The Our Father

Updated October 15, 2026

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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Traditional English version, as prayed in the Rosary.

Pray the Our Father every day with a reminder.

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Key takeaways

Jesus gave this prayer himself (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4).
The Catechism calls it the summary of the whole Gospel (CCC 2761).
Catholics pray it at Mass, in the Rosary, and at the start of many devotions.

What is the Our Father?

The Our Father, also called the Lord's Prayer, is the one prayer Jesus taught his disciples when they asked how to pray. It appears in Matthew and Luke. Christians have prayed it daily since the earliest days of the Church.

When to pray it

Catholics pray it at every Mass before Communion, at the start of each Rosary decade, and in morning and evening prayer. In the Catholic Mass the closing "For the kingdom, the power and the glory" is said by the congregation after the priest's prayer, and is not part of the prayer itself.

Our Father, who art in heaven

We call God Father because Jesus does, and because baptism makes us his children. "Our" reminds us that we pray as a family, not alone. "In heaven" points to his glory, not to a distant place.

Hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done

These first petitions turn us toward God. We ask that his name be honored, that his reign grow, and that our wills line up with his.

Give us this day our daily bread

We ask for what we need today: food, and also the Eucharist, which the Church has long seen in this line. The petition asks for enough, not for more.

Forgive us our trespasses

This is the only petition Jesus comments on afterward (Matthew 6:14-15). God's forgiveness and ours are tied together. We cannot ask for mercy while refusing it.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between "trespasses" and "debts"?

Matthew 6:12 uses a word meaning debts, and Luke 11:4 uses sins. Catholic English has long said "trespasses." Some Protestant churches say "debts." The meaning is the same.

Why do Protestants add "For thine is the kingdom"?

That ending is an early Christian doxology found in the Didache and some later manuscripts of Matthew. Catholics say a form of it at Mass after the priest's embolism, but not as part of the Our Father itself.

Why does it say "lead us not into temptation"?

The Catechism explains it as asking God not to let us enter into temptation, and to give us strength to resist (CCC 2846-2849). God does not tempt anyone (James 1:13).

Where is the Our Father in the Bible?

Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. Luke's version is shorter.

Pray through what you are reading, every day, with a gentle reminder.