Liturgically Speaking: The Eucharistic Prayer, Part I

After the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy), we come to the center and high point of the entire celebration of the Mass, that is, the Eucharistic Prayer.  The priest associates all those assembled with himself in the Eucharistic Prayer that he addresses to God the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit.  In the Eucharistic Prayer all of us join with Christ in confessing the great deeds of God and in the offering of sacrifice.

It can be all too easy to let one’s mind wander at this most sacred of moments.  One way to focus on the Eucharistic Prayer is to know its structure and meaning.  The main elements of all the Eucharistic Prayers may be distinguished in this way:

·         The epiclesis.  This word from Greek means a calling down upon, or we might say “invocation.”  In the epiclesis, the Church implores the power of the Holy Spirit that the gifts become Christ’s body and blood, and that the sacrificial Victim may be for the salvation of those who will partake of it.  You can recognize the epiclesis as the priest extends his hands over the gifts and, usually, the altar server will ring the bells.

·         The institution narrative and consecration.   By the words of Christ the sacrifice which He instituted during the Last Supper is recalled and made effective here and now.  This is a recalling of Christ’s familiar words at the Last Supper, “This is my body,” and “This is my blood.”  These words are traditionally seen as the “form” or essential prayers that bring about the change, or transubstantiation, of bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood.  Again, you will recognize this part of Mass also by the ringing of the bells at the altar.

·         The anamnesis.  Another word from Greek meaning, roughly, “remembrance.”   By the anamnesis, the Church celebrates the memorial of Christ, recalling especially his Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.  Unlike a simple memorial, however, an anamnesis does not leave the events it recalls to the past, but makes those realities present here and now, so that we may participate in them.

·         The oblation.  An oblation is an offering to God, often the offering of a sacrificial victim.   The Church gathered here and now offers the sacrificial Victim in the Holy Spirit to the Father.  Not only is the body and blood of Christ offered to the Father at Mass, but we the faithful are meant to offer our very selves in union with the sacrifice of Christ.

·         The intercessions, by which we realize that the Eucharist is celebrated in communion with the whole Church of both heaven and of earth, and that the offering is made for her and for all her members, living and dead.

·         The concluding doxology.  “Doxology” is yet another word from Greek, meaning “praise.”  In the concluding doxology, the glorification of God is expressed and is affirmed by the people’s acclamation “Amen.”

In our upcoming articles, we will follow Eucharistic Prayer III as a model as we look at these different elements.

Liturgically Speaking: Entering into the Liturgy of the Eucharist

After the Offertory, the priest invites us to prayer: “Pray brothers and sisters that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the almighty Father.”  This dialogue shows forth that the Mass is a sacrifice.  The Compendium to the Catechism of the Catholic Church asks, “What is the Eucharist?”  It responds, “The Eucharist is the very sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus which he instituted to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until his return in glory….”  At the Mass as on the cross, the victim is Christ being offered to God the Father in atonement for our sins.  The priest and the victim are the same.  Only the manner of offering is different.  On the cross this happened in a bloody manner; in the Mass, in an unbloody manner. 

 That Mass is a sacrifice is shown also by our language used for other elements related to Mass.  We don’t have a simple table; we have an altar because altars are used to offer sacrifice.  We don’t have ministers or rabbis; we have a priest, because priests offer sacrifice.  We refer to the Body of Christ at Mass as the “host;” the word host comes from the Latin for “victim.”  So when I say I receive the host at Mass, I am saying that I am partaking of the victim of the sacrifice.  As we go through the rest of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the language of the Mass reminds us time and again that we are present at a sacrifice, the one and only sacrifice of Christ which He offered on the altar of the Cross.

Following this is what is known as the Prayer over the Offerings.  It is prayed by the priest and varies according to the celebration.  It is generally a petition that God would receive the gifts we offer in sincerity of heart.  

Each Eucharistic Prayer begins with a Preface that usually varies according to the feast or season.  The rest of the Eucharistic Prayer is fixed.  The Preface is a prayer of thanksgiving that is meant to move us to praise and joy, in which “the Priest, in the name of the whole of the holy people, glorifies God the Father and gives thanks to him for the whole work of salvation or for some particular aspect of it, according to the varying day, festivity, or time of year” (GIRM, 79).  The preface is preceded by the dialogue: “The Lord be with you.  And with your Spirit.  Lift up your hearts.  We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.  It is right and just.”  The priest urges us to lift our hearts and minds to nothing but God alone.  This exchange has remained the same since at least the third century. 

There are four basic Eucharistic Prayers in the Roman Rite.  Eucharistic Prayer I, also known as the Roman Canon, originated in Rome by the end of the fourth century.  Since the time of Pope Gregory the great in the seventh century it has undergone little change.  After Vatican II, three other Eucharistic Prayers were added.  Eucharistic Prayer II follows closely the Anaphora of St.Hippolytus, and dates to around the year 215.  The Third Eucharistic Prayer is very clear on the notion of sacrifice.  The Fourth Eucharistic Prayer gives an overview of salvation history and is very biblical.    

It is easy to let our minds wander during the Eucharistic Prayer.  The Mass demands that we make the effort to conform our minds and hearts to the action taking place.  Consider using the four Eucharistic Prayers for your own private prayer.  Take some time to read each one slowly and discern the movements of the prayer.  In upcoming articles, we’ll go through one of the Eucharistic Prayers, and show the various elements that come together to make the prayer.