My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
ORTHODOX INTERPRETATION OF
THE LORD’S PRAYER ("OUR FATHER")
Saint Maximus the Confessor believes that, in the words of the "Our Father," we ask that God grant us the blessings which arose from the work of the Incarnation of the Divine Logos/Word. In it we are not asking for simple everyday things, but for the fullness, the entirety, of the blessings of salvation. "The prayer includes petitions for everything that the Divine Logos effected through his self-emptying (kenosis) in the incarnation." From amongst these immeasurable blessings–immeasurable in multitude and magnitude–the Lord’s Prayer mystically sets forth seven of more general significance. These seven, which set out the aims of the prayer, are: (1) Theology, (2) Adoption, (3) Equality in honor with the Angels, (4) Sharing in Eternal Life, (5) The Restoration of Nature to its Natural State, (6) The Abolition of the Law of Sin, and (7) the Overthrowing of the Tyranny of the Evil One.
Saint Maximus the Confessor expounds on how these blessings arise from the Incarnation of the Logos/Word of God by way of interesting analysis. In the prayer’s phrase, "Our Father, Who art in the heavens, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come," he sees the first two blessings presented; Theology and Adoption. Here, "theology" means, in literal sense, TRIADOLOGY, in other words, the teaching concerning the Holy Trinity, "that from this beginning we may be taught to revere, invoke, and worship the Trinity in UNITY." The Holy Trinity is indeed proclaimed because although the Father alone is mentioned, mystically and anagorically the other two are implied in the words, "name" and "kingdom," "For the name of God the Father exists in substantial form in the Only=Begotten Son. Again, the Kingdom of God exists in substantial form as the Holy Spirit."
After the proclamation of the Holy Trinity, the prayer declares the grace of adoption in that we are found worthy to call God "Father." God is, according to nature, "Creator" on account of His creating us but "Father" by Grace, is worthy of remark. We are all, then, children of God. We have the grace of adoption and call Him "Father," not because He created us, but because HE HAS GIVEN US REBIRTH AND REGENERATION BY THE SAVING WORK OF HIS SON, OUR SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. Through His labor we possess this adoption by grace. This SPIRITUAL ADOPTION demands that we try to preserve in our life the characteristics of our Divine birth by grace. In our action, and not only in our words, we are to "hallow" His name, and thus be proven to be true children of God, glorifying Him, "Who is by nature Son of the Father," in all that we think and do. The name of the Father is hallowed WHEN WE MORTIFY THE MATERIAL DESIRES (PASSIONS) AND ARE PURIFIED OF THE CORRUPTING PASSIONS, AS "SANCTIFICATION IS THE COMPLETE MORTIFICATION AND CESSATION OF THE DESIRE IN THE SENSES." In this condition, manifestation of anger because anger is, by nature, kindled by sinful desire. When we mortify these desires, then the mania of anger creases.
The mortification of the sinful desires and the cessation of anger–that is, the sanctification of man–TRANSFORMATION OF MAN INTO A TEMPLE;THEY CREATE THE PROPER CONDITIONS THAT HE MIGHT BE WORTHY TO SAY "Thy Kingdom come" or, in other words, Thy Holy Spirit come. Saint Maximo’s suggestion is a very instructive one. Already in the opening phrase of the "Our Father," Saint Maximos had made it clear that we are only able to worthily invoke the coming of the Kingdom of God, of the Holy Spirit, when WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY MORTIFIED THE SINFUL DESIRES, QUELLED OUR ANGER, AND HAVE BECOME MEEK AND HUMBLE, SINCE GOD IS ONLY COMFORTED WITH THESE. "It is fitting that, anger and desire repudiated, we should next invoke the rule of the Kingdom of God the Father with the words "Thy Kingdom come," that is "May the Holy Spirit come"; for having put away these things, we are now made A TEMPLE OF GOD THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT BY THE TEACHING AND PRACTICE OF GENTLENESS."
Christ’s calling of the meek and humble, and the assurance that these will inherit the earth, is realized in the perfection of the SPIRITUAL LIFE. Saint Maximos the Confessor says that we must SPIRITUALLY UNDERSTAND "earth" to mean, "THE RESOLUTION AND STRENGTH OF THE INNER STABILITY, IMMOVABLY ROOTED IN GOODNESS, THAT IS POSSESSED BY GENTLE PEOPLE," WHICH, ACCOMPANIED BY INDELIBLE JOY, RESEMBLES THE STATE OF THE ANGELS. Since the Grace of the Holy Spirit is given to the humble and meek- and thus the Kingdom of God comes- who is so without love for and insensible toward divine blessings that he would not desire to attain the furthest reaches of meekness and humility, achieving transformation into the image of Christ? In this spiritual transformation "there is neither male nor female"; anger and sinful desire cease to exist. One sheds every natural affection toward the body that the NOUS might be able to approach the super-substantial reason. When the soul is reformed into the divine likeness and becomes A DWELLING PLACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THEN VICES ARE MADE TO VANISH AND VIRTUES BLOSSOM FORTH IN THEIR PLACE. IN THIS STATE WE EXPERIENCE A CONTINUAL NATIVITY AND INCARNATION OF CHRIST–A MYSTICAL CHRISTMAS. "CHRIST ALWAYS DESIRES TO BE BORN IN A MYSTICAL WAY, BECOMING INCARNATE IN THOSE WHO ATTAIN SALVATION." The first lines of the "Our Father" are, in Saint Maximos’ interesting interpretation, closely linked with the sanctification and transformation of man. Thus at the end of his interpretation of these lines, he exhorts usTO PURIFY OURSELVES OF EVERY CORRUPTION OF BODY AND SPIRIT,TO "HALLOW" THE NAME OF GOD, AND TO RECEIVE THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE FAITH. [Resources: Orthodox Christian Information Center]
(To be continued)
_________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+ Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 