Article 1: Hallowed be thy name. This is the first petition, in which we ask that his name may be made manifest and declared in us. Now the name of God is, first, wonderful, because in all creatures it works wonders; whence the Lord says in the Gospel of Mark, last chapter (16:17): 'In my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them.' Secondly, it is lovable. Acts 4:12: 'There is no other name under heaven given whereby we must be saved.' And salvation is to be loved by all. Take the example of blessed Ignatius, who so loved the name of Christ that, when Trajan demanded of him that he deny the name of Christ, he answered that it could not be removed from his mouth;
and when the emperor threatened to cut off his head and to remove Christ from his mouth, he said: 'Even if you take him from my mouth, you will never be able to snatch him from my heart; for I have this name inscribed upon my heart, and therefore I cannot cease from calling upon it.' Hearing this, Trajan, wishing to put it to the proof, ordered that the head of God's servant be cut off and his heart drawn out; and it was found to have the name of Christ written within it in letters of gold. For he had set this name upon his heart as a seal. Thirdly, it is venerable. The Apostle, Philippians 2:10: 'That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.' Of those in heaven, as regards the angels and the blessed;
those on earth, as regards worldly men, who do this either out of love of attaining glory or out of fear of escaping punishment; and those under the earth, namely the damned, who do this out of fear. Fourthly, it is inexpressible, because all tongues fail in declaring it. And therefore it is sometimes explained through creatures. Hence it is called a rock, by reason of its firmness: Matthew 16:18: 'Upon this rock I will build my Church.' Likewise fire, by reason of purification: for just as fire purifies metals, so God purifies the hearts of sinners; whence Deuteronomy 4:24: 'Your God is a consuming fire.' Likewise light, by reason of illumination: for just as light illumines the darkness, so the name of God illumines the darkness of the mind. Psalm 17:29: 'My God, enlighten my darkness.'
Hence we ask that this name be made manifest, that it may be known and held to be holy. Now 'holy' is said in three ways. For 'holy' is the same as 'firm'; whence all the blessed who are in heaven are called holy, because they are made firm in eternal happiness. In the world men cannot be holy, because they are continually changeable. Augustine: 'I flowed away from you, O Lord, and wandered too far; I became a wanderer from your stability.' Secondly, 'holy' is the same as 'not earthly'; whence the saints who are in heaven have no earthly affection; whence the Apostle, Philippians 3:8: 'I have counted all things as dung, that I may gain Christ.' Now by 'earth' sinners are designated. First, by reason of its sprouting:
6:5
terraenimsinoncolitur, spinasettribulosgerminat; sicanimapeccatoris, nisicolaturpergratiam, nongerminatnisitribulosetpunctionespeccatorum. Gen. III, 18: spinasettribulosgerminabittibi . Secundorationecaliginis. Terraenimcaliginosaestetopaca: sicetiampeccatorcaliginosusetopacusest. Gen. I, 2: tenebraeerantsuperfaciemabyssi . Tertiorationeconditionis. Terraenimestelementumsiccum, quodspargiturnisicontineaturabaquaehumiditate: namDeusposuitterramsuperaquam, iuxtailludPsal. CXXXV, 6: quifirmavitterramsuperaquas , quiaexhumiditateaquaecontineturariditasvelsiccitasterrae.
for if earth is not cultivated, it brings forth thorns and thistles; so too the soul of a sinner, unless it be cultivated by grace, brings forth nothing but thistles and the prickings of sins. Genesis 3:18: 'Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you.' Secondly, by reason of its murkiness. For earth is murky and opaque; so too the sinner is murky and opaque. Genesis 1:2: 'Darkness was upon the face of the deep.' Thirdly, by reason of its condition. For earth is a dry element, which scatters unless it is held together by the moisture of water; for God set the earth upon the water, according to that of Psalm 135:6: 'Who established the earth above the waters,' because the dryness or aridity of the earth is held together by the moisture of water.
So too the sinner has a soul that is dry and arid, according to that of Psalm 142:6: 'My soul is like earth without water before you.' Likewise, thirdly, 'holy' is said as meaning 'dyed with blood'; whence the saints who are in heaven are called holy, in that they are dyed with blood, according to that of Revelation 7:14: 'These are they who have come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.' Likewise, ibid. 1:5: 'He has washed us from our sins in his own blood.' Article 2: Thy kingdom come. As has been said, the Holy Spirit makes us love, desire, and ask rightly; and he produces in us first fear, by which we seek that the name of God be sanctified. Another gift is the gift of piety.
