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After a long break, this weekend we return to our reflections on the parts of the Mass. Since it’s been about eight weeks since the last installment of this series, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to dig out your bulletin from Sunday, September 22 to remember where we left off. After reflecting on the Introductory Rites and the Liturgy of the Word, we were exploring the different parts of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and had just finished with the institution narrative and the words of consecration, by which the bread and wine brought forward at the offertory are transformed into the Body and Blood of the Lord.

 Recognizing the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist before him, the priest celebrant now exclaims, “The Mystery of Faith!” and the congregation joins in with one of three options for what is called the memorial acclamation: “We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again,” or “When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again,” or “Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.” While the rest of the Eucharistic Prayer before and after these words is addressed to God the Father, the memorial acclamation interrupts, or momentarily changes the direction of prayer, in a way, as the congregation now directly addresses God the Son, present sacramentally on the altar.

After this, each of the Eucharistic Prayers includes, implicitly or explicitly, some form of a second epiclesis. In the first epiclesis, before the consecration, the Holy Spirit was called down upon gifts of bread and wine so that they might be transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. In the second epiclesis, the Holy Spirit is called down upon us, so that we “may be filled with every grace and heavenly blessing” (Eucharistic Prayer I), “may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit,” (Eucharistic Prayer II), or “may become one body, one spirit in Christ” (Eucharistic Prayer III).

Each Eucharistic Prayer includes various elements of anamnesis, or remembrance, in which the Church fulfills the command that she received from Christ the Lord to Do this in memory of me, a command passed down by the Apostles. In the celebration of Mass, the Church keeps the memorial of Christ, recalling especially His blessed Passion, glorious Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.

The Eucharistic Prayers also express the fact that the Mass itself is an offering, or a sacrifice. When we celebrate the Eucharist, the Church here and now offers to God the Father the same offering made by God the Son on the Cross, His very Body and Blood. The Church desires that when we attend Mass we truly make an offering of ourselves, as well, participating in Christ’s own offering, and uniting ourselves to Him.

Each of the Eucharistic Prayers also contains intercessions for the living and the dead. These prayers express the reality that the Eucharist is celebrated in communion with the whole Church, of both heaven and of earth, and that the sacrifice of the Mass is offered for the Church and for all her members, living and dead, who are called to participate in the redemption and salvation purchased by the Body and Blood of Christ.

The Eucharistic Prayer always concludes with the Doxology: “Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever.” A doxologyis simply a prayer which gives glory and praise to God. Many of us learned a doxology as one of our very first prayers when we learned the “Glory Be.” During the doxology, the priest (with the deacon assisting) elevates the Body and Blood of the Lord, signifying that all true glorification of the Father occurs through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ. No one can offer the Father greater glory than Christ did when He offered Himself on the Cross – but when we celebrate the Mass, we offer to God the very same offering, made present here and now for us, each time we gather around the altar.

When the congregation responds with the Great Amen, they affirm and ratify not only the doxology, but the whole Eucharistic Prayer, which they – in virtue of their Baptism – have all offered together through the person of the priest. As we noted in the very first installment of this series, the great Amen of the congregation is attested as far back as the writings of St. Justin Martyr in the 2^nd century, explaining how Christians worship on Sundays. “Amen” is a word which is left untranslated in the liturgy, and which means, “So be it,” “I believe,” or even “I stake my life on it to be true.”

Having given our assent to the offering made by Christ, made by the Church, and made by ourselves, the congregation rises to their feet and begins to prepare for Holy Communion.