St.

Cyprian, The Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer

by St. Cyprian

Chapter 1 The precepts of the Gospel, most beloved brethren, are other than divine teachings, foundations for building hope, supports for strengthening faith, nourishments for encouraging the heart, rudders for directing our course, helps for gaining salvation, hich, as they instruct the docile minds of believers on earth, conduct them to the heavenly !ingdom. God ished many things also to be said and heard through the prophets, "is servants# but ho much greater are the things hich the Son spea!s, hich the $ord of God, ho as in the prophets, testifies ith "is o n voice, no longer commanding that the ay be prepared for "is coming, "e "imself coming and opening and sho ing the ay to us, that e ho thus far have been andering in the shado s of death, improvident and blind, illumined by the light of grace, may hold to the ay of life ith the Lord as our leader and guide.

Chapter % "e ho, among "is other salutary admonitions and divine precepts by hich "e counsels "is people unto salvation, "imself also gave the form of praying, "imself advised and instructed us hat to pray for. "e ho made us to live taught us also to pray, ith the same benignity, namely by hich "e has deigned to give and besto the other things, so that, hile e spea! to the &ather ith that prayer and supplication hich the Son taught, e may more easily be heard. 'lready "e had foretold that the hour as coming hen 'the true adorers ould adore the &ather in spirit and in truth'# and "e fulfilled hat "e promised before, so that e, ho by "is sanctification have received the Spirit and truth, may also by "is teaching adore truly and spiritually. &or hat prayer can be more spiritual than that hich as given us by Christ, by hom the "oly Spirit as sent to us, hat prayer to the &ather can be more true than that hich as sent forth from the Son, ho is truth, out of "is mouth( So to pray other ise than "e taught is not ignorance alone but even a sin, since "e "imself has established and said) '*ou re+ect the command of God, that you may establish your o n tradition.'

Chapter , So let us pray, most beloved brethren, as God the Teacher has taught. -t is a friendly and intimate prayer to beseech God ith his o n ords, for the prayer of Christ to ascend to "is ears. Let the &ather ac!no ledge the ords of "is Son, hen e ma!e prayer. Let "im ho d ells ithin our breast "imself be also in our voice, and since e have "im as the advocate for our sins before the &ather, let us put for ard the ords of our 'dvocate. &or since "e says) '$hatsoever e shall as! the &ather in "is name, "e ill give us,' ho much more effectively do e obtain hat e see! in the name of Christ, if e as! ith "is o n prayer(

Chapter . /ut let those ho pray have ords and petitions governed by restraint and possessing a 0uiet modesty. Let us bear in mind that e stand in the sight of God. $e must be pleasing in the sight of God both ith the habit of body and the measure of voice. &or as it is characteristic of the impudent to be noisy ith clamors, so on the other hand does it benefit the modest to pray ith moderate petitions. &inally, in "is teaching the Lord bade us to pray in secret, in hidden and remote places, in our very bed1chambers, because it is more befitting our faith to reali2e that God is every here present, that "e hears and sees all, and by the plenitude of "is ma+esty penetrates also hidden and secret places, as it is ritten) '- am a God at hand and not a God afar off. -f a man hide himself in hidden places, shall - not see him( 3o not - fill heaven and earth(' 'nd again, '-n every place the eyes of the Lord behold the good and the evil.' 'nd hen e are gathered together ith the brethren in one place and celebrate divine sacrifices ith a priest of God, e ought to be mindful of modesty and discipline, and not toss our prayers about at random ith uncouth voices and not cast forth ith turbulent lo0uaciousness our petition, hich should be commended to God in modesty, because the hearer is not of the voice but of the heart, and is not to be admonished by shouts, ho sees our thoughts, as the Lord proves hen "e says) '$hy do you thin! vainly in your hearts(' 'nd in another place) ''nd all the churches shall !no that - am a searcher of the desires and the heart.'

Chapter 4 This does 'nna in the first /oo! of 5ings, portraying a type of the Church, maintain and observe, ho prays to God not ith a noisy petition but

silently and modestly ithin the very recesses of her heart. She spo!e ith a hidden prayer but ith manifest faith# she spo!e not ith the voice but ith the heart, because she !ne that so the Lord hears, and she effectually obtained hat she sought, because she as!ed ith faith. 3ivine Scripture declares this saying) 'She spo!e in her heart and her lips moved, but her voice as not heard, and the Lord heard her.' Li!e ise e read in the psalms) 'Spea! in your hearts and in your beds be ye sorro ful.' Through 6eremias also the "oly Spirit suggests and teaches these same things, saying) '-n the heart, moreover, 7 Lord, you ought to be adored.'

