Our Father
The Our Father is the prayer Jesus taught his disciples. It asks for the coming of God’s kingdom, daily bread, forgiveness, and deliverance from evil. In the Rosary, pray it on the first large bead after the Creed and on the large bead that begins each decade.
On this page
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.
Amen.
Listen to the prayer
In Latin
Pater noster, qui es in cælis:
sanctificétur Nomen Tuum;
advéniat Regnum Tuum;
fiat volúntas Tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidiánum da nobis hódie;
et dimítte nobis débita nostra,
sicut et nos dimíttimus debitóribus nostris;
et ne nos indúcas in tentatiónem;
sed líbera nos a Malo. Amen.
The prayer Jesus taught
Jesus teaches his disciples to pray to the Father in Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:1–4. Matthew gives the fuller form familiar in Christian prayer; Luke records a shorter form. The Church receives the Lord's Prayer from this Gospel teaching. The Catechism introduces it as the prayer at the heart of Scripture in §§2759–2761.
The word “our” includes others even when we pray alone. We ask for bread and forgiveness as members of the Church, remembering the needs of people beyond our own household.
The first petitions turn us toward God's name, kingdom, and will. Before asking for what we need, we ask that our lives be open to him. These words can accompany each mystery of the Rosary. At the Annunciation, we contemplate Mary's consent; in Gethsemane, we contemplate Jesus entrusting himself to the Father. The petition for God's will can remain in mind while we contemplate either scene during the decade.
Bread, forgiveness, and deliverance
Daily bread expresses dependence on God for the necessities of life. A household struggling to afford food, or someone whose work provides it, may be the intention of this petition. The request for forgiveness joins our need for mercy to our willingness to forgive others. It may be a difficult petition; we can ask for grace to begin forgiving even when hurt remains.
“Lead us not into temptation” does not suggest that God wants us to sin. We ask him to keep us from yielding to temptation and to sustain us when we are tested. The Catechism explains this in §§2846–2849. The final petition asks for deliverance from evil. The request includes our own struggles with temptation and prayer for those facing the same difficulty.
The Our Father on the beads
Pray one Our Father on the first large bead after the Creed. Another begins each of the five decades, after the mystery is announced. Each large bead gives a natural moment to pause before the ten Hail Marys. The Rosary guide shows this pattern.
English Christians use “trespasses,” “debts,” or “sins” in different received versions. When praying with others, follow their common text. The concluding doxology used in some Christian traditions is not normally added to the Our Father within the Catholic Rosary.