The Our Father we say in mass has been used for how long? and why do protestants change it and say For Thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen?

But when we say it after the Our father the Priest say's Deliver us, Lord, from every evil and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.And then we say, For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen. The Catholic version is the earliest and correct right??? Shed some Light...........

Peace be with you

-- Andrew m Tillcock (drewmeister7@earthlink.net), October 18, 2004

Answers

The official version of the Lord's Prayer, as found in scripture, is the one used by Protestants - so strictly speaking, that's the "Lord's Prayer". The version used in the Catholic Mass, with the extra words you quoted, was an enhanced version of the Lord's prayer which is part of Catholic tradition that appeared in the 1969 Roman Missal with the extra words recited by the priest alone. Note that I said "enhanced" rather than "changed". Even as a non-Catholic Christian, I recognize the value of those added words and recognize everyone's right to pray in a way they choose. This is a function of Catholic liturgy, not an attempt to "change" the official prayer. Whenever I, as a former Catholic, first began to join in praying the Lord's Prayer together with other believers, I kept having to remember to exclude the liturgucal addition used in the Mass. It took a while to get used to that. In my current church, the CEC, we also use the same "enhanced" version that Catholics use in their Mass.

David

-- non-Catholic Christian (no@spam.com), October 19, 2004.

The "doxology" - "For Thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory forever and ever" - was not part of the Lord's Prayer as taught by the Lord Himself. It does not appear in the earliest manuscripts of the gospels. It was added to the prayer by some translator in the eastern churches, probably about the third century. It was a fairly common practice at the time to add a doxology (a final statement of praise) at the end of a prayer. There is nothing essentially wrong with the practice; however since this prayer was given to us by God Himself, the church has traditionally not used the doxology, since it does not represent the words of Christ, but is an "add-on" of strictly human origin. The version without the doxology then is the earliest version, and the most "correct" one as far as being true to the actual words of Christ. The additional prayer the priest says - "Deliver us, Lord, from every evil ...", etc. is not intended to be part of the Lord's Prayer. It is a distinct prayer, recited in the Mass after the Lord's Prayer, and is inserted between the Lord's Prayer and the doxology to emphasize the fact that the doxology likewise is not part of the Lord's Prayer. The Lord's Prayer, as given to us by the Lord, ends - "but deliver us from evil".

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), October 19, 2004.

In adidtion tot his, one musrt also remeber that most protestant Bibles these days also omit the doxology- and many protestants who recite the Prayer no longer offer the endign praises, though I prefer it withthe Doxa attatched.

-- ZAROVE (ZAROFF3@JUNO.COM), October 19, 2004.