581. What place does the Our Father have in the prayer of the Church? (part 3 continuation)
(Comp 581 repetition) The Lord’s Prayer
is the prayer of the Church par excellence. It is “handed on” in Baptism to
signify the new birth of the children of God into the divine life. The full
meaning of the Our Father is revealed in the eucharist since its petitions are
based on the mystery of salvation already accomplished, petitions that will be
fully heard at the coming of the Lord. The Our Father is an integral part of
the Liturgy of the Hours.
“In brief”
(CCC 2776) The Lord's Prayer is the quintessential prayer of
the Church. It is an integral part of the major hours of the Divine Office and
of the sacraments of Christian initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and
Eucharist. Integrated into the Eucharist it reveals the eschatological
character of its petitions, hoping for the Lord, "until he comes" (1
Cor 11:26).
To deepen and explain
(CCC 2771) In the Eucharist, the Lord's Prayer also reveals
the eschatological character of its
petitions. It is the proper prayer of "the end-time," the time of
salvation that began with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and will be
fulfilled with the Lord's return. The petitions addressed to our Father, as
distinct from the prayers of the old covenant, rely on the mystery of salvation
already accomplished, once for all, in Christ crucified and risen.
Reflection
(CCC 2772) From this unshakeable faith springs forth the
hope that sustains each of the seven petitions, which express the groanings of
the present age, this time of patience and expectation during which "it
does not yet appear what we shall be" (1 Jn 3:2; cf. Col 3:4). The
Eucharist and the Lord's Prayer look eagerly for the Lord's return, "until
he comes" (1 Cor 11:26). [END]
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