Before praying the Our Father at Mass, why does the priest say. “At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, wedareto say.” The word dare means to defy or challenge. So, are we challenging God by saying this prayer, which doesn’t make sense, since God gave us the Our Father. So, why do we say the phrase, “dare to say?”

– Jeff in Granite City

Dear Jeff,

Your question touches on a profound theological insight. Thank you for articulating it so well! During the celebration of the Mass, just before the faithful recite the Lord’s Prayer, the priest introduces it with the words: “At the Savior’s command and formedby divine teaching, we dare to say: Our Father …” At first glance, the phrase “we dare tosay” may seem curious or even troubling. The English word dare can carry connotations of defiance or boldness against authority. However, in the liturgical and theological context of the Mass, it communicates something quite different; namely, the profound reverence and humility required to address God as Father.

This phrase is a translation of the Latin audemus dicere, which more accurately means “we have the boldness to say” or “we are emboldened to say.” The use of the word dare here reflects the awe-inspiring reality that human beings, fallen and finite, are permitted to speak to the Almighty and Eternal God with the intimacy of children to a loving parent. This is not a right possessed by nature, but a privilege granted through divine grace.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1997), the Lord’s Prayer is the “summary of the whole Gospel” and the model of all Christian prayer (§2761). It is only through Christ’s mediation and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that Christians can authentically call God “Our Father” (§2766). St. Paul affirms this in Scripture: “You have received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Romans 8:15, New American Bible Revised Edition). Thus, the faithful are formed by divine teaching and emboldened by grace to enter into this sacred dialogue with the Father, “Our Father.”

Furthermore, the phrase highlights the sacredness of prayer. To approach God, especially within the Eucharistic liturgy, the “source and summit” of Christian life (Vatican Council II, 1964) is not casual or trivial. The phrase “we dare to say” reminds the faithful of the mystery of divine adoption, whereby they participate in the Son’s own relationship with the Father.

To conclude, the expression “we dare to say” does not imply defiance, but rather, a reverent boldness made possible by Christ’s instruction and salvific work. It emphasizes the Church’s awareness that, through Christ and the Holy Spirit, the faithful can approach God with the confidence of beloved children, yet always with humility and awe. Blessings!

• Father Aloysius Okechukwu Ndeanaefo, D.Min., is pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Paris.