Prayer of our Father. Prayer Our Father, who art in heaven

The prayer "Our Father" is the main one for all Orthodox Christians and at the same time the simplest and most necessary. She alone replaces all others.

The text of the prayer in Church Slavonic in modern orthography

Our Father, Thou art in heaven!
Hallowed be thy name,
let your kingdom come,
let thy will be done,
like in heaven and on earth.
Give us our daily bread today;
and leave us our debts,
as we also leave our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

The most famous prayer and its history

The Lord's Prayer is mentioned twice in the Bible - in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. It is believed that the Lord Himself gave it to people when they asked for words to pray. This episode is described by the evangelists. This means that even during the earthly life of Jesus, those who believed in Him could know the words of the Lord's Prayer.

The Son of God, having chosen words, suggested to all believers how to start prayer so that it would be heard, how to lead a righteous life in order to be worthy of God's mercy.

They entrust themselves to the will of the Lord, because only He alone knows what a person really needs. By "daily bread" is meant not simple food, but everything that is needed for life.

Similarly, by "debtors" are meant ordinary sinful people. Sin itself is a debt to God, which should be atoned for by repentance and good deeds. People trust in God, ask forgiveness of their sins, and promise to forgive their neighbors themselves. To do this, with the help of the Lord, one must avoid temptations, that is, the temptations with which the devil himself “confuses” in order to destroy humanity.

But prayer is not so much about asking. It also contains gratitude as a symbol of reverence for the Lord.

How to read the Lord's Prayer

This prayer is read, waking up from sleep and to the dream to come, since it is included without fail in the morning and evening rule - a set of prayers for daily reading.

The Lord's Prayer is always heard during the Divine Liturgy. Usually believers in temples sing it in chorus together with the priest and choristers.

This solemn singing is followed by the carrying out of the Holy Gifts - the body and blood of Christ for the celebration of the sacrament of communion. At the same time, parishioners kneel before the shrine.

It is also customary to read it before every meal. But modern man has no time all the time. However, Christians should not neglect their prayer duties. Therefore, it is allowed to read a prayer at any convenient moment, and while walking, and even while lying in bed, so long as nothing distracts from the prayerful mood.

The main thing is to do it with awareness of the meaning, sincerely, and not just pronounce it mechanically. Literally from the first words addressed to God, believers feel security, humility and peace of mind. This state continues after reading the last prayer words.

Many famous theologians, such as John Chrysostom, Ignatius Brianchaninov, interpreted "Our Father". In their writings, an extensive, detailed description is given. Those who are interested in matters of faith should definitely read them.

Many who have recently crossed the threshold of the temple, and are literally taking their first steps on the steps of the ladder of Orthodoxy, complain about the lack of understanding of prayers in the Old Slavonic language.

For such cases, there is a translation into modern Russian. This option will be clear to everyone. But as practice shows, over time, incomprehensible words will clear up, and worship will be perceived as a special art with its own style, language and traditions.

In the short text of the Lord's Prayer, all Divine wisdom fit in a few lines. It has a great meaning, and everyone finds something very personal in her words: consolation in sorrows, help in undertakings, joy and grace.

The text of the prayer in Russian

Synodal translation of the prayer into modern Russian:

Our Father who art in heaven!
May your name be hallowed;
May your kingdom come;
May Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;
Give us our daily bread for this day;
and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Translation of the Russian Bible Society from 2001:

Our Father in Heaven
Let Your name be glorified
Let your kingdom come
May Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us our daily bread today.
And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive those who owe us.
Don't put us to the test
but protect us from the Evil One.

Continuing the conversation on prayer in the Conversation on the Mount, Jesus Christ teaches His followers and disciples how to pray, giving the text of the Lord's Prayer as an example. This prayer, in comparison with other prayers, is the main prayer of Christianity. It is called the Lord's because the Lord Himself, Jesus Christ, gave it to His disciples. The Lord's Prayer is a model of prayer, the text of which is fully consistent with the teachings of Christ. However, along with this prayer, there are other prayers, which is proved by the fact that Jesus Christ Himself uttered other prayers ().

