The Eucharistic Prayer - Part I

The focus of this article is the great prayer of the Mass known as the Eucharistic Prayer. It is the most important prayer of the whole liturgy and it is vital that the worshipping assembly understand the nature and purpose of this prayer. 

The Eucharistic Prayer

"Now the centre and summit of the entire celebration begins" (GIRM 78).

The General Instruction tells us that the elements of this prayer are thanksgiving, acclamation, epiclesis (calling on the power of God’s Spirit,) institution narrative, anamnesis (making memorial for Christ’ passion, resurrection and ascension,) offering, intercession and doxology (praise of God.) We will look at each element in turn beginning with the Introductory Dialogue.

Introductory Dialogue

This exchange between the priest and the people establishes the awesome nature of this prayer. Once again the priest greets the assembly with the salutation, “The Lord be with you” - the most ancient of all liturgical greetings. The assembly is then invited to “lift up your hearts!” This phrase appears in almost all the ancient Eucharistic Prayers. 

Whilst it is the priest who recites this prayer, it is the prayer of the whole assembly – hence the invitation to raise their hearts and minds in thanksgiving to God for all that has been given to them in Christ.   This opening dialogue finishes by returning to the theme of thanksgiving. “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.”   As we have already seen, the Greek word Eucharist means thanksgiving.

Preface

We generally think of a Preface as something that comes at the beginning of a book.  When the word is used in the liturgy it is not to be understood as something that “comes before.” Rather, the Preface is as much a part of the Eucharistic Prayer as that following the singing of the first Acclamation “Holy, holy”. 

The current Sacramentary has eighty-one Prefaces that can be used with the Eucharistic Prayer! Most of these Prefaces have been composed so that they might be used in particular seasons and on particular feast days.   For instance, in Advent there are two Prefaces, one to be used up to December 16th and another for the last nine days before the celebration of Christmas.  This is to fit with the focus of the  readings.  The first Advent Preface concentrates on the second coming of Christ whilst the second Advent Preface concentrates on the forthcoming celebration of his birth. 

Sanctus  (Holy, Holy)

The Preface always concludes with the invitation for the assembly to join with the whole company of heaven in the praise of God.  This first Acclamation of the Eucharistic Prayer is the song that comes from Sacred Scripture. 

Today we generally refer to this hymn as the ‘Holy, Holy…’  This song actually comes from the sixth chapter of the Old Testament  book of Isaiah. The prophet sees a vision of the heavenly temple and is privileged to observe the worship of God. The angels are singing, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts.’ 

This same hymn is also found in the last book of the New Testament, The Book Of Revelation. Here the writer is also granted a vision of the heavenly worship in the presence of the Lamb of God and the same hymn appears: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"

The worshipping assembly is also invited to sing this hymn of the heavenly temple.  As we worship on earth, so too do we join in the song of heaven.  This Acclamation should be sung by the whole assembly.  The liturgical documents tell us that this and the Gospel Acclamation are the two most important parts of the liturgy that demand singing!

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This article was originally published in Let’s Walk Through The Mass. © Diocese of Parramatta.  1999, 2000, 2007. Reprinted with permission.