On earth as it is in heaven . This is expounded by Augustine in many ways. First, thus: as it is in heaven , i.e., just as the angels in heaven do your will, so may we on earth fulfill your will. Of the angels it is said: "His ministers who do his will" (Ps 103:21); in which the error of Origen is destroyed, who held that an angel could sin.
Or, in another way: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven , i.e., as in Christ so also in the Church. For by heaven the earth is made fruitful; hence even the gentiles called the gods of the heavens male, and those of the earth female: "I came down from heaven" (Jn 6:38).
Or by "heavens" are understood the saints whose "conversation is in heaven" (Phil 3:20); and the proportion of heaven to earth is the same as that of saints to sinners — as if to say: Lord, convert sinners to doing your will.
Or, Thy will be done , etc.: for just as heaven is compared to earth in the world, so the spirit is compared to the flesh in man. The spirit, of itself, does the will of God, but the flesh resists: "I see another law" (Rom 7:23); "Create in me a clean heart" (Ps 51:10). All these petitions are partly begun here, but will be fulfilled in the future.
Chrysostom, however, refers this, namely, on earth as it is in heaven , to all the preceding petitions; hence: Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven , and so for the others. Likewise, according to Chrysostom, note that he did not say "let us sanctify," nor "sanctify," but in a middle way; nor did he say "let us go to the kingdom," but Thy kingdom come . Thus in all things he maintained a middle way, and this because two things are required for our salvation: the grace of God and free will. Hence if he had said "sanctify," he would have given no place to free will; if "let us do," he would have given everything to free will; but he spoke in a middle way, and here also: Thy will be done .
(11) Give us this day our supersubstantial bread . After he taught us to ask for the glory of God, eternal life, and the exercise of virtues by which we merit eternal life, here he teaches us to ask for all things necessary for the present life. This is expounded — our bread — in four ways; for it can be expounded of a fourfold bread. First, of the bread that is Christ: "I am the bread" (Jn 6:35), who is chiefly bread insofar as he is contained under the sacrament of the altar: "The bread that I will give" (Jn 6:51), and again: "My flesh is truly food" (Jn 6:55).
And he says our , because it does not belong to just anyone but to the faithful: "For a child is born to us" (Is 9:6). For from the fact that someone becomes a member of Christ in Baptism, he can share in this bread; and therefore it should in no way be given to unbelievers who are not baptized.
Supersubstantial . Jerome says that in the Greek it is "epiousion," and Symmachus translated it as "excellent" or "outstanding"; but the older translation has "daily." That it is supersubstantial , i.e., above all substances, is apparent from Ephesians (1:20): "Placing him above all principalities," etc. He says daily , because it ought to be received daily, but not by everyone; hence it is said in the book On Ecclesiastical Dogmas : "I neither praise nor blame this."
But it ought to be received daily in the Church; or at least it should be received spiritually by the faithful daily through faith. In the Eastern Church, however, it is not received daily in the Church, because Mass is not celebrated daily, but only on certain days of the week. But because the Church tolerates this, it suffices that they receive daily spiritually and not sacramentally.
Give us . If it is ours, how does he say give us ? Cyprian: Give us , i.e., make us live in such a way that we can receive this bread for our benefit. Hence he who asks this asks for nothing other than perseverance in good, namely, that nothing contrary be mixed into holiness: "For he who eats unworthily" (1 Cor 11:29).
Here Augustine raises an objection, because this prayer is said at every hour of the day, even at Compline. Do we therefore then ask that he give us to receive this bread? But it must be said that this day is taken in two ways: for sometimes it signifies a particular day; sometimes the whole present life. Hebrews (3:13) touches on a particular "today." Hence: grant that in the whole present life we may be able to share in this bread.
And with reason he says give us this day , because this sacramental bread is necessary only in this life; for when we shall see him as he is, we shall not need sacraments and signs. Hence this singular and special bread is necessary only in the present; and now we receive it daily in a special way, but then continuously. Secondly, by "bread" is understood God, namely, the divinity itself: "Blessed is he who shall eat bread" (Lk 14:15); "He ate the bread of angels" (Ps 78:25). Give us, therefore, the supersubstantial bread this day , that is, so that according to the mode of the present life we may enjoy him. Thirdly, there can be understood the precepts of God, which are the bread of wisdom: "Come, eat" (Pr 9:5); for he eats who keeps the precepts of wisdom: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me" (Jn 4:34). These divine precepts are now bread, because they are ground with some difficulty in considering and doing; but afterward they will be drink, because they will refresh without difficulty. Fourthly, bread is understood literally as bodily bread. For the Lord had said: Thy will be done , and had wished that in the fulfillment of the divine will we be heavenly; but mindful of our frailty, he teaches us to ask also for temporal things that are necessary for the sustenance of life. Hence he does not teach us to ask for magnificent or superfluous things, but for necessities: "Having food and clothing" (1 Tim 6:8); so Jacob asked: "If you will give me bread to eat" (Gen 28:20).
He says our , for two reasons. So that no one should appropriate temporal things to himself, according to Chrysostom: first, because no one should eat bread from robbery, but from his own labor; secondly, because temporal goods that are given for necessity we should so receive as to share with others: "If I have eaten my morsel alone" (Job 31:17).
And Augustine says, in his book on prayer to Proba, that from what excels and is principal in all particular things, he signifies the whole with respect to our ability; for bread is what is most necessary for man: "The beginning of man's life is water, bread, and clothing" (Sir 29:21); and this is supersubstantial , because it principally pertains to necessities.
