Reflective Online Teaching: The Lord’s Prayer and Dante’s Purgatorial Prayer: A Theological and Moral Comparison

Mapping Prayer from Pride to Grace

AI-generated picture by Prof. Jonathan Acuña Solano in November 2025

Introductory Note to the Reader

Dante’s Divine Comedy is a text that never exhausts itself, no matter how many times one returns to it. Each encounter with the poem reveals something new, not because the text changes, but because we do. A quick reading of Dante’s journey may leave us with the broad strokes of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise, but it is only when we pause, linger, and think over what we are reading that deeper ideas begin to surface.

This study emerges from such attentive reading. When moving slowly through Purgatorio, especially the terrace of the proud, one begins to notice how masterfully Dante constructs an entire moral and theological lesson within the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer. These souls, burdened, humbled, and yet hopeful, speak a version of the prayer that differs from the one Christ taught. Their altered words are not deviations, but revelations: indications of what pride distorted in their earthly lives and what humility is now repairing.

In observing their prayer, we discover more than a poetic adaptation; we discover a spiritual pedagogy embedded within Dante’s verse. The poet does not simply describe pride; he makes us contemplate it. He does not merely include a prayer; he shows how prayer itself becomes a tool of transformation. This note invites you, the reader, to approach Dante not with haste but with openness. To stop, reflect, and consider the layers beneath the surface. For in The Divine Comedy, it is through reflection that the poem speaks most clearly. and through thoughtful reading that its truths unfold.

The Lord’s Prayer and Dante’s Purgatorial Prayer: A Theological and Moral Comparison

Abstract

This paper compares the theological, moral, and structural dimensions of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9–13 and its poetic transformation in Dante Alighieri’s Purgatorio Canto XI. While Christ’s original prayer serves as an ethical blueprint for Christian living, Dante reframes it as a collective penitential act recited by the souls purging the sin of pride. Drawing on scholastic theology, particularly Thomistic notions of cooperative grace, the study argues that Dante’s adapted prayer functions simultaneously as imitation, confession, and spiritual medicine. Additional attention is given to the silent prayer of the envious in Purgatorio XIII, demonstrating how Dante uses contrasting forms of prayer—spoken and wordless—to map the moral rehabilitation of damaged love. This comparative analysis reveals Dante’s profound engagement with Scripture, classical theology, and moral psychology, presenting prayer as a transformative ascent from self-love toward divine alignment.

Keywords:

Dante Alighieri, Purgatorio XI, Lord’s Prayer, Pater Noster, Thomistic Grace, Pride, Envy, Penitence, Moral Theology, Scholasticism, Dante Studies

Resumen

Este artículo compara las dimensiones teológicas, morales y estructurales del Padrenuestro en Mateo 6:9–13 y su adaptación poética en el Canto XI del Purgatorio de Dante Alighieri. Mientras que la oración enseñada por Cristo funciona como guía ética para la vida cristiana, Dante la recontextualiza como un acto penitencial colectivo recitado por las almas que purgan el pecado del orgullo. Basado en la teología escolástica, especialmente en las nociones tomistas de la gracia cooperante, el estudio sostiene que la oración dantesca opera simultáneamente como imitación, confesión y medicina espiritual. También se analiza la oración silenciosa de los envidiosos en el Canto XIII, mostrando cómo Dante utiliza formas contrastantes de oración—hablada y silenciosa—para representar la rehabilitación moral del amor desordenado. El análisis revela la profunda apropiación que hace Dante de la Escritura, la teología clásica y la psicología moral, presentando la oración como un ascenso transformador desde el amor propio hacia la voluntad divina.

Resumo

Este artigo examina as dimensões teológicas, morais e estruturais do Pai-Nosso em Mateus 6:9–13 e sua reformulação poética no Canto XI do Purgatório de Dante Alighieri. Enquanto a oração ensinada por Cristo serve como guia ético para a vida cristã, Dante a reinsere como um ato penitencial coletivo recitado pelas almas que purgam o pecado do orgulho. Com base na teologia escolástica, especialmente nas ideias tomistas sobre graça cooperativa, o estudo argumenta que a oração adaptada por Dante funciona ao mesmo tempo como imitação, confissão e remédio espiritual. O trabalho também analisa a oração silenciosa dos invejosos no Canto XIII, evidenciando como Dante utiliza formas opostas de oração—verbal e silenciosa—para representar a cura moral do amor distorcido. O estudo mostra o profundo diálogo de Dante com a Escritura, a teologia clássica e a psicologia moral, apresentando a oração como um caminho transformador do amor próprio à plena união com Deus.

