Teach us to pray

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11:1-4.

He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test."

Commentary of the day

5th century homily wrongly attributed to Saint John Chrysostom, no.6 on prayer; PG 64, 461

«Teach us to pray»

The highest good of all is prayer, a familiar conversation with God. Prayer is a relationship with God and union with him. Just as our bodily eyes are lit up at the sight of light, so the soul that is directed towards God is illumined by his indescribable light. Prayer is not the consequence of our exterior posture but comes from the heart. It is not circumscribed by fixed times or moments but is a continuous activity, by night as much as by day. Don't let us be satisfied by turning our thoughts to God when we apply ourselves specifically to prayer, but also when absorbed in other occupations – such as caring for the poor or some other concern to do with good and useful work – it matters that we include in these the desire and remembrance of God so as to offer a sweet food to the Lord of the universe, seasoned with the salt of love for God. We can draw great profit from this all our life long if we set aside a good part of our time to it.


Prayer is the light of the soul, the true knowledge of God, the mediator between God and men. Through it the soul rises heavenwards and grasps our Lord in an indescribable embrace. Like a nursling for its mother, it cries to God in tears, thirsty for divine milk. It expresses it profound desires and accepts gifts surpassing all to be seen in the natural world. Prayer, in which we respectfully come before God, is joy to the heart, rest to the soul.