Luke 11 - The Lord's Prayer - Saint George & Saint Joseph Coptic ...

However, calling God “Father” comes with responsibility. Saint Cyril ofAlexandria explains:And most fittingly He makes those who pray understand this also;that if we call God Father, and have been counted worthy of sodistinguished an honor, must we not necessarily lead holy andthoroughly blameless lives, and so behave as is pleasing to ourFather, and neither think nor say anything unworthy or unfit for thefreedom that has been bestowed upon us? 5Saint Cyril tells us that it is a “most serious thing to grieve and provoke afather, by turning aside unto those things that are not right.” 6 We know thatwhen our own fathers on earth see us obeying and conforming to theirwishes, they are pleased. They love their children and honor them. Theygive presents of whatever they desire and acknowledge them as heirs. Butwhen a child goes so far as to disobey his father to go completely against hiswill, he has separated himself from the household and is no longer worthy tobe acknowledged as son or heir.So, we cannot simply call God “Father” without demonstrating the actionsthat make us worthy to be called His sons and daughters. Our Lord JesusChrist gave us this lesson when He said, “Not everyone who says to Me,‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will ofMy Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have wenot prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done manywonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you;depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23). Seehow even doing these great acts without virtue and wisdom is useless! If wetake these gifts that have been given to us freely, but do not acknowledgeGod, we have lost our reward.In saying, “Who art in heaven,” we are called, not to limit God to a certainplace, but to withdraw ourselves from earth and to look toward the highplaces, and the dwellings above. 75 Id.6 Id.7 See Saint John Chrysostom, Homily 19 on the Gospel of Saint Matthew3

So, Saint Cyril reminds us:For just as those who know how to contend in bodily strife, and areskilled in the combats of the games, strip off even their garments,stand up manfully against the vigorous strength of their opponents;so also the saints, withdrawing from all worldly anxiety, and bodilylusts; and careless even of having abundance of food, and strippingas I said to oppose Satan and the enemies of the truth, applythemselves to the contests of the priestly office, and conquer ascombatants. And the divine Paul, too, somewhere said of thosethat war in the flesh: No man that warreth entangleth himself withworldly merchandise, that he may please him who hath chosen himfor a soldier. 16 For he goes not forth to the combat laden withsuperfluities, but on the contrary only taking with him suchequipments as are fit for warriors. 17So, if we cast our care upon God, and seek His kingdom first, He willprovide all that is sufficient for this life: food, clothing, and whatever isneeded.And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to usHere, our Lord Jesus Christ requires that His followers be gentle, slow toanger, and to ask blamelessly for the forgiveness of sins. In imitating ourFather in heaven, we are called to also show that same compassion, mercy,and patience to others.This part of the prayer gives us a chance for self-examination. We must seeour offenses for what they are and ask for forgiveness and mercy. In orderto be properly forgiven, we must declare and confess our faults. Saint Cyriltherefore instructs us:For God readily accepts, and has mercy on those who do not forgettheir offenses, but fall down before Him, and ask of Himforgiveness; but He is severe, and very justly so, upon the[stubborn] and the proud, and on him who in his great ignoranceacquits himself of blame. For He said unto one thus disposed,Behold, I have a suit against you, because you say, I have notsinned. 18 For who can boast that he has a pure heart? Or who can16 2 Timothy 2:417 Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Luke, Homily 7518 Jeremiah 2:357

have confidence that he is undefiled by sins? The road then tosalvation and which delivers those who earnestly walk thereon fromthe wrath of God, is the confession of offenses, and to say in ourprayers to Him who purifies the wicked, Forgive us our sins. 19In also making this petition, we look forward to the day when we will standbefore the Judgment seat, and God will render everyone according to hisdeeds. Therefore, we ask for forgiveness now in order to be spared in theage to come. This is a call for us not to live in the present, but to live for thefuture and heavenly life.The petition also serves as a reminder that we cannot properly ask forforgiveness unless we have resolved to abandon our formers sins and desireto become like the saints. Part of living a virtuous life includes showingmercy and compassion toward others. He who is able to forbear the faultsand mistakes of others will not be easily led to anger, and therefore will notcommit any sin. As Saint Paul says, “Being reviled, we bless; beingpersecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat” (1 Corinthians 4:12-13).We are responsible to forgive the sins against us, and not against God, sincewe are not lords over these.And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil oneThese two phrases go together, for when we are not lead into temptation, weare delivered from Satan. Even though we are called to struggle and to fightcourageously against evil, we cannot imagine that will always be able toconquer them. Saint Cyril advises us not to be over-confident or rash inencountering temptations, but rather, “let us reflect upon the infirmity of ourmind, and fear with soberness, lest perchance we prove a cause of ridicule toour tempters, by not being able to bear the brunt of the battle.” 20Saint Cyril also says:Let us, therefore, pray that we may not be tempted; for it is a thingdifficult to escape from, and difficult to most men to endure unto theend. But when the conjecture summons us of necessity thereto,then indeed, exerting all our strength, we must enter the conflict,and struggle for our souls, nothing fearing, but, on the contrary19 Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Luke, Homily 7620 Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Luke, Homily 778

calling to mind what Christ the Savior of all said to us: Fear ye notthem who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear HimWho is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 21 As also the holyapostle who thus wrote, Blessed is the man that endurestemptation; who, when he is proved, shall receive the crown of life,which God hath promised to them that love Him. 22The first kind of temptation, Saint Cyril sees as those who spread heresy andare false apostles and teachers. Even today, many are lured by falsedoctrines that claim to teach the Truth. In these situations, we mustremember that Christ is the Savior of all and that His church is the pillar andground of truth. Our struggle will not go unrewarded. Our fight and laborwill not be in vain.The other temptations are common to all, but which happen to each persondifferently. The passions are violent. The war against the mind issomething we must patiently endure. Some experience fleshly lusts, othersthe desire for gain. Saint Cyril encourage us saying:Well, therefore does it become us who are exposed to such seriousevils, even though as yet we have not fallen into them, to pray,saying, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.For it were good for a man to run his course apart from evil; but iftemptation assail, then be brave and unconquerable; rebuke theflesh, put a bridle on the mind, as aid of God, the safety granted bypower from on high. Be established and confirmed, not feeble, noteasy to be ensnared; rather be cautious, and a lover of God morethan a lover of pleasure; for then He will aid thee and grant theevictory Who is Savior and Lord of all. 23In conclusion, we ought to focus deeply on the words of the Lord’s Prayer,as it is the only prayer handed down to us explicitly from our Lord JesusChrist. In this prayer, we find a great richness that leads us to a heavenlylife with our Father.Glory is due to God forever. Amen.21 Matthew 10:2822 James 1:12, Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Luke, Homily 7723 Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Luke, Homily 779