Lesson 4: The “Our Father”
At Baptism God became our Father
1. What prayer did Jesus teach us?
Jesus taught us the Our Father. (Matthew 6: 9-13)
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.
2. Where is this prayer recorded?
The longer version that we memorize is found in the Gospel of Matthe (Matthew 6: 9-13) A shorter version is found in the Gospel of St Luke. (Luke 11: 2-4)
3. What do the words “hallowed”, “thy”, and “trespasses” mean?
“Hallowed” means “sanctified” or “made holy.”
“Thy” means “your.” “Trespasses” means “sins.”
4. When did God become our Father?
God became our Father when we were baptized.
If God is our Father, we must try to act like his sons and daughters.
We must act like his Son, Jesus
5. What do we mean when we say “hallowed be thy name”?
It means “may God’s name be made holy”
What we are praying or is that we live holy lives.
If we, the children of God, live holy lies like our Heavenly Father, God will receie a good name.
Others seeing our holiness and goodness will be drawn to recognize Gods holiness and goodness.
6. What is the “daily bread” that we pray for?
The daily bread that we pray for is primarily “the Bread of Life.” The “Bread of Life” is Jesus whom we receive in Holy Communion.
Holy Communion is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ.
Holy Communion is Jesus who is loving us.
7. Can we be forgiven by God if we do not forgive others?
If we do to forgive others, we cannot be forgiven by God.
If we forgive others, then God will forgive us.
8. What does “Amen” mean?
“Amen” is a Hebrew word that is used to end prayers.
“Amen” means “I trust.”
After teaching us the “Our Father,” Jesus said, “If you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your father forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6” 14-15)
St John Gualberto (died in 1073)
St John Gualberto belonged to rich family from Florence, Italy, As a young man he lived a sinful life that hurt Our Lord very much. It happened that his oldest brother was murdered. John decided to kill the man that killed his brother. He did not forgive.
On Good Friday, the anniversary of the death of Jesus on the Cross, John went on a trip. At that time, he met his brother’s murderer. In a moment John had his sword in his had, and full of anger, he rushed forward to kill his enemy. But the man, without trying to escape, knelt down. He then stretched out his arms in the form of a cross, and said: “For the sake of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who forgave His murderers, and prayed for them, please do not kill me.” John, remembering that that very day was the anniversary of Our Lord’s death, at once stepped back. Jesus touched John’s heart. He threw his sword to the ground and said: “For the sake of Jesus, I forgive you. And not only will I not kill you, but I also give you my friendship. Ask Jesus to forgive me also.” The two men, now no longer enemies, but friends, embraced each other.
John, with peace and joy in his heart, continued is trip. On the way he saw a large crucifix. He knelt down before the great crucifix, and began to pray. While praying, the image of Jesus on the Cross became alive and looked at him with love. Jesus was thanking him for having forgiven his enemy for his sake. He understood that because he had forgiven his enemy, he would also be forgiven of his own sins. At the same time, he felt a great love for God and desired to give his life entirely to Him. John joined a monastery, and there lived a very holy life. It was because he showed mercy that God granted him mercy.
