Prayer: Cyprian on the Lord's Prayer as Model

Cyprian of Carthage (d. 258) wrote a full treatise on the Lord's Prayer, one of the earliest extended commentaries on this foundational prayer. He taught: "What prayer could be more spiritual than that given to us by Christ, by whom also the Holy Spirit was given to us? What praying to the Father could be more truthful than that which was delivered to us by the Son who is truth?" Cyprian saw the Lord's Prayer not as one prayer among many but as the template for all Christian prayer.

Cyprian noted that the prayer uses "our" and "us" throughout, never "my" or "me": "The prayer is common and corporate. When we pray, we pray not for one but for the whole people, because we the whole people are one." This observation transforms private prayer into an act of solidarity with the entire body of Christ.

Practical application: Pray the Lord's Prayer slowly each morning, expanding each phrase into personal intercession. "Give us this day our daily bread" -- pray for those who are hungry today. "Forgive us our trespasses" -- pray for those burdened by guilt. Cyprian teaches that the Lord's Prayer, prayed thoughtfully, covers the full range of human need.