The Lord's Prayer

Fr. Joachim Trytania

Praying the Lord's Prayer we need to see a little part of the history of prayer in the life and tradition of the Jewish people. In the time when the First Temple in Jerusalem was constructed there was no regular prayer service. Prayer accompanied the sacrifices. The prayer of Hannah in the 1st Book of Samuel and the prayer of king Solomon during the ceremony of the dedication of the temple both indicate that the Jews prayed in times of great trouble and great joy. Although we do not know the origins of the liturgical prayer, there are some indications in the Scripture which tell us that it may have started during the Babylonian Exile when the Jews were unable to make sacrifices. The prayer of Daniel in the 6th chapter of the Book of Daniel indicates the custom of individual prayer: three times a day, directed toward Jerusalem. The Jews prayed wherever they stood. The synagogue was a place for Scripture study, teaching and preaching rather than for worship. As the gospels relate many times, Jesus preached and taught in the synagogues.

In the time of Jesus' ministry there were no daily prayer books available. The Jerusalem Temple did not provide hymnals or prayer books as we do today. Those entrusted with leadership in prayer used their own words as the Spirit prompted them. They composed short prayers which expressed their own understanding of piety toward God and they taught their followers how to use them. It was a natural request for the disciples of Jesus to ask their Master for his own prayer which they could use. Jesus' response was to give them the Lord's Prayer.

The prayer which we find in two places - Matthew 6: 9-13 and Luke 11: 1-4 - is an example of Jewish piety in the first century: hallowing the name of God, recognizing the supreme authority of God, making a plea to forgive sins and acknowledging our dependence for our basic needs on the divine Provider. Although the Jews do not recite the Lord's Prayer because of its Christian association, the content of this prayer is very Jewish.

There could be nothing more natural than to ask Jesus for a prayer so that they could follow in his footsteps. The prayer that Jesus gave them was a spontaneous prayer which expressed Jesus' feeling about God. What we know as the Lord's Prayer was the prayer of his heart. He spoke out of his personal experience about God, whom he knew intimately (Luke 10:22). In the prayer that their Master gave them, the disciples had a fantastic opportunity to learn about Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God whose mission it was to reveal God the Father to his people. In the Lord's Prayer the words bring difficult ideas down to earth.

For some of us, who have repeated the words of the Lord's Prayer countless times, it is just a mere collection of words not a loving devotion of God's Son, who is on a mission from his Father to the people. Jesus gives his disciples the assurances that God loves his children unconditionally. Even in the humblest home, even in the barest church, even for the most unimportant person. Anywhere the Father can be, he will be. Here are the words which invite us to come into God's presence with childlike confidence and boldness, and which forbid us to do anything but to love God and man. The Lord's Prayer invites us to move from our intellect to our heart.