What was one of the most important, if not the most important request that the Apostles made of Jesus? While you’re digesting my question and developing your thoughts and opinion, let me offer you a possible answer. In Mt 5:9-15 and Lk 11:1-4 we listen as Jesus teaches His Apostles how to pray. In Luke’s gospel we read, “He was praying in a certain place, and when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John [the Baptist] taught His disciples.’ And He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.’”

The Apostles asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, and He gave them the most perfect prayer. Jesus gave them the “Our Father:” the Lord’s Prayer. This model (template) for all prayers sums up our entire faith as Christians. In the seven petitions found in this prayer and given to us by Jesus Christ---God Himself---we receive a simple blueprint for successfully living our earthly lives. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2761) quotes Tertullian an early Church thinker and writer in the early 3rd century, “The Lord’s Prayer ‘is truly the summary of the whole gospel.’” CCC 2762 quotes Saint Augustine, who in the early 5th century said, “Run through all the words of holy prayer [the Psalms in Scripture], and I do not think that you will find anything in them that is not contained and included in the Lord’s Prayer.”

The “Our Father” as prayed by Christians for nearly two thousand years is taken from Mt 6:9-13 where Jesus tells His Apostles, “Pray then like this: 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 debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

The CCC breaks the Lord’s Prayer into seven petitions. The first three focus our attention on the glory and praise due God; while the last four focus our attention on our human needs. Here are the seven petitions: 1) hallowed be thy name; 2) thy kingdom come; 3) thy will be done; 4) give us this day our daily bread; 5) forgive us our debts; 6) lead us not into temptation; 7) but deliver us from evil.

Hallowed be thy name: God’s name is sacred, revered, holy, and set apart from every other name in all of creation. Every creature, plant, and mineral owes its existence to God, the creator of all things. Jesus calls us to recognize and accept this reality.

Thy kingdom come: the gospel proclaims the Kingdom of God. With the coming of the kingdom of God comes the realization of God’s plan for man’s salvation. CCC 2816 says, “The Kingdom of God has been coming since the Last Supper and, in the Eucharist, it is in our midst. The kingdom will come in glory when Christ hands it over to the Father.”

Thy will be done: we are called to abandon our will and to follow the will of God. Jesus freely gave up His life for our sins, because that was the will of the Father. Heb 5:8 says, “Son though he was, He learned obedience from what He suffered.” We must learn obedience. We are called to follow Jesus in every way; especially in His willingness to do His Father’s will. When we obediently do the Father’s will, we imitate Jesus and turn our back on sin.

Give us this day our daily bread: we are acknowledging that God is our source for food, shelter, health, welfare, and all material needs. This petition speaks not only to our physical needs but to our spiritual needs. The Early Church Fathers interpreted this “daily bread” as the spiritual nourishment found in the Holy Eucharist: our spiritual sustenance.

Forgive us our debts: debt and sin are interchangeable. We understand that only God can forgive our sins; so we ask for His forgiveness. This petition has a critical second part: as we also have forgiven our debtors. God will not hear our petition for forgiveness unless we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation: we cannot expect to walk through life without being tempted, for temptation is everywhere. Our sins result from us willingly giving in to temptation. We pray that God touch our hearts and strengthen our resolve to avoid the temptation to sin.

But deliver us from evil: we acknowledge that the Devil exists. Jesus, through His death and resurrection, won victory over the Devil. We pray that God will deliver us from all past, present, and future evil.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church ends with its last 107 paragraphs explaining the Church’s teaching on the Lord’s Prayer. Find yourself a quiet setting; then read these insightful paragraphs with patience, an open mind, and a desire to fully comprehend their meaning. Don’t rush through them. Try reading each paragraph multiple times with quiet reflection in between each reading. Whether it takes you two hours, two days, two weeks, or two months, it’s worth your time and effort. Prior to Jesus’ incarnation as man and His earthly ministry, no one had ever referred to God, intimately, as “Abba” (Daddy). In the “Our Father,” Jesus the Son of God calls each one of us to intimacy with His Father, our Father in heaven. The “Our Father” brings us into communion with our Father in heaven.

For more insight read CCC paragraphs 2759-2865. Also, pull out your “Catholic” Bible and reference Deut 8:3; Prov 30:8; Mt 3:2; 4:7; 5:16; 6:7-15; 7:21; 10:32-33; Lk 11:1-4; Heb 5:8-9.