My Lord Jesus Christ, two graces I beg you to grant me before I die: the first is that in my lifetime I may feel, in my soul and in my body, as far as possible, that sorrow which you, tender Jesus, underwent in the hour of your most bitter passion; the second is that I may feel in my heart, as far as possible, that abundance of love with which you, son of God, were inflamed, so as willingly to undergo such a great passion for us sinners.

—I, Francis

Enlighten me, Lord Jesus, with the clarity of everlasting light, and drive out of my heart all manner of darkness and all vain imaginations and violent temptation. Fight strongly for me and drive away the evil beasts—that is, all my evil and wicked concupiscences [strong sexual desires, lusts]—so that peace of conscience may enter and fully rule within me, and that an abundance of glory and praise of your Name may sound continually in the chamber of my soul in a pure and clean conscience. Command the winds and the tempests of pride to cease; bid the sea of worldly covetousness to be at rest; and charge the northern wind—that is, the devil’s temptation—not to blow. Then great tranquility and peace will be within me.

Send out your light and your truth of spiritual knowledge, that it may shine upon the earth, barren and dry. Send down your grace from above, and with it anoint my dry heart. Give me the water of inward devotion to moisten the dryness of my soul, that it may bring forth good fruit, agreeable and pleasant to you. Raise up my mind that is sore oppressed by the heavy burden of sin, and lift up my desire to the love of spiritual things, so that by a taste of heavenly joy it may loathe to think on any earthly thing. Take me Lord, and deliver me from the consolation of any earthly creatures which must of necessity shortly perish and fail, for there is nothing created that can fully satisfy my desires. Make me one with you in a sure bond of heavenly love, for you alone are sufficient to your lover, and without you all things are vain and of no substance.

—The Imitation of Christ

As the Lord’s Prayer continues, we ask: “Give us this day our daily bread.” We can understand this petition in a spiritual and in a literal sense. For in the divine plan both senses may help toward our salvation. For Christ is the bread of life; this bread does not belong to everyone, but is ours alone. “en we say, our Father, we understand that he is the father of those who know him and believe in him. In the same way we speak of our daily bread, because Christ is the bread of those who touch his body.

Now, we who live in Christ and receive his eucharist, the food of salvation, ask for this bread to be given us every day. Otherwise we may be forced to abstain from this communion because of some serious sin. In this way we shall be separated from the body of Christ, as he taught us in the words: “I am the bread of life which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats my bread will live for ever and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” Christ is saying, then, that anyone who eats this bread will live for ever. Clearly they possess life who approach his body and share in the eucharistic communion. For this reason we should be apprehensive and pray that no one has to abstain om this communion, lest they be separated from the body of Christ and be far from salvation. Christ has warned of this: “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you will have no life in you.” We pray for our daily bread, Christ, to be given to us. With his help, we who live and abide in him will never be separated from his body and his grace. After this we ask pardon for our sins, in the words: “and forgive us our trespasses.” The gift of bread is followed by a prayer for forgiveness.

—On the Lord’s Prayer 18-22

All Christ did, all he taught, was the will of God. Humility in our daily lives, an unwavering faith, a moral sense of modesty in conversation, justice in acts, mercy in deed, discipline, refusal to harm others, a readiness to suffer harm, peaceableness with one another, a wholehearted love of the Lord, loving in him what is of the Father, fearing him because he is God, preferring nothing to him who preferred nothing to us, clinging tenaciously to his love, standing by his cross with loyalty and courage whenever there is any conflict involving his honor and his name, manifesting in our speech the constancy of our profession and under torture confidence for the fight, and in dying the endurance for which we will be crowned—this is what it means to wish to be a fellow heir with Christ, to keep God’s command; this is what it means to do the will of the Father.

—Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr of Carthage (mid-3rd century), On the Lord’s Prayer