The Lord’s Prayer, Second Petition: The Desire for God’s Glory

The first movement of true prayer is not to seek our own benefit, but the glory of God. Thus, after we have called upon the Father, we say, “Hallowed be Thy Name.” We do not make God holy by our words — His holiness is eternal and unchangeable — but we pray that His Name may be hallowed in us and in all people.

This petition reveals the heart purified by the Beatitudes: it no longer asks first for temporal goods, but that God may be honored in its life. The soul desires that everything in it may bear witness to His holiness. When we live rightly, His Name is sanctified in us, as it is written: “Be holy, for I am holy.”

We therefore pray that what is holy in itself may be recognized as holy among men. It is not God’s nature that changes, but ours. The holiness of His Name is manifested when we become conformed to His will and reflect His truth. To hallow His Name is to make our lives a praise of Him.

In this way the prayer teaches us what to love first. The humble and pure heart now burns with one desire — that God be glorified. For when His Name is hallowed in us, His kingdom begins to come. This petition, then, is not the request of a servant for a reward, but the longing of a child who desires the Father’s honor above his own.

Source: St. Augustine, On the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, Book II, Chapter 5.