Memorize the Creed, the elect are advised:
148. The first presentation to the elect is the presentation of the Creed, during the week following the first scrutiny. The elect are to commit the Creed to memory and they will recite it publicly (RCIA 193-196) prior to professing their faith in accordance with that Creed on the day of their baptism.
149. The second presentation to the elect is the presentation of the Lord’s Prayer, during the week following the third scrutiny (but, if necessary, this presentation may be deferred for inclusion in the preparation rites of Holy Saturday; see RCIA 185). From antiquity the Lord’s Prayer has been the prayer proper to those who in baptism have received the spirit of adoption. When the elect have been baptized and take part in their first celebration of the eucharist, they will join the rest of the faithful in saying the Lord’s Prayer.
Far be it from me to criticize a theology of adoption, one comment on the Lord’s Prayer: it is not exclusive to the celebration of the Eucharist. Aside from devotional aspects of Catholic life, it also features prominently in the Liturgy of the Hours.
9 September 2009 at 8:38 am
Participation in the Eucharist is the ultimate goal of initiation. Since the Lord’s Prayer is part of the communion rite, it is an intimate part of that goal.
Which is not to say it is reserved to the communion rite. But every other use of it is in some way part of the Paschal Mystery embodied in the Eucharist, when we gather with Jesus and our other brother’s sisters to glorify God’s name; to hope for the coming of God’s kingdom and accepting God’s will; to forgive and be forgiven; to face temptation and be delivered from evil.
This prayer is a summary of our faith, and the principal guide to how Christ touches all the parts of our lives. It is the culmination of initiation, as well as the culmination of all our prayer together.