The passage
      v1. Although most translations agree with the NIV, don't "do your acts of righteousness" (eg. NEB, don't "make a show of your religion"), Jesus is more likely concerned with the motive behind the act. Don't "do what is right" (in the piety department) to gain the praise/reward of others, rather than God.
      v2-4. Almsgiving, as with the other two acts of piety, is a particularly Jewish religious practice. Note how Jesus makes the same points with all three acts of piety: i] don't do them to gain the praise of others; ii] ignore the warning and all we get is the praise of others; iii] piety is best performed in secret; iv] what is performed in secret receives God's reward. Special festivals were proclaimed by the sounding of trumpets and so this was a good time for making a show of generosity toward the poor. Jesus expects his disciples to give alms, but not "as the hypocrites." There are different degrees of hypocrisy. We can act to fool others, fool ourselves, or fool ourselves and others. With each we get the reward we deserve, sometimes even high praise, although not from God. The right motive for alms-giving is compassion; such stems from the heart and is for the recipient's benefit, irrespective of the onlookers. As for the reward, perfect righteousness is always rewarded, although only one person has ever acted with perfect selfless compassion.
      v5-8. Prayer. Jesus makes the same four points as noted above. The focus of his criticism is again on hypocrisy - when the outward act of piety does not represent the true state of the inward self. Jesus is not arguing for a particular stance in prayer, nor a particular place. He simply exposes our corrupt motivations by identifying the tendency to pray more in public than in private. As for repetitious prayer, although Jesus uses the word "pagans", his focus in still on Israel. Such prayer is pagan-like, for pagan religion rests on incantation and repetition. Repetition is unnecessary for "as a father knows the needs of his family, yet teaches them to ask in confidence and trust, so does God treat his children", Hill. Of course, Jesus is not denouncing long prayers, or repetition as such, rather length or repetition as a divine arm-bending exercise.
      v16-18. Fasting. Again, the four points are repeated. Fasting provided an excellent opportunity to gain a reputation for piety. The best way to eliminate this hypocrisy is to fast in secret. It was used in association with confession, or some special prayer need, and was taken into the Christian faith by Jewish believers as an expression of self-discipline, 1Cor.9:24-27, Phil.3:19, 1Pet.4:3. Jesus certainly expects his disciples to fast after his departure, Matt.9:14-17. Making a show of our piety, that's the problem. So, freshen up, eg. use some oil for bodily hygiene.

Lent
      There are many churches which recognize and use Lent as a time of self examination and discipline in the Christian life. It's not uncommon to meet a believer during Lent who has decided to give up some delicacy such as chocolate. From Ash Wednesday through to Easter, millions of believers refocus their lives on Christ.
      Lent is always linked to fasting, not starving, but rather cutting back on rich foods. In this way we purge the body, quieten the mind and heighten spiritual awareness. It's an interesting idea - renouncing self so as to be open to God through prayer and meditation. So, Lent is not about denial as such, it is not about self-denial. Lent is about focusing our lives again on Christ. Lent is about meditation on the Word and it is about prayer. This is where fasting fits in - it is a practical aid, particularly in our over indulgent world. As for the example of fasting, we know that it was practiced by Jesus, Lk.4:1-2, Paul, Act.9:9, 10:30, 14:23, and by the leaders of the church, Act.13:2.
      Lent is a "catholic" tradition and begins on Ash Wednesday with "The Giving of Ashes". The previous year's palm crosses are burnt and used to ash the forehead in the sign of a cross. This symbol focuses the purpose of Ash Wednesday - a day of confession of sins, of sorrow for all the wrong we have done. "Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you will return".
      Of course, the danger is that in the symbols of Lent we end up doing exactly what Jesus warns us against. The outward forms of prayer and fasting are signs of an inward cry which is enacted in the heart alone; the action of the heart is what is important.

v2
      oJtan + subj. "[so] when" - Forming an indefinite future clause.
      poih/V (poiew) "you give" - do. do alms = give alms. Singular "thou". Jesus is not attacking the idea that good works earn our salvation, but rather that a genuine act of piety can easily be polluted by an outward show. These are words to disciples on how to be what they are (pure in Christ).
      elehmosunhn (h) "alms" - One of the key acts of piety for a Jew.
      mh salpishV (salpizw) aor. subj. "do not announce it with trumpets" - may not trumpet. Imperatival subjunctive. Possibly figurative, "blow your own trumpet." May refer to the trumpet-shaped offertory receptacles in the temple. Carson argues for the sounding of trumpets on feast days when large crowds could witness the alms-giving of the devout.
      uJpokritai (hV) "hypocrites" - Actors who play a role throughout life. They may fool others by pretending goodness when they are evil, but may also fool themselves, particularly if they believe their actions are done for God's sake.
      apecousin (apecw) pres. "received [their] reward in full" - received payment in full. the hypocrite receives the praise of those they desire praise from and thus, they have received their reward in full.

v3
      poiountoV ( poiew) "when you give" - doing. Participle forming a temporal clause referring to the occasion when we "do" alms. It should not be done outwardly for the praise of others.

v4
      apodwsei (apodidwmi) fut. "will reward" - will repay, give back, reward. The meaning here is "pay back", Bonnard; "do this and this will follow", Beyer.

v5
      oJtan + subj. "when" - Probably again expressing generalized time, "whenever", or may be referring to the three hours of prayer.
      filousin (filew) pres. "love" - Here in the sense of hooked on the drug of the praise of others.
      eJstwteV (iJsthmi) perf. part. "standing" - having been standing. The participle is modal, expressing manner, what "they love." The normal position for prayer.
      fanwsin (fainomai) "be seen" - may appear

v6
      tamieion "room" - store room, inner room.... Personal prayer is done privately with God not publicly to gain the attention and therefore, the accolades of others.

