The Mass: Holy Eucharist, Holy Thanksgiving
The word eucharist is a Greek word
that means thanksgiving. Its root, from which our word charity is derived,
literally means a gift of love, in particular a gift of divine love. The
earliest Fathers of the Church used the word Eucharist to describe the
Sacrifice of the Mass. Holy Eucharist means Holy Thanksgiving.
We call the first part of the Mass
the Liturgy of the Word. After a
brief introductory rite this part of the Mass centers around readings from Scripture.
The early Christians believed that not only was it important to hear the Word
of God, but also that it was a sacred duty to remember the words and deeds of
the Lord as they had been passed down to them from generation to generation
from the time of the Apostles. In turn, it was their duty to preserve this
precious inheritance and pass it on intact to their descendants.
We have four major readings every
Sunday. The first reading is usually
from the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament. This reading is followed by a
recitation from one of the Psalms,
those famous hymns which celebrate the constant activity of the Word of God in
our world. Next we have a reading usually taken from the pastoral epistles or letters of St. Paul. We
call them pastoral because St. Paul tries to deal with actual problems faced by
the first Christians—problems and concerns that we still face today in our own
lives.
Finally, we come to the gospel. As we go through the cycle of
the liturgical year we revisit the life of Christ from His Birth to His
Passion, Death and Resurrection. We have His words, His parables, His actions,
and His miracles continually before us. Not only do we celebrate great feasts
like Christmas and Easter every year, but even on ordinary weekdays in Ordinary
time we can encounter parables like that of the Good Samaritan or the Prodigal
Son, arguably the two most well known stories in all of world literature.
The readings are followed by a homily delivered by the celebrant or
deacon. The theme of the homily should derive from the theme expressed in the
day’s readings and be a reflection upon that theme. Next, the priest and
congregation bring the Liturgy of the Word to a conclusion by joining together
to proclaim the Creed. We remember,
we believe.
The second part of the Mass is
called the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
It begins with the Offertory.
Members of the congregation, representing the entire congregation, bring up the
gifts of bread and wine that will be offered to the Father. What is the purpose
of the procession? What is the nature of these gifts?
It is a natural thing for people
who have been blessed or gifted to want to give back. As the Psalmist says,
“What return shall I make to the Lord for all that He has given me?” Here we
have the basic reason for our attendance at Mass. We come not to get something
out of it but to try to give thanks to the Lord for all that we have been
given.
What can we give back for all we
have been given? A few dollars? A tenth of all we earn? What do a few coins or
pieces of paper matter to the Creator who has given us every good thing? The
only thing we have of any real value is our immortal soul. Again the Psalmist
says, “a soul contrite and humble You will not spurn.” Ultimately, the gift
that we bring to the altar at the Offertory
is the gift of our very selves, the promise that we will give our whole life in
service to God and our neighbor.
After the Offertory procession the
priest goes up to the altar for the preparation
of the gifts. He prays that the bread might become “the bread of life,” and
that the wine might become “our spiritual drink.” The he says the ancient
prayer, called in Latin the Orate
Fratres, which introduces all that is to follow.
“Pray, brethren, that our
sacrifice may be
acceptable to God, the almighty Father.”
Please note that it is “our”
sacrifice. The priest acts as our agent, our representative, our ambassador in
presenting our offering to the Father. But it is still our offering. Will the
offering of ourselves be acceptable? We answer the priest,
“May the Lord accept the sacrifice
at your hands
for the praise and glory of His
name,
for our good, and the good of all
His Church.”
After the completion of the
Offertory, the priest begins the Eucharistic or Thanksgiving prayer. Using a
prayer that is one of the oldest in the Liturgy he asks, “lift up your
hearts.” We reply, “We lift them
up to the Lord.” He says, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God,” and we
reply, “It is right to give Him thanks and praise.”
Thanksgiving is the theme of the Preface. “Father, it is our duty and
our salvation…to give you thanks through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.”
Although there are different versions, each Preface ends by taking us into the
company of the angels and saints at the heavenly altar where they surround the
Lamb of God and sing His praise: “Holy,
holy, holy…”
Here we are now at the Holy of
Holies but what right have we to be there in such company? Will our gift be
acceptable? The priest understands his own unworthiness and introduces a new ambassador.
“We come to you Father, with praise and thanksgiving, through Jesus Christ your
Son. Through him we ask you to accept and bless these gifts we offer you in
sacrifice.” In other words, our gift, our sacrifice, the gift of our very
selves must be merged with the gift of our Lord, His own Sacrifice and Death on
the Cross in order to become acceptable.
We then proceed to the Consecration of the Mass. The words of
Consecration in our missals were being used by the earliest Christians even
before they were written down by the Evangelists and St. Paul. Our Lord had
said to “do this in remembrance of Me.” When we hear these words we are taken
back to that first Eucharist which our Lord celebrated on Holy Thursday. When the priest pronounces the words of
Consecration not only does the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of
Christ, the celebrant becomes Christ. We believe that at every Mass it is our
Lord himself who is the celebrant, our agent, our ambassador.
If we believe this, we have been
given a great gift, the gift of faith. Indeed, at this point we proclaim the
“mystery of faith.” Now the heavenly and the earthly altars are one and we join
with Mary, the apostles, and all the saints to give praise and glory to the
Lamb of God. At the end of the Eucharistic prayer we join in the acclamation or
“Great Amen.”
“Through Him, with Him, in Him, in
the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and
ever.”
The prayers before Communion are a form of penitential
rite with the dual objective of creating peace both within ourselves and with
our neighbors. We have brought our gifts to the altar. The sacrifice has been
offered and accepted and now we publicly prepare to receive back more than we
could ever give—the Body and Blood of the Lord. Holy Communion is a sign of
God’s love for us. God’s love is unconditional and unbounded but we realize
that we must prepare ourselves for the reception of the Sacrament.
When we recite the Lord’s Prayer we recognize that since we
all have the same Father we are all brothers and sisters. Moreover, we ask not
only that we be forgiven and healed but also that we might forgive those who
have offended us.
The Lord’s Prayer is followed by
the Rite of Peace. We ask our Lord to grant us “peace and
unity” and the priest prays that the “peace of the Lord be with you always.” He
offers us Christ’s Kiss of Peace and
asks us to pass it on to our neighbor as a sign of reconciliation. The Church
has restored this ancient practice in its fullness. Some may remember that in
the past the priest would frequently kiss the altar—itself a symbol of
Christ—and turn to the congregation to say “Pax Vobiscum”—“Peace be with you.”
Just before the reception of
Communion we say two more prayers asking for peace and forgiveness. First, we
say the ancient Agnus Dei or Lamb of
God, where we ask for Christ’s mercy and peace. Second, we paraphrase the words
of the Roman centurion: “Lord, I am not
worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” Now we
are ready to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord.
After Communion there is very
little left to be done in church. Our Eucharist or Thanksgiving has been
accepted. Our gifts have been returned to us a hundredfold. The priest
dismisses us telling us to “Go in the peace of Christ to love and serve the
Lord.” We have been transformed and now we are dismissed to go and transform
the little corner of the world in which we live. ###
Dr. Francis P. DeStefano
Fairfield, CT
