Every Word in the Lord's Prayer: Reflections on the Perfect Pray-er's Perfect Prayer

“Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). When one of Jesus’s disciples uttered this plea, the Lord responded not with abstract methods or techniques but with something far greater: the Lord’s Prayer. Recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and known by its familiar opening (“Our Father”), it is the perfect prayer, given by the perfect Pray-er.

In this luminous and meditative book, beloved Catholic philosopher and author Peter Kreeft walks through the Lord’s Prayer word by word, mining its spiritual and theological depths. Kreeft follows in the footsteps of great saints like Teresa of Avila, who saw in each line of the prayer a treasure to be savored—slowly, lovingly, prayerfully.

Drawing from Scripture and a lifetime of reflection, Kreeft shows that every utterance of the Our Father brims with meaning. It is a summary of the Gospel, a path to union with God, and a guide to becoming fully alive. Whether you’re encountering this prayer for the first time or have prayed it countless times before, Every Word in the Lord’s Prayer will help you to see the words our Savior taught us with new eyes—and to pray them with a renewed heart.