Eucharistic Prayer, Preface, Sanctus

Eucharistic Prayer

  After the Prayer over the Offerings, we now come to the Eucharistic Prayer. According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, “Now the center and high point of the entire celebration begins, namely, the Eucharistic Prayer itself, that is, the prayer of thanksgiving and sanctification. The priest calls upon the people to lift up their hearts to the Lord in prayer and thanksgiving; he associates the people with himself in the Prayer that he addresses in the name of the entire community to God the Father through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the meaning of this Prayer is that the whole congregation of the faithful joins with Christ in confessing the great deeds of God and in the offering of Sacrifice. The Eucharistic Prayer requires that everybody listens to it with reverence and in silence” (GIRM, 78).

   Here we go! For those longing for the true presence of Jesus, the time is drawing near! For those who yearn to pray well, we are invited to participate in the perfect prayer of Jesus—his perfect sacrifice and worship of the Father. Throughout the Eucharistic Prayer, we can find a great outline and model for our own prayer. By taking a closer look at the main components, we can hopefully enter more fruitfully into this wonderful prayer.

Preface

   As we continue our journey through the Eucharistic Prayer, we turn to teaching from the Diocese of Peoria: “The Eucharistic prayer is the center and summit of the entire Mass. Eucharist means thanksgiving. The Eucharistic prayer is a celebration of thanksgiving and sanctification. The Mass offers the fitting praise and worship to God as it places before his throne the sacrifice of his Son on the Cross… The Eucharistic Prayer offers gratitude to God, as it is the prayer of his Son, Jesus. Acting in the person of Christ, the priest, in the name of the community, offers this great prayer of adoration and praise to the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit” (“A Study of the Mass,” p. 13). Very clearly at the forefront, we are giving thanks to God as we are gathered around the altar. A special part of the prayers at the altar that highlights thanksgiving is called the Preface.

   The Preface begins with a familiar 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.

   As Edward Sri notes, “This dialogue is first reported in the Eucharistic prayer of St. Hippolytus (c. A.D. 215). Now, eighteen centuries later, we continue to say the same words, uniting us with the Christians of the early Church” (A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, p. 95). Just let it sink in for a moment: one of our oldest accounts of the Mass includes this dialogue. Think about all the Masses celebrated throughout history; think about that unity in prayer with all those who have gone before us!

Sanctus

   This next part of the Mass is called the Sanctus, perhaps more commonly referred to as the Holy, Holy, Holy. As is true with many parts of the Mass, we can find these words in the Holy Scriptures. The prophet Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord on a throne with angels singing, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts!” (Is. 6:3). In St. John’s vision of heaven, the four living creatures continuously exclaim, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come” (Rev. 4:8). Perhaps we will also recognize the second part of the Sanctus from the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest” (Mt. 21:9).

   Charles Belmonte recalls how the Sanctus reminds us of the beautiful presence of the angels at the Mass: “We join our own voices with those of the hosts of angels in awe, wonderment, and great enthusiasm… St. John Chrysostom describes the presence of angels during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with these words: ‘The angels surround the priest; all the temple, especially the sanctuary, is populated with celestial hosts of angels who honor God, present on the altar’” (Understanding the Mass, p. 131). Have you ever thought of this? In a very real way, the Sanctus helps to remind us that our participation in the Mass is truly a foretaste of heaven. When we gather as the Body of Christ for the Mass, united with Jesus truly present, the WHOLE Body is present there! That means every member of the Christian faithful is present with us—all those around the world, all those from various times (including those who have gone before us), and all those who are gathered together in heaven around the throne of God… including the heavenly hosts of angels!

Source: eucharisticrevival.org