Catechesis On the

The Liturgy of the Part Two October 22-23, 2011

Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Dodge City, Kansas

The Eucharistic Prayer

Although the is the only one speaking during a majority of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, this is the time for the entire community to fully and consciously join their hearts to the Eucharistic Prayer.

There are actually six English Eucharistic Prayers that are meant for general use. While each prayer has its distinctive character, all the prayers have some elements in common.

Addressed to the Father Each of the Eucharistic Prayers addresses the Father. The Father is the origin of all that is and to whom all things will return through the Son by the working of the .

The Son as Mediator It is the Son, who took on our humanity through the Virgin Mary, who has brought about our reconciliation to God through his free gift of himself upon the cross. Each Eucharist is a making present of this great sacrifice of . The Eucharistic prayers contain words such as “sacrifice”, “victim”, “” and “offering”. All these words bring home the belief that we who participate in the Eucharist, are offering to the Father the great sacrifice of the Son upon the cross, and that we unite the offering of ourselves to this one perfect Sacrifice.

Through the Working of the Holy Spirit It is the working of the Holy Spirit that is active in the lives of believers to make us holy. It is through the Holy Spirit that we are drawn into unity with Christ and become a part of His perfect Sacrifice.

The Before the of the bread and , the priest extends his hands over the bread and wine and asks that these gifts be made holy by the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayers II, III & IV explicitly call upon the Holy Spirit to change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ (). The Epiclesis makes it clear that the power to change the bread and wine into the Body and comes from the Holy Spirit and that the priest is an instrument of the Spirit.

The Words of Consecration Here the priest, acting “” (in the person of Christ), says the words that Jesus used at the over the bread and wine:

“Take this, all of you, and eat of it, For this is my Body, which will be given up for you… “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.”

These are the consecratory words and are identical in each of the Eucharistic Prayers. The belief that these words bring about the transformation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is expressed through the of the priest which follows the prayer over the bread and then the prayer over the wine. The (white cloth under the sacred vessels) also speaks of this belief. It is there to catch any particles that might fall from the consecrated bread, which is now the .

Other Elements

The Eucharistic Prayers always contain prayers for the whole . Included in this prayer for the Church is a prayer for the Holy Father and for the local . Likewise, there is always a remembrance of the dead. There is also always a reference to Mary, the Mother of God, asking that, with her, we come to share in the inheritance of eternal life.

Doxology Each of the prayers ends with the , “Through him, and with him, and in him….” The wording differs only slightly from the wording to which we were accustomed. The advantage of the revised wording is that it becomes clearer that the prayer is offered to the Father, through the Son, Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit.

Continued…

Amen This four letter word is not translated. It is a Hebrew word and it comes from a word which means “to pound in one’s tent stake”. Remembering that the Hebrew people wandered in the desert for forty years, we can understand the importance of a well secured tent peg to ward off the heat of the sun and the cold of the night. The English expression, “I’d stake my life on it.”, comes close to the meaning of “amen”. We stake our lives (eternal life) on what is observed in the Eucharist, the great mystery of the dying and rising of Christ. All our hope of eternal life rests in Christ and what he did for us on the cross. Throughout the Mass the word “Amen” is repeated often. Each time it expresses agreement with what has gone before. We affirm it; we agree with it; we embrace it.

Chalice versus Cup The priest will no longer say “the cup of my Blood” but rather the “chalice of my Blood”. The word “chalice” refers to a sacred vessel and is, therefore, a more appropriate name for the vessel in which is contained the very Blood of Christ.

For many At the consecration of the wine, the phrase “for many” is now used instead of “for all”. This was a source of some controversy as the final translation was being discussed by the American . This is a literal translation of the “”. It comes from Matthew 28:26 and Mark 12:24. While Jesus died so that all could be saved, the gift of salvation is not automatic. We are required to cooperate with the grace won for us by Christ. Only with that cooperation will we be included in the “many” who will share in the salvation won for us by Christ.

Prayerful Reflection

1. What would help me be more attentive to the Eucharistic Prayer?

2. What is referred to in the Eucharistic Prayer by the words “victim” “sacrifice” and “offering”?

3. What do I bring to Mass to offer to the Father?