Liturgy of the Eucharist

At the time of the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and wine, pronounced the prayer of thanksgiving, and then distributed the bread and wine to his disciples. The Eucharistic liturgy follows the celebration of the Last Supper. There are three parts:

• The Preparation of the Gifts
• The Eucharistic Prayer
• Communion

The Liturgy of the Eucharist brings together simultaneously in grace, the moments of the Last Supper, Calvary, the Resurrection, and the Sacrifice of the Mass. This is the greatest moment of all time, made present at each and every Mass!

Presentation of the Gifts / Preparation of the Altar: The bread and wine are presented by the faithful, representing all present. This custom of Christian piety draws into recognition that the people assembled are exercising the character of their royal priesthood given in Baptism. (Hippolytus, c. 235). We present our gifts and tithes to God at this point, the first fruits of our daily work, our whole lives as an offering to God, and spiritually, we place our very selves upon the Altar with Christ as a gift to the Father. We offer al that we are, and all that we are, placing everything into the hands of God, uniting it to the Offering of Christ.

As Jesus changed the water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana, the transformation of this bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ will happen by the Consecration of the Mass.

The priest says prayers of blessing to our Lord, God of all creation for the bread and wine which will become the Bread of Life and our Spiritual Drink. He then asks all to pray that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God for the praise and glory of His Name, our good, and the good of the whole Church.

These prayers are actually inspired by a Jewish Blessing, The Kiddush, which means “sanctification” for the Sabbath that the father of the family said over the bread at the beginning of the meal. Therefore, it was recited by Jesus at the Last Supper.

The priest continues the very praise of Jesus, and prays silently after mixing a drop of water with the wine (called the Secret) that our offering be received by God, and that he be pleased with the sacrifice we offer with humble and contrite hearts. It is, after all, what God wishes from us, our hearts, to be made full of love for Him, in Christ.

We pray that our lives be transformed as well, into the Body of Christ. This is demonstrated in the mixing of water and wine. A small amount of water, representing the small, important offering we make to the wine that God uses to bless us, in Christ. This is the reason we come to Mass, to be united in communion with Christ, like the water in the wine. Christ humbled Himself to share in our humanity, so that through this water and wine, we may share in His Divinity.

This communion with Christ is lived in communion with all our brothers and sisters, especially the poor and needy. The Jewish tradition of passing the “bread of the poor” for the needy on the eve of the Sabbath remains a responsibility for us today.

Prayer over the Gifts: This concludes the Preparation of the gifts. This short prayer, like the Opening Prayer, changes each Sunday. It connects the different times of the church year to the centrality of this part of the Mass. When we say, or sing the “Amen” to this prayer, we are declaring that we are accepting Christ’s invitation to His banquet.

Eucharistic Prayer:
The priest may choose from among four regular Eucharistic Prayers, or two other Eucharistic Prayers for Masses of Reconciliation. On appropriate occasions, the priest may also choose from among three Eucharistic Prayers for Masses with Children, or four recently approved Eucharistic Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions. Each prayer has a similar structure, including some responses and acclamations by all the people. There are also many choices for the "Preface," depending on the liturgical season, the feast of the day, and the ritual or occasion being celebrated at that Mass.
The Eucharist is the source, summit and font of the Christian life. [Lumen Gentium 11; Catechism 1324] The Eucharistic Prayer is therefore the center and the summit of the Mass. God is thanked for the whole work of redemption, and the gifts of bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. Our prayer is directed to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.
Preface Dialogue: We give Thanks and Praise. All of the Eucharistic Prayers begin with a dialogue of introduction, not as a discourse that one says, but really the thanksgiving that one proclaims before the community. In the Preface, led by the priest, we thank God for His work of salvation in adoration and obedience. There are many Preface prayers for differing Liturgical seasons and Feast Day’s of saints. Above all, we thank God for sharing His life with us through grace.
 
Holy, Holy (Sanctus): This is our song of unity and is the most important acclamation of the Eucharistic Prayer. The Sanctus gathers together into one praise the cosmic universe, the angelic world, the saints of heaven, and the Church of the earth. According to Revelation, the Sanctus is the acclamation of the heavenly liturgy. It is said: “Day and night the angels do not cease repeating: Holy, holy, holy, the Lord, God of the universe, The One-who-was, Who-is, and Who-comes.”

Epiclesis of Consecration: “Pour Out Your Holy Spirit. . .” The epiclesis is the invocation of the Holy Spirit either upon the offerings ”so that they may become the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ” or upon the community itself so that it may share in the fruits of the Eucharist, “so that it may be brought together in unity by the Holy Spirit”. The first epiclesisis called the epiclesis of consecration; the second, epiclesis of communion.
Invocation
It is at this moment of the Mass, the priest extends his hands over the offerings in prayer and we invoke God’s power for the offerings to be consecrated and transformed into Christ’s Body and Blood, and we invoke His power that we who receive Him in Communion may likewise be transformed into Him.

The Eucharistic Prayer forms a unity of praise, blessing, thanksgiving and request. It is the entirety of this prayer that is consecratory. It is the Father who consecrates through his Spirit (Eucharistic Prayer III). The priest merely says the prayer, in the name of the community.

Institution Narrative. This is the culminating moment when the priest repeats Jesus’ very words and gestures at the Last Supper. The priest acts in Persona Christi, “in the Person of Christ,” as he consecrates the Eucharist. Christ is both the Priest and the Victim of the Sacrifice. Christ comes again into the world to renew His sacrifice, in an unbloody manner, upon the Altar.

