The Eucharistic Prayer brings together the past - the present - and the future.

We remember the Last Supper when Jesus invited His disciples to take and eat the bread that had become His Body - to take and drink the cup that contained the Blood of the New Covenant. We remember too the sacrifice of Calvary where that became even more real in the His death. His death was once for all - but at this point, it is as if we are spiritually in that moment - standing offering to God what God gave to us - His only Son - the perfect offering.

The memorial is enfolded in a prayer of praise - thanksgiving and supplication.

Each Eucharistic Prayer follows a similar plan:

After the Preface and Sanctus, it continues with Praise to the Father giving thanks and praise for all that God has done for His people. This culminates in remembering His greatest gift of all - His only Son, Jesus Christ.

The Invocation of the Spirit (or Epiclesis) is marked by the priest placing his hands over the gifts of bread and wine - asking that the Spirit be sent upon them to make them holy.

There is a narrative reminding us of how Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper - the Institution Narrative - then the moment of Consecration when the words of Jesus are heard to consecrate this bread and this wine as His Body - His Blood of the new Covenant. We cannot know how this happens - we have to resort to the word Mystery again - but Faith leads our souls to see what is veiled from our eyes - and to understand that, somehow, the soul of our Saviour now resides in what still looks like bread and wine.

The altar bread becomes the Host - Jesus the “Saving Guest”.

As the Host and the Cup are raised, we can help our souls to express what they know by silently adoring the One who has joined us in these sacramental signs - perhaps privately  using the words of Thomas “My Lord and my God”.

Part of the Mystery is that we are called into communion with Jesus and with each other - so we respond as a community by saying or singing the Memorial Acclamation.

The Memorial Prayer asks that God will receive the sacrifice which brings salvation to the world - again touching the moment of Jesus’ death two thousand years ago. 

There is a second Epiclesis or Invocation of the Spirit - but this time for the people gathered in prayer - for us, that we might be changed by what we have celebrated.

We draw others into our Prayer with Intercessions - laying before God the needs of the Church on earth - of the world - and remember those who have died and look ahead ourselves to the day when we are enter into the communion of saints in heaven

The priest then raises the Host and Cup together - and the Final Doxology proclaims that it is “Through the One who is living and present amongst us - with Him and in Him - in the unity of the Holy Spirit (that) all glory and honour is Yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever. AMEN - the Great Amen - “This is so!” 

Take Time Out

Give yourself time to read the article through a few times. It is long and contains a lot of information - but w thought it best to look at the whole of the Prayer in one go. Come back to it from time-to-time.

Above all - remember that the Eucharistic Prayer is a Prayer - knowing about it is not a substitute for praying it and entering into the Mystery that it reveals.

 © Wellspring 2005

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