Il Padre nostro entra nei riti di comunione della messa. Una ipotesi

Abstract

Cyril of Jerusalem was the first to include the Our Father in the Mass. Was he the author of this addition? To answer the question, it is necessary to examine the use of the Our Father in Christian initiation, as an introduction to the Communion Rite. In Cyril’s rite, the Our Father is placed at the end of the Eucharistic prayer, before the Amen, and is an intrinsic part of the Eucharistic prayer which has always been characterized by its sacrificial nature. The Our Father has a particular connection to the sacrifice of Yom Kippur. Christ is “Propitiatory” for our sins (Romans 3,25) and, in the Intercessions of the Eucharistic Prayer, the Church is “Propitiator”. The allusion is made here to the Jewish Yom Kippur which therefore also regards the Eucharistic Prayer. The link between the Intercessions of the Eucharistic Prayer and the Our Father can be found in their common reference to the Jewish Yom Kippur, confirmed by the use of the term Friktos. The Our Father is the focal point of the right to Communion and will always preserve the penitential character basic to its original inclusion in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Cyril’s is not only the first instance of this inclusion, it is also the best explanation of the reasons for it occurrence. Thus, I believe that the inclusion of the Our Father in the Communion rites must be attributed to Cyril.