Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 514 – Part VI.

YOUCAT Question n. 514 - Part VI. What position does the Our Father hold among prayers?

(Youcat answer repeated) The Our Father is “the most perfect prayer” (St. Thomas Aquinas) and the “summary of the whole Gospel” (Tertullian).

A deepening through CCC

(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.     

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) The Our Father is more than a prayer - it is a path that leads directly into the heart of our Father. The early Christians recited this original prayer of the Church, which is entrusted to every Christian at Baptism, three times a day. We, too, should not let a day pass without trying to recite the Lord’s Prayer with our lips, to take it to heart, and to make it come true in our lives.

(CCC Comment)

(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).      

(This question: What position does the Our Father hold among prayers? is continued)