The disciple of Christ is jealous of the disciples of John, and therefore wishes to learn how to pray. The Savior did not reject the desires of the disciples, but He teaches. "Our Father," he says, "who art in heaven." Notice the power of prayer. It immediately elevates you to the things above, and since you call God Father, she urges you in every way not to lose your likeness to the Father, but to try to become like Him. He did not say "My Father," but "Our Father," stirring you up to brotherly love and urging you to love everyone as brothers in general. By saying, "in heaven," he does not limit God with them, but raises the listener to heaven and leads him away from earthly things. - "Hallowed be Thy name," instead of "Let it be glorified," that is, arrange our life so that it may be for Thy glory. For just as the name of God is blasphemed by the wicked, so are those who lead a good life glorified. - "Thy Kingdom come." The sinner does not pray for the Kingdom of God, for he does not desire its coming because of the punishments that await him there. On the contrary, the righteous man prays that it will come soon, so that he may be freed from the temptations of this world and calm down. - "Thy will be done", as in heaven - with the Angels, so with us people on earth. For the angels act all and in everything according to the will of God. - It teaches us to ask for "daily bread" only, that is, useful for our existence and for the maintenance of life, by no means superfluous, but necessary. - Not to enter into temptation means not to rush into temptations. For we should pray to God, not that He would send temptation upon us, but that He would turn it away; and if he does, he must endure it with courage. It must be said that there are two types of temptations. Some are arbitrary, for example, drunkenness, murder, adultery, and other passions; for we ourselves fall into these temptations arbitrarily. Other temptations are involuntary, to which we are subjected by the lords and the strong. It is from voluntary temptations, that is, from the passions, that we must flee from them, pray for deliverance from them and say, "Lead us not in," that is, do not allow us to fall "into temptation," that is, into voluntary passion, "But deliver us from evil." For it brings involuntary and voluntary temptations. Therefore, when you involuntarily endure temptation from a person, do not consider this person to be the author of your temptation, but the evil one. For it causes a man to be angry with you and to rage.

     And he said to them, Let us suppose that one of you, having a friend, comes to him at midnight, and says to him, 'Friend! lend me three loaves of bread, for my friend has come to me from the way, and I have nothing to offer him; And he will answer from within, 'Do not disturb me, for the doors are already shut, and my children are with me on the bed.' I can't get up and give you. If, I say to you, he does not arise and give to him because of his friendship with him, then because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he asks. 

The Lord, teaching us to pray without sloth, tells a parable and an example. What does the parable mean? "Midnight" is the name given to the last days of life, which, when people reach them, they begin to sympathize with the good and aspire to God. For He is a friend, loving all, and desiring salvation for all (1 Tim. 2:4). Thus, many at midnight, that is, at the end of life, come to God as a friend and say: "Give me three loaves," that is, faith in the Trinity; for a friend has come, that is, an angel who takes the soul. However, every angel is a friend, just as the Lord says that there is joy in heaven for the salvation of man (Luke 15:10). - The children resting on the bed are people who have been converted and therefore have become children of the Lord and have been vouchsafed to rest with Him. - "Persistence" is called intensified and prolonged prayer with patience, - Understand in another way, namely: by "midnight" understand the power and the middle of temptations. For every temptation is night, and the midst of temptations is undoubtedly midnight. Thus, when someone is in the midst of temptations, he comes to God who loves us and says: "Lend me three loaves of bread," that is, the salvation of body, soul and spirit. For temptations threaten these three. Who is the friend who came in from the road? Without any doubt, the Lord, who tests us in temptations and wants to taste our salvation. A person who has fallen into temptations, unable to resist them by himself and receive the Lord, has nothing to offer Him. - Locked doors mean that we must be ready before temptations, and when we fall, then the door to preparation is already shut, and we, being unprepared, will suffer danger if God does not help. Children are (inasmuch as they were first converted) those who, through virtue, have become the sons of God, recline and rest in God.

     And I will say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it will be opened to you: for everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Which of you father, when his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? or when he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for eggs, will he give him a scorpion? Therefore, if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. 