Chapter 8 9oreover, most beloved brethren, let him ho adores not ignore this, ho the publican prayed ith the Pharisee in the temple. :ot by impudently lifting his eyes to heaven nor by insolently raising his hands, but stri!ing his breast and testifying to the sins inclosed ithin did he implore the help of divine mercy, and, although the Pharisee as pleased ith himself, this man rather deserved to be sanctified ho thus as!ed, ho placed the hope of salvation not in confidence in his innocence, for no one is innocent, but confessed his sins and prayed humbly, and "e ho forgives the humble heard him as he prayed. This the Lord lays do n in his Gospel saying) 'T o men ent up to the temple to pray, the one a 'Pharisee, the other a publican, the Pharisee stood and began to pray thus ithin himself) ;7 God, - than! thee that - am not li!e the rest of men, dishonest, robbers, adulterers, or even li!e this publican. - fast t ice a ee!# - pay tithes of all that - possess.; /ut the publican standing afar off ould not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, but !ept stri!ing his breast, saying) ;7 God be merciful to me a sinner<; - tell you, this man ent do n to his home +ustified rather than the Pharisee# for everyone ho e=alts himself shall be humbled and he ho humbles himself shall be e=alted.' Learning these things most beloved brethren, from the sacred reading, after e have learned ho e should approach prayer, let us learn also, ith the Lord as our teacher, hat to pray. '-n this manner', "e says, 'Pray ye) 7ur &ather ho art in heaven, hallo ed be thy name. Thy !ingdom come, thy ill be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as e also forgive our debtors. 'nd suffer us not to be led into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'

Chapter > /efore all things, the Teacher of peace and 9aster of unity did not ish prayer to be offered individually and privately as one ould pray only for

himself hen he prays. $e do not say) '9y &ather, ho art in heaven,' nor 'Give me this day my bread,' nor does each one as! that only his debt be forgiven him and that he be led not into temptation and that he be delivered from evil for himself alone. 7ur prayer is public and common, and hen e pray, e pray not for one but for the hole people, because e, the hole people, are one. God, the Teacher of prayer and concord, ho taught unity, thus ished one to pray for all, +ust as "e "imself bore all in one. This la of prayer the three children inclosed in the fiery furnace observed, united in prayer and harmonious in the agreement of the spirit. The faith of the divine Scripture so declares, and, hen it tells ho such did pray, gives an e=ample hich e should imitate in our prayers, that e may be able to be such as they. -t says) 'Then those three as from one mouth ere singing a hymn and blessing God.' They ere spea!ing as from one mouth, but not yet had Christ taught them to pray. 'nd so their ords ere availing and efficacious as they prayed, because a peaceful and simple and spiritual prayer deserved ell of the Lord. Thus also do e find that the 'postles ith the disciples prayed after the ascension of the Lord. Scripture says) 'They ere all ith one mind continuing steadfastly in prayer ith the omen and 9ary, ho as the mother of 6esus, and ith "is brethren.' They ere ith one mind continuing steadfastly in prayer, declaring ali!e by their constancy and unity in prayer that God, ho ma!es men of one mind to d ell in a home, does not admit into the divine and eternal home any e=cept those ho are of one mind in prayer.

Chapter ? 9oreover, of hat nature, most beloved brethren, are the sacraments of the Lord's prayer, ho many, ho great, collected briefly in ords but abounding spiritually in virtue, so that nothing at all is omitted hich is not included in our petitions and in our prayers in a compendium of heavenly doctrine< Scripture says) 'Thus pray ye) 7ur &ather ho art in heaven.' ' ne man, reborn and restored to his God by his grace says in the first place '&ather,' because he has no begun to be a son. '"e came,' "e says, 'unto his o n and his o n received him not. /ut as many as received "im, "e gave to them the po er to become the sons of God, to those ho believe in "is name.' "e, therefore, ho has believed in "is name and has become the son of God, thereafter should begin to give than!s and to profess himself the son of God, hen he declares that his father is God in heaven, also to testify in the very first ords of his ne birth that he reverences his earthly and carnal father and that he has begun to !no and to have as father "im only ho is in heaven, as it is ritten) 'Those ho say to their father and mother) - do not !no you, and ho do not recogni2e their children, these have !ept thy ords, and observed thy covenant.' Li!e ise the Lord in "is Gospel has bidden us to call not our father upon

earth, because one is our &ather, ho is in heaven. 'nd to the disciple ho had made mention of his dead father, "e replied) 'Let the dead bury their o n dead.' &or he had said that his father as dead, hen the father of believers is living.

Chapter 1@ 'nd, most beloved brethren, e ought not to observe and understand this alone, that e call "im &ather ho is in heaven, but e +oin in saying '7ur &ather,' that is, of those ho believe, of those ho sanctified through "im and restored by the birth of spiritual grace have begun to be sons of God. 'nd this voice also reproaches and condemns the 6e s, because they not only faithlessly spurned Christ ho had been announced to them through the Prophets and had been first sent to them, but also cruelly sle "im# ho no cannot call the Lord father, since the Lord confounds and refutes them, saying) '*ou are born of the devil as father, and you ish to do the desires of your &ather. "e as a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because the truth is not in him.' 'nd through -saias the prophet God e=claims ith indignation) '- have begotten and brought up sons, but they have despised me. The o= !no s his o ner, and the ass the crib of his master, but -srael has not !no n me, and my people has not understood. $oe to the sinful nation, to a people laden ith ini0uity, a ic!ed seed, ungracious children. They have forsa!en the Lord and have blasphemed the "oly 7ne of -srael.' 'nd in condemnation of these e Christians say, hen e pray, '7ur &ather,' because "e no has begun to be ours and has ceased to be of the 6e s, ho have forsa!en "im. :or can a sinning people be a son, but to those to hom the remission of sins is granted is the name of sons ascribed, to these also is eternity promised hen the Lord himself says) 'Averyone ho commits sin is the servant of sin. /ut the slave does not abide in the house forever# the son abides there forever.'

