray, when you yourself are not mindful of yourself? This is to be altogether off guard against the enemy; this is, when you pray to God, to offend the majesty of God by carelessness in prayer; this is to be awake with the eyes and asleep in the heart, whereas a Christian ought, even when asleep in the eyes, to be awake in the heart, as it is written in the person of the church speaking in the Song of Songs: "I sleep, and my heart is awake." Therefore the apostle warns anxiously and carefully, saying: "Persevere in prayer, watching in it"; teaching, of course, and showing that those can obtain what they ask of God whom God sees watchful in prayer.

And let those who pray not come to God with fruitless or bare prayers. A petition is ineffective when a barren prayer entreats God. For since every tree that does not bear fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire, surely words that bear no fruit cannot win God's favour either, because they are fruitful in no good work. And therefore the divine Scripture instructs us, saying: "Prayer is good with fasting and almsgiving." For he who on the day of judgment will render a reward for works and alms is today too a kind hearer of one who comes to prayer with good works. So, finally, Cornelius the centurion, when he prayed, deserved to be heard. He was one who did many alms among the people and always prayed to God. As he was praying about the ninth hour, an angel stood by him, bearing witness to his deeds and saying: "Cornelius, your prayers and your alms have gone up for a remembrance before God."

Prayers go up quickly to God when the merits of our works commend them to God. So too the angel Raphael stood by Tobit, who was always praying and always working, saying: "It is honourable to reveal and confess the works of God. For when you and Sarah prayed, I offered the remembrance of your prayer in the sight of the glory of God; and when you buried the dead in simplicity, and because you did not hesitate to rise and leave your dinner, but went and buried the dead man, I was sent to test you; and again God sent me to heal you and Sarah your daughter-in-law. For I am Raphael, one of the seven righteous angels who stand and go about before the glory of God." Through Isaiah too the Lord warns and teaches similar things, testifying: "Loose every knot of injustice," he says, "undo the stranglings of oppressive contracts; let the broken go free into rest, and tear up every unjust bond; break your bread to the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; if you see the naked, clothe him, and do not despise those of your own seed. Then your light will break forth in its season, and your garments will spring up quickly, and righteousness will go before you, and the glory of God will surround you. Then you will cry out, and God will hear you; while you are still speaking, he will say: 'Here I am.'" He promises that he is present, and says that he hears and protects those who, loosing the knots of injustice from their heart and giving alms to the household of God according to his precepts, while they hear what God commands to be done, themselves also deserve to be heard by God. The blessed apostle Paul, helped by the brothers in his need of affliction, said that the works that are done are sacrifices to God: "I am filled," he says, "having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, an odour of sweetness, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God." For when one has pity on the poor he lends to God, and he who gives to the least gives to God; he offers spiritually to God odours of sweetness.

In celebrating prayers, we find that the three youths, with Daniel, strong in faith and victorious in captivity, observed the third, sixth, and ninth hours, as a sacrament, of course, of the Trinity, which was to be made manifest in the last times. For the first hour, coming to the third, shows the completed number of the Trinity; and likewise the fourth, proceeding to the sixth, declares a second trinity; and when from the seventh the ninth is completed, a perfect trinity is counted by threes of hours. The worshippers of God, determining these spaces of hours spiritually long ago, kept to them as fixed and lawful times for prayer. And it was afterwards made manifest that these were sacraments of old, because the righteous prayed so before. For at the third hour the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, fulfilling the grace of the Lord's promise. Likewise Peter, going up to the housetop at the sixth hour, was instructed by the sign and also by the voice of God admonishing him, to admit all to the grace of salvation, when before he had doubted about cleansing the gentiles. And the Lord, crucified at the sixth hour, at the ninth washed away our sins with his blood, and, that he might redeem and give us life, he then accomplished his victory by his passion.

But for us, dearest brothers, besides the hours observed of old, the times and sacraments of praying have now increased. For we must pray in the morning too, so that the Lord's resurrection may be celebrated by morning prayer. This the Holy Spirit signified long ago in the psalms, saying: "My King and my God, for to you I will pray, O Lord; in the morning you will hear my voice; in the morning I will stand before you and will see you." And again the Lord speaks through the prophet: "At dawn they will watch for me, saying: 'Let us go and return to the Lord our God.'" Likewise, when the sun sets and the day ends, we must necessarily pray again. For since Christ is the true sun and the true day, when, as the sun and day of the world recede, we pray and ask that light may come upon us again, we pray for the coming of Christ, who will give us the grace of eternal light. And the Holy Spirit declares in the psalms that Christ is called the day: "The stone," he says, "which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This was done by the Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and feast in it." Likewise the prophet Malachi testifies that he is called the sun, saying: "But for you who fear the name of the Lord the sun of righteousness will rise, and in his wings is healing." But if in the holy Scriptures Christ is the true sun and the true day, no hour is excepted for Christians in which God ought not to be worshipped frequently and always; so that we who are in Christ, that is, in the true sun and day, should be instant in prayer the whole day and pray; and when, by the law of the world, the night comes round in turn, succeeding by alternate change, there can be no harm from the darkness of night to those who pray, because for the sons of light there is day even in the night. For when is he without light who has light in his heart? Or when does he lack the sun and the day, whose sun and day is Christ?

But we who are always in Christ, that is, in the light, let us not cease from prayer even at night. So Anna the widow, asking without ceasing and always watching, persevered in deserving well of God, as it is written in the gospel: "She did not depart from the temple, serving with fastings and prayers night and day." Let the gentiles see to it, who have not yet been enlightened, or the Jews, who, forsaken by the light, have remained in darkness: we, dearest brothers, who are always in the light of the Lord, who remember and hold fast what we have begun to be by the grace we received, let us count night as day. Let us believe that we always walk in the light; let us not be hindered by the darkness we have escaped; let there be no losses of prayers in the hours of the night, no slothful and idle waste of prayers. Spiritually re-created and reborn by God's indulgence, let us imitate what we are to be. Since we are to have in the kingdom day alone without the intervention of night, let us so watch at night as in the light; since we are always to pray and give thanks to God, let us not cease here too to pray and give thanks.