Give us this day our daily bread - With this petition we are asking for our daily bread and it is the Lord Jesus Christ, because He said: “ I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.” (John 6, 35-57)

In the Macedonian language we use the word “nasushten”, but the English language is poor of theological terms, and the word “nasushten” is translated as daily bread, which is incorrect. We have essential need of God and not much need of ordinary bread. The material bread is not “nasushten”, because people who fast during the Great Lent (not eat or drink) for 3, 5, or 40 days are still alive and healthy. These words primarily refer to Holy Communion, the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore this prayer in ancient times, always been used before Holy Communion. However, because we live in a material world we need the material bread. But we can notice that God did not say bread and something else with bread, He said only bread. That is, only the necessary and not something that is added, which are our passions. God teaches us simplicity. We can see many things on our tables that are not needed. Thus, we become physically and spiritually fat and incapable of good deeds. This applies not only to the table, but also for our whole life, that we all want to spend in luxury, sin, and fornication…

Words: Give us this day – are in present progressive tense. Eternity. This means we pray to God to take care of us every day.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us – We are constantly in debt towards God, because we sin constantly and He forgives us, thus, it is logical for us to forgive minor and temporary debts (sins) of our close ones. If we forgive the sins of anyone, it means that our sins will be forgiven automatically, and this for two reasons:

We have stepped away from God’s truth and grace and we acquired sins. It is our debt before God. Why should we seek forgiveness? But the Lord, teaching us pedagogy, will forgive our sins, because not that He will not or cannot, but for us so each of us has a good life. Given our fallen nature of evil, He gave us condition – I will forgive your sins, only if you forgive those who wronged you. On the other hand, forgiving the sins of others, we ourselves have peace within us and around us. Because, if we do not forgive the mistakes of our close ones, we will keep those mistakes within us and carry them, our conscience will suffer and it will be more difficult for us. If we do not feel guilt, then we are demonized to the limits we become like the devil because only the devil is absolutely cold and feels no guilt, because he is absolutely evil. If we do not forgive the sins of others how dare we call to God – Our Father?  We do not have the courage to say God – Our Father.  As I said before, the prayer is a face to Face conversation with God.  Thus, we should try to purify our conscience through reconciliation with all people.

There is Graceful forgiveness and Ascetical forgiveness.  It is a matter of ascetical forgiveness when we do not feel within us any disposition to forgive and ask forgiveness, but we force ourselves to this. Without this ascetical forgiveness we cannot reach the graceful forgiveness. So, when someone does us wrong, within ourselves we will find the strength to forgive and ask forgiveness. Make difference between this ascetical forgiveness and graceful forgiveness. We must cultivate the ascetical forgiveness within us in order to reach the graceful forgiveness. Thus, when we feel nothing within us, when we have no willingness to forgive and ask forgiveness, then we will compel ourselves. And we will see that each time forcing ourselves to such forgiveness we gather strength by which at every next instance we find it all the more easier to forgive and ask forgiveness. Then through practice we will be able to see how the grace of God moves in within us and how God occupies space in our soul, and the demonic powers withdraw, that feed our vanity and pride and force us not to forgive and not to ask forgiveness from those whom we have wronged.

To be continued…