The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13; Luke 11:1–4)

The texts below are quoted verbatim from public-domain English translations; nothing is paraphrased.

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St. John Chrysostom (c. 347–407)

Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew, Homily 19 (on Matthew 6:9–13). Trans. in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 10. Public domain. Full text: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf110/npnf110.iii.XIX.html

On why the Lord teaches us to say "Our Father" and not "My Father":

He teaches, moreover, to make our prayer common, in behalf of our brethren also. For He saith not, "my Father, which art in Heaven," but, "our Father," offering up his supplications for the body in common, and nowhere looking to his own, but everywhere to his neighbor's good.

On "Hallowed be Thy name":

For "hallowed" is glorified. For His own glory He hath complete, and ever continuing the same, but He commands him who prays to seek that He may be glorified also by our life.

On "Thy kingdom come":

And this again is the language of a right-minded child, not to be rivetted to things that are seen, neither to account things present some great matter; but to hasten unto our Father, and to long for the things to come.

On "Give us this day our daily bread," which he reads as bread for the day:

What is "daily bread"? That for one day. ... For it is neither for riches, nor for delicate living, nor for costly raiment, nor for any other such thing, but for bread only, that He hath commanded us to make our prayer.

On "but deliver us from the evil one":

And He here calls the devil "the wicked one," commanding us to wage against him a war that knows no truce, and implying that he is not such by nature.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313–386)

On the Mysteries V (Mystagogic Catechesis 5), sections 11–18 (on Matthew 6:9–13). Trans. in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 7. Public domain. Full text: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf207/npnf207.ii.xxvii.html

On "Our Father which art in heaven," and the boldness of calling God Father:

Then, after these things, we say that Prayer which the Saviour delivered to His own disciples, with a pure conscience entitling God our Father, and saying, Our Father, which art in heaven. O most surpassing loving-kindness of God! On them who revolted from Him and were in the very extreme of misery has He bestowed such a complete forgiveness of evil deeds, and so great participation of grace, as that they should even call Him Father.

On "Hallowed be Thy name":

The Name of God is in its nature holy, whether we say so or not; but since it is sometimes profaned among sinners ... we pray that in us God's Name may be hallowed; not that it comes to be holy from not being holy, but because it becomes holy in us, when we are made holy, and do things worthy of holiness.

On "our daily bread," which he reads as the supersubstantial Bread of the Eucharist:

Give us this day our substantial bread. This common bread is not substantial bread, but this Holy Bread is substantial, that is, appointed for the substance of the soul.

On "but deliver us from evil," the evil being the devil:

But deliver us from the evil. If Lead us not into temptation implied the not being tempted at all, He would not have said, But deliver us from the evil. Now evil is our adversary the devil, from whom we pray to be delivered.

Tertullian (c. 155 – c. 220)

On Prayer, chapters 2, 6, 8 (on Matthew 6:9–13). Trans. in the Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 3. Public domain. Full text: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf03/anf03.vi.iv.html

On "Our Father which art in heaven":

The prayer begins with a testimony to God, and with the reward of faith, when we say, "Our Father who art in the heavens;" for (in so saying), we at once pray to God, and commend faith, whose reward this appellation is.

On "Give us this day our daily bread," understood spiritually of Christ:

albeit we may rather understand, "Give us this day our daily bread," spiritually. For Christ is our Bread; because Christ is Life, and bread is life. ... And so, in petitioning for "daily bread," we ask for perpetuity in Christ, and indivisibility from His body.

On "Lead us not into temptation," and that God Himself tempts no one:

"Lead us not into temptation:" that is, suffer us not to be led into it, by him (of course) who tempts; but far be the thought that the Lord should seem to tempt, ... as if He either were ignorant of the faith of any, or else were eager to overthrow it.

St. Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200–258)

On the Lord's Prayer (Treatise IV) (on Matthew 6:9–13). Trans. in the Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 5. Public domain. Full text: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf05/anf05.iv.v.iv.html

On the communal "us" and "our":

Before all things, the Teacher of peace and the Master of unity would not have prayer to be made singly and individually, as for one who prays to pray for himself alone. ... Our prayer is public and common; and when we pray, we pray not for one, but for the whole people, because we the whole people are one.

On the boldness of calling God Father and being called sons of God:

He has wished us to pray in the sight of God in such a way as to call God Father, and to call ourselves sons of God, even as Christ is the Son of God,—a name which none of us would dare to venture on in prayer, unless He Himself had allowed us thus to pray!

On "Give us this day our daily bread," Christ Himself being that Bread:

For Christ is the bread of life; and this bread does not belong to all men, but it is ours. And according as we say, "Our Father," because He is the Father of those who understand and believe; so also we call it "our bread," because Christ is the bread of those who are in union with His body.

On "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors," and the condition it lays on us:

He has clearly joined herewith and added the law, and has bound us by a certain condition and engagement, that we should ask that our debts be forgiven us in such a manner as we ourselves forgive our debtors, knowing that that which we seek for our sins cannot be obtained unless we ourselves have acted in a similar way in respect of our debtors.

Blessed Augustine of Hippo (354–430)

Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount, Book II (on Matthew 6:9–13). Trans. in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 6. Public domain. Full text: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf106/npnf106.v.iii.iv.html

On "Our Father," the grace of adoption:

And since the fact that we are called to an eternal inheritance, that we might be fellow-heirs with Christ and attain to the adoption of sons, is not of our deserts, but of God's grace; we put this very same grace in the beginning of our prayer, when we say "Our Father." And by that appellation both love is stirred up—for what ought to be dearer to sons than a father?

On the brotherhood the word "Our" confesses:

Here also there is an admonition to the rich and to those of noble birth, so far as this world is concerned, that when they have become Christians they should not comport themselves proudly towards the poor and the low of birth; since together with them they call God "Our Father,"—an expression which they cannot truly and piously use, unless they recognise that they themselves are brethren.

On "Lead us not into temptation":

But it is one thing to be led into temptation, another to be tempted.