Living the Our Father

'If we pray the Our Father and live it, we will be holy,' said Saint Teresa of Calcutta. The question that follows naturally is, How can we live the Our Father? While searching for an answer, one of Saint Augustine's less-known books Our Lord's Sermon on the Mountain According to Matthew is uniquely enlightening, as it points out the connection among three important elements of our faith: the Our Father, the beatitudes, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Many Christians do not know or do not appreciate readily these connections. In Living the Our Father, the author explains in a simple and practical way how understanding the beatitudes, the gifts of the Holy Spirit that correspond to them, and how what we petition in the Our Father relates to them. Such understanding can lead the reader to live the Our Father, to what Saint Augustine describes as 'a journey from the depths of fear and humility to the heights of peace, wisdom, and holiness.'