Chapter 11 9oreover, ho great is the indulgence of the Lord, ho great the abundance of "is regard for us and "is goodness, that "e has thus ished us to celebrate prayer in the sight of God, so as to call the Lord '&ather' and, as Christ is the son of God, ourselves also so to be pronounced the sons of God, hich name no one of us ould dare to ta!e in prayer, had not "e "imself permitted us so to pray. So, most beloved brethren, e ought to remember and to !no that, hen e spea! of God, e ought to act as sons of God, so that, +ust as e are pleased ith God as &ather, so too "e may be

pleased ith us. Let us live as if temples of God, that it may be clear that the Lord d ells in us. Let not our acts depart from the Spirit, that e ho have begun to be spiritual and heavenly may ponder and do nothing e=cept the spiritual and the heavenly, since the Lord God "imself has said) 'Those ho glorify me, - shall glorify# but they that despise me, shall be despised.' The blessed 'postle also in his Apistle has laid do n) '*ou are not your o n, for you have been bought at a great price. Glorify God and bear him in your body.'

Chapter 1% 'fter this e say) '"allo ed be thy name,' not because e ish for God that "e be hallo ed by our prayers, but because e see! from the Lord that "is name be hallo ed in us. 9oreover, by hom is God hallo ed ho himself hallo s( /ut because "e "imself said) '/e ye holy, for - am holy,' e petition and as! for this, that e ho have been sanctified in baptism may persevere in hat e have begun. 'nd for this daily do e pray. &or e have need of daily sanctification, that e ho sin daily may cleanse our sins by continual sanctification. 9oreover, hat that sanctification is hich is conferred upon us out of God's esteem the 'postle proclaims hen he says) ':either fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor the effeminate nor sodomites nor thieves nor the covetous nor drun!ards nor the evil1tongued nor the greedy ill possess the !ingdom of God. 'nd such ere some of you, but you have been ashed, you have sanctified, you have been +ustified in the name of our Lord 6esus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.' "e says that e have been sanctified in the name of the Lord 6esus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. $e pray that this sanctification abide in us, and because our Lord and 6udge arned the man ho had been healed and 0uic!ened by "im to sin no more, lest something orse befall him, e ma!e this petition ith constant prayers, e as! this night and day, that the sanctification and 0uic!ening hich is assumed from the grace of God be preserved by "is protection.

Chapter 1, There follo s in the prayer) 'Thy !ingdom come.' $e see! also that God's !ingdom be manifested to us, +ust as e as! that "is name be sanctified in us. &or hen does God not reign, or hen does that begin in "im hich both al ays as and does not cease to be( $e petition that our !ingdom come hich as promised us by God, hich as ac0uired by Christ's blood and passion, so that e ho formerly served in the orld may after ards reign ith Christ as Lord, as "e "imself promises and says) 'Come, blessed of my

&ather, ta!e possession of the !ingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the orld.' -ndeed, most beloved brethren, even Christ "imself can be the !ingdom of God hom e daily desire to come, hose coming e ish to be 0uic!ly presented to us. &or since "e "imself is the resurrection, because in "im e rise again, so too the !ingdom of God can be understood as "imself, because in "im e are to reign. 9oreover, ell do e see! the !ingdom of God, that is the heavenly !ingdom, because there is also an earthly !ingdom. /ut he ho has already renounced the orld is greater than both its honors and !ingdom. 'nd so he ho dedicates himself to God and to Christ desires not earthly but heavenly !ingdom. 9oreover, there is need of continual prayer and supplication, lest e fall a ay from the heavenly !ingdom, +ust as the 6e s to hom this had first been promised fell a ay, as the Lord ma!es clear and proves. "e says) '9any shall come from the Aast and from the $est and shall feast ith 'braham and -saac and 6acob in the !ingdom of heaven. /ut the children of the !ingdom ill be put forth into the dar!ness outside# and there shall be eeping and gnashing of teeth.' "e sho s that formerly the 6e s ere sons of the !ingdom, hen they persevered in being also the sons of God# after the name of the &ather had ceased among them, the !ingdom also ceased. 'nd so e Christians ho in our prayers have begun to call God '&ather,' pray also that the !ingdom of God come to us.

Chapter 1. $e also say in addition) 'Thy ill be done in heaven as it is on earth,' not that God may do hat "e ishes, but that e may be able to do hat God ishes. &or ho stands in the ay of God's doing hat "e ishes( /ut since the devil stands in the ay of our mind and action obeying God in all things, e pray and petition that God's ill be done in us. That it may be done in us, there is need of God's ill, that is, of "is help and protection, because no one is strong in his o n strength, but is safe by the indulgence and mercy of God. &inally also the Lord, sho ing the infirmity of man hich "e as bearing, says) '&ather, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me,' and giving forth to "is disciples an e=ample not to do their o n ill but God's, "e added) '*et not as - ill, but as thou illest.' 'nd in another place "e says) '&or - have come do n from heaven not to do my o n ill, but the ill of "im ho sent me.' /ut if the Son obeyed to do "is &ather's ill, ho much more should the servant obey to do his Lord's ill, +ust as 6ohn also in his epistle urges and instructs us to do the ill of God, saying) '3o not love the orld, nor the things that are in the orld. -f anyone loves the orld, the love of the &ather is not in "im, because all that is in the orld is the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life hich is not from the &ather, but from the lust of the orld. 'nd the orld ith its lust ill pass a ay,

but he ho does the ill of God abides forever, as God also abides forever.' $e ho ish to abide forever should do the ill of God ho is eternal.

