The Lord's Prayer

A Homily by Archimandrite George, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. Gregoriou, Mount Athos

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Preface

Meanings in Gospel discourse are formulated in the Holy Spirit and therefore with enduring value and a view to eternity.

Every teaching, parable, story and description, as well as every phrase, every word and every "detail" contained in the Gospel of Christ is of greatest depth and significance. These are not exhausted by a mere superficial interpretation, the most our own poor spiritual measure can conceive.

This is also true of the God-given prayer known to us as "Our Father", which the Lord Himself gave to His Church as an example of prayer for all of us.

Our Holy Fathers lived the Gospel of Christ. They kept His holy commandments. Their life, their discourse became extensions of the Gospel, and their experience in the Spirit of God enriches the holy Tradition of the Church. They reveal the great depth of the saving words of the Lord Christ and prove that His commandments "are not heavy", but can be applied by Christians in any age, and thus they keep control over our lack of faith, neglect and sloth.

With our old and modern Holy Fathers as interpreters of the Lord's Prayer, we investigate and touch its depths, directing it to the Lord.

We beg Christ our Saviour to give His Grace to us contemporary Christians, too, so that our life in Christ may be inspired and blessed by the prayer—as communion with the living God. But also that, vice versa, our prayer may be an expression of the living presence of God in our life and may have its source. In other words, that prayer may be our life itself, which again will deepen and inspire the words which we direct towards our Holy God.

March 1997

Posted on 3/23/2008 with the blessing of Archimandrite George.