But if you read daily , then it has a twofold reason, according to Cyprian. First, so that you do not seek temporal things for a long time, because otherwise you would be contrary to yourself; for you said: Thy kingdom come ; but as long as "we are in the body, we are away from the Lord" (2 Cor 5:6). Hence in saying Thy kingdom come and asking for a long life, you are contrary to yourself. Or he says daily against the prodigal, who spend lavishly and do not use daily bread that suffices for the sustenance of one day.
But if it is ours, why does he say give us ? For two reasons, according to Chrysostom. First, because temporal goods are given to the good and the wicked, but differently: to the good for their benefit, to the wicked for their damage, because they misuse them. Hence to the wicked it is not given because they abuse it, and this happens not from God but from the devil. And he says it is similar to when someone offers bread to a priest to bless and afterward reclaims it; he could say: give me the bread that is mine by possession; give it by your blessing.
He says this day , because he did not want us to ask for a long time in the future. But Augustine raises a question, because the Lord in what follows teaches us not to have solicitude about temporal things: "Be not solicitous," etc.; therefore it seems that we ought not pray for temporal things. And he answers that we can pray about every lawful desirable thing, because we expect what is desirable from God, and what we expect from God we can ask for; and this not only in extreme necessity, but also for a state suitable to oneself. But it is one thing to desire, and another to be solicitous about something as though it were an ultimate end; for this the Lord forbids, as will be said below.
But again the question is raised about this: give us this day , because it seems that we should not desire except for one day; therefore all who desire otherwise sin, and then human life will perish because no one will gather the harvest in summer to eat in winter. And it must be said that the Lord does not intend to prohibit someone from thinking about the future, but he forbids that one should usurp solicitude for himself before the time; for if solicitude is now incumbent, you should carry it out, but not the one that might be incumbent in the future.
(12) And forgive us our debts . Here he begins to set forth the petitions that pertain to the removal of evil, and first he sets forth the petition by which the chief evil is removed, namely, the evil of guilt; hence: And forgive us . It is repugnant that a man who lives on the things of God should live against God. Debts are sins, because for sins we are obligated to God by a debt; for if you received something unjustly from another, you are bound to restitution. And because when you sin you usurp what is God's — for it belongs to God that every will be regulated according to the will of God — therefore you take away what is God's and are bound to restitution. But you pay when, against your own will, you endure something according to the will of God: "I forgave you all that debt" (Mt 18:32). Forgive us , therefore, our debts , i.e., sins: "Forgive me, that I may be refreshed" (Ps 39:13).
By this statement, two heresies are refuted, namely, those of Pelagius and Novatian. Pelagius said that some perfect men in this life could live without sin and fulfill Ephesians (5:27): "That he might present a glorious Church." But if this were so, then we would not say forgive us : "The righteous man falls seven times" (Pr 24:16); "If we say that we have no sin" (1 Jn 1:8). Novatian said that a man who sins mortally after Baptism cannot do penance; but if this were so, then we would say forgive us in vain: "He gave them power to become sons of God" (Jn 1:12), namely, through the adoption of grace.
As we also forgive our debtors . Debtors can be so in two ways: either because they have sinned against us, or because they owe money. He does not urge us to forgive these second debts, but any sins whatsoever, even in the taking away of temporal goods; for it would be unworthy to seek pardon from God and not give it to a fellow servant: "Man harbors anger against man" (Sir 28:3); "Forgive your neighbor" (Sir 28:2).
But what is to be said about those who are unwilling to forgive and yet say Our Father ? It seems that they should never say it, because they are lying. Hence it is said that some used to omit this clause: as we also forgive . But this is disproved by Chrysostom in two ways: first, because it does not preserve the form of the Church in praying; secondly, because the prayer is not acceptable to God when it does not preserve what Christ dictated. Hence it must be said that one does not sin by saying Our Father , however much he is in rancor and grave sin, because such persons ought to do whatever good they can — almsgiving, prayers, and the like — which are dispositive for the recovery of grace. Nor does he lie, because this prayer is not poured forth in one's own person but in that of the whole Church, and it is certain that the Church forgives debts to all who are in the Church. But such a person loses the fruit, because only those who forgive obtain the fruit.
But it seems that not only those who forgive offenses obtain the fruit. But it should be known that Augustine resolves this as far as it pertains to the present matter, because regarding the love of enemies it was said above that God wishes us to forgive offenses on the same terms as he himself forgives us our faults; but he does not forgive except those who ask. And therefore whoever is so disposed that he is ready to grant pardon to one who asks does not lose the fruit, provided that in general he does not hate anyone, as was said above.
(13) And lead us not into temptation . Here he sets forth another petition. Another reading has: "and do not bring us into"; and another: "and do not allow us," and this is the explanation of the former; for God tempts no one, although he permits one to be tempted. And he does not say "do not permit us to be tempted," because temptation is useful, and one is tempted so that he may become known to himself and others, who is already known to God: "He who has not been tempted, what does he know?" (Sir 34:10). But he says: and lead us not , i.e., do not permit us to succumb, just as if someone were to say: I want to be warmed by fire but not burned: "God is faithful and will not permit" you to be tempted beyond what you can bear (1 Cor 10:13).
In this statement, the error of Pelagius is refuted in two respects. For he said that man could persist through free will without God's help, which is nothing other than not succumbing to temptation. Likewise, he said that it does not pertain to God to change men's wills. But if this were so, he would not say and lead us not into temptation , which is the same as: make us not consent. Therefore it is in his power to change the will and not change it: "God is the one who works in you" (Phil 2:13).