Prayer: Gregory of Nyssa on the Lord's Prayer

Gregory of Nyssa (d. c. 394) wrote a series of homilies on the Lord's Prayer that explore each petition as a step in the soul's ascent to God. He taught: "If someone should ask us, 'How should I pray?', we should say, 'The way the Lord taught us.' For we have a great teacher who tells us the very words of prayer." Gregory saw the Lord's Prayer not as a formula to recite but as a curriculum for the spiritual life.

"Our Father" teaches us that we are children of God. "Hallowed be Your name" teaches us to live worthily of the divine name we bear. "Your kingdom come" teaches us to long for the transformation of all things. Each petition, Gregory showed, opens into a vast landscape of spiritual practice and growth.

Practical application: Spend one week on each petition of the Lord's Prayer. On Monday through Saturday, meditate on "Our Father who art in heaven" -- what it means that God is Father, what it means that heaven is His dwelling, what it means that we are His children. The following week, move to "Hallowed be Thy name." Gregory teaches that the Lord's Prayer contains the entire Christian life in condensed form.