Chapter 14 9oreover, the ill of God is hat Christ both did and taught. "umility in conversation, steadfastness in faith, modesty in ords, +ustice in deeds, mercy in or!s, discipline in morals, not to !no ho to do an in+ury and to be able to bear one done, to !eep peace ith the brethren, to love the Lord ith a hole heart, to love "im in that "e is &ather, to fear "im in that "e is God, to place nothing at all before Christ, because "e placed nothing before us, to cling inseparably to "is love, to stand bravely and faithfully at "is cross# hen there is a struggle over "is name and honor to e=hibit the constancy in speech ith hich e confess, under investigation the confidence ith hich e enter combat, in death the patience for hich e are cro ned# this is to ish to be co1heir ith Christ# this is to do the commandment of God# this is to fulfill the ill of the &ather.

Chapter 18 9oreover, e as! that the ill of God be done on heaven and on earth, each of hich pertains to the consummation of our safety and salvation. &or since e possess a body from earth and a spirit from heaven, e ourselves are earth and heaven, and in both, that is in both body and spirit e pray that God's ill be done. &or there is a struggle bet een flesh and spirit, and as they contend there is daily conflict ith each other, so that e do not do the very things hich e ish, as the spirit see!s the heavenly and the divine, the flesh desires the earthly and orldly. 'ccordingly e as! that harmony be effected bet een these t o by the help and assistance of God, so that, hile the ill of God is being done both in the spirit and in the flesh, the soul hich is reborn through "im may be preserved. The 'postle Paul openly and manifestly declares this in these ords, saying) '&or the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh# for these are opposed to each other, so that you do not do hat you ould. :o the or!s of the flesh are manifest hich are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, itchcrafts, murders, enmities, contentions, +ealousies, anger, 0uarrels, dissensions, sects, heresies, envies, drun!enness, carousings, and such ali!e. They ho do such things ill not inherit the !ingdom of God. /ut the fruit of the Spirit is charity, +oy, peace, magnanimity, goodness, faith, clemency, continence,

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chastity.' 'nd so by daily, yes, by unceasing petitions e pray for this, that both in heaven and on earth the ill of God concerning us be done, because this is the ill of God, that the earthly give ay to the heavenly, that the spiritual and divine prevail.

Chapter 1B 'nd it may thus be understood, most beloved brethren, that, since the Lord orders and admonishes to love even our enemies and also to pray for those ho persecute us, let us as! for those ho are still on earth and have not yet begun to be heavenly, so that the ill of God, hich Christ accomplished by preserving and rene ing humanity, may be done also ith respect to those. &or since the disciples are no longer called by "im 'earth' but the 'salt of the earth,' and the 'postle declares that the first man is from the slime of the earth but the second from heaven, e too, ho should be li!e God the &ather, ho ma!es "is sun to rise on the good and the evil and sends rain upon the +ust and un+ust, orthy pray and see!, as Christ so admonishes, so that e offer prayer for the salvation of all, so that +ust as the ill of God has been done, that is, in us through our faith, that e might be of heaven, so too on earth, that is among those un illing to believe, the ill of God may be done, that those ho are still earthly by their first birth may begin to be heavenly, born of ater and of the Spirit.

Chapter 1> 's the prayer proceeds, e as! and say) 'Give us this day our daily bread.' This can be understood both spiritually and simply, because either understanding is of profit in divine usefulness for salvation. &or Christ is the bread of life and the bread here is of all, but is ours. 'nd as e say '7ur &ather,' because "e is the &ather of those ho understand and believe, so too e say 'our /read,' because Christ is the bread of those of us ho attain to "is body. 9oreover, e as! that this bread be given daily, lest e, ho are in Christ and receive the Aucharist daily as food of salvation, ith the intervention of some more grievous sin, hile e are shut off and as non1communicants are !ept from the heavenly bread, be separated from the body of Christ as "e "imself declares, saying) '- am the bread of life hich came do n from heaven. -f any man eat of my bread he shall live forever. 9oreover, the bread that - shall give is my flesh for the life of the orld.' Since then "e says that, if anyone eats of "is bread, he lives forever, as it is manifest that they live ho attain to "is body and receive the Aucharist by right of communion, so on the other hand

e must fear and pray lest anyone, hile he is cut off and separated from the body of Christ, remain apart from salvation, as "e "imself threatens, saying) 'Cnless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drin! "is blood, you shall not have life in you.' 'nd so e petition that our bread, that is Christ, be given us daily, so that e, ho abide and live in Christ, may not ithdra from "is sanctification and body.

