Many believe that The Lord’s Prayer, also known as the “Our Father,” taught by Jesus to his disciples, is the perfect prayer. Growing up Catholic, I learned to recite this prayer every week in church without really understanding what I was saying. I was on autopilot doing what everyone else did.
It was difficult for me to reconcile what we did in church with how we lived. My views and beliefs about God have undergone a major overhaul; I’ve consciously adopted a thought system that enables me to bridge my everyday experiences with my belief in a higher power and purpose. One of the few things I’ve retained from childhood lessons is The Lord’s Prayer.
Over the years, when I’ve wanted to pray and found no words, this prayer would come to mind. I say it slowly, with eyes closed, really contemplating the words’ meaning. Various concepts come and go, yet I always feel comforted and at peace with this simple prayer. It’s a form of meditation. The words have not changed but a depth of understanding now informs and warms my heart.
I love this prayer for its simplicity and efficacy. At first reading it seems to be a petition, an asking for something. I’ve since learned it’s actually a statement of fact, of truth, an affirmation in the truest sense of the word. This form of prayer appeals to me. If I’m asking for something then I must believe that I am lacking. The only thing I ever lack is an awareness of truth. Asking to see truly is a prayer that gets to the root cause of all our perceived problems, whatever they may be. Affirming that truth helps me bring truth to the forefront of my thinking.
I’d like to share briefly what I’m affirming and believing when I say this prayer. Perhaps it provides a fresh perspective on these familiar words. I’m using the version I was taught and continue to use today:
“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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.”
Our Father
This simple phrase establishes our relationship with each other and with God. “Our” makes us equal as sons and daughters and establishes our brotherhood. It unites us through a universal bloodline. We are family. It is fully inclusive, leaving no one out. “Father” acknowledges God as our creator and implies a benevolent, loving figure. It also suggests that we inherit our Father’s characteristics: we are like that from which we come.
Who art in heaven
We find God in heaven, which isn’t a place, but is the state of perfect communication between God the Creator and His creations. It is communication free of perceptions, judgments, falsehoods, and illusions. It is a state of perfect peace found when we “be still and know that I am God.”
Hallowed be thy name
We respect that God created us, we revere His position as First Cause, First Principle. We place nothing above Him. We know that there is no power other than His.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done
We welcome, accept and love what comes our way. His kingdom is characterized by the perfect and impersonal law of cause and effect, of love, of joy. We acknowledge that there is no will other than His and that we are in perfect alignment with this will.
On earth as it is in heaven
Our work is to reflect heaven on earth. We are channels for His love and light, and we are necessary to heal the belief that we are separate and apart from our Source and therefore, from heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
We acknowledge that all things come from God, that He feeds us with life and sustains us and that this is ongoing, today and every day.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us
This reflects a critical principle that giving and receiving are the same. We give when we actively seek to see another truly, to forgive what appear to be attacks with real effects. When we see past the body and see with spiritual vision we receive; we simultaneously forgive ourselves for our perceived separation from God. We are accessing our truth within and extending it. We are remembering our common bloodline and our true identity. God has no need to forgive, as He never condemns. He knows us only as He created us in Truth – wholly loved and wholly loving. We’re the ones with the false image of God, our brothers, and ourselves.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
Only light can dispel darkness. God is the light we need to lead us from the darkness of ignorance and fear. Temptation is no more than the belief that we are bodies separate and different from one another and our Source. Evil is the state of hell and unhappiness we experience when we accept the temptation and forget our true identity.
Amen
This prayer blesses me whenever I say it. I wish the same for you.
Juliette Andrews says
This is s brilliant read and I thank you. This prayer has sustained me as does the 23 psalm. Those two prayers have been my mainstay. Each night and at times during the day. Thank you dear marguerite for your words. With love Juliette
Marguerite LaDue says
Oh I’m so glad Juliette! Yes very helpful to have words that soothe our soul when we hit a rough patch. Interesting how we are drawn to them. Thanks for sharing. Marguerite xoxox
Jean M Hopeman says
Love your reflections. I hope that your insight helps many others to understand and live the intentions of this prayer.
Marguerite LaDue says
Thanks my dear Jean! I found I really wanted to understand whether this prayer, which I’m so drawn to, fits with my understanding and practice of A Course in Miracles – and it does! The Course uses traditional Christian terms and provides a different perspective from the one I was raised with and couldn’t really buy into. So it really was necessary for me to reconcile the two in my mind and heart. Love to you – Marguerite xoxo
Peggy Griffith says
Hi Marguerite, I read your blog, stating your interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer.
The thought, minds are joined, came immediately to me, as I do the same thing.
Raised in Southern Baptist churches, then became Catholic when teaching
for Catholic schools, the traditional prayers have been, and still are, my first focus upon waking in the mornings. I recite Psalms 23, The Lord is my Shepard. In this prayer, David is talking about “us”. We are the sheep receiving comfort from the Lord. Be it either the Lords Prayer or Psalms 23, they are my “go-to” in the mornings.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Let’s do lunch with Beverly sometime.
Marguerite LaDue says
Hi Peggy! Thanks for writing in and sharing your experience. Another reader also cited the importance of Psalms 23 in her life. So nice to have a “go-to” that’s familiar and meaningful and can ground us when in need. Yes lunch would be fun! xoxo
Anne Petersen says
Perfect meditation for a quiet Sunday morning. Thank you!
Marguerite LaDue says
Glad you liked! My pleasure :-)) xoxo
Frank Bethany says
Nice, thanks.
Marguerite LaDue says
Thanks Frank! I’m happy that this touched your heart in some way.
Donna Morosi says
Beautiful blog Marguerite! Thank you for sharing!
Marguerite LaDue says
Hi Donna! Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to write in and let me know you liked it. I’m happy it touched you.
Rodger says
Amen.
Marguerite LaDue says
And hallelujah! 🙂
Keith says
Marguerite,
Again so nicely written. Your clarity is amazing!
thank you,
Keith xxxooo
Marguerite LaDue says
Am happy you like what I wrote. I write to make sure my thinking is crystal clear, I’ve found it’s the most effective way for me to do this. I love you! xoxoxo
Katie Orcutt says
I just want you to know how much your words move and inspire me. I feel guided and re-focused by your honesty. You could turn this blog into a book (I would be first in line to buy it!) and I love getting my weekly “awareness news”; it’s the best thing in my inbox 🙂 Thank you, Marguerite! And congrats on your new marriage! Sending so much love and light, Katie
Marguerite LaDue says
Katie I so appreciate you taking the time to write. It warms my heart to know that my words move and inspire you. I write from my heart and am never sure how others might take what I seek to convey. I do my best to simply allow what I’m feeling to come up and out and not worry about the outcome. So when I read your words it reinforced the process I use and trust. I’m grateful that I’m learning to listen to the whispers of my heart more and more consistently and that it’s inspiring others to do the same.
I wish I could take credit for your weekly “awareness news” but, alas, it’s not mine. It’s another angel who’s come to bless you :-)) (see how we’re surrounded?!) I have, however, been thinking about sending out a weekly Food for Thought – I just don’t want to clutter email boxes too often! Thank you for the love you’re sending my way – back at ya’ girl! Marguerite xoxo