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

YOUCAT Question n. 514 - Part VII. 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 2774) "The Lord's Prayer is truly the summary of the whole gospel" (Tertullian, De orat. 1: PL 1, 1251-1255). The "most perfect of prayers" (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II, 83, 9). It is at the center of the Scriptures.   

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 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).   

(The next question is: Where do we get the confidence to call God “Father”?)