-   EPILOGUE   -

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to make these revelations to you for the sake of the churches, I am of David's line, the root of David and the bright star of the morning. The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come'. Let everyone who listens answer, 'Come'. Then let all who are thirsty come: all who want it may have the water of life, and have it free. This is my solemn warning to all who hear the prophecies in this book: if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him/her every plague mentioned in the book; if anyone cuts anything out of the prophecies in this book, God will cut off his/her share of the tree of life and of the holy city, which are described in the book. The one who guarantees these revelations repeats his promise: I shall indeed be with you soon. Amen; come, Lord Jesus. May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen.

Victory over the "prince of this world" - John 14:30 - was won once for all at the Hour when Jesus freely gave himself up to death to give us his life. This is the judgment of this world, and the prince of this world is "cast out." - John 12:31; Revelation 12:11 - "He pursued the woman" - Revelation 12:13-16 - but had no hold on her: the new Eve, "full of grace" of the Holy Spirit, is preserved from sin and the corruption of death (the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God, Mary, ever virgin). "Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring." - Revelation 12:17 - Therefore the Spirit and the Church pray: "Come, Lord Jesus," - Revelation 22:17, 20 - since his coming will deliver us from the Evil One. - CCC # 2853 - 490, 972 - 

- CCC  # 2854, 2632, 1041 - When we ask to be delivered from the Evil One, we pray as well to be freed from all evils, present, past and future of which he is the author or instigator. In this final petition, the Church brings before the Father all the distress of the world. Along with deliverance from the evils that overwhelm humanity, she implores the precious gift of peace and the grace of perseverance in expectation of Christ's return. By praying in this way, she anticipates in humility of faith the gathering together of everyone and everything in him who has "the keys of Death and Hades" who "is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." - Revelation 1:8, 18; Cf. Revelation 1:4; Ephesians 1:10 - 

Deliver us, Lord, we beseech you, from every evil and grant us peace in our day, so that aided by your mercy we might be ever free from sin and protected from all anxiety, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. - Missale Romanum, Embolism after the Lord's prayer, 126: Libera nos, qucesumus, Domine, ab omnibus malis, da propitius pacem in diebus nostris, ut, ope misericordice tuce adiuti, et a peccato simus semper liberi, et ab omni perturbatione securi: expectantes beatam spem et Salvatoris nostri Iesu Christi.   

                                                  -  THE  FINAL  DOXOLOGY  -

- CCC # 2855, 2760 - The final doxology, "For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever," takes up again, by inclusion, the first three petitions to our Father: the glorification of his name, the coming of his reign and the power of his saving will. But these prayers are now proclaimed as adoration and thanksgiving, as in the liturgy of heaven. - Cf. Revelation 1:6; 4:11; 5:13 - The ruler of this world has mendaciously attributed to himself the three titles of kingship, power and glory. - Cf. Luke 4:5-6 - Christ, the Lord, restores them to his Father and our Father, until he hands over the kingdom to him when the mystery of salvation will be brought to its completion and God will be all in all. - 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 - 

- CCC # 2856, 1061-1065 - "Then, after the prayer is over you say 'Amen', which means 'So be it', thus ratifying with our 'Amen' what is contained in the prayer that God has taught us." - Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechism mystery 5, 18: PG 33, 1124; Cf. Luke 1:38 -

IN  BRIEF

In the Our Father, the object of the first three petitions is glory of the Father: the sanctification of his name, the coming of the kingdom and the fulfillment of his will. The four others present our wants to him: they ask that our lives be nourished, healed of sin and made victorious in the struggle of good over evil. -CCC # 2857 -

By asking "hallowed be thy name" we enter into God's plan, the sanctification of his name - revealed first to Moses and then in Jesus - by us and in us, in every nation and in each man. - CCC # 2858 -

By the second petition, the Church looks first to Christ's return and the final coming of the Reign of God. It also prays for the growth of the Kingdom of God in the "today" of our own lives. - CCC # 2859 -

In the third petition, we ask our Father to unite our will to that of his Son, so as to fulfill his plan of salvation in the life of the world. - CCC # 2860 -

In the fourth petition, by saying "give us," we express in communion with our brethren our filial trust in our heavenly Father. "Our daily bread" refers to the earthly nourishment necessary to everyone for subsistence, and also to the Bread of Life: the Word of God and the Body of Christ. It is received in God's "today," as the indispensable, (super-) essential nourishment of the feast of the coming Kingdom anticipated in the Eucharist. - CCC # 2861 -

The fifth petition begs God's mercy for our offences, mercy which can penetrate our hearts only if we have learned to forgive our enemies, with the example and help of Christ. - CCC # 2862 -

When we say "lead us not into temptation" we are asking God not to allow us to take the path that leads to sin. This petition implores the Spirit of discernment and strength; it requests the grace of vigilance and final perseverance. - CCC # 2863 -

In the last petition, "but deliver us from evil," Christians pray to God with the Church to show forth the victory, already won by Christ, over the "ruler of this world," Satan, the angel personally opposed to God and to his plan of salvation. CCC # 2864 -

By the final "Amen" we express our "fiat" concerning the seven petitions: "So be it." 

-   WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE / WORD OF GOD / HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY   - 

Just as God originally inspired the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible, He has used this means to preserve His Word for future generations. But behind the writing lay periods of time when these messages were circulated in spoken form. [Oral Tradition] The stories of the patriarchs were passed from generation to generation by word of mouth before they were written. [Written Tradition] The messages of the prophets were delivered orally before they were fixed in writing. Narratives of the life and ministry of Christ Jesus were repeated orally for two or three decades before they were given written form.

Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!

Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?' "Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He/She is like a man/woman who when he/she built his/her house dug, deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man/woman who built his/her house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 - 

If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ Jesus, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to it function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love." - Ephesians 4:15-16 -