Chapter 1? /ut it can also be understood that e ho have renounced the orld and have cast aside its riches and pomps in the faith of spiritual grace see! only food and sustenance for ourselves, as the Lord instructs us saying) '"e ho does not renounce all things hich are his cannot be my disciple.' 9oreover, he ho has begun to be a disciple of Christ according to the ord of his 9aster renouncing all things should as! for daily bread, and not put off for long the desires of their petition, as the Lord "imself again prescribes in these ords) '/e not an=ious for tomorro , for tomorro ill have an=ieties of its o n. Sufficient for the day is its o n trouble.' $orthily then does the disciple of Christ as! for his sustenance unto the day, ho is forbidden to thin! of the tomorro , because it becomes contrary and repugnant to "im that e see! to live long in the orld ho see! that the !ingdom of God come 0uic!ly. Thus also the blessed 'postle advises, establishing and sustaining the firmness of our hope and faith. "e says) '&or e brought nothing into this orld, and certainly e can ta!e nothing out. /ut having sustenance and clothing e are content ith these. /ut those ho see! to become rich fall into temptation and snares and into many harmful desires hich plunge a man into destruction and damnation. &or covetousness is the root of all evils and some in their eagerness to get rich have strayed from the faith and have involved themselves in many troubles.'

Chapter %@ "e teaches that not only are riches to be contemned but are also dangerous, that in them is the root of enticing evils, that device the blindness of the human mind ith hidden deception. So God rebu!es the foolish rich man ho ponders on his orldly ealth and boasts of the abundance of his overflo ing harvests, saying) 'Thou fool, this night do they demand thy soul of thee# and the things thou hast provided, hose ill they be(' The fool as re+oicing in his stores in the night hen he as about to die and he hose life as no ebbing pondered on the abundance of his sustenance. "o ever, on the other hand, the Lord teaches

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that he becomes perfect and complete ho by selling all his possessions and distributing them for the use of the poor lays up for himself a treasure in heaven. "e says that that man can follo "im and imitate the glory of the Lord's passion, ho unencumbered and ith his loins girded is not involved in the entanglements of personal property, but unentangled and free he himself also accompanies his possessions sent on before to the Lord. That each one of us may be able to prepare himself for this, thus he learns to pray and from the principle of prayer to !no hat sort of man he ought to be.

Chapter %1 &or daily bread cannot be lac!ing the +ust man, since it is ritten) 'The Lord ill not afflict the +ust soul ith famine'# and again, '- have been young, and am old and - have not seen the +ust man forsa!en, nor his seed begging bread' # li!e ise, since the Lord promises, saying) '$hat shall e eat or hat shall e drin! or hat are e to put on( &or after these things the gentiles see!# for your &ather !no s that you need all these things. /ut see! first the !ingdom of God and "is +ustice, and all these things shall be given you besides.' To those ho see! the !ingdom and the +ustice of God, "e promises that all things are added. &or since all things are of God, nothing ill be lac!ing to him ho has God, if he himself be not lac!ing to God. Thus a meal is divinely prepared for 3aniel ho as inclosed in a lions' den by order of the !ing and the man of God is fed in the midst of the ild beasts ho are angry and spare him. Thus Alias is sustained in his flight and solitude by ministering ravens, and is nourished in persecution by birds bringing food to him. 'nd oh detestable cruelty of human malice, the ild beasts spare, the birds feed, and men lay plots and go mad<

Chapter %% 'fter this also e pray for our sins, saying) ''nd forgive us our debts, as e also forgive our debtors.' 'fter the subsistence of food the pardon of sin is also as!ed so that he ho is fed by God may live in God, and so that not only the present and temporal life may be provided for but also the eternal, to hich e may come if our sins are forgiven, hich the Lord calls debts, as "e says in "is Gospel) '- forgave thee all the debt because thou didst entreat me.' 9oreover, ho necessarily, ho providently and salutarily, are e admonished that e are sinners, ho are compelled to plead for our sins, so that, hile indulgence is sought from God, the soul is recalled to a consciousness of its guilt< Lest anyone be pleased ith

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himself, as if innocent, and by e=alting himself perish the more, he is instructed and taught that he sins daily, since he is ordered to pray daily for his sins. Thus finally 6ohn also in his epistle admonishes in these ords) '-f e say that e have no sin, e deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. /ut if e ac!no ledge our sins, the Lord is faithful and +ust to forgive us our sins.' -n his epistle he has combined both, that e should both entreat for our sins and that e should obtain indulgence hen e entreat. Therefore, he said that the Lord as faithful to forgive sins, preserving the faith of "is promise, because "e ho taught us to pray for our debts and our sins promised that mercy and forgiveness ould follo .

Chapter %, "e clearly appended and added the la , binding us by a condition and engagement, that accordingly e as! that our debts be forgiven us according as e ourselves also forgive our debtors, !no ing that hat e see! for our sins cannot be obtained, unless e ourselves shall have acted li!e ise to ard those sinning against us. Therefore, in another place he says) '$ith hat measure you measure, it shall be measured to you.' The servant ho after all his debt as forgiven him by the Lord as himself un illing to forgive his fello servant is confined to prison. /ecause he as un illing to forgive his fello servant, he lost the forgiveness hich had been granted him by the Lord. 'nd these things Christ sets forth still more strongly in "is precepts by the greater force of "is censure. "e says) '$hen you stand to pray, forgive hatever you have against anyone, that your &ather ho is in heaven, may forgive you your sins. /ut if you do not forgive, neither ill your &ather ho is in heaven forgive you your sins.' There remains no e=cuse for you on the day of +udgment, hen you are +udged according to your sentence, and hat you have done, this also you yourself suffer. &or God has ordered us to be peace1ma!ers and of one heart and of one mind in "is house, and as "e has made us, so reborn by a second birth "e ishes to preserve us, that e ho are the sons of God may remain in the peace of God, and 'that e ho have one spirit may have one heart and mind. Thus neither does God receive the sacrifice of the dissident, and "e orders him to turn bac! from the altar and first be reconciled ith his brother, so that by pacifying prayers God also can be pacified. The greater sacrifice to God is our peace and fraternal concord and a people united in the unity of the &ather and of the Son and of the "oly Spirit.