According to the traditional explanation, the text of this prayer consists of an invocation, that is, an appeal, seven petitions and a doxology, that is, glorification. The prayer begins with an invocation addressed to God the Father, the First Person of the Trinity: "Our Father". In this invocation, God the Father is called "Our Father", that is, our Father. Since God the Father is the Creator of the world and all creations, we call God our Father. However, according to religious ideas, not all people can call the Lord God their Father, since they do not have a moral right to do so. In order to call the Lord God your Father, one must live observing the Law of God and fulfill the commandments of Christ. The Savior speaks directly about this, pointing to the Christian way of life of a person. “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who offend you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven” ().

From these words it becomes clear that only those people who live according to the commandments of God can call themselves the sons of the Heavenly Father, and God their Heavenly Father. All other people who in their lives do not observe the Law of God and do not repent of their sins and do not correct their mistakes, remaining God's creations, or, in the language of the Old Testament, God's servants, are unworthy to call themselves sons of their Heavenly Father. The Savior Himself, Jesus Christ, spoke convincingly about this to the Jews after the Sermon on the Mount. “You are doing the work of your father. To this they said to Him: We are not born of fornication; We have one Father, God. Jesus said to them: If God were your Father, then you would love Me, because I came and came from God; for I did not come of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you cannot hear My words. Your father is the devil; and you want to fulfill the desires of your father" ().

By allowing us to call God our Heavenly Father, the Savior thereby indicates that all people are equal before God and cannot stand out either by noble origin, or nationality, or wealth. Only a pious way of life, the fulfillment of the laws of God, the search for the Kingdom of God and His righteousness can become a distinctive feature of a person and give him the right to call himself the son of his Heavenly Father.

"Who is in heaven". According to the Christian tradition before and now, the whole world and the whole universe except the planet Earth is called the sky. Since God is the Omnipresent Spirit, the words of the prayer “who is in heaven” indicate that God is the Heavenly Father, who exists in heaven and is different from the earthly father.

So, invocation The Lord's Prayer consists of words "Our Father who art in heaven". With these words, we turn to God the Father and call to listen to our requests and prayers. When we say that He dwells in heaven, we must mean by this the spiritual invisible sky, and not that blue vault (air expanse) that extends above us. We also call God the Heavenly Father because He is Omnipresent, that is, He is everywhere, just as the sky extends everywhere above the earth. And also because He rules, towering over everything (like the sky above the earth), that is, He is the Most High. In this prayer, we call God the Father, because He, in His great mercy, allowed us Christians to be called His children. He is our Heavenly Father, because He created us, our life, and takes care of us, like the Kindest Father about his children.

Because all Christians share the same Heavenly Father, they are all considered brothers and sisters in Christ and should care for and help each other. Therefore, if a person prays alone, he should still say “Our Father”, and not my Father, because every Christian should pray not only for himself, but for all other people. Calling God the Heavenly Father, we thereby emphasize the idea that despite the fact that God is everywhere, but most of all He abides in spiritual heaven, where no one angers Him and does not remove Him from himself with his sins, and where the Holy Angels and God's Pleasing constantly praise Him.

First request: "Hallowed be thy name!" That is, may Your Name be holy and glorified. With these words, we express our desire that the Name of our Heavenly Father be hallowed. That is, so that this Name, both by us and by other people, is always pronounced with reverence and always revered and glorified. If we live righteously, holyly, and holyly do the will of the God in whom we believe, then by these actions we will sanctify and glorify His Holy Name. At the same time, other people, seeing our pious life and good deeds, will glorify the name of Our God, the Heavenly Father.

With parsed words of prayer, we ask God that His will be done by all people. And also that He would help us in earthly life to fulfill His will in the same way as the Holy Angels fulfill it in heaven, and that everything on earth should happen and be done according to the will of God just as it happens and is done in heaven. With these words, we are saying that let everything happen not as we please (not according to our desire), but as God pleases, because we can make mistakes in our desires and do ungodly acts. And God is Omniscient and Perfect, and He cannot make mistakes, and therefore He knows better what is good for us and what is bad. And He, more than we ourselves, wishes us well and does everything for our benefit. Therefore, may His Will always be, both in heaven and on earth.

