4. Liturgy of the Eucharist

While the Liturgy of the Word focused upon the table of the word - the lectern, the liturgy of the Eucharist centers upon the altar - both a place of sacrifice as well as the table from which we are fed. The themes of sacrifice, thanksgiving and meal dominate.  The preparation of the Gifts and the Altar, the Eucharistic Prayer and the Communion Rite constitute this part of the Eucharistic Liturgy.

1.     Different Parts

A.   The Preparation of the Gifts and Altar

The gifts of the people are an important part of the celebration. In the ancient Church, people brought the wine and the bread as well. All these gifts are brought up to the altar. The priest prepares them at the altar saying prayers patterned on the Jewish meal of Passover. He then washes his hands before a short prayer over the gifts.

B.    The Eucharistic Prayer

This is the summit of the Mass. The Eucharistic Prayer begins with a short dialogue and then the priest prays the Preface before the congregation sings “Holy, holy . . .” Then we enter the Eucharistic prayer proper, which is the heart of the Eucharist. The priest has the option of choosing from different Eucharistic Prayers in the Missal. All of them have a pattern, and out of the different parts in it, the Epiclesis and Institution Narrative are of special importance. Epiclesis is the prayer when the priest asks the Father to send down the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. The Institution Narrative recalls the words of Jesus Christ at the last supper. The other elements are the Anamnesis, proclaiming the death and resurrection of Jesus, Offering of the consecrated bread and wine to the Father, and the Intercessions. The Eucharistic prayer proper concludes with the final Doxology and Great Amen.    

C. The Communion Rite

The Lord’s Prayer, the Sign of Peace and the Breaking of the Bread precede the actual reception of communion. Communion is usually accompanied by a hymn and followed by a period of silence. This part of the Mass ends with the Prayer after Communion.

2       The Changes

1. Invitation to Prayer

This invitation at the end of offertory will have a few changes. When the priest invites the congregation, “Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty father,” people will respond, “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 holy Church.” 

2.  Preface Dialogue

The response to the priest’s greeting “The Lord be with you” will be consistent, “And with your spirit.” When the celebrant asks the people, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God,” the people respond “It is right and just.”

3.  Memorial Acclamation

This will be introduced by the priest by the simple phrase “The mystery of faith.”  There are three options to the response of the people and they will remain the same with little changes in wording.

4.  Sign of Peace

When the celebrant greets the people “The peace of the Lord be with you always,” the response is, “And with your spirit.”

5. Invitation to Communion 

The celebrant holding the host slightly raised, says: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” People respond, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

          Most changes in the newly translated Mass will be to this part, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The prayers that the priest says will have a number of changes in their words. Though it is the same Mass, it is likely to sound different.

Fr. Xavier Thelakkatt

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3. Liturgy of the Word

The part of the Mass from the First Reading to the close of the Prayers of the Faithful is normally understood as the Liturgy of the Word.  It consists of readings from Scripture, commentary and chants, culminating in the Prayers of the Faithful.

The Origins

The liturgy of the Word clearly shows the link between Christian and Jewish prayer. In the days of the apostles, the liturgy of the synagogue began with readings from the Law and the Prophets. It was followed by some commentary. When Christians developed their own liturgy, distinct from that of the synagogue, they considered these Biblical readings very basic. To these were added testimonies about Jesus, the fulfillment of these Old Testament writings.  

The Function

Having gathered together and purified ourselves through contrition, the congregation sits down ready to listen. It is God Himself speaking to His people through the readings, and Jesus Christ His Word is present in the proclamation of the Gospel. Hearing the Word is also the essential preparation for the Eucharistic liturgy. What has been announced through the Scriptures becomes a reality in the Eucharistic prayer. Only if we receive His message first, shall we be present for His supper. The catechumens are usually dismissed at the end of the Liturgy of the Word since they are not baptized yet.  

Basic Parts

·        First