And piety, properly speaking, is a sweet and devout affection toward a father, and toward every man set in misery. Since therefore God is our Father, as is evident, we ought not only to revere and fear him, but also to bear toward him a sweet and devout affection. Now this affection makes us ask that the kingdom of God may come. Titus 2:12-13: 'That we may live piously and justly in this world, looking for the blessed hope and the coming of the glory of the great God.' But it might be asked: the kingdom of God has always existed; why then do we ask that it come? And so it must be said that this can be understood in three ways. First, because sometimes a king has only the right to a kingdom, or to dominion;
and yet the dominion over that very kingdom has not yet been declared, because the men of the kingdom are not yet subject to him. Then, therefore, his kingdom or dominion will first appear, when the men of the kingdom will be subject to him. Now God, of himself and by his own nature, is Lord of all; and Christ, both as God and also as man, has it from God that he be Lord of all. Daniel 7:14: 'He gave him power, and honor, and a kingdom.' It is fitting, therefore, that all things be subject to him. This, however, is not yet so, but will be at the end. 1 Corinthians 15:25: 'He must reign, until he puts all his enemies under his feet.' And therefore we ask and say: Thy kingdom come. And this as regards three things:
namely, that the just may be converted, that sinners may be punished, and that death may be destroyed. For men are subjected to Christ in two ways: either willingly or unwillingly. For since the will of God is so efficacious that it must be wholly fulfilled, and God wills that all things be subjected to Christ, one of two things will be necessary: namely, that either man do the will of God by subjecting himself to his commands—and this the just will do—or that God accomplish his will concerning all by punishing them—and this he will do to sinners and his enemies. And this will be at the end of the world. Psalm 109:1: 'Until I make your enemies your footstool.' And therefore it has been given to the saints to seek that the kingdom of God may come, namely that they themselves may be wholly subjected to him;
but to sinners it is terrifying, because to seek that the kingdom of God may come is nothing else than to seek that by the will of God they be subjected to punishments. Amos 5:18: 'Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord.' But by this also death is destroyed. For since Christ is life, death, which is contrary to life, cannot exist in his kingdom; therefore it is said in 1 Corinthians 15:26: 'And the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.' And this will be at the resurrection. Philippians 3:21: 'He will reform the body of our lowliness, made conformable to the body of his glory.' Secondly, the kingdom of heaven is called the glory of Paradise. Nor is this surprising; for a kingdom is nothing else than governance. Now there is the best governance where nothing is found contrary to the will of the one governing.
Now the will of God is the salvation of men, because he wills that men be saved; and this will be most fully in Paradise, where there will be nothing repugnant to the salvation of men. Matthew 13:41: 'They shall gather out of his kingdom all scandals.' But in this world there are many things contrary to the salvation of men. When therefore we ask, Thy kingdom come, we pray that we may be partakers of the heavenly kingdom and of the glory of Paradise. This kingdom is indeed greatly to be desired for three reasons. First, on account of the supreme justice which is in it. Isaiah 60:21: 'Your people shall be all just.' For here the evil are mixed with the good; but there no one will be evil, and no one a sinner. Likewise, on account of the most perfect liberty. For here there is no liberty, although all by nature desire it;
but there will be every kind of liberty, free from all bondage. Romans 8:21: 'The creature itself shall be delivered from corruption.' And not only will all be free there, but they will be kings: Revelation 5:10: 'You have made us a kingdom to our God.' The reason for this is that all will be of one will with God, and God will will whatever the saints will, and the saints whatever God shall have willed; whence with the will of God their will shall be done. And therefore all will reign, because the will of all will be done, and the Lord will be the crown of all. Isaiah 28:5: 'In that day the Lord of hosts shall be a crown of glory, and a garland of joy to the residue of his people.' Likewise, on account of the wonderful abundance. Isaiah 64:4:
'Eye has not seen, O God, besides you, what you have prepared for those who wait for you.' Psalm 102:5: 'Who fills your desire with good things.' And note that man will find all things in God alone, more excellently and more perfectly than anything that is sought in the world. If you seek delight, you will find the highest in God; if riches, there you will find every sufficiency, for the sake of which riches exist; and so of other things. Augustine, in the Confessions: 'The soul, when it commits fornication away from you, seeks outside you those things which it does not find pure and clear until it returns to you.' Thirdly, because sometimes in this world sin reigns. And this is when a man is so disposed that he immediately follows and pursues the appetite of sin. The Apostle, Romans 6:12:
'Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body'; but God ought to reign in your heart. Isaiah 7:7 (cf. Micah): 'O Zion, your God shall reign.' And this is when a man is ready to obey God and to keep all his commandments. When therefore we ask that the kingdom may come, we pray that sin may not reign in us, but God. Now through this petition we shall attain to that beatitude of which it is said in Matthew 5:4: 'Blessed are the meek'; for according to the first exposition, from the fact that a man desires that God be Lord of all, he does not avenge himself for the injury done to him, but reserves it to God. For if you were to avenge yourself, you would not be seeking that his kingdom might come.
