The Pater Noster of Saint Francis of Assisi
Amongall the prayers of St. Francis of Assisi, there is one that can particularly enrich our prayer time: the Pater Noster paraphrased by St. Francis. The Our Father is the prayer of all Christians, the one handed down to us by Jesus himself. St. Francis helps us to enter more deeply into each phrase of this beautiful prayer, so that our recitation is enlightened and this prayer becomes, for us, a path to holiness.
The Pater Noster of St. Francis
"Our Father, most Holy: Our Creator, Consoler, Redeemer, and Savior.
Who art in heaven, in the angels and in the saints, enlightening them to know that you, O Lord, are light, inflaming them to charity; that you, O Lord, are love, dwelling in them and filling them with happiness; that you, O Lord, are the Supreme Good, the Eternal Good, from whom all goodness comes and without whom there is no good.
Hallowed be thy Name, may our knowledge of you become more clear, so that we may know the breadth of your blessings, the length of your promises, the height of your majesty, and the depth of your holy judgments.
Thy Kingdom Come, so that you may rule us by your grace and enable us to come into your kingdom, where there is a clear vision of you, a perfect love for you, a blessed companionship with you, and eternal joy and life with you in heaven.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, so that we may love you with our whole heart by always thinking about you; with our whole soul by always desiring only you; with our whole mind by always directing all of our intentions to you; and by seeking your glory in everything, with all of our strength and by exerting all of our energies and affections, in both body and soul, in service of your love and nothing else. And may we love our neighbors as ourselves by drawing them to your love with our whole strength by rejoicing in the good of others, by suffering with them, and by giving offense to no one.
Give us this day, in reverence, remembrance, and understanding of the love that our Lord Jesus Christ had for us, and of those things that he said, those things that he did, and those things that he suffered for our sake.
Our daily bread, your own Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Forgive us our trespasses, through your indescribable mercy, through the power of the Passion of your Beloved Son, and through the merits and intercessions of the ever-blessed Virgin Mary and all of your angels and saints in heaven.
As we forgive those who trespass against us, what we do not completely forgive, help us to truly love our enemies because of you; inspire us to truly pray for them before you; returning no one evil for evil; and may we strive always to help everyone in your name.
And lead us not into temptation, hidden or obvious, sudden or persistent.
But deliver us from evil, past, present, and yet to come.
Amen."
Other prayers of Saint Francis of Assisi
St. Francis left us otherbeautiful prayers, revealing his spirituality that has inspired so many people through the centuries and around the world. For example:
- this praise of God through creation with the Canticle of Creatures
- his prayer, long attributed to St. Francis, for being an instrument of God: Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace
- his beautiful morning prayer to offer our day to the Lord
Pray Our Father with all your heart with Hozana!
The Our Father is the fundamental prayer for every Christian. Taught by Jesus, it links us to the Father and to all our brothers and sisters. Discover the treasures of this prayer with St. Brigid and the seven Pater Noster.
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