Cyprian St the Lord s Prayer

8/13/2019 Cyprian St the Lord s Prayer

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Chapter So let us pray, most beloved brethren, as God the Teacher has taught. -t isa 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 theords 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 illgive us,' ho much more effectively do e obtain hat e see! in the nameof Christ, if e as! ith "is o n prayer(

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/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 sightof God. $e must be pleasing in the sight of God both ith the habit of bodyand the measure of voice. &or as it is characteristic of the impudent to benoisy 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 prayin secret, in hidden and remote places, in our very bed chambers, becauseit 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 penetratesalso hidden and secret places, as it is ritten) '- am a God at hand andnot a God afar off. -f a man hide himself in hidden places, shall - not seehim( 3o not - fill heaven and earth(' nd again, '-n every place the eyesof the Lord behold the good and the evil.' nd hen e are gatheredtogether ith the brethren in one place and celebrate divine sacrifices

ith a priest of God, e ought to be mindful of modesty and discipline, andnot toss our prayers about at random ith uncouth voices and not cast forth

ith turbulent lo0uaciousness our petition, hich should be commended toGod 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 inanother place) ' nd all the churches shall !no that - am a searcher of thedesires 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

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silently and modestly ithin the very recesses of her heart. She spo!e itha 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 sheeffectually obtained hat she sought, because she as!ed ith faith. 3ivineScripture 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 inthe psalms) 'Spea! in your hearts and in your beds be ye sorro ful.'Through 6eremias also the "oly Spirit suggests and teaches these samethings, 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, hothe publican prayed ith the Pharisee in the temple. :ot by impudently

lifting his eyes to heaven nor by insolently raising his hands, butstri!ing his breast and testifying to the sins inclosed ithin did heimplore 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 oneis innocent, but confessed his sins and prayed humbly, and "e ho forgivesthe humble heard him as he prayed. This the Lord lays do n in his Gospelsaying) 'T o men ent up to the temple to pray, the one a 'Pharisee, theother 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!# - paytithes of all that - possess.; /ut the publican standing afar off ould notso much as lift up his eyes to heaven, but !ept stri!ing his breast,saying) ;7 God be merciful to me a sinner


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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 beforgiven him and that he be led not into temptation and that he bedelivered 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 taughtunity, 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 furnaceobserved, united in prayer and harmonious in the agreement of the spirit.The faith of the divine Scripture so declares, and, hen it tells ho suchdid pray, gives an e=ample hich e should imitate in our prayers, that emay be able to be such as they. -t says) 'Then those three as from onemouth ere singing a hymn and blessing God.' They ere spea!ing as from onemouth, but not yet had Christ taught them to pray. nd so their ords ereavailing and efficacious as they prayed, because a peaceful and simple andspiritual 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!esmen of one mind to d ell in a home, does not admit into the divine andeternal home any e=cept those ho are of one mind in prayer.

Chapter ? 9oreover, of hat nature, most beloved brethren, are the sacraments of theLord's prayer, ho many, ho great, collected briefly in ords butabounding spiritually in virtue, so that nothing at all is omitted hich isnot included in our petitions and in our prayers in a compendium of heavenly doctrine< Scripture says) 'Thus pray ye) 7ur &ather ho art inheaven.' ne man, reborn and restored to his God by his grace says in thefirst place '&ather,' because he has no begun to be a son. '"e came,' "esays, '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 inheaven, also to testify in the very first ords of his ne birth that hereverences his earthly and carnal father and that he has begun to !no andto have as father "im only ho is in heaven, as it is ritten) 'Those hosay to their father and mother) - do not !no you, and ho do not recogni2etheir 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


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earth, because one is our &ather, ho is in heaven. nd to the disciple hohad 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.

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nd, most beloved brethren, e ought not to observe and understand thisalone, 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 "imand 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 onlyfaithlessly spurned Christ ho had been announced to them through theProphets 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 thedesires of your &ather. "e as a murderer from the beginning and has notstood in the truth, because the truth is not in him.' nd through -saiasthe prophet God e=claims ith indignation) '- have begotten and brought upsons, but they have despised me. The o= !no s his o ner, and the ass thecrib of his master, but -srael has not !no n me, and my people has notunderstood. $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 eChristians say, hen e pray, '7ur &ather,' because "e no has begun to beours and has ceased to be of the 6e s, ho have forsa!en "im. :or can asinning people be a son, but to those to hom the remission of sins isgranted 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 abidesthere forever.'

Chapter 11 9oreover, ho great is the indulgence of the Lord, ho great the abundanceof "is regard for us and "is goodness, that "e has thus ished us tocelebrate 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 toremember 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

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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 nothinge=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 arenot your o n, for you have been bought at a great price.Glorify God and bear him in your body.'