But according to the second exposition, if you await his kingdom, that is, the glory of Paradise, you ought not to care if you lose worldly things. Likewise, according to the third exposition, if you ask that God and Christ reign in you, since he himself was most meek, you too ought to be meek. Matthew 11:29: 'Learn of me, for I am meek.' Hebrews 10:34: 'You received with joy the plundering of your goods.' Article 3: Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. The third gift which the Holy Spirit produces in us is called the gift of knowledge. For the Holy Spirit not only produces in the good the gift of fear and the gift of piety, which is a sweet affection toward God, as has been said, but also makes a man wise.
And David asked for this in Psalm 118:66, saying: 'Teach me goodness, and discipline, and knowledge.' And this is the knowledge by which a man lives well, which the Holy Spirit has taught us. Now among the other things that contribute to a man's knowledge and wisdom, the chief wisdom is that a man should not lean upon his own understanding. Proverbs 3:5: 'Lean not upon your own prudence.' For those who presume upon their own understanding, so that they do not believe others but only themselves, are always found and judged to be fools. Proverbs 26:12: 'Have you seen a man wise in his own eyes? There shall be more hope of a fool than of him.' But that a man should not believe his own understanding proceeds from humility; whence also wisdom is the abode of humility, as is said in Proverbs 11.
But the proud believe in themselves too much. Therefore the Holy Spirit teaches this through the gift of knowledge, namely, that we should do not our own will, but the will of God. And therefore on account of this gift we ask of God that his will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. And in this the gift of knowledge appears. Hence in this manner it is said to God, Thy will be done, just as if there were a sick man who wanted something from a physician: he does not want it absolutely, but according to the will of the physician; otherwise, if he willed only according to his own will, he would be a fool. So we ought to ask nothing of God except that his will be done concerning us, that is, that his will be fulfilled in us. For then the heart of man is upright, when it accords with the divine will. This Christ did: John
6:38: 'I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.' For Christ, inasmuch as he is God, has the same will as the Father; but inasmuch as he is man, he has a will distinct from the Father's; and according to this latter he says that he does not do his own will, but the Father's. And therefore he teaches us to pray and ask: Thy will be done. But what is meant by this? Is it not said in Psalm 113:3 (cf. 115:3): 'Whatever he willed, he has done'? If he does all things that he wills in heaven and on earth, what is the meaning of saying, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven? To understand this, we must know that God wills three things concerning us, and we ask that these may be fulfilled.
The first thing that God wills concerning us is that we should have eternal life. For whoever does something for the sake of some end wills that for which he does it. Now God made man, but not for nothing; because, as is said in Psalm 88:48: 'Have you indeed made all the sons of men in vain?' He therefore made men for the sake of something, but not for the sake of pleasures, for the beasts too have these, but that they might have eternal life. The Lord therefore wills that man have eternal life. But when something attains that for which it was made, it is said to be saved; and when it does not attain it, that thing is said to be lost. Now God made man for the sake of eternal life.
when therefore he attains eternal life, he is saved; and this the Lord wills: John 6:40: 'This is the will of my Father who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life.' Now this will is already fulfilled in the angels and in the saints who are in the fatherland, because they see and know God and enjoy him; but we desire that, just as the will of God is fulfilled in the blessed who are in heaven, so it may be fulfilled in us who are on earth: and this we ask when we pray, Thy will be done in us who are on earth, as it is in the saints who are in heaven. Another will of God concerning us is that we should keep his commandments.