The Elevation offers the Christian people to express their faith in Christ by worshipping him silently. We are with Jesus at His table and at the foot of His Cross as the priest elevates the Host and Chalice. This is when our prayers are the strongest. As the priest genuflects, our souls bow down before Christ, now present on the altar, and Christ’s love, poured out for us in His Body and Blood. At the elevation, the prayer of St. Thomas the Apostle is an act of faith we too can make, “My Lord and My God”. The words of St. Francis were “My God and my All.” In this moment, we can look upon the Lord and contemplate Him, in adoration, love, trust, belief, asking pardon and petition for those who do not believe or love Him. Tell Jesus how much you love Him.
On the Altar now, after the Elevation of the Host and Chalice is Jesus resurrected. What was bread and wine is now the real person of Jesus, body and blood, soul and divinity, in everything except physical appearance.
We make an act of faith as we proclaim the mystery of faith:
- Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
- Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory.
- When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, until you come in glory.
- Lord, by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free. You are the Savior of the World.

Memorial Acclamation or Anamnesis (Remembrance We now call to mind, all that Christ has done for us, recalling especially His Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension into Heaven. We also remember that Christ will come again in glory at the end of time.
The Church offers Christ to the Father at every Mass, and through the words of the priest, we offer ourselves, united with Christ. Our whole life becomes a part of this offering. We pray that our lives may be brought to completion in Christ and into unity with God by the Holy Spirit, and with each other.

Doxology and Great Amen: As baptized Christians who share God’s life in grace, we give glory to God through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ. The priest hold the sacred Body and Blood of Christ up. We pray to God that all glory be given to Him through Christ, the Christ whom the priest holds in his hands, who became man for us, died for us, and in an infinite outpouring of love is now coming to us. At the end of the Eucharistic Prayer we declare our assent to the prayers of the priest in the Great Amen, our yes to all that the Eucharistic Prayer has expressed.

COMMUNION RITE

Lord's Prayer: We now focus on preparing ourselves for the reception of Holy Communion through the most important prayer Jesus teaches us in Scripture. It is the prayer of children to their Father. After the Our Father, the priest prays for the whole community. He prays for us to remain in peace and in true freedom.

Sign of Peace: The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Unity, and as we receive Christ into our hearts we become more committed to living Christ’s message of peace and unity with others. The sign we give to one another is an opportunity to signify communion in peace and mutual love to anyone and everyone. We make a commitment to be peacemakers. Our lives are only truly at peace when they are ordered to God, when we live our lives for love of God. This means we love what God loves, and we express our love of God in loving of neighbor by offering them peace. In offering peace to one another we are renewing our commitment to to live on earth as citizens of Heaven.

Breaking of the Bread: We petition the Lamb of God, who takes away sins of the world to have mercy on us, and to grant us peace. For the early Christians, to break bread signifies the sharing of one’s life and food with family. The priest takes and breaks the Host as Jesus did at the Last Supper. He then drops a particle into the Precious Blood to reflect the inseparability of the resurrected Lord and to symbolize the reuniting of our own glorified body and our soul in the resurrection to eternal life at Christ’s Second Coming.

We ask again for God’s mercy. God’s love is stronger than our unworthiness and He alone makes us worthy and heals us. During the breaking of the bread, the Agnus Dei is sung.

Communion: This sharing in Holy Communion is the very same meal that Jesus shared with His disciples. It is the Last supper and the Final Passover. We all consume the same Lamb, Who is Christ Himself. We share the very life of Jesus. He becomes the food of our souls. He transforms us into Himself. Through Holy Communion, we draw close to Jesus and to each other. Upon recognition of the Lord, all are contrite, humble, in need of healing and truly happy to be called to this supper!
 People normally process to the front in lines. Practicing Catholics receive communion standing, and then return to their places in the congregation. Those who are not practicing Catholics may process with communicants to receive a blessing. Simple placement of hands on opposite shoulders designates the unspoken desire for a blessing. In some cases, the ministers may go to other locations within the church to distribute communion, or may even approach individuals at their places (esp. the elderly or infirm). Communion is usually offered "under both species", i.e., both the consecrated bread and the consecrated wine. It may be distributed by priests, deacons, or designated lay persons, called "Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist." Communicants are encouraged to receive the consecrated bread in their hands, but may also receive communion on the tongue. It is predicated that all bow profoundly before receiving the Sacred Species, generally while the communicant before you is receiving.

Communion Song followed by a period of silence or Song of Praise:
When the distribution of Communion is completed, there may be a period of silence for individual prayer, or a psalm or song of praise may be sung. The people either stand, sit, or kneel during this time, although the posture of the congregation should be unified. At St. Mark’s it is preferred that all remain kneeling in prayer and thanksgiving, if able, until the priest completes a short prayer after communion, although the Church permits each individual to make their own choice.

CONCLUDING RITE

Prayer after Communion: Once the Prayer after Communion is said, the Mass enters the Concluding rite.

Announcements, etc.:
If there are any announcements, acknowledgements, reflections, eulogies, or similar actions, these are best included here, after the Prayer after Communion and before the Concluding Rite. The people remain standing, or may be invited to sit, depending on the length of the announcements or activity.

Dismissal and Commission: The final “presidential prayer” concludes the celebration. The priest extends his hands and gives us the final blessing. The priest or deacon tells us the Mass has ended and to go in the peace of Christ, to love and serve the Lord. We respond with a final “Thanks be to God” as we go forth to carry Christ in our hearts to a world that hungers for His love. We go out to love and serve the Lord, and one another.

Recessional and Closing Song We remain until the celebrants have recessed to the back of the Church.

[Sources: Lucien Deiss, The Mass, The Order of St. Benedict, Collegeville, MN, 1989. www.tkc.met, The Catholic Mass…Revealed!, Thy Kingdom Come, Inc., 2008]