Introduction

The Lord’s Prayer (Pater Noster), as taught by Jesus in the Gospel according to Matthew, stands as one of Christianity’s most concise and profound expressions of humility, dependence, and divine alignment. Its purpose is not only liturgical but moral, directing believers toward obedience and charity (Matthew 6:9–13, English Standard Version [ESV]). Centuries later, Dante Alighieri (ca. 1320) incorporated this prayer into the moral architecture of The Divine Comedy, specifically within Purgatorio Canto XI, where the souls of the proud recite an adapted version in unison. This reinterpretation, as Hollander (2001) observes, “transposes a prayer for the living into a choral meditation of the penitent dead” (p. 148).

Dante’s transformation of the Pater Noster from a prayer of request to one of purification reveals his deep engagement with scholastic theology, especially Thomistic ideas on grace and free will. It needs to be understood that “Scholastic theology sought to apply logic and reason to Scripture and to present truth as an internally consistent whole” (GotQuestions.org. (2022), something that can be seen through this transformed prayer. As the souls ascend Mount Purgatory, each terrace represents a moral rehabilitation of a particular sin through the cultivation of its contrary virtue. For the proud, this begins with humility, precisely the virtue embodied in Christ’s own words of prayer.

The Texts: Christ’s Model and Dante’s Adaptation

The Lord’s Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer, found in Matthew 6:9–13 (ESV), reads:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.”

In this prayer, humanity acknowledges its dependence on divine will for sustenance, forgiveness, and moral guidance. Augustine (1888), in Sermon on the Mount (Book II), interpreted it as the “perfect rule of charity,” encompassing the entire moral order of Christian life.

Dante’s Purgatorial Prayer

In Purgatorio Canto XI, the penitents who bore the sin of pride recite a collective version of this prayer. Dante opens the canto with their voices rising together:

“O our Father, who art in Heaven,
not circumscribed, but for the greater love
thou bearest to the first effects on high,
praised be thy name and thine omnipotence
by every creature, as is meet to render
thanks to thy sweet effluence of grace.
Let come to us the peace of thy dominion,
for we cannot attain it of ourselves,
if it come not, for all our striving, to thee.
As of their will thine angels make sacrifice
to thee, Hosanna singing, so may men
make sacrifice of theirs.
Give us this day our daily manna,
without which he who toils through this wild desert
backward goes to the dark realm of sin.
And as we pardon all for the wrong they do us,
do thou, O Lord, pardon benignly,
nor regard our desert, but look upon the Cross.
If we merit not by our prayer,
of thy compassion we beseech thee that thou
freely give us that which we beseech.
Let not our ancient foe put us to proof,
whose adversary he is to the faith.
So that the last evil may not tear us away from thee.”

— (Purgatorio XI.1–24, trans. Musa, 2003)

This prayer parallels the Gospel text almost line by line but adapts it to the condition of the souls in Purgatory, emphasizing dependence on grace and the collective pursuit of humility. As Barolini (1992) notes, “Dante’s prayer is both universal and particular—it speaks for all humanity, but its tone is penitent rather than supplicant” (p. 97).

Theological and Structural Parallels

Both prayers follow a similar sequence of praise, petition, forgiveness, and protection, yet the nuances in Dante’s version reveal a shift from divine instruction to human contrition.

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13)	Dante’s Prayer (Purgatorio XI)	Interpretive Commentary
“Our Father in heaven”	“O our Father, who art in Heaven, not circumscribed…”	Dante emphasizes God’s transcendence; Heaven is not a location but an expression of divine love.
“Hallowed be your name”	“Praised be thy name and thine omnipotence by every creature…”	Both prayers glorify God’s name, but Dante universalizes it, expanding praise to all creation.
“Your kingdom come, your will be done…”	“Let come to us the peace of thy dominion… as of their will thine angels make sacrifice to thee”	Dante spiritualizes the “kingdom” into peace, a Thomistic symbol of harmony between human and divine will.
“Give us this day our daily bread”	“Give us this day our daily manna”	The substitution of manna recalls the Israelites’ desert trial, humanity’s pilgrimage toward grace.
“Forgive us our debts…”	“And as we pardon all for the wrong they do us, do thou, O Lord, pardon benignly…”	Dante ties forgiveness to the image of the Cross, underscoring redemption through mercy.
“Lead us not into temptation…”	“Let not our ancient foe put us to proof… but deliver us from him who spurs us so.”	The “ancient foe” explicitly names Satan, personalizing the battle between grace and temptation.

