The Lord's Prayer
The prayer Jesus taught his disciples — the most prayed prayer in the world.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever.
Amen.
About this prayer
When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, he answered with these few short lines. The Lord's Prayer is the prayer the church has prayed in every century since — at every Mass, in monasteries before dawn, in hospital rooms, in foxholes, at family tables. It moves from worship (hallowed be thy name) to surrender (thy will be done) to honest need (daily bread) to forgiveness, to a plea for protection. It contains the whole shape of the Christian life in seven petitions.
When to pray it
First thing in the morning, before any other words. At meals. Before bed. Whenever you don't know what else to say.