See how precise the words are. The Lord did not say, "Ask," and it will be given to you, but "ask," that is, seek continually. - "Everyone who asks receives." Does he who asks for useless things receive? No. For, in the first place, a petition for useless things cannot be called a petition before God. For whoever prays to God must ask for what He gives. And if anyone asks for what is useless, he does not make a petition to God, for He does not give what is useless. Then listen to how the Lord Himself teaches us to ask for what we should ask. He says: the son asks for bread and fish and eggs. Therefore, just as these objects constitute human food, so our petitions should be useful to us and serve to help us. By "bread" I mean, perhaps, anyone who asks that faith in the Trinity and the correctness of dogmas be revealed to him. For they, as those who affirm the heart, are bread. And the "fish" is asked by the one who, being in the sea of this life, asks God for help, so that he, like a fish, may remain alive and unimmersed in the midst of temptations. And he asks for an "egg" who desires to be given the offspring of virtuous souls, such souls, as those who have taken wings, ascended in spirit, and flown over the earth, can justly be likened to birds.

     Once He cast out a demon that was dumb; And when the demon went out, the dumb man began to speak; And the people were surprised. And some of them said, He casteth out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. And others, tempting, demanded of Him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be desolate, and a house divided against itself will fall; but if Satan also divides against himself, how will his kingdom stand? but you say that I cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub; And if I cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, by whose power do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, then surely the Kingdom of God has reached you. 

He is often called dumb who does not speak; but he is also called he who does not hear, or rather he who does not hear and does not speak. Those who do not hear from birth do not speak. It happens to them out of necessity. For we speak what we learn by hearing. When someone does not hear, he in all probability does not speak. Unless his hearing is subsequently damaged by illness, nothing prevents him from speaking. He who was brought to Christ was dumb in both respects: both in the tongue and in the ear. He is an image of human nature, which, being possessed by demons, was incapable of hearing the words of God, much less of retelling. But the Lord, having come and cast out demons, that is, passionate and demonic deeds, made us not only speak, but also preach the truth. For the words of God must not only be heard, but also retold to others. Therefore, let us hear, who have demonic works in us, who think to teach others and allow us to be called teachers from men. For when the demon comes out, then there is true talkativeness and teaching, and as long as the products of the demons (passions) are within us, we do not speak until then, although we appear to speak. - The Pharisees slander a miracle and revile the Lord as a deceiver. They say: He is friends with the prince of demons and with his help casts out demons. The Lord said to them, "How is it possible that a demon should cast out another demon?" That would be the destruction of his kingdom. For if they set up kingdom and rest in living in men, and their own prince expels them, then it is evident that he destroys himself. For every kingdom that is divided and rebelled is disarrayed, and the house that is divided will fall. By "house" do you mean a building? Ok. For even a building stands as long as it is united, and when the walls are separated from one another, it falls. Will you understand by "house" those who live in the house? And they, as long as they keep peace, stand, and if they rise up against one another, they fall. "Let it also be that I cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub; but your sons, that is, the apostles, by whose power do they cast out? Is it not evident that in My name? How then do you say of me, that I cast out through Beelzebub, having need of his power, when your sons, even the apostles, cast out in my name? Truly, they will judge you. For if they cast out in My name, then I Myself obviously have no need of the power of another. I cast out by the "finger of God," that is, by the Holy Spirit, and not by the evil spirit. He calls the Spirit a "finger" so that you may know that just as the finger of one being is with the whole body, so the Holy Spirit is of one essence with the Father and the Son. And perhaps it is not for this reason that He calls the Son the right hand of God, and upon Him rested the seven powers of the Spirit, and not as an instrument of the Spirit, but as one in essence with Him; one of the gifts and actions of the Spirit is the power to heal. He says that I cast out demons with the "finger" of God, that is, with the gift of the Spirit. For just as the finger is part of the hand, so the spirit of healing was part of those spirits, that is, the powers of the Spirit, that Jesus had. "If," he says, "I cast out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has truly come to you." And this has the following meaning: the kingdom of the devil is finally destroyed, and God reigns, casting out demons. For listen to what he says next.