Commentary on the "Our Father"

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.

Simone Weil used to say it every morning from the later 1930s, before going to work in the vineyard (where she was renowned as a klutz) after her overwhelming experience of the truth of Christianity that took place at the abbey of Solesmes during the same period.  (She also liked the poem by George Herbert, “Love.”)  She said it in the original Koine Greek, and offered her commentary on that. I offer my commentary on the English.

Those in the know know there two versions in the Gospels. The shorter one (Luke 11:2-4). And the longer one (Matthew 6:9-14) which is more often used liturgically, and on which I’ll comment below.  It’s outrageous as you’ll see. It’s so outrageous that it’s weird we recite it in Church and otherwise.  You have to blind yourself to it, but people have been doing that a long time.

Our Father

The first word out of our mouths is “our,” thus this prayer is not an individual practice. It is collective from the first word.  So this “prayer that Jesus taught” shows, from its very origin, that to pray right is not a solitary activity.

“Father”:  we have to call “him” something!  But the words we use must be meaningful, and are thus worth examining.  In those days, “Father” was the loving head of the family  (that was the ideal, anyway).  So it is instantly an image of love and the organizing principle of community—we’re not allowed to get away with being solitary again.  And “Mother” wouldn’t have expressed it as well. At least 2,000 years ago. No matter how things are different now.

Who art in heaven,

In order to pray, God has to somewhere other than here. And the sky, utterly inaccessible back then, was as good an “other” place as any.

And it was infinite, which suited God. If God is not in the heavens then there is no difference between you and God, and no need to pray, as Jesus likely understood. But God is also “over there,” which enables you to pray to “him.”  We’re finished now with addressing him.

Hallowed be thy name.

There is word that stands in for “God.”  May it be considered holy, sacred, other than the everyday. The secret (that Jesus probably knew) was that as soon as you recognize it as just a word, you become it, though you still have to be you in order to have someone to pray to. And everything is holy, and miraculous.  It’s simply a matter of discovering that. And prayer is as good a way as any.

Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,

I put these two lines together, because they almost rhyme in English. May that thing, inexpressible, for which the word stands come to rule over all, as weird as that sounds. And may the will that arises from that not-knowing happen.  It starts to sound like we’re asking for paradox.  That is appropriate.  Like Suzuki Roshi said, the truth is always paradoxical.

On earth as it is in heaven.

May that will become reality as though “you” were right here.

Give us this day our daily bread,

This is the first thing we specifically ask for. And it’s significant. I think it’s a mistake to think we asking for literal food.  It is really anything necessary for survival.  Whether that survival is material or, especially, immaterial.  Think of all the time it isn’t about literal bread (most of the time) and you’ll begin to get it.  I think we are asking for “spiritual” nourishment as much as what’s literal.  For whatever leads us in a goodly direction.

And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us,

This an outrageous statement because it ties our forgiveness to the extent to which we forgive others.  There is thus no sin worth worrying about. If we can forgive others (which we should be able to do easily when we realize we are all temporary phenomena) then there is nothing to worry about.  Repentance, which is completely necessary, is put in proper perspective.

And lead us not into temptation,

Here we admit that the Creator creates everything, temptation included.  There is nothing “he” doesn’t control. Another outrageous statement, but we boldly say it.

But deliver us from evil.

The same. Or, more of the same. More outrage, but we’re used to it by now.

Amen.

May it be so.