Putting the “Our” in “Our Father”

When we move from the Eucharistic Prayers to the Communion Rite itself, the first thing we do is recite the Our Father.
 
There is a strong temptation to assume that by saying “ Our Father” the “our” we are referring to is simply those of us gathered together in the Church for this particular Mass. Here it’s good to recall that the Communion Rite isn’t something separate and unrelated to the Eucharistic Prayers (or the rest of the Mass for that matter), but is something that flows naturally from them. So, in order to understand who we mean when we say “ Our Father,” we need to look back again at the Eucharistic Prayers.
 
For our purposes here, we’ll only be looking at Eucharistic Prayer I – traditionally known as the “Roman Canon” – because it is the oldest of the Eucharistic Prayers currently in use by the Roman Church.
 
The priest opens Eucharistic Prayer I by saying:
 
“To you, therefore, most merciful Father,
We make humble prayer and petition
Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord:
That you accept
And bless these gifts, these offerings,
These holy and unblemished sacrifices,
Which we offer to you firstly
For your holy catholic Church.”
 
Notice here that the word “catholic” is not capitalized. In its original sense “catholic” refers not so much to the institutional Church – with its hierarchy of deacons, priests, bishops, and pope – but to the universal Church – the mystical Body of Christ spread throughout all of space and time. This gets spelled out more explicitly as we progress through the prayers.
 
Overcoming the Limits of Space

• The Church Militant

It’s an old phrase, I know, but “Church Militant” refers to all members of the Church living today and struggling in spiritual combat until the day that we receive our eternal reward. This is a way to recognize that we are united to every single Catholic spread throughout the world, and that we must support one another in the struggles of this life. This recognition is built into our Eucharistic Prayers themselves:
 
“Be pleased to grant her peace,
To guard, unite and govern her
Throughout the whole world,
Together with your servant [Name] our Pope
And [Name] our Bishop,
And all those who, holding to the truth,
Hand on the catholic and apostolic faith….
And all gathered here,
Whose faith and devotion are known to you.”
 
As you can see in the prayer above, we progress not from our particular community to the universal Church spread throughout the world. Rather, the prayer starts with the universal Church spread throughout the world, and gradually narrows down to our particular community. This is because as a very specific and concrete community, we are the local expression of the catholic (i.e. universal) Church. Every Mass, therefore, expresses the unity of the Church spread throughout the world as Christ’s Body undivided Body. Through it we are united to the largest family in the world – God’s own family!
 
Overcoming the Limits of Time

• Church Suffering or Expectant

As if being united to our fellow Catholics throughout the world doesn’t give a broad enough understanding to the “our” in “ Our Father,” it’s essential for us to remember that God is not limited by space or by time.
 
The phrase “Church Suffering” or “Church Expectant” is a way of referring to the souls of the faithful who have gone before us, but may not yet be enjoying the vision of God in heaven. These are the souls in Purgatory who still await in hope the end of their own purification and their entry into heavenly glory.
 
As the prayer progresses from the Church universal to the Church local, there’s almost an interruption where the priest says:
 
“Remember, Lord, your servants [Name] and [Name]…”
 
And then in praying for the Church gathered in community before him, the priest reminds us that we offer the sacrifice on the altar not only for ourselves, but also for all who are dear and have gone before us “marked with the sign of faith.”
 
In the Mass, therefore, we are united to our own departed loved ones, and to all the suffering souls in Purgatory. They are still as much members of the Body of Christ as we are! And we offer this sacrifice of the Mass for “the redemption of their souls” every bit as much for our own salvation.

• Church Triumphant

Finally, our prayer culminates in a kind of “who’s who” litany of saints, beginning with “the glorious ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of Our God and Lord, Jesus Christ,” and ending with “all your Saints.” These are our brothers and sisters whom we know have overcome every hardship that the world and the devil had to throw at them, and are now enjoying their eternal reward. We’re reminded that the sacrifice we are offering is “ in communion with” them. And just as we offered our prayers for the souls suffering as members of the “Church Suffering,” so now we ask for the prayers and help of all the Saints in the Church Triumphant, “that through their merits and prayers in all things we may be defended.”
 
So, united with our brothers and sisters spread throughout the world; united with our brothers and sisters who have departed from this life, but still “await with eager longing” their eternal reward; and united with all the saints who are now enjoying the rewards we hope one day to receive, the priest concludes this prayer saying:
 
“Therefore, Lord, we pray:
Graciously accept this oblation of our service,
And that of your whole family…”
 
The whole family of God spans throughout all space and time. This is the family we are referring to when we say “ Our Father.” Every Sunday we are reminded that we are blessed to belong to the greatest family in history, and to be able to call God our Father.