Nov 7 Sat
What do we ask in the Lord's Prayer?
We need to use words to remind ourselves what we're asking for, not so much to tell God what to do or try to force our way on Him.
So, when we say, "Hallowed be your name," we're reminding ourselves to want His Name, which is always holy, to be seen as holy by everyone. I mean, it shouldn't be disrespected. But this is always for our benefit, not God's.
And when we say, "Your kingdom come," it's definitely coming whether we want it to or not. But we're stirring up our desire for the kingdom so it can come to us and we can be worthy to be a part of it.
When we say, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven," we're asking Him to help us obey so we can do His will just like His angels do in heaven.
When we say, "Give us this day our daily bread," by "this day," we mean "in this world." Here, we're asking for just the right amount of His material help, by pointing out the most important part: "bread." We also ask for the sacrament faithful Christians need in this world, not for temporary happiness but for eternal happiness.
When we say, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," we're reminding ourselves what we need to ask for and what we need to do to be worthy of receiving in return.
When we say, "Lead us not into temptation," we're reminding ourselves to ask that His help doesn't leave us; otherwise, we could be tempted and give in, or lose hope and surrender to it.
When we say, "Deliver us from evil," we remind ourselves that we're not yet in that blessed state where we won't suffer any evil.
This is the last request in the Lord's Prayer, and it's a big one. In this part, Christians can express their sorrow, cry their tears, and through it, they can start, continue, and finish their prayer, no matter what they're going through. Yeah, it was fitting that God gave us these important truths to remember in these exact words.
No matter what other words we might prefer to say (to get our state of mind clear or to make it stronger), we're not saying anything that isn't already in the Lord's Prayer, as long as we're praying correctly and properly, of course. But if someone says something that doesn't fit with this prayer from the Gospel, they're praying in a worldly way, even if it's not exactly sinful. And yet, I don't know how that couldn't be called sinful, since those reborn through the Spirit should only pray in the Spirit.
A letter to Proba by St Augustine