Chapter %. &or even in the sacrifices hich 'bel and Cain first offered God did not

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loo! upon their gifts but upon their hearts, so that he ho pleased "im in his heart pleased "im in his gift. 'bel, peaceable and +ust, hile he as sacrificing to God innocently, taught others also, hen they offer a gift at the altar, to come ith fear of God, ith simple heart, ith the la of +ustice, ith the peace of concord. $orthily did he, since he as such in God's sacrifice, himself later become a sacrifice to God, so that being the first to manifest martyrdom he initiated the Lord's passion by his blood, ho had both the +ustice and peace of the Lord. &inally, such are cro ned by the Lord# such on the day of +udgment ill be vindicated ith the Lord. /ut the discordant and the dissident and he ho has not peace ith his brethren, according as the blessed 'postle and the "oly Scripture testify, not even if he be slain for "is name, shall be able to escape the crime of fraternal dissension, because, as it is ritten) '$hoever hates his brother is a murderer,; and a murderer does not arrive at the !ingdom of heaven nor does he live ith God. "e cannot be ith Christ, ho preferred to be an imitator of 6udas rather than of Christ. $hat a sin that is hich cannot be ashed a ay by the baptism of blood# hat a crime that is hich cannot be e=piated by martyrdom<

Chapter %4 :ecessarily too the Lord give us this admonition, to say in our prayer) ''nd lead us not into temptation.' -n this part it is sho n that the adversary has no po er against us, unless God has previously permitted it, in order that all our fear and devotion and obedience may be turned to God, since in temptations nothing is permitted evil, unless the po er is granted by "im. Scripture proves this hen it says) ':ebuchodonosor, !ing of /abylon, came against 6erusalem and assaulted it, and the Lord gave it into his hand.' 9oreover, po er is given to evil against us according to our sins# as it is ritten) '$ho hath given 6acob for a spoil and -srael to those ho despoiled him( "ath not God, against hom they have sinned and ere un illing to al! in "is ays and to hear "is la , even poured out upon them the indignation of "is fury( 'nd again hen Solomon sinned and departed from the precepts and the ays of the Lord, it is set do n) ''nd the Lord stirred up Satan against Solomon himself.'

Chapter %8 Po er indeed is granted against us in t o ays) either for punishment hen e sin or for glory hen e are approved, as e see as done ith respect to 6ob hen God made this clear ith the follo ing ords) '/ehold all that he hath is in thy hand# only put not forth thy hand upon his person.' 'nd

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the Lord in "is Gospel says at the time of "is passion) ;Thou ouldst have no po er at all over me, ere it not given thee from above.' $hen, moreover, e as! that e come not into temptation, e are reminded of our infirmity and ea!ness, lest someone e=tol himself insolently, lest someone proudly and arrogantly assume something to himself, lest someone thin! the glory of confession or passion to be his o n, although the Lord himself, teaching humility, has said) '$atch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is illing, but the flesh is ea!,' so that hen humble and submissive confession precedes and all is ascribed to God, hatever is sought suppliantly ith fear and honor of God, by reason of "is loving !indness it may be granted.

Chapter %B 'fter all those things, in summation of the prayer there comes a little clause concluding all our petitions and prayer in compact brevity. &or at the very last e state) '/ut deliver us from evil,' comprehending all adversities hich the enemy underta!es against us in this orld, from hich there can be strong and faithful protection, if God delivers us, if, as e pray and implore, "e furnish us "is aid. 9oreover, hen e say) '3eliver us from evil,' nothing remains for hich e should as! still further# hen once e see! God's protection against evil, having obtained this, e stand secure and safe against all the or!s of the devil and of the orld. &or hat fear indeed is there ith regard to the orld for him ho has God as his protector in the orld(

Chapter %> $hat onder, most beloved brethren, if such is the prayer that God has taught, ho by "is instruction has abbreviated our every prayer in a saving ord( This had already been foretold by -saias the prophet, hen, filled ith the "oly Spirit, he spo!e of the ma+esty and loving !indness of God. "e said) 'Completing and abbreviating "is ord in +ustice, since God ill ma!e a short ord in the hole earth.' &or hen the $ord of God, our Lord 6esus Christ, came to all, and gathering together the learned and unlearned ali!e "e gave forth the precepts of salvation to every se= and age, "e made a great compendium of "is precepts, so that the memory of the learners might not be burdened in heavenly discipline, but might learn 0uic!ly hat as necessary to a simple faith. Thus hen "e taught hat eternal life is, "e embraced the sacrament of life ith great and divine brevity, saying) ':o this is life eternal, that they may !no Thee, the only true God, and "im hom Thou sent, 6esus Christ.' Li!e ise, hen "e gathered from the la

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and prophets the first and greatest commandments, "e said) '"ear, 7 -srael, the Lord your God is one Lord.' 'nd, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God ith thy hole heart, and ith thy hole strength. This is the first commandment. 'nd the second is li!e it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 7n these t o commandments depend the hole la and the prophets.' 'nd again, '$hatever good things you ish men to do to you, even so do you also to them# for this is the la and the prophets.'

