Homilies
Lord, Teach us to Pray
Holy Spirit take my words and speak to each of us according to our needs.
‘Lord, teach us to pray.’ These words gave rise to one of the most well-known prayers of all time. Yes, the version we say today has had bits added to it and more often than not it is said with the doxology at the end but it is the foundational prayer taught by Jesus to his disciples when asked how to pray to God.
These sacred words have passed through the lips of countless generations of Christians. From the catacombs of Rome to rural chapels and city cathedrals, in whispered devotion and communal proclamation, this prayer has shaped the Church’s life with God. At one time, almost everyone could recite by heart, so embedded was it into our teachings and way of life.
But what do we actually mean when we pray it?
Too often, we pray these words by habit rather than intention, forgetting that they are not just lines of liturgy, but a way of life. Jesus didn’t just teach us what to say, He taught us how to live in communion with God and with one another.
Let’s go slowly, reflectively, through each line of this prayer. And let us ask ourselves this: can I truly pray this? And if not, what is God calling me to become?
“Our Father…”
We cannot say “Our” if our hearts have no room for others. This prayer isn’t my Father, but our Father. It calls us to community. It calls us to unity across difference. If we’re unwilling to carry our neighbour’s burdens or consider the needs of the poor, can we really pray this?
We cannot say “Father” if we live like self-contained individuals, unwilling to trust, unwilling to obey, unwilling to love in return. To say “Father” is to accept the relationship of child to God—to belong, to listen, to grow in His likeness.
“Who art in heaven…”
Do our hearts dwell in heaven? Or are we still consumed by earthly anxieties, ambitions, and distractions? If heaven seems distant and far away, it may not be because God is distant but because we are.
“Hallowed be thy Name…”
We honour God’s name with our lips—but do we honour it with our lives? God’s name is hallowed when we treat His creation, His Word, and one another as holy. Every person bears His image. Every act of love reveals His holiness and reflects our likeness to His image.
“Thy kingdom come…”
This is not a passive request—it’s a radical invitation. For the Kingdom to come, our own kingdoms must fall. All our pride, selfishness, greed and our own agendas must be laid down. If we’re still clinging to our own way, can we truly welcome His?
“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”
Do we actually want God’s will? Or do we just want His help with our plans? This line isn’t about surrendering tomorrow, it’s about surrendering now. In our families, our workplaces, and our choices, do we try and live heaven’s will on earth?
“Give us this day our daily bread…”
This is a prayer of trust but also of justice. As we ask for our needs, are we helping meet the needs of others? If our cupboards are full and our neighbours’ are empty, then something is wrong. But it is also more than that. When God provided Manna in the wilderness for the Israelites, after fleeing Egypt, He gave them the amount they needed. They were not allowed to store it up, they had to trust that God would provide enough for them again the next day. Can we learn to live in that provision of what we need rather than clinging to the excesses of what we often want?
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…”
Forgiveness is hard. But it is the narrow path of the cross. If we hold on to grudges, if we nurse our bitterness, we close the door on God’s mercy. To receive grace is to become its agent.
It is not enough to forgive other because we want to be forgiven ourselves. Scholar, Paula Gooder reflects on this line in her work and concludes that in praying this we are asking for the forgiveness given to us, to be measured against the forgiveness we are willing to give others and to let it be the same.
“Lead us not into temptation…”
Temptation doesn’t always shout, it often whispers. It invites us to stay where we know we will stumble. To pray this line is to choose the difficult road of holiness, and to walk away from what draws us from God. In the wilderness, Jesus was tempted but turned away. With God’s help, we ask that we too are not swayed into wrong doing.
“But deliver us from evil…”
Here we ask God to deliver us, but are we willing to fight with Him? To be a Christian and have faith is not a passive thing. Being passive is like standing still, eventually you will begin to drift. To keep an active faith we must be ready and willing to put on the armour of God. Scripture, prayer, sacrament, and fellowship are our weapons in the battle against evil.
“For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory…”
Can we say these words with conviction? Or are we still clinging to our own sense of control, our own strength, our own recognition? To say this is to give up centre stage and to give God His rightful throne in our lives, knowing that he is for us.
“Forever and ever…”
If anxiety for the world around us has us imprisoned in the present, then we’ve lost sight of eternity. This line calls us to lift our eyes and to remember that God’s promises endure beyond this moment. Forever means we can trust Him now and always. Unchanging and never-ending.
And finally: Amen.
So be it. Not just “I agree,” but “I commit.” In sign language there are two signs (that I know of) for I believe; one is literally that ‘I believe’ it might be so but it might not, however I believe it is. And the other is a conviction, I believe – I know it to be true. The kind of belief that faith gives us.
When I visit schools to take assembly, I usually finish with a prayer and I say to the children – if you would like to join in with this prayer and make it your own, then say Amen at the end. So we too cannot say Amen unless we can also say:
“Cost what it may, this is my prayer.”
To finish, the Lord’s Prayer is not merely something we say. It is something we should do and aspire to become.
Let us not rush through it. Let us pray it with our lives. Let us be shaped by it—day by day, word by word, grace by grace.
And when we gather at this holy Table to receive the Body and Blood of Christ, let us remember: this is the answer to the Lord’s Prayer. Heaven came down. Bread was given. Sins were forgiven. Kingdom was revealed. God is with us. And as we receive the sacrament, we are lifted up to heaven. Full circle
To Him be glory, now and forever. Amen.