Fourth request: "Give us this day our daily bread." Semantic interpretation of the text. With these words, we ask God that today He would give us the bread necessary for existence. The Lord in His commandment pointed out that we should not ask Him for luxury and wealth, but only the most necessary and remember that He, as a Father, always takes care of us. Therefore, in the fourth petition, by daily bread we mean everything necessary for our life on earth. In addition to food for the body, a person also needs food for the soul, which is prayer, reading spiritually useful books, studying the Bible and doing good deeds. This petition also implies a request for Holy Communion in the form of the Most Pure Body and Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, without which there is no salvation and eternal life.

Daily bread means everything useful and necessary for our existence. Since a person consists of a soul and a body, in this petition we ask for the satisfaction of both our spiritual and bodily needs. That is, we ask not only that the Lord provide us with the necessary housing, food, clothing, but also help us develop morally and spiritually, help us purify, elevate and ennoble our soul through our activities (actions) and way of life. This would bring us closer to God.

Fifth request: "And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors." Semantic explanation of the text. With these words, we ask God to forgive us our sins, since we ourselves forgive those people who offended us or harmed us. In this petition, by the word debts we mean sins, and by the word debtors we mean people who are guilty of something before us.

In Christian Orthodox theology, it is believed that if we ask God to forgive us our debts, that is, our sins, and we ourselves do not forgive our offenders and personal enemies, then we ourselves do not receive forgiveness of our sins from God. Why, then, in this petition are sins called debts, and sinners debtors? This happens because the Lord gave us the strength and everything necessary to do good deeds, and we very often turn all our energy and all our capabilities into sin, and thus become debtors to God as having wasted His gift for other purposes. But since many people commit sin not consciously, but out of error, then the Lord is merciful to people and, with sincere repentance, forgives our sins. And we, people, imitating God, must forgive debtors, that is, our offenders.

Jesus Christ advises to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who offend and persecute us. Those people who fulfill this commandment undoubtedly forgive their enemies and themselves have the right to forgiveness from God. But not all people have risen to such a degree of moral perfection. Therefore, if a person still cannot force himself to do good to his enemy (that is, do good to the enemy), but already knows how to restrain himself from revenge on the enemy, does not get angry with his enemy and forgives him all offenses, then such a person (who does not stop his spiritual growth, directed to do good deeds to the enemy and the offender) still has the right to ask God for forgiveness and his sins. And the person who is angry with his enemies and offenders, curses them and wishes them harm, has no right to turn to God for the forgiveness of his own sins. “For if you forgive people their sins, then your Heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive people their sins, then your Father will not forgive you your sins” ().

Therefore, before turning this petition to God, we must forgive all our personal enemies and offenders. And also have to reconcile with those people who have something against you. That is, with those people with whom we are not angry, but who consider themselves offended by us. “Go first be reconciled to your brother” (). And only then can we turn to God with a request for the forgiveness of our own sins.

If a person does not forgive his personal enemies and offenders, but turns to God with this petition, then he asks to do with himself, as he himself does with his offenders. Think about the meaning of the text of the fifth petition: "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." In other words, we ask God, regarding the forgiveness of our sins, to deal with us as we did with our offenders. That is, we ask God that if we ourselves did not forgive the sins of our offenders, then so that He would not forgive us our sins. The saint wrote about these words as follows. God says to you: Forgive and I will forgive! You have not forgiven - you are going against yourself, and not I.

About the vital merciful act of forgiving offenders and enemies, Jesus Christ spoke in His parable about the debtor, which says that the king forgave a large debt to his servant, but the evil slave did not forgive a small debt to his comrade. The sovereign, who learned about this act, became angry and punished the evil slave. “And, angry, his sovereign handed him over to the torturers until he paid him all the debt. So my Heavenly Father will deal with you if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart for his sins ”().