For when someone desires something, he wills not only that which he desires, but also all the means by which one comes to it; just as a physician, in order to attain health, also wills diet and medicine and the like. Now God wills that we should have eternal life. Matthew 19:17: 'If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.' He therefore wills that we keep the commandments. Romans 12:1: 'Your reasonable service'; ibid. 2: 'That you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.' Good, because useful: Isaiah 48:17: 'I am the Lord, teaching you profitable things.' Well-pleasing to the one who loves; and even if it is not pleasing to others, yet to the one who loves it is delightful. Psalm 96:11: 'Light is risen to the just, and joy to the upright of heart.' Perfect, because honorable: Matthew 5:48:
'Be perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.' Thus therefore when we say, Thy will be done, we pray that we may fulfill the commandments of God. Now this will of God is done in the just, but in sinners it is not yet done. The just are designated by heaven, the sinners by earth. We ask therefore that the will of God be done so on earth, that is, in sinners, as it is in heaven, that is, in the just. But it should be noted that from the manner of speaking instruction is given to us. For it does not say 'do,' nor even 'let us do,' but it says, Thy will be done: because for eternal life two things are necessary, namely the grace of God and the will of man; and although God made man without man, yet he does not justify him without him. Augustine, on John:
'He who created you without you, will not justify you without you,' because he wills that man cooperate. Zechariah 1:3: 'Turn to me, and I will turn to you.' The Apostle, 1 Corinthians 15:10: 'By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace in me has not been void.' Therefore do not presume upon yourself, but trust in the grace of God; nor be negligent, but apply your own effort. And therefore he does not say 'let us do,' lest it should seem that the grace of God does nothing; nor does he say 'do,' lest it should seem that our will and effort do nothing; but he says, Be it done by the grace of God, with our own zeal and effort applied. The third thing that God wills concerning us is that man be restored to the state and dignity in which the first man was created;
which was so great that the spirit and soul felt no resistance from the flesh and sensuality. For as long as the soul was subject to God, the flesh was so subject to the spirit that it felt no corruption of death or infirmity or of the other passions; but from the time that the spirit and soul—which was set as a mean between God and the flesh—rebelled against God through sin, then the body rebelled against the soul, and then it began to feel death and infirmities, and the continual rebellion of sensuality against the spirit. Romans 7:23: 'I see another law in my members, fighting against the law of my mind'; and Galatians 5:17: 'The flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.'
Thus there is a continual struggle between the flesh and the spirit, and man is continually made worse through sin. It is therefore the will of God that man be restored to his first state, namely that there be nothing in the flesh contrary to the spirit: 1 Thessalonians 4:3: 'This is the will of God, your sanctification.' Now this will of God cannot be fulfilled in this life, but will be fulfilled in the resurrection of the saints, when bodies shall rise glorified, and shall be incorruptible and most noble: 1 Corinthians 15:43: 'It is sown in dishonor, it shall rise in glory.' Yet the will of God is in the just as regards the spirit, through justice and knowledge and life. And therefore when we say, Thy will be done, we pray that it may also be done in the flesh.
For in this manner by 'heaven' we take the spirit, by 'earth' the flesh; so that the sense is: Thy will be done so on earth, that is, in our flesh, as it is done in heaven, that is, in our spirit through justice. Now through this petition we attain to the beatitude of mourning, of which Matthew 5:5 (cf. 5:4): 'Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.' And this according to each of the three expositions. For according to the first, we desire eternal life; whence through love of it we are led to mourning: Psalm 119:5: 'Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged.' And this desire of the saints is so vehement that on account of it they desire death, which in itself is to be fled: 2 Corinthians 5:8:
'We are confident, and have a good will rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with God.' Likewise according to the second exposition, those who keep the commandments are in mourning: because although they are sweet to the soul, yet to the flesh they are bitter, which is continually mortified: Psalm 125:6: 'Going they went and wept,' as regards the flesh; 'but coming they shall come with exultation,' as regards the soul. Likewise according to the third exposition, from the struggle which is continually between the flesh and the spirit, mourning arises. For it cannot but happen that the soul be wounded, at least by venial sins, from the flesh; and therefore, that it may be expiated, it is in mourning: Psalm 6:7: 'I will wash every night,' that is, the darknesses of sin, 'my bed,' that is, my conscience.
And those who thus weep attain to the fatherland, to which may God bring us. Article 4: Give us this day our daily bread. It often happens that someone, from great knowledge and wisdom, becomes fearful; and therefore he needs fortitude of heart, lest he fail in necessities. Isaiah 40:29: 'Who gives strength to the weary, and to those who are not, he multiplies fortitude and vigor.' Now this fortitude the Holy Spirit gives: Ezekiel 2:2: 'The spirit entered into me (...) and set me upon my feet.' And this is the fortitude which the Holy Spirit gives, that the heart of man may not fail through fear of necessary things, but may firmly believe that all things necessary to him will be supplied to him by God.
