St. Augustine, How Are We To Be Delivered From Evil?
Question 61 Part I
What does “but deliver us from evil” mean?
When we pray, Deliver us from evil, we tell ourselves to consider that we do not yet enjoy the good estate in which we experience no evil. And this petition, which comes last in the Lord’s Prayer, is so comprehensive that a Christian, regardless of the trial he finds himself in, […]
St. Augustine, Does God Lead Us Into Temptation?
Question 60
What does “lead us not into temptation” mean?
Temptation comes about like a sort of inquiry in which man discovers who he is, for previously, he was hidden from himself, but not so hidden from his Maker.
from St. Augustine Answers 101 Questions on Prayer by Fr. Ermatinger
There is a complexity […]
St. Augustine, What Does it Mean to Forgive Trespasses?
Question 59
What does “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” mean?
When we pray, Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us, we are reminded of both what we should ask, and what we should do in order to be worthy of receiving what we ask… If you would obtain […]
St. Augustine, What is “Our Daily Bread”?
Question 58
What does “give us this day our daily bread” mean?
When we pray, Give us this day our daily bread, the word this day, means this present time, in which we ask for all that makes up temporal blessings…and bread, means the sacrament of believers, which in this present time is necessary in order to obtain this felicity – not in the present time – but […]
St. Augustine, How is God’s Will Done On Earth?
Question 57 Part II
What does “Thy will be done” mean?
When we pray, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we pray for ourselves that he give us the grace of obedience, that his will be done by us just as it is done by his angels in heaven.
St. Augustine, What Does “Thy Will Be Done…” Mean?
Question 57 Part I
What does “Thy will be done” mean?
When someone prays, Direct my steps as you have promised, let evil win no power over me (Ps. 119:133), what else does he pray for than, ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?
St. Augustine, What Does “Thy Kingdom Come” Mean?
Question 56
What does “thy kingdom come” mean?
When we say, “Thy kingdom come” – which indubitably shall come whether we desire it or not – we arouse our own desire for that kingdom by saying these words. We pray that it come to us, and we be deemed worthy to reign in it… The coming of […]
St. Augustine, What Does “Hallowed be Thy Name” Mean?
Question 55
What does “hallowed be thy name” mean?
When praying hallowed be thy name, we remind ourselves to aspire to make God’s ever-holy name held as holy by all men. In other words, not scorned, which in any account is more an advantage for men than for God.
from St. Augustine Answers 101 Questions on Prayer by Fr. Ermatinger