The Our Father prayer, also known as the Lord’s Prayer, is a central prayer of the Christian faith. Taught by Jesus Himself, it is the model of how we are called to pray, with humility, trust, and love.
For the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, this prayer is a daily reminder of our relationship with God as His beloved children.
The Our Father Prayer
“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.
Amen.”
What Does the Our Father Prayer Mean?
Each line of the prayer carries profound meaning.
We begin by acknowledging God as our loving Father and praising His holiness. We then entrust our lives to His will, asking for daily sustenance, both physical and spiritual. We seek His mercy while committing ourselves to forgive others. Finally, we ask for strength against temptation and deliverance from evil.
The Our Father prayer is more than a set of words for us to memorize and recite together at Mass. It’s a roadmap for living our faith.
The History of the Lord’s Prayer
From the earliest centuries of the Roman Catholic Church, the Our Father prayer, also known as the Lord’s Prayer, has been central to our worship. The prayer is often referred to as a summary of the Gospel and prayed during every Mass, reminding us that prayer is both personal and communal.
For the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, our devotion to this prayer reflects our mission to help the faithful grow in holiness through prayer, sacraments, and trust in God’s mercy.
Where Is the Our Father Prayer in the Bible?
The prayer appears in both the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 6:9–15) and the Gospel of Luke (Luke 11:1–4).
“This is how you are to pray:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors;
and do not subject us to the final test,
but deliver us from the evil one.
If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”
“He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.’
He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.’”
In each account, Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray, making the Our Father a direct gift from the Lord Himself. When we pray this special prayer, we unite our hearts with Christ’s own words and intentions.
When and How to Pray the Our Father
The beauty of this prayer is that it can be said anytime, anywhere. Here are a few meaningful moments to incorporate it into your life:
- At Mass, uniting your voice with the Church throughout the world
- At the beginning or end of the day as an offering of your time to God
- With your family, teaching children the words of Jesus
- During times of stress, as a grounding reminder of God’s providence
Whenever you decide to pray this prayer, we encourage you to pray the Our Father prayer slowly and with intention, reflecting on each phrase as an encounter with God.
A Reflection From Fr. Peter Grover, OMV
“The Lord gives us a prayer that is short and good–I timed the Our Father. It takes only seventeen seconds.
It is a great prayer because it has everything God wants to hear from our lips. When we pray the Our Father, we tell God that we are his sons and daughters. Our job as kids is to carry on the legacy of our fathers. We tell God that we will live out his excellent qualities and characteristics, his mercy, kindness, and generosity. God likes to hear that as well.
When we pray the Our Father, we tell God that we depend on him for everything, even the most common and simplest things, like a piece of bread. God likes to hear this.
When we pray the Our Father, we tell God that no matter who we are or what we are doing, we want his will to be done. Once again, God likes to hear this.
When we pray the Our Father, we tell him we appreciate his mercy and forgiveness so much that we are always willing to offer the same kind of mercy to others. God likes to hear this.
When we pray the Our Father, we ask God to take away any evil so that no one will ever be hurt by us.
Jesus began His public life with the Our Father in the desert. Likewise, he ended his suffering on the cross with the Our Father. God saved the world with the Our Father. Imagine what we could do with seventeen seconds.”
Join Us in Prayer
The Oblates of the Virgin Mary invite you to share your intentions with us so that we might join together in prayer. We’d be honored to lift your needs before the Lord in prayer.