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fter this e say) '"allo ed be thy name,' not because e ish for Godthat "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 ehave 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 henhe says) ':either fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor theeffeminate nor sodomites nor thieves nor the covetous nor drun!ards nor the evil tongued 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 theSpirit of our God. $e pray that this sanctification abide in us, and because our Lord and 6udge

arned the manho had been healed and 0uic!ened by "im to sin no more, lest somethingorse befall him, e ma!e this petition ith constant prayers, e as! this

night and day, that the sanctification and 0uic!ening hich is assumedfrom 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 inus. &or hen does God not reign, or hen does that begin in "im hich bothal 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

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&ather, ta!e possession of the !ingdom prepared for you from the foundationof the orld.' -ndeed, most beloved brethren, even Christ "imself can bethe !ingdom of God hom e daily desire to come, hose coming e ish to be0uic!ly presented to us. &or since "e "imself is the resurrection, becausein "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 anearthly !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 toChrist 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 Aastand 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 intothe 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 perseveredin being also the sons of God# after the name of the &ather had ceasedamong 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 Godcome 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 sincethe devil stands in the ay of our mind and action obeying God in allthings, e pray and petition that God's ill be done in us. That it may bedone 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 bythe indulgence and mercy of God. &inally also the Lord, sho ing theinfirmity 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=amplenot to do their o n ill but God's, "e added) '*et not as - ill, but asthou illest.' nd in another place "e says) '&or - have come do n fromheaven not to do my o n ill, but the ill of "im ho sent me.' /ut if theSon obeyed to do "is &ather's ill, ho much more should the servant obeyto do his Lord's ill, +ust as 6ohn also in his epistle urges and instructsus to do the ill of God, saying) '3o not love the orld, nor the thingsthat are in the orld. -f anyone loves the orld, the love of the &ather isnot in "im, because all that is in the orld is the lust of the flesh, andthe 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,

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

Chapter 14 9oreover, the ill of God is hat Christ both did and taught. "umility inconversation, 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 andto be able to bear one done, to !eep peace ith the brethren, to love theLord ith a hole heart, to love "im in that "e is &ather, to fear "im inthat "e is God, to place nothing at all before Christ, because "e placednothing before us, to cling inseparably to "is love, to stand bravely andfaithfully 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 co heir ithChrist# this is to do the commandment of God# this is to fulfill the illof the &ather.

Chapter 18 9oreover, e as! that the ill of God be done on heaven and on earth, eachof hich pertains to the consummation of our safety and salvation. &or since e possess a body from earth and a spirit from heaven, e ourselvesare earth and heaven, and in both, that is in both body and spirit e praythat 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 donot do the very things hich e ish, as the spirit see!s the heavenly andthe 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 inthe 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 ischarity, +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.

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nd it may thus be understood, most beloved brethren, that, since the Lordorders 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 notyet begun to be heavenly, so that the ill of God, hich Christaccomplished by preserving and rene ing humanity, may be done also ithrespect 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, etoo, ho should be li!e God the &ather, ho ma!es "is sun to rise on thegood and the evil and sends rain upon the +ust and un+ust, orthy pray andsee!, 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 throughour faith, that e might be of heaven, so too on earth, that is among thoseun illing to believe, the ill of God may be done, that those ho are stillearthly by their first birth may begin to be heavenly, born of ater and of the Spirit.

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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 Christis the bread of life and the bread here is of all, but is ours. nd as esay '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 areshut off and as non communicants are !ept from the heavenly bread, beseparated 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 heshall 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

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e must fear and pray lest anyone, hile he is cut off and separated fromthe body of Christ, remain apart from salvation, as "e "imself threatens,saying) ' nless 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 isChrist, 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 havecast aside its riches and pomps in the faith of spiritual grace see! onlyfood and sustenance for ourselves, as the Lord instructs us saying) '"e hodoes 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 putoff for long the desires of their petition, as the Lord "imself again prescribes in these ords) '/e not an=ious for tomorro , for tomorro illhave 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 theday, ho is forbidden to thin! of the tomorro , because it becomes contraryand repugnant to "im that e see! to live long in the orld ho see! thatthe !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 nothingout. /ut having sustenance and clothing e are content ith these. /utthose ho see! to become rich fall into temptation and snares and into manyharmful desires hich plunge a man into destruction and damnation. &or covetousness is the root of all evils and some in their eagerness to getrich have strayed from the faith and have involved themselves in manytroubles.'

