Among the teachings that Jesus Christ handed down to us, He also gave us an example of how to pray. He taught to the apostles His own prayer to God.
The Lord's prayer (Our Father, who art in heaven) is the cornerstone of Orthodoxy. In order to understand other religions, it is sometimes necessary to read quite a few books. Jesus, however, didn't even ask his disciples to write down the words of this prayer; He simply said: “Pray this way.”
The Lord's Prayer is the first prayer said by the Savior himself in Aramaic, his mother tongue. Of course, the Aramaic language consists of a multitude of dialects that vary according to the period and location. The period during which Jesus Christ preached is called the "Middle Aramaic period".
TRANSLATION OF THE PRAYER
We all know the text of the prayer in English. However, this translated text is a modified version, and over the centuries it has undergone great changes. The exact translation of Christ's prayer from Aramaic sounds quite different.
Breathing life! Your name shines everywhere! (Our Father, who art in heaven!)
Release a space to plant your Presence here. (hallowed be Thy name,)
Imagine your possibilities now, (Thy Kingdom come.)
Embody your desire in every light and form. (Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.)
Grow through us this moment's bread and wisdom. (Give us this day our daily bread.)
Untie the knots of failure binding us, as we release the strands we hold of others' faults. (And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.)
Help us not forget our Source, yet free us from not being in the Present. (And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.)
From you arises every Vision, Power and Song. From gathering to gathering. (For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.)
Amen. May our future actions grow from here!
THE ARAMAIC LANGUAGE TODAY
Although Aramaic is now considered almost a dead language, there are still populations that use it. Primary school pupils in a small Galilean village of Gush Halav (Jish) would have been able to communicate with Jesus and His apostles, since they constitute one of the minorities which still speak Aramaic. Two thousand years ago, this language was not only spoken, but also written, traded and preached in Judea, the Middle East and Persia.
Nowadays, there are no more than 200,000 speakers of Aramaic around the world who use it in everyday life. Mostly they are living in Syria, as well as in Iraqi and Iranian Kurdistan.
Interestingly, there is even a church where you can hear the service in Aramaic, and it is located ... in Ukraine! During services in the church of St. John the Theologian in Chernihiv region, built by Greeks in 1752, the Lord's Prayer is read not only in Ukrainian, but also in Christ's native language. The priest of the church is Assyrian; his family came to Ukraine from Iraq in 1914. Seeing that many of his compatriots were visiting the church, he decided to read the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic as well. In time, this habit extended to the 50th Psalm.
To sum up, whatever language we pray in, we should pay attention not only to what we say, but also to how we say it. It is important that we follow the pattern of our Christ and pray without hypocrisy.
Pray without wanting to be seen
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:5-6)
Reconcile with your neighbor before praying
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:23-24)
When praying, do not use empty words and sentimental phrases deprived of spiritual content
"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." (Matthew 6:7)
And last but not least, always have faith that the Lord will answer your prayers
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24)
