The Lord’s Prayer: the Ecumenical Prayer of Jesus

More than two thousand years ago, Jesus, the Ecumenical Christ, the Divine Statesman, was visibly among us. At that time, among the many revolutionary initiatives, He taught people to speak directly to the Heavenly Father, without intermediaries, through the Lord’s Prayer, which is found in His Gospel according to Matthew 6:9 to 13.

Understanding the depth of the lessons contained in this prayer, on December 21, 1981, Paiva Netto carried out the task of “Decoding the Lord’s Prayer" during an impromptu conference held in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. At that time, he thoroughly analyzed, verse by verse, the great message left by Jesus in this renowned prayer, which can be found in the third volume of the collection of the Sagradas Diretrizes Espirituais da Religião de Deus, do Cristo e do Espírito Santo [Sacred Spiritual Guidelines of the Religion of God, of the Christ, and of the Holy Spirit].

In his article “Praying = Meditating,” this is how Paiva Netto defines it: “To you, dear readers, therefore, we dedicate the admirable prayer bequeathed to us by Jesus, as an invitation to reflection in moments of distress. It is never too much to elevate our thoughts and hearts to the Almighty. The Prayer Christ taught us—clear, concise, and practical—is perfect for every moment in life, in happiness or sadness, especially now, in a world where everything is happening at astonishing speed. Everyone can say the Lord’s Prayer. It is not restricted to any belief, since it is a universal prayer in accordance with the all-embracing spirit of Charity of the Ecumenical Christ, the Divine Statesman. Anyone, even an atheist (and why not ?!), can utter its words without feeling embarrassed. It is a son or daughter addressing the Father, or a human being talking to his/her sublime condition as a living creature. It is an Ecumenical Prayer par excellence.”

Click below to watch the Lord’s Prayer interpreted and commented upon by Paiva Netto:

Pray with us!