Chapter %? :ot by ords alone, but also by deeds has God taught us to pray, "imself praying fre0uently and entreating and demonstrating hat e ought to do by the testimony of "is o n e=ample, as it is ritten) '/ut "e "imself as in retirement in the desert, and in prayer,' and again, '"e ent out into the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God.' /ut if "e ho as ithout sin prayed, ho much more ought sinners to pray, and if "e prayed continually, atching through the hole night ith uninterrupted petitions, ho much more ought e to lie a a!e at night in continuing prayer<

Chapter ,@ 9oreover, the Lord prayed and as!ed not for "imself, Dfor hat ould an innocent person petition for himself(E, but for our sins, +ust as "e "imself declares hen "e says to Peter) '/ehold, Satan as as!ing to have you, that he might sift you as heat. /ut - have prayed for thee, that thy faith may not fail.; 'nd later "e entreats the &ather for all, saying) '*et not for these only do - pray, but for those also ho through their ord are to believe in me, that all may be one, even as thou, &ather, in me and - in thee# that they also may be in us.' Great ali!e is God's !indness and compassion for our salvation, so that, not content ith having redeemed us ith "is blood, "e in addition also prayed for us. 9oreover, behold hat the desire as of "im ho prayed, that, +ust as the &ather and Son are one, so too e remain in that very unity# that from this it can be understood ho much he sins ho shatters unity and peace, since the Lord also prayed for this, namely, that "is people live, for "e !ne that discord does not come to the !ingdom of God.

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9oreover, hen e stand for prayer, most beloved brethren, e should be alert and intent on our petitions ith a hole heart. Let every carnal and orldly thought depart, and let the mind d ell on nothing other than that alone for hich it prays. Therefore, the priest also before his prayer prepares the minds of the brethren by first uttering a preface, saying) 'Lift up your hearts,' so that hen the people respond) '$e lift them up to the Lord,' they may be admonished that they should ponder on nothing other than the Lord. Let the breast be closed against the adversary and be open to God alone, and let it not suffer the enemy of God to approach it at the time of prayer. &or he fre0uently creeps up and penetrates and ith subtle deceit calls our prayers a ay from God, so that e have one thing in the heart, another in the voice, hen not the sound of the voice but the mind and the thought should be praying to the Lord ith sincere intention. /ut hat slothfulness it is to be dra n a ay and to be captured by foolish and profane thoughts, hen you are praying to the Lord, as if there ere anything that you should ponder more than hat you spea! ith God. "o do you as! that you be heard by God, hen you do not hear your very self( 3o you ish the Lord to be mindful of you hen you pray, hen you yourself are not mindful of yourself( This is to be entirely off1guard against the enemy# this is, hen you pray to God, to offend the ma+esty of God by the negligence of prayer# this is to be alert ith the eyes and to be asleep ith the heart, although a Christian, even hen he is sleeping, should be alert ith the heart, as it is ritten in the person of the Church spea!ing in the Canticle of Canticles( '- sleep and my heart atcheth.' Therefore, the 'postle solicitously and cautiously admonishes, saying) '/e assiduous in prayer, being a!eful therein,' that is, teaching and sho ing that they can obtain hat they as! of God, ho God sees are alert in prayer.

Chapter ,% 9oreover, let those ho pray not come to God ith fruitless and destitute prayers. The petition is ineffective hen a sterile prayer is offered to God. &or, since every tree that does not bear fruit is cut do n and cast into the fire, li!e ise ords ithout fruits cannot merit God's favor, since they are fruitful in no deed. 'nd so divine Scripture instructs us ith these ords) 'Prayer is good ith fasting and alms.' &or "e ho on the day of +udgment is to render a re ard for deeds and alms, today also is a !indly listener to prayer hich comes ith or!s. Thus finally did Cornelius, the centurion, merit to be heard, hen he prayed. "e as one ho performed many alms1deeds among the people and ho al ays prayed to God. /efore him as he prayed at the ninth hour an angel stood giving testimony to his or! in these ords) 'Cornelius, thy prayers and thy alms have gone up for a memorial before God.'