Chapter %@ "e teaches that not only are riches to be contemned but are alsodangerous, that in them is the root of enticing evils, that device the

blindness of the human mind ith hidden deception. So God rebu!es thefoolish rich man ho ponders on his orldly ealth and boasts of theabundance of his overflo ing harvests, saying) 'Thou fool, this night dothey 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 heas 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 possessionsand distributing them for the use of the poor lays up for himself atreasure in heaven. "e says that that man can follo "im and imitate theglory of the Lord's passion, ho unencumbered and ith his loins girded isnot involved in the entanglements of personal property, but unentangled

and free he himself also accompanies his possessions sent on before to theLord. That each one of us may be able to prepare himself for this, thus helearns to pray and from the principle of prayer to !no hat sort of manhe ought to be.

Chapter %1 &or daily bread cannot be lac!ing the +ust man, since it is ritten) 'TheLord 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 eeat or hat shall e drin! or hat are e to put on( &or after these thingsthe 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 thingsshall be given you besides.' To those ho see! the !ingdom and the +usticeof 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 notlac!ing to God. Thus a meal is divinely prepared for 3aniel ho asinclosed in a lions' den by order of the !ing and the man of God is fed inthe midst of the ild beasts ho are angry and spare him. Thus Alias issustained in his flight and solitude by ministering ravens, and isnourished in persecution by birds bringing food to him. nd oh detestablecruelty of human malice, the ild beasts spare, the birds feed, and men lay

plots and go mad<

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fter this also e pray for our sins, saying) ' nd forgive us our debts, ase 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 thatnot only the present and temporal life may be provided for but also theeternal, to hich e may come if our sins are forgiven, hich the Lordcalls debts, as "e says in "is Gospel) '- forgave thee all the debt becausethou didst entreat me.' 9oreover, ho necessarily, ho providently andsalutarily, are e admonished that e are sinners, ho are compelled to

plead for our sins, so that, hile indulgence is sought from God, the soulis 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 isinstructed and taught that he sins daily, since he is ordered to pray dailyfor 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 truthis 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 eshould both entreat for our sins and that e should obtain indulgence hene 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 accordingas 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 iseto ard those sinning against us. Therefore, in another place he says) '$ith

hat measure you measure, it shall be measured to you.' The servant hoafter all his debt as forgiven him by the Lord as himself un illing toforgive his fello servant is confined to prison. /ecause he as un illingto forgive his fello servant, he lost the forgiveness hich had beengranted him by the Lord. nd these things Christ sets forth still morestrongly in "is precepts by the greater force of "is censure. "e says)'$hen you stand to pray, forgive hatever you have against anyone, thatyour &ather ho is in heaven, may forgive you your sins. /ut if you do notforgive, 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 +udgedaccording to your sentence, and hat you have done, this also you yourself suffer. &or God has ordered us to be peace ma!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 ordershim 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 inthe 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 inhis heart pleased "im in his gift. bel, peaceable and +ust, hile he assacrificing to God innocently, taught others also, hen they offer a giftat 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 thefirst 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 animitator 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 bee=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 theadversary 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 intohis 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 tothose 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 outupon them the indignation of "is fury( nd again hen Solomon sinned anddeparted from the precepts and the ays of the Lord, it is set do n) ' ndthe 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 respectto 6ob hen God made this clear ith the follo ing ords) '/ehold all thathe 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 haveno 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 intotemptation. 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 littleclause concluding all our petitions and prayer in compact brevity. &or atthe very last e state) '/ut deliver us from evil,' comprehending alladversities hich the enemy underta!es against us in this orld, from hichthere 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 usfrom evil,' nothing remains for hich e should as! still further# henonce e see! God's protection against evil, having obtained this, e standsecure 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 ashis protector in the orld(

Chapter %> $hat onder, most beloved brethren, if such is the prayer that God hastaught, ho by "is instruction has abbreviated our every prayer in a saving

ord( This had already been foretold by -saias the prophet, hen, filledith 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 illma!e a short ord in the hole earth.' &or hen the $ord of God, our Lord6esus Christ, came to all, and gathering together the learned and unlearnedali!e "e gave forth the precepts of salvation to every se= and age, "e madea great compendium of "is precepts, so that the memory of the learnersmight 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 iththy hole heart, and ith thy hole strength. This is the firstcommandment. nd the second is li!e it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor asthyself. 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 youalso 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 bythe testimony of "is o n e=ample, as it is ritten) '/ut "e "imself as inretirement 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 hoas 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 aninnocent 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 haveyou, that he might sift you as heat. /ut - have prayed for thee, that thyfaith may not fail.; nd later "e entreats the &ather for all, saying) '*etnot for these only do - pray, but for those also ho through their ord areto believe in me, that all may be one, even as thou, &ather, in me and - inthee# that they also may be in us.' Great ali!e is God's !indness andcompassion for our salvation, so that, not content ith having redeemed us

ith "is blood, "e in addition also prayed for us. 9oreover, behold hatthe 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 understoodho much he sins ho shatters unity and peace, since the Lord also prayedfor this, namely, that "is people live, for "e !ne that discord does notcome to the !ingdom of God.

