The Mass: The Lord's Prayer

The Mass: Rite of Communion, the Lord's Prayer

This is the prayer of the Christian family - sometimes called the Lord’s Prayer. It is the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples and is recorded in Matthew 6: 9-13 and Luke 11: 2-4. In Matthew’s Gospel , it forms part of the great teaching of the Sermon on the Mount. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus gives it as a response to the disciples’ request for teaching on prayer.

If you read the versions in modern translations, you will see that they are different from the version we - and our fellow-Christians - use. There have been attempts to introduce modern versions of the prayer into worship - but they have not been very successful.

The words of the prayer as it is traditionally used are familiar - and seem to have gained holiness by being used for so many years.

Many people see the Lord’s Prayer as the perfect prayer. It includes honour of the Father (Ours - not Mine!) - expresses the desire for the coming of the Kingdom and the establishment of heavenly values on earth . There is a petition - that God will provide for our daily needs and a plea for forgiveness (set alongside our own willingness to forgive). Finally, we turn to God for protection - from temptation and the evil that might draw us away from Him.

It is prayer that is familiar and beloved - and it may be that we need to recover some of its power for ourselves.

Take Time Out

Pray the Lord’s Prayer. You might like to use the whole prayer every day - or you may like to focus on one section each day:

Day 1 - Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

Day 2 - Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Day 3 - Give us this day our daily bread.

Day 4 - And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us

Day 5 - And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

Day 6 - use the Doxology - For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen..

(This is not part of the prayer in the Gospels but is used immediately after it by many Christians. It was introduced into the Mass after the Vatican II reforms of the Liturgy)

Then, next Sunday, see how your daily reflections on the Prayer bear fruit when you say it with your brothers and sisters in Christ at Mass. Jean Lebon, in his book, “How to Understand the Liturgy” suggests that “Experience shows that the inwardness with which the congregation prays is and excellent test of its unity and the quality of its participation”. Food for thought...