My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are nineteen (19) In Brief articles in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which treat the Lord’s Prayer or “Our Father.” The following considers CCC, 2773.
When considering the Lord’s Prayer we should recall two things, Jesus Christ was asked by the disciples how to pray and He taught it to the disciples.
It was in response to the request of the disciples of the Lord that Jesus Christ taught the “Our Father” or Lord’s prayer: “Lord, teach us to pray” (cf. Luke 11:1). In a real way prayer is connatural or a part of our very being as we see in the Canticle of the Creatures (Daniel 3:57–87). But, because of the Fall or Original Sin, prayer can be difficult. Saint Paul, inspired by God, reminds us that we do not know how to pray but that the Spirit prays in us in unspeakable groaning (cf. Romans 8:26). Throughout the centuries there have been great teachers of prayer. We can think of Saints John of the Cross (+ 1591) and Theresa of Jesus of Avila (+ 1582), among others. These would teach various forms of contemplative prayer including purgative prayer (getting rid of sin), illuminitve prayer (where insights are had), and unitive prayer (where by God’s grace we are one with Him. These various forms of prayer all presuppose that prayer is possible and build upon the sure foundation of the Lord’s Prayer. For example, Sant Theresa bases chapters 27–42 of her Way of Perfection on the Lord’s Prayer. She relates how she could get caught up even in considering just the first word of the prayer because of all of it’s implications, including the mystery of the communion of saints.
The Lord’s Prayer or “Our Father” is the fundamental Christian prayer, taught by Christ Himself. Christians are those who worship Christ Jesus. The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer Christ Jesus has taught His disciples. This is the basic prayer for His disciples throughout the ages, not only for the first generation, but even until He should return in glory at the end of time. There are many prayers found throughout Sacred Scripture. The entire book of Psalms is made up of 150 prayers, often attributed to Saint David, the King of Israel. In that Sacred Scripture is the inspired Word of God, these other prayers are also from or of the Lord. What is unique about the Lord’s Prayer is that it has been delivered by the Lord Himself, not through a prophet or inspired author, but the God Man Jesus Christ. This makes the Lord’s Prayer very precious. We should commit it to memory and pray it daily. In the Sacred Liturgy, the public prayer of Mother Church, the Lord’s Prayer is prayed three times: Morning Prayer (or Lauds), Evening Prayer (or Vespers), and at Holy Mass. In praying the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, there are an additional five utterances of the Lord’s Prayer.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr