“Our”

St. Cyprian of Carthage. The Teacher of peace and the Instructor of unity desired above all that prayer should not be performed separately and in private, so that the one praying prays only for himself. Indeed, we do not say: “My Father, who is in heaven, give me my bread this day”; each one of us does not ask only for the forgiveness of his own debt, does not pray for himself alone, that only he himself should not be led into temptation and delivered from the evil one. Ours is a public and common prayer, and when we pray we pray not for one individual but for all the people, because we—all the people—form one body. God—the Instructor of peace and concord, who taught unity—desired that even one person should pray for all, just as He alone bore all of us. This law of prayer was observed also by the three youths cast into the fiery furnace: they were in accord in their supplication and of one spirit in their harmony. This is attested by the Divine Scripture, which, showing how they prayed, gives us an example to follow, so that we too might become like them. It is said: “Then these three, as if with one mouth, sang in the furnace, and blessed and glorified God” (Dan. 3:51). They spoke as if with one mouth, even though it was not Christ who had taught them to pray in this way. And it was for this very reason that their speech as they prayed was persuasive and efficacious: a peaceful, simple, and spiritual prayer was pleasing to the Lord. After the Lord’s Ascension we find the apostles with the disciples praying in the same manner. “All of them,” it is said, “were constantly devoting themselves with one accord to prayer and supplication, with certain women and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and with His brothers” (Acts 1:14). They continued in prayer with one accord, showing both the earnestness of their prayer and their mutual concord, because God, who “makes those of like mind to dwell in a house” (Ps. 67:7), receives into His divine and eternal house only those whose prayer is of one accord. O, how great, most beloved brothers, are the mysteries of the Lord’s Prayer! How much and how great a meaning is contained in a petition that is brief in words but abundant in spiritual power!

…We say together: “Our Father,” that is, of believers—of those who, having been sanctified and restored by the gracious spiritual rebirth, have become sons of God.

St. John Chrysostom. He teaches us to pray for all our brothers as well. He does not say: My Father, who is in heaven, but “Our Father,” thereby commanding us to offer prayers for all of humankind, and never to have our own advantage in view, but always to seek the advantage of our neighbor. And in this way He destroys enmity, overthrows pride, eradicates envy, and introduces love—the mother of all that is good; He abolishes the inequality in human affairs and shows the complete equality of honor between king and pauper, since in the highest and most necessary things we all have an equal share. Indeed, what harm is there in lowly earthly kinship, when by heavenly kinship we are all united, and no one has more than another: the rich no more than the poor, the master no more than the servant, the ruler no more than the one ruled, the king no more than the soldier, the philosopher no more than the barbarian, the wise no more than the ignorant? God, who has counted all equally worthy to call Him Father, has by this very act bestowed upon all a single nobility.

Blessed Augustine. By the word “our” it is suggested that the rich and noble in this world, having become Christians, should not pride themselves over the poor and the lowborn, since even they call out to God with the same word as those others: “Our Father!” — words which they cannot utter sincerely from the heart if they do not acknowledge themselves to be their brothers.

Blessed Theophylact. You do not say: My Father, but “Our Father,” because you ought to look upon everyone as brothers, children of one Father.

(The Lord in the prayer) did not say “my Father,” but “Our Father,” rousing you to brotherly love and urging all to love one another as brothers in general.