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Chapter ,, Fuic!ly do those prayers ascend to God, hich the merits of our or!s impose upon God. Thus did the angel Gaphael stand before Tobias, as he al ays prayed and al ays or!ed, saying) '-t is honorable to reveal and confess the or!s of God. &or hen thou didst pray ith Sara, - offered the memory of your prayer in the sight of the glory of God, and hen thou didst bury the dead directly, and because thou didst not delay to rise and to leave thy dinner, but didst go out and hide the dead, - as sent to tempt thee# and again God sent me to heal thee and Sara thy son s ife. &or - am Gaphael, one of the seven +ust angels ho go in and out before the glory of God.' Through -saias also the Lord admonishes and teaches li!e things, testifying ith these ords) 'Loose every bond of ic!edness, undo the bundles of the unbridled traders, release the bro!en for rest, and brea! asunder every un+ust burden. /rea! thy bread to the hungry and bring the needy and the harborless into thy house. -f thou shalt see one na!ed, cover him, and despise not the children of thy o n seed. Then shall thy light brea! forth as the morning and thy garments shall speedily arise and thy +ustice shall go before thee and the glory of God shall surround thee. Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall hear thee, hen thou shalt cry and "e ill say) '"ere - am.' "e promises that "e is present and hears, and "e says that "e protects those ho loosening the !nots of in+ustice from the heart, and performing alms1deeds around the members of God's household according to "is precepts, as they hear hat God orders to be done, themselves also deserve to be heard by God. The blessed 'postle Paul, hen aided in the necessity of affliction, by the brethren said that the ords hich ere done ere sacrifices to God. "e said) '- am fully supplied no that - have received from Apaphroditus hat you have sent, a s eet odor, an acceptable sacrifice, ell pleasing to God.' &or hen one has pity on the poor, he lends to God# and he ho gives to the least, gives to God# in a spiritual sense he sacrifices to God the odors of s eetness.

Chapter ,. :o in celebrating prayer e find that the three boys ith 3aniel strong in the faith and victorious in captivity observed the third, the si=th, and the ninth hours, namely for a sacrament ou the Trinity, hich in the latest times had to be manifested. &or the first hour going into the third sho s the number of the Trinity consummated, and li!e ise the fourth proceeding to the si=th proclaims a second Trinity, and hen the ninth is completed from the seventh, the perfect Trinity is numbered every three

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hours. "aving determined upon these spaces of hours in a spiritual sense a long time ago, the orshippers of God ere sub+ect to them as the established and la ful times for prayer. Later the fact as made manifest that formerly the sacraments e=isted, because the +ust of old so prayed. &or upon the disciples at the third hour did the "oly Spirit descend, hich fulfilled the grace of the Lord's promise. Li!e ise Peter at the si=th hour going up ard upon the house1top as instructed ali!e by a sign and the voice of God admonishing him, to admit all to the grace of salvation, although before "e as hesitant about bapti2ing the Gentiles. The Lord also, having been crucified from the si=th to the ninth, ashed a ay our sins by "is blood, and, that he might be able to redeem and 0uic!en us, "e then completed the victory by "is passion.

Chapter ,4 /ut for us, most beloved brethren, besides the hours of praying observed of old, both the times and the sacraments have increased. &or e must also pray in the morning, that the resurrection of the Lord may be celebrated by morning prayer. The "oly Spirit set this forth of old, hen "e said in the psalms) '7 my !ing and my God. &or to thee ill - pray) 7 Lord, in the morning thou shalt hear my voice. -n the morning - ill stand before thee, and ill see thee.' 'nd again through the prophet the Lord says) ''t da n they ill be on atch for me, saying) let us go and return to the Lord our God.' Li!e ise at the setting of the sun and at the end of the day necessarily there must again be prayer. &or since Christ is the true Sun and the true 3ay, as the sun and the day of the orld recede, hen e pray and petition that the light come upon us again, e pray for the coming of Christ to provide us ith the grace of eternal light. 9oreover, the "oly Spirit in the psalms declares that Christ is called the 3ay. "e says) 'The stone hich the builders re+ected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing# it is onderful in our eyes. This is the day hich the Lord has made# let us e=alt and re+oice therein.' Li!e ise 9alachias the prophet testifies that "e is called the Sun hen he says) '/ut unto you that fear my name, the Sun of +ustice shall arise, and healing is in "is ings.' /ut if in holy Scripture Christ is the true Sun and the true 3ay, no hour is e=cepted for Christians, in hich God should be adored fre0uently and al ays, so that e ho are in Christ, that is, in the true Sun and in the true 3ay, should be insistent throughout the hole day in our petitions and should pray# and hen, by the la of the orld, the revolving night, recurring in its alternate changes, succeeds, there can be no harm from the nocturnal shades for those ho pray, because to the sons of light even in the night there is day. &or hen is he ithout light ho has light in his heart( 7r hen does he not have sun and day, to hom Christ is Sun and 3ay(

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Chapter ,8 9oreover, let us ho are al ays in Christ, that is, in the light not cease praying even in the night. Thus the ido 'nna ithout intermission al ays petitioning and atching, persevered in deserving ell of God, as it is ritten in the Gospel) 'She did not leave the temple, serving ith fastings and prayers night and day.' Aither the Gentiles ho have not yet been enlightened or the 6e s ho deserted the light and remained in dar!ness should have seen# let us, most beloved brethren, ho are al ays in the light of the Lord, ho remember and retain hat e have begun to be after receiving grace compute the night as day. Let us believe that e al! al ays in the light# let us not be hindered by the dar!ness hich e have escaped# let there be no loss of prayers in the hours of the night, no slothful or neglectful aste of opportunities for prayer. Let us ho by the indulgence of God have been recreated spiritually and reborn imitate hat e are destined to be# let us ho in the !ingdom ill have day alone ithout the intervention of night be +ust as alert at night as in the day# let us ho are destined to pray al ays and to give than!s to God, not cease here also to pray and to give than!s. 9ade available to the net by) Paul "alsall "alsallHmurray.fordham.edu

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