Chapter 1

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9oreover, hen e stand for prayer, most beloved brethren, e should bealert 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 thatalone 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 upto the Lord,' they may be admonished that they should ponder on nothingother than the Lord. Let the breast be closed against the adversary and beopen to God alone, and let it not suffer the enemy of God to approach itat the time of prayer. &or he fre0uently creeps up and penetrates and ithsubtle deceit calls our prayers a ay from God, so that e have one thingin the heart, another in the voice, hen not the sound of the voice butthe mind and the thought should be praying to the Lord ith sincereintention. /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, henyou yourself are not mindful of yourself( This is to be entirely off guardagainst 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 theChurch 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, teachingand sho ing that they can obtain hat they as! of God, ho God sees arealert 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 toGod. &or, since every tree that does not bear fruit is cut do n and castinto 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 theday 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 didCornelius, the centurion, merit to be heard, hen he prayed. "e as one ho

performed many alms deeds among the people and ho al ays prayed to God./efore him as he prayed at the ninth hour an angel stood giving testimonyto his or! in these ords) 'Cornelius, thy prayers and thy alms have goneup for a memorial before God.'

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Chapter

Fuic!ly do those prayers ascend to God, hich the merits of our or!simpose upon God. Thus did the angel aphael stand before Tobias, as heal ays prayed and al ays or!ed, saying) '-t is honorable to reveal andconfess the or!s of God. &or hen thou didst pray ith Sara, - offered thememory 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 toleave thy dinner, but didst go out and hide the dead, - as sent to temptthee# and again God sent me to heal thee and Sara thy son s ife. &or - am

aphael, 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 theneedy 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. Thenshalt 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 "esays that "e protects those ho loosening the !nots of in+ustice from theheart, and performing alms deeds around the members of God's householdaccording to "is precepts, as they hear hat God orders to be done,themselves also deserve to be heard by God. The blessed postle Paul, henaided in the necessity of affliction, by the brethren said that the ords

hich ere done ere sacrifices to God. "e said) '- am fully supplied nothat - have received from Apaphroditus hat you have sent, a s eet odor, anacceptable 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 aspiritual sense he sacrifices to God the odors of s eetness.

Chapter

:o in celebrating prayer e find that the three boys ith 3aniel strongin 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 thelatest times had to be manifested. &or the first hour going into the thirdsho 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 iscompleted 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 along time ago, the orshippers of God ere sub+ect to them as theestablished and la ful times for prayer. Later the fact as made manifestthat 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 thesi=th hour going up ard upon the house top as instructed ali!e by a signand 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, asheda ay our sins by "is blood, and, that he might be able to redeem and0uic!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 bymorning 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 themorning 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 nthey 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 daynecessarily there must again be prayer. &or since Christ is the true Sunand the true 3ay, as the sun and the day of the orld recede, hen e prayand 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 "olySpirit in the psalms declares that Christ is called the 3ay. "e says) 'Thestone hich the builders re+ected has become the cornerstone. This is theLord's doing# it is onderful in our eyes. This is the day hich the Lordhas made# let us e=alt and re+oice therein.' Li!e ise 9alachias the prophettestifies 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.' /utif in holy Scripture Christ is the true Sun and the true 3ay, no hour ise=cepted for Christians, in hich God should be adored fre0uently andal ays, so that e ho are in Christ, that is, in the true Sun and in thetrue 3ay, should be insistent throughout the hole day in our petitions andshould pray# and hen, by the la of the orld, the revolving night,recurring in its alternate changes, succeeds, there can be no harm from thenocturnal shades for those ho pray, because to the sons of light even inthe night there is day. &or hen is he ithout light ho has light in hisheart( 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 isritten in the Gospel) 'She did not leave the temple, serving ith fastings

and prayers night and day.' Aither the Gentiles ho have not yet beenenlightened or the 6e s ho deserted the light and remained in dar!nessshould have seen# let us, most beloved brethren, ho are al ays in thelight 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 haveescaped# let there be no loss of prayers in the hours of the night, noslothful or neglectful aste of opportunities for prayer. Let us ho by the

indulgence of God have been recreated spiritually and reborn imitate hate are destined to be# let us ho in the !ingdom ill have day aloneithout 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 ceasehere also to pray and to give than!s.

9ade available to the net by)Paul "alsall"alsallHmurray.fordham.edu

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Cyprian St the Lord s Prayer

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