The proud acknowledge in their prayer,

“For we cannot attain it of ourselves, if it come not, for all our striving, to thee” (Purgatorio XI.10–12),

This captures the Thomistic doctrine of cooperative grace: salvation requires both divine initiative and human cooperation (Summa Theologica, I–II, Q.109).

The Moral and Psychological Function of the Prayer

Dante’s prayer of the proud functions as a theological antidote to their former vice. “Whereas, in the Inferno, the sinners met by Dante tended to be fixed in the habits of thought which led them to sin, in the Purgatorio Dante faces the challenge of depicting souls who are in a process of change” (Payne, S. (2018). Pride, the root of all sin according to Augustine and Gregory the Great, is here counteracted by communal humility. By reciting the prayer collectively, the penitents dissolve individual egos in a shared confession of dependence. As Hollander (2001) explains, “the communal voice signifies the moral reordering of the will—from self-love to charity” (p. 153).

“Dante treats the first terrace of Mount Purgatory, the terrace of pride, as a formal teaching tool. He divides his major narrative building blocks by canto, thus making them discrete and recognizable: the biblical and classical examples of humility, the virtue that corresponds to the vice being purged, are allocated to Purgatorio 10” (Purgatorio 10 – Digital Dante, n.d.). While Dante listens to the recitation of Pater Noster, each verse of the prayer mirrors the soul’s gradual purification. The act of recitation under burden, the proud bow under the weight of massive stones, embodies humility in both posture and word. The imagery transforms the Pater Noster from a spiritual petition into a performative act of penance.

The Silent Prayer of the Envious (Purgatorio XIII)

In contrast, the souls of the envious in Purgatorio Canto XIII experience a form of wordless prayer. Their eyes are sewn shut with iron wire, a punishment for having looked with resentment upon others. They cannot recite prayers aloud; instead, they murmur scriptural phrases of love and compassion:

“Love those who do you wrong.” (Purgatorio XIII.36–37, trans. Musa, 2003)

This movement from verbal to silent prayer represents the transformation of the heart. As Singleton (1977) notes, “in their silence, the envious learn to see through the heart rather than the eye” (p. 204). While the proud speak to God, the envious listen inwardly; their prayer is empathy incarnate.

Theological Implications

The moral trajectory of Purgatorio, from pride to envy to wrath, mirrors humanity’s progressive purification of love. Dante’s adaptation of the Lord’s Prayer thus becomes a microcosm of redemption. The difference between Christ’s prayer and Dante’s version lies not in content but in context and posture. Pepper (2025) argues that “how Dante figures intercessory prayer [is] as itself a form of participation in divine perfection, particularly by tracing his associations across the Commedia between prayer and various forms of virtuous activity.”

Christ teaches humanity to pray in purity; Dante’s souls pray to recover that purity. As Barolini (1992) states, “the Pater Noster on the terrace of pride is both imitation and healing—it is prayer as medicine for the soul” (p. 99).

Conclusion

The Lord’s Prayer and Dante’s Purgatorial Prayer form a theological dialogue across time. Both affirm dependence on divine will, but Dante recontextualizes the prayer within the moral economy of Purgatory, transforming it into a collective act of humility. The proud’s recitation and the envious’ silent empathy mark progressive stages of moral healing, the restoration of love’s proper order. In this synthesis of prayer, theology, and poetry, Dante demonstrates that true prayer is not merely spoken but lived: an ascent from self toward God through the purgation of pride, envy, and sin. “Dante figures intercessory prayer in his Commedia as a form of participation in divine perfection, and his figuration of prayer provides a theological locus for reflection on the nature of divine perfection” (Pepper 2025).

📚 References

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Pepper, S. C. (2025, March 23). Prayer, participation, and perfection in Dante’s commedia. Modern Theology, 41(3), 515–538. https://doi.org/10.1111/moth.12988

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