The Lord’s Prayer, Sixth Petition: Mercy Received and Mercy Given

After asking for daily bread, we turn to the greater necessity — the forgiveness of sins. For even while we are nourished by God, we remain in need of His mercy. The Lord therefore commands us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

This petition contains both a confession and a condition. We confess that we are sinners and must daily seek pardon; and we acknowledge that we can only be forgiven as we ourselves forgive. Thus it unites humility with charity. Whoever prays these words truthfully must first pardon his brother, lest he speak judgment against himself.

The measure of mercy we show becomes the measure we receive. Not that our forgiveness causes God’s mercy, but that it prepares the heart to receive it. For a closed heart cannot be filled, and a soul hardened against others cannot be softened by grace. As we forgive, we open ourselves to God’s compassion.

This petition continues the spiritual order of the prayer. Having asked for daily nourishment, we now ask for cleansing. It corresponds to the Fifth Beatitude, “Blessed are the merciful,” for only the merciful can dwell in peace. Mercy and forgiveness are not passing acts but a continual disposition of the renewed heart.

By praying thus, we are reminded that life in this world is a life of continual conversion. We are not yet without sin, but we are never without access to mercy. The daily bread we receive sustains us; the daily forgiveness we seek restores us. Together they nourish the soul in hope until it is made perfect in love.

Source: St. Augustine, On the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, Book II, Chapter 8.