Lord’s Prayer: And Forgive Us Our Trespasses

(Continued from page 1)

When we pray “forgive us our trespasses” we are beginning this process of removal. But instead of involving heavy lifting, this process is simply one of letting go…of release.¹ By seeking the Father’s forgiveness—which is ours for the asking² —we cannot change the past, but we can alter the living hour by letting go of the guilt, the feelings of inadequacy, and the shame.

When Jesus says that we should cut off our hands or pluck out our eyes if they offend us,³ he is striking at the root behavior (the “snares”) that give rise to these feelings of worthlessness, which keep us tied to the fiery pit of our egos, and prevent us from entering the stream of the Holy Spirit which flows eternally in the kingdom of heaven.

By seeking forgiveness for “our trespasses” we also acknowledge an important truth about our “daily bread.” That is, the ownership we have claimed over it is a joint one shared with every man, woman, and child. This partnership is so entwining that, try as we might, we will always trespass on the feelings and interests of others—and often in ways we are not even conscious of at the time.

The story of Lazarus⁴ illustrates how we often go through life unaware of how our actions affect others. Lazarus, like the prodigal son,⁵ is not literally “dead.” He is only asleep to the divinity in himself and others. Jesus’s waking of Lazarus is a parable that calls us all to wakefulness,⁶ as we remove the hindrances (or ‘snares’) that block our rebirth in Christ.

The fact that we cannot escape our trespasses is why it is so important that we pray The Lord’s Prayer every day. For by doing so we clean the slate and re–enter the living hour with a fresh start. Consider again at the life of Jesus. If there is one thing we can say for sure, it is that the Nazarene was a man who prayed hard and prayed a lot.⁷ This shows that as we get closer to a life in Christ our need for the Lord’s Prayer does not decrease but increases.

We might, at first, think this strange. After all, doesn’t our need for forgiveness diminish as we grow closer to God? The answer is yes and no. On the one hand, our trespasses do diminish. But as our Christ consciousness expands, we begin to recognize all those daily offenses to which we once were blind. Not to mention the trespasses of others for which we now start sharing greater responsibility, and is the subject of our next chapter.

Read Chapter 9: As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us (Removing Our Hindrances Part II)

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1. “For, I tell you, if your faith were only like a mustard-seed, you could say to this mountain ‘Move from this place to that!’ and it would be moved; and nothing would be impossible to you; 21 For these things are released only by prayer and fasting.” – Matthew 17:20-21 [↩]
2. I say to you: ‘Have faith that whatever you ask for in prayer is already granted you, and you will find that it will be.’ – Mark 11:24 [↩]
3. If your hand proves a snare to you, cut it off. It would be better for you to enter the life maimed, than to have both your hands and go into the pit, into the inextinguishable fire: 44 Where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.” 45 “If your foot proves a snare to you, cut it off. It would be better for you to enter the Life lame, than to have both your feet and be thrown into the pit: 46 Where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 If your eye proves a snare to you, tear it out. Mark 9:43–47 [↩]
4. Jesus called in a loud voice: “Lazarus! come out!” 44 The dead man came out, wrapped hand and foot in a winding- sheet; his face, too, had been wrapped in a cloth. “Set him free,” said Jesus, “and let him go.” John 11:43-44 [↩]
5. ‘Child,’ the father answered, ‘you are always with me, and everything that I have is yours. 32 How could we do anything else but make merry and rejoice, for here is your brother who was dead, and is alive; who was lost, and is found.’ – Luke 15:32 [↩]
6. Therefore watch, for you cannot be sure when the Master of the house is coming—whether in the evening, at midnight, at daybreak, or in the morning, 36 Else he should come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: watch!” – Mark 13:35–37 [↩]
7. The story about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came together to listen to him, and to be cured of their illnesses; 16 But Jesus used to withdraw to lonely places and pray. – Luke 5:15–16 [↩]