In our Catholic tradition, we rely on what has been handed down to us for our daily prayers. A traditional translation of what we call Jesus’ Prayer or The Lord’s Prayer is memorized and repeated in our daily life and liturgies.
Scholars today know more about translation, including the linguistic and cultural context. Here is a newer translation that I reworked and derived from http://www.songofhome.com/Klotz.htm. Klotz has given several translations directly from the Aramaic, which was the language Jesus spoke. Create your own version, one that speaks to you! And keep saying your traditional version if that is what gives you comfort and speaks to you! When we are informed of where our traditions come from, we are empowered. Having knowledge of where our prayers come from, gives us the space we need to view our traditions from a new perspective.
Abwoon d’bwashmaya (the Aramaic Translation of the “Lord’s” Prayer)
Oh Breath of Life,
Creator of the Shimmering Sound
That flows through the conscious place
Within our womb-space
Wherein our heart exists
Giving light to all.
From this divine union
and our willing hands,
clear our intention
for co-creation
of a new world of peace.
Create in each of us
a divine cooperation,
one compassionate action.
And help us fulfill what lies within
the circle of our lives
Each day we ask no more, no less
Forgive us our hidden past, the secret shames,
As we consistently forgive
That of what others hide.
Don’t let surface things delude us,
but free us from what holds us back
from our true purpose.
May power be in these statements
And may they be the ground from which all
our actions grow
Sealed in trust and faith.