Therefore, before asking God for the forgiveness of our sins, it is necessary to forgive our personal offenders, remembering that just as we forgive the sins of our enemies, so the Lord will forgive us our sins.

Sixth request: "And lead us not into temptation." Meaningful explanation of this text. According to Christian religious, moral and philosophical ideas, temptation is a test, expressed in the fact that a person can fall into sin, that is, commit an evil, bad deed. According to Christian concepts, God and man are subjected to temptation. For a person, temptation manifests itself in the form of seduction by temptations and the commission of a sinful act. The temptation of God is manifested in the demand from Him to demonstrate evidence of His omnipotence and mercy. Such demands come either from a person or from an evil spirit.

For a person, temptation is a test of his moral and moral spiritual strengths and qualities, at a time when a person is persuaded to commit an immoral sinful act that violates the Law of God. The temptation for a person can also be manifested in the test of his faith and virtue. The Lord God will never allow man to be tempted by temptations that lead to sin. The temptation that comes from God can only be manifested in the testing of a person's faith. For example, as it was with Abraham or Job.

Only an evil spirit tempts a person with all kinds of sinful temptations, and a person himself and other people around him can also tempt him. To be subject to all sorts of temptations and temptations is the inevitable fate of all people in the world. When meeting with temptations, the following pattern is observed: the stronger the temptation, the more difficult it is to fight it, but the more pleasant the victory over it. Knowing that every person will be subject to temptation, people should not seek to meet with them, but should turn away from them and turn away from the temptations of our neighbors. It is necessary to act in this way in order not to overestimate one's strength, to avoid arrogance and not to fall into sin.

But if a person is faced with a temptation, then he must meet it with the opposition of an iron will, the light of reason and unshakable faith in God, who will certainly help a person achieve victory over any temptation. Repentance, fasting and prayer are the key to victory over temptations and temptations.

According to Christian views, a person is endowed with the power of the spirit, which dominates the body and will help to overcome any lusts, whims and sinful desires. The Lord, instilling in a person the inexhaustible strength of an unbending spirit (spiritual power), enabling a person to overcome any temptations and fight the temptations of people close to him.

From the foregoing, we can conclude that temptation is such a state when something or someone influences a person and pushes him to commit a sin. That is, it seduces to sin, to bad and evil deeds and deeds. And so in this petition we ask God to help us stand against sin and not be offended, that is, not fall into sin. We ask the Lord to help us overcome temptation and prevent us from committing evil.

Seventh request: "But deliver us from the evil one." Semantic explanation of the text. Not only bad people around him can seduce a person. A person can seduce himself under the influence of his sinful lusts and desires. An evil spirit can also tempt and seduce a person -. By the will of God, the devil has no power over a person, but can seduce him, suggesting evil thoughts and desires to a person, pushing him to commit evil deeds and utter evil words.

In other words, the power of the evil spirit is in deceit, that is, deceit, deceit, cunning, through which it tempts a person to commit evil deeds. The more evil a person commits, the further God moves away from him, and the closer the Tempter comes. Because the spirit of evil uses deceit as a tool to seduce a person, in this prayer it is called an evil spirit. And if the spirit of evil acquires power over people, it is only when people voluntarily submit to it without resistance, becoming servants of evil, without thinking that this only leads them to death. Because not a friend, but an irreconcilable enemy to man, and he "son of perdition" (). AND “when he speaks a lie, he speaks his own, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (), “deceiving the whole universe” (). He is an enemy, that is, an enemy of people. “Be sober, stay awake, because your opponent the devil walks like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” ().

People can and must overcome the devil!! But since the spirit of evil is a supernatural force that surpasses the strength of people, then people ask the Almighty Good Light supernatural power, God, to help them fight the spirit of evil and protect them from it. We turn to the Lord for help because God, embodying the Good, Light, Reasonable power, incommensurably superior in strength to any evil, is the Defender and Helper of man. "For the Lord God is the sun and the shield" (). He "The God of all grace" (). "God is my helper" (). "God is my intercessor" ().

