Paternoster – A Prayer for the Modern World
Paternoster - A Model Prayer for the Modern World
Paternoster, is the Lord's Prayer, also called the Pater Noster or Our Father is a central prayer in Christianity.
"If we do not believe within ourselves this deeply rooted feeling that there is something higher than ourselves, we shall never find the strength to evolve into something higher."
~Rudolf Steiner
In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, the Paternoster appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke which records Jesus being approached by "one of his disciples" with a request to teach them "to pray as John taught his disciples." The prayer concludes with "deliver us from evil" in Matthew, and with "lead us not into temptation" in Luke. The liturgical form is Matthean. Among all of the ritual prayers, it is the most powerful, because it encompasses an element of trust, surrender, and faith. This is a magical prayer of immense influence, evoking the knowledge that our immortal soul to be in communion with the Divine Will.
Some Christians, particularly Protestants, conclude the prayer with a doxology, an addendum appearing in some manuscripts of Matthew.
"Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
~Mathew 6:9-15
"It is necessary to learn how to pray the Pater Noster, to learn to converse with Brahma (the Father) who is in secret. A single Pater Noster, well-prayed and wisely combined with meditation, is an entire work of High Magic. A single Pater Noster properly prayed is done in a period of one hour or a little more than one hour. After the prayer, we must know how to await the reply of the Father, and this means to know how to meditate, to have the mind still and in silence, empty of all thoughts, awaiting the reply of the Father."
~Samael Aun Weor, Practical Astrology
The mystic and founder of the Anthroposophy movement, Rudolf Steiner, says that the Paternoster hold the secret of the seven petitions that represents the higher needs and understanding of the incarnated soul in its journey back to the Mother/Father's home.
Nevertheless, the main theme of the prayer is liberation though forgiveness in its various levels of the being. We limit ourselves when we do not forgive others, the simple act of judging, discriminating and condemning others create an energetic sphere that encapsulates us before we encapsulate others.
"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."
~Buddha
This prayer also summarizes the last covenant between God and Humanity, to love our Divine Father above all things and trust his wisdom, since His essence is love and goodness; and to love and respect our neighbors as we love and respect ourselves.
"When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free."
~Catherine Ponder
We are taught to focus on the present time "Give us this day our daily bread," forgetting or letting go of ideas of what tomorrow may bring through the ageless wisdom of the present, which in fact is all we have.
Trust is the keywords of the opening petition "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven". When one surrenders to the vibrations of unconditional love and trust, one connects again with the original blueprint designed by the Logos and anchors your crystal heart again with the Higher Self into the ever radiant expanding energy of Christ-consciousness.
"The heart chakra develops with meditation and the most profound prayer. We advise you to pray the Our Father. A well-prayed Our Father is equivalent to one hour of meditation; pray, therefore, the Our Father for one hour. To pray is to converse with God. Hence, immerse yourself into a very profound slumber state and meditate very deeply, thus, converse mentally with God. Each phrase of the Our Father is a complete formula to talk to Him. So, while in a slumber state, meditate on the contents of each phrase, this is how the Father, who is in secret, can be seen and heard. This is how the heart chakra awakens."
~Samael Aun Weor, The Divine Science
The prayer is also a set of instruction that guides us to the realization that there is a bigger purpose behind the scenes of our lives and that this reality is not always apprehended or properly understood by us.
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, the power, and the glory forever.
Amen.
The Prayer To Our Father (in the original Aramaic)
Abwûn
"Oh Thou, from whom the breath of life comes,
d'bwaschmâja
who fills all realms of sound, light, and vibration.
Nethkâdasch schmach
May Your light be experienced in my utmost holiest.
Têtê malkuthach.
Your Heavenly Domain approaches.
Nehwê tzevjânach aikâna d'bwaschmâja af b'arha.
Let Your will come true - in the universe (all that vibrates) just as on earth (that is material and dense).
Hawvlân lachma d'sûnkanân jaomâna.
Give us wisdom (understanding, assistance) for our daily need,
Waschboklân chaubên wachtahên aikâna
Daf chnân schwoken l'chaijabên.
Detach the fetters of faults that bind us, (karma)
like we let go the guilt of others.
Wela tachlân l'nesjuna
Let us not be lost in superficial things (materialism, common temptations),
ela patzân min bischa.
But let us be freed from that what keeps us off from our true purpose.
Metol dilachie malkutha wahaila wateschbuchta l'ahlâm almîn.
From You comes the all-working will, the lively strength to act,
the song that beautifies all and renews itself from age to age.
Amên.
Sealed in trust, faith and truth.
(I confirm with my entire being)
Paternoster: Lord's Prayer, from the original Aramaic
Translation by Neil Douglas-Klotz in Prayers of the Cosmos
O Birther! Father- Mother of the Cosmos
Focus your light within us - make it useful.
Create your reign of unity now-
Through our fiery hearts and willing hands
Help us love beyond our ideals
And sprout acts of compassion for all creatures.
Animate the earth within us: we then
Feel the Wisdom underneath supporting all.
Untangle the knots within
So that we can mend our hearts' simple ties to each other.
Don't let surface things delude us,
But free us from what holds us back from our true purpose.
Out of you, the astonishing fire,
Returning light and sound to the cosmos.
Amen.
Translations from the Aramaic courtesy of http://www.thenazareneway.com/lords_prayer.htm
The Paternoster in Latin
PATER noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat Regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum Da Nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, Sed Libera nos a malo. Amen.
