The Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)

Jesus teaching the Lord's Prayer (Our Father) from Matthew 6 with the words "The Lord's Prayer" displayed.
Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father) as the perfect model of Christian prayer (Matthew 6:9–13).

The Lord’s Prayer, also known as the Our Father, is the most well-known prayer in Christianity. Jesus Christ taught this prayer to His disciples when they asked Him how to pray. It serves as a perfect model of prayer, teaching us to worship God, trust Him for our daily needs, seek forgiveness, forgive others, and rely on His protection from evil.

The prayer is found in Matthew 6:9–13 as part of the Sermon on the Mount and also appears in Luke 11:2–4.

The Full Lord’s Prayer

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.

Amen.

Verse-by-Verse Explanation

Our Father, who art in heaven

Jesus teaches us to approach God as our loving Father. Through Christ, we become God’s children and can confidently call Him Father.

Bible Reference

  • Matthew 6:9
  • Romans 8:15
  • Galatians 4:6

Meaning

This reminds us that God loves us, cares for us, and desires a personal relationship with every believer.

Hallowed be thy name

To “hallow” means to honour, reverence, and keep holy God’s name.

Bible Reference

  • Matthew 6:9
  • Exodus 20:7
  • Ezekiel 36:23

Meaning

We begin prayer by praising God before asking for anything ourselves.

Thy kingdom come

We pray for God’s kingdom to grow in our hearts, in the Church, and throughout the world.

Bible Reference

  • Matthew 6:10
  • Matthew 3:2
  • Revelation 22:20

Meaning

Christians long for the fullness of God’s Kingdom and Christ’s glorious return.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven

Jesus teaches us to seek God’s will instead of our own desires.

Bible Reference

  • Matthew 6:10
  • Luke 22:42
  • Romans 12:2

Meaning

True peace comes from trusting God’s perfect plan, even when we do not fully understand it.

Give us this day our daily bread

God invites us to depend on Him for our daily needs.

Bible Reference

  • Matthew 6:11
  • Exodus 16:4
  • John 6:35

Meaning

This prayer asks for food, shelter, health, strength, and every blessing we need. Catholics also see “daily bread” as pointing to the Holy Eucharist, the Bread of Life.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us

We ask God to forgive our sins while promising to forgive those who have hurt us.

Bible Reference

  • Matthew 6:12
  • Matthew 18:21–35
  • Ephesians 4:32

Meaning

God’s mercy transforms our hearts and calls us to show mercy to others.

And lead us not into temptation

God never tempts anyone to sin. Instead, we ask Him to strengthen us so that we do not fall when we face temptation.

Bible Reference

  • Matthew 6:13
  • James 1:13–14
  • 1 Corinthians 10:13

Meaning

We rely on God’s grace to remain faithful during life’s spiritual battles.

But deliver us from evil

We ask God to protect us from sin, Satan, and every form of evil.

Bible Reference

  • Matthew 6:13
  • John 17:15
  • 2 Thessalonians 3:3

Meaning

God is our protector, defender, and source of victory over evil.

Why Is the Lord’s Prayer Important?

The Lord’s Prayer teaches Christians how to pray with faith, humility, trust, and forgiveness. Every petition points us toward a deeper relationship with God and reminds us to depend on Him in every aspect of life.

For Catholics, the Our Father is prayed during the Holy Mass, the Rosary, personal prayer, family prayer, and many other liturgical celebrations. It remains one of the most cherished prayers in the Christian faith.

Related Articles

  • Hail Mary Prayer
  • Glory Be Prayer
  • Apostles’ Creed
  • Nicene Creed
  • Divine Mercy Chaplet
  • Holy Rosary
  • Catholic Prayers
  • Daily Mass Readings

External Resources

For the official text and teaching on the Lord’s Prayer, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2759–2865) and the Vatican’s official website.

Read More

I BELIEVE (THE APOSTLES’ CREED)

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy Catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

Read More

THE CONFITEOR

I confess to almighty God that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, and all the angels and saints, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Read More

THE MEMORARE

Remember, O most loving Virgin Mary, that it is a thing unheard of, that anyone ever had recourse to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, and was left forsaken. Filled therefore with confidence in your goodness. I fly to you, O Mother, Virgin of virgins. To you I come, before you I stand, a sorrowful sinner. Despise not my poor words, O Mother of the Word of God, but graciously hear and grant my prayer.

Read More

THE ANGELUS

May be said morning, noon, and night, to put us in mind that God the Son became man for our salvation.

V/. The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
R/. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
            Hail Mary, full of grace….
V/. Behold the handmaid of the Lord:
R/. Be it done to me according to your word.
            Hail Mary, full of grace….
V/. And the Word was made Flesh:
R/. And dwelt among us.
            Hail Mary, full of grace….
V/. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R/. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray
Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, your Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may be brought by his passion and cross to the glory of his resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen
V/. May the divine assistance remain always with us and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
R/. Amen

Read More

THE REGINA CAELI

O Queen of heaven, rejoice! Alleluia.
For he whom you did merit to bear, Alleluia.
Has risen as he said. Alleluia.
Pray for us to God. Alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, Alleluia.
For the Lord has risen indeed. Alleluia.

Let us pray
God our Father, you give joy to the world by the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Through the prayers of his mother, the Virgin Mary, bring us to the happiness of eternal life. We ask through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

Read More

THE HAIL HOLY QUEEN

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To you do we cry poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sight, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turns then the most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy towards us. After this our exile, show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O Clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.
V/. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God
RV/. That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray
O God, whose only begotten Son, by his life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation. Grant we beseech you, that meditating on these mysteries in the most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may both imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Read More

PRAYER BEFORE A CRUCIFIX

Behold, O kind and most sweet Jesus, I cast myself on my knees in your sight, and with the most fervent desire of my soul, I pray and beseech you that you would impress upon my heart, lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity, with a true repentance for my sins, and a firm desire of amendment. While with deep affection and grief of soul, I ponder within myself and mentally contemplate your five most precious wounds; having before my eyes that which David spoke in prophecy of you, O good Jesus: ‘They pierced my hands and my feet; they have numbered all my bones.’

Read More

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

V/. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
R/. And enkindle in them the fire of your love.
V/. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
R/. And they shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray
O God, who taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that by the gift of the same Spirit we may be always truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Read More