And therefore the Holy Spirit, who gives this fortitude, teaches us to ask of God: Give us this day our daily bread. Hence he is called the spirit of fortitude. Now it should be known that in the three preceding petitions, spiritual things are asked for, which are here begun in this world, but are not perfected except in eternal life. For when we ask that the name of God be sanctified, we ask that the holiness of God may be known; when we ask that the kingdom of God may come, we ask that we may be partakers of eternal life; and when we pray that the will of God be done, we ask that his will be fulfilled in us; all of which, although they are begun in this world, yet cannot be perfectly possessed except in eternal life.
And therefore it was necessary to ask for certain necessary things which could be perfectly possessed in the present life. And hence it is that the Holy Spirit taught us to ask for things necessary in the present life, which are here perfectly had; at the same time also to show that even temporal things are provided for us by God. And this is what he says: Give us this day our daily bread. In which words indeed he taught us to avoid five sins which are wont to arise from the desire of temporal things. The first sin is that a man, through immoderate appetite, asks for things that exceed his state and condition, not content with what befits him; just as, if he desires garments, he does not want them as a soldier, if he is a soldier, but as a count;
not as a cleric, if he is a cleric, but as a bishop. And this vice draws men away from spiritual things, inasmuch as their desire clings too much to temporal things. Now the Lord taught us to avoid this vice, teaching us to ask only for bread, that is, the things necessary for the present life according to each one's condition; all of which are understood under the name of bread. Hence he did not teach us to ask for dainty things, nor varied, nor exquisite, but bread, without which a man's life cannot be sustained, because it is common to all. Ecclesiasticus 29:28: 'The beginning of a man's life is bread and water.' The Apostle, 1 Timothy 6:8: 'Having food, and wherewith to be covered, with these let us be content.'
The second vice is that some, in acquiring temporal things, molest and defraud others. This vice is so dangerous that it is difficult for goods taken away to be restored. For sin is not forgiven unless what was taken away is restored, according to Augustine. And this vice he taught us to avoid, teaching us to ask for our own bread, not another's. For robbers do not eat their own bread, but another's. The third is excessive solicitude. For there are some who are never content with what they have, but always want more; which is indeed immoderate, because desire ought to be moderated according to necessity. Proverbs 30:8: 'Give me neither riches nor poverty; give me only what is necessary for my sustenance.'
And this he admonished us to avoid, saying: our daily bread, that is, of one day, or of one season. The fourth vice is immoderate gluttony. For there are some who want to consume in one day as much as would suffice for several days; and these ask not for daily bread, but for ten days' worth; and from the fact that they spend too much, it happens that they consume everything. Proverbs 23:21: 'They who give themselves to drinking and contribute their feasts shall be consumed.' Ecclesiasticus 19:1: 'A drunken workman shall not grow rich.' The fifth vice is ingratitude. For when someone is proud on account of his riches, and does not acknowledge that what he has comes from God, this is very evil: because all that we have, whether spiritual or temporal, is from God. 1 Chronicles 29:14:
'All things are yours; from your hand we have received them.' Therefore, to remove this vice, he says: Give us, and our bread, that we may know that all our things are from God. But on this we have one lesson: that sometimes someone has many riches, and from them obtains no benefit, but spiritual and temporal harm. For some have perished on account of riches. Ecclesiastes 6:1: 'There is also another evil which I have seen under the sun, and indeed frequent among men: a man to whom God has given riches and substance and honor, and his soul lacks nothing of all that it desires; yet God does not give him power to eat thereof, but a stranger shall devour it.' Likewise, ibid. 5:12: 'Riches gathered to the hurt of their owner.'
We ought therefore to ask that our riches may be for our benefit. And this we ask when we say: Give us our bread; that is, make our riches useful to us. Job 20:14-15: 'His bread in his belly shall be turned into the gall of asps within him. The riches which he has devoured he shall vomit up, and God shall draw them out of his belly.' Another vice in worldly things is, namely, excessive solicitude. For there are some who today are anxious about temporal things that will be needed a year hence; and those who have this never rest. Matthew 6:31: 'Be not solicitous, saying: What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed?'
And therefore the Lord teaches us to ask that our bread be given us today, that is, the things necessary for us at the present time. Now there is found another, twofold bread: namely the sacramental, and the bread of the word of God. We ask therefore for our sacramental bread, which is daily confected in the Church; that just as we receive it in the sacrament, so it may be given us unto salvation. John 6:51: 'I am the living bread, who came down from heaven.' 1 Corinthians 11:29: 'He who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks judgment to himself.' Likewise, the other bread is the word of God. Matthew 4:4: 'Not in bread alone does man live, but in every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' We ask therefore that he give us bread, that is, his word.