v7
      mh battalognshte (battalogew) aor. subj. "do not keep on babbling" - utter empty words. Imperatival subjunctive. Possibly a reference to heathen incantations, or flowery repetitious requests.

v9
      uJmeiV "our" - Probably not including Jesus, as the prayer is for his disciples.
      pater (pathr, pathroV) "Father" - daddy. An intimate term, although not frivolous, ie. "dad" would not be appropriate.
      aJgiasqhtw (aJgiazw) aor. pas. imp. "hallowed" - make sacred. Here not of making God holy, but that he be regarded, recognized as holy.
      onoma (a atoV) "name" - The name of God is God himself. The person is not separate from their name.

v10
      elqatw (ercomai) aor. imp. "come" - Let the kingdom (the reign of God) come, burst in upon us, dawn, be inaugurated.
      qelhma (a atoV) "will" - will, desire... Possibly God's righteous requirements, but more likely his intrusion into human history to gather a people to himself (a kingdom) by grace through faith.

v11
      ton arton hJmwn ton epiousion (oV) "our daily bread" - the bread of us daily. "Give us each day the bread of the coming day." Instructions concerning prayer in the scriptures are limited to those things God has promised to give us upon request, therefore it is highly unlikely that Jesus is telling us to pray for the provision of our daily sustenance when there is no promise for the daily provision of food for believers. The "daily bread" is most likely figurative - possibly, "give us the resources necessary to achieve your will", ie. imaging the supply of manna for the wilderness journey of the people of Israel. Some argue for the bread of tomorrow, ie. the blessings of eternity.

v12
      afeV (afihmi) aor. imp. "forgive" - remit, forgive, let go, pardon. Remove guilt
      ta ofeilhmata (a atoV) "debts" - debt, what is owed. Luke has "sins" and it is most likely Matthew has used "debts" as a term for sins. It is not used in the sense of money owed to others. The word is rare, but is used by Paul in the sense of debt ("obligation") in Rom.4:4.
      afhkamen (afihmi) aor. "have forgiven" - forgave. Aorist, "we have forgiven" compared to Luke, "we forgive." "As we also herewith forgive our debtors", Jeremias, taking the aorist as a present perfect. Some argue that our capacity to forgive is a condition for God's forgiveness, but this would mean no one is saved. Who can forgive seventy times seven? The second clause may serve to remind us that we can't perfectly forgive and therefore, God's forgiveness is totally on the ground of his gracious mercy. An awareness of our own incapacity to act mercifully is a necessary prerequisite for the reception of God's mercy. The second clause may possibly serve to test our acceptance of God's forgiveness. A forgiven person is inclined to forgive, not perfectly, but inclined none-the-less. If we are without mercy then this may indicate that we have yet to receive God's mercy. Of course, Jesus may be simply stating a fact; the forgiven person forgives. Again, it is not a matter of perfection, but rather of inclination. We forgive, not perfectly, but we forgive because Jesus first forgave us. There is also the possibility that the second clause may be promoting a "how much more" idea. If we can forgive sometimes, imagine how much more God can forgive. Our limited efforts serve to highlight God's perfect forgiveness.

v13
      mh eisenegkh/V (eisferw) aor. subj. "lead [us] not" - do not lead into, bring. Imperatival subjunctive. Possibly reflective in meaning, "do not let us be brought into / fall victim to ...."
      peirasmon (oV) "temptation" - It is unlikely that Jesus is instructing us to pray that we are not led into temptation, given that he has promised we will constantly face temptation. The request may be that we don't succumb to temptation or that the temptation be limited and a way of escape provided. Many suggest that the word means "test" rather than "temptation." There are numerous times of testing, just as in the sense of temptation above. Most likely Jesus is instructing us to pray that we do not confront a situation (temptation, test, trial) that overwhelms our faith and undermines our salvation. Such a prayer is supported by the scriptural promise of the Shepherd's eternal protection. Some suggest that the test is the time of trial, the tribulation of the last day, but the word is not used of the tribulation. The NEB suggests this meaning in its "do not bring us to the test." New versions of the Lord's Prayer push toward a similar eschatological meaning, eg. "save us from the time of trial." Most people, faced with this new line to the Lord's Prayer, are left floundering as to its meaning, whereas the notion of "temptation" did carry the idea of being led into a situation of evil where we end up being abandoned by God. The retention of "temptation" brings us closer to the truth than the new innovation.
      rJusai (rJuomai) aor. imp. "deliver" - deliver, spare, rescue. The meaning will depend on how we have understood the first clause. If we face testing then we are asking for protection, but if we face the tribulation then we are asking for rescue.
      tou ponhrou (oV) "evil one" - This can be masculine or neuter, "the evil one" or "evil". The Evil one fits best.

v16
      nhsteuhte (nhsteuw) aor. subj. "fast" - Although fasting is only commanded for the day of Atonement, it did develop during the exile and was later expanded by the Pharisees as a spiritual exercise. Jesus does not condemn fasting itself; making a show of it is the problem.
      akuqrwpoi (oV) "disfigure" - somber, downcast. Possibly unwashed, unshaven and ashed, again for the purpose of show

v17
      aleiyai (aleifomai) aor. imp. "put oil on" - anoint. Not normally done during a time of fasting.