To help us over and over his intrigues, we, the people, cry out to God, the Merciful, the Righteous and the Almighty. The essence of our petition is that God deliver us from all the evil that is present in this world and protect us with His almighty power from the head of evil - the devil (evil spirit), who is trying to destroy people. That is, we ask God to deliver us from the insidious, evil and crafty power and protect us from its wiles.

Doxology: “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen". These words of Jesus Christ in the common text of the Lord's Prayer are more expanded. “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen." Semantic explanation of the text. In the doxology of prayer, we express our full faith in the power of the power of God and in His Power, Invincibility and Glory, spreading over the whole world. This faith is based on the fact that to You our God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, belongs the Kingdom and power and eternal glory. That is, power over the whole world (in other words, the Kingdom), power (in other words, strength) and reverence and fame (in other words, glory) belongs to the ages of ages (that is, to all ages, forever). The prayer ends with the word "Amen". This is a Hebrew word. It means "all this is true, true so, so be it." This word was usually pronounced by the Jewish people in synagogues after reading the prayers. The custom of ending prayers with this word passed into.

In what cases of life is the Lord's Prayer read? The Lord's Prayer is read in all cases of life, in danger and in joy, at home and on the road, before the performance of any, but especially important things. This prayer is read as a prayer that protects us from evil, both human and supernatural, as a prayer of supplication and as a prayer giving praise to God. Therefore, after reading this prayer, you can express your personal wishes about our needs, directed to God.

On the need for prayer in human life

A person during his earthly life allows the commission of very many sins. This happens, on the one hand, because a person voluntarily allows weakness and cannot resist the temptations surrounding him. On the other hand, a person is constantly seduced to sin by the tempter, the evil crafty spirit. However, a person, according to God-given reason, logic and will, is able to realize the sinfulness of his actions, repent of his deeds and atone for sin, and not to sin in the future.

One of the good deeds for which the Lord forgives sins is the distribution of alms to the poor. Through the giving of mercy, the mercy and compassion of a person and his love for his neighbor are manifested.

Another act that cleanses a person from sin is a sincere prayer for forgiveness for sins. “And the prayer of faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” ().

This is what the Holy Scriptures say about almsgiving and prayer. “Do not be cowardly in your prayer and do not neglect to give alms” (). Why is it possible to remove a person's sin through prayer? Yes, because before turning to God with a prayer for the forgiveness of his sins, a person sincerely repented of them. He realized his guilt, condemned himself for his sin and firmly decided not to allow sin anymore, therefore he turns to God with a prayer to take away his sin and prays for God's forgiveness.

As you can see, sincere prayer for such a person is also repentance for his sins. After all, whoever does not repent of his sins will not ask God for forgiveness through prayer. John the Baptist called for repentance. After repentance, a person turns to God for mercy. Therefore, true prayer for the atonement of sins cannot be without repentance. The Bible says so about it. People “turned to prayer, asking that the sin committed be completely blotted out” ().

So, a person needs prayer, because through it a person tells the Lord about his sin, repents of his deed and asks for forgiveness for sin. Human “he will open his mouth in prayer and pray for his sins” (). And the Lord, seeing the sincere repentance of a person, and the fact that a person will no longer commit such a sin, will forgive him his sins. For the Lord “he will look upon the prayer of the helpless and will not despise their prayer” ().

A person who has repented of his sins and communicated this through prayer to God must confirm his repentance by performing good charitable deeds, embarking on the path of serving God. And then “The one who serves God will be received with favor, and his prayer will reach the clouds” (). Sincere prayer is the voice of the human soul addressed to the Lord. Man communicates with God through prayer "sanctified by the word of God and prayer" (). The spiritual world of a person who daily communicates with God through prayer is gradually changing for the better. The character of a person becomes meek and noble. Such traits as mercy and compassion for one's neighbor begin to predominate in a person. As a result of communication with God through prayer, a person becomes better, cleaner and kinder.

Thus, prayer in a person's life is also necessary in order to receive divine education, as a result of which a person's character is spiritually transformed and becomes fit for the Kingdom of Heaven!! Prayer is necessary for a person because it is a good charitable deed, useful for the human soul. The soul of a person who daily turns to God with a prayer becomes stronger and more resilient. Such a soul acquires immunity against evil. Bad thoughts and feelings leave her. It awakens good intentions and deeds. Such a soul, transformed over time by communion with God through daily sincere and fervent prayer, feels a thirst for righteousness, feels a craving for a noble, pious life. The peace and tranquility of God begins to dwell in such a soul, helping a person overcome difficulties in life and build his life according to the commandments of God.

So, daily and sincere prayer in a person’s life is necessary in order to transform and ennoble one’s soul, give it spiritual strength and hardening in the fight against difficulties, and illuminate it with the Divine light of goodness. Prayer in a person's life is also necessary in order to ask God for help while overcoming obstacles, and for protection from temptations and temptations. Prayer is also needed at a time when a person is overcome by sinful thoughts and intentions. A person must turn to God about sending him spiritual strength, courage and perseverance in order to overcome the temptation and prevent the commission of sin.

Prayer is needed by a person in decisive and difficult moments of life, requiring from a person the concentration of his spiritual, physical strength. Prayer is also needed by a person in a period of especially difficult life situations, for the correct solution of especially responsible difficult issues. In such situations, under the influence of prayer, the will is strengthened, the mind becomes clear, thoughts are purified, patience and perseverance appear in order to adequately withstand serious life tests.

The strength we receive during sincere prayer will also have a beneficial effect on the people around us. On our neighbors, we will radiate the divine light of peace, joy and goodness, which will be in our heart after communion with God. Under the influence of his soul transformed with the help of prayers, a person will be able to improve the people around him, teach them to act correctly and reasonably, tell them about the true understanding of good and evil, keep them from committing evil deeds, teach them to build their lives on the basis of good and God-pleasing deeds.

Thus, prayer in a person's life is necessary in order to achieve not only one's spiritual development, but also to improve the lives of the people around us. Therefore, prayer is not only a good deed, but also a necessary action for the spiritual improvement of a person, thanks to which evil is expelled from the soul and the light of Divine grace is kindled, life improves and a person becomes a creator and creator of good in the world. This happens because the transformed person becomes a true creation of God, indifferent to evil, money-grubbing and pride, but sensitive to doing good.

“A good deed is prayer with fasting and almsgiving and justice. Better a little with justice than a lot with unrighteousness; it is better to do alms than to collect gold, for alms deliver from death and can cleanse every sin ”().

WHY DO WE NEED TO PRAY?

Jesus Christ called prayer a very important thing and repeatedly prayed Himself. For example, the Son of God prayed after His baptism (), before calling His disciples (), in Gethsemane before he was betrayed (). Jesus Christ himself convincingly urged to pray and instructively said: "Pray not to fall into temptation" ().

Elsewhere in the Bible it is written that prayer is necessary in order for sins to be forgiven. In this case, you need to pray like a publican: "God! Be merciful to me, a sinner!” (). We need to pray so that the Lord will satisfy our needs and needs.

Jesus Christ says this about it: “And if you ask the Father anything in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (). We need to pray with unceasing gratitude to God for taking care of us, and glorify His might and greatness. For example, the prophet Daniel “Three times a day he knelt down and prayed to his God and praised Him” ().

These are the rules of life, according to which the connection between God and us is carried out during our prayer. However, there may be people who will say: “After all, God is All-Knowing! He knows about all our needs, why do we need to pray to God? Prayer is not for God, but for ourselves. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but lifts us up to God and helps us become like Him. The Lord knows what is necessary for us, but He is pleased when we ask Him with confidence for what He is willing to give us.

Christ said: “If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him” (). As we can see, Christ Himself speaks of what God gives to those who ask. “You don’t have because you don’t ask” () Jacob says. And Jesus Christ teaches: “Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be perfect” (). Prayer is the breath of the human soul directed to God. During prayer and after it, God enlightens and enlightens the mind of a person, instructing him on the true path.

The Literal Translation of the Our Father Prayer from Aramaic

Literal translation of the Our Father prayer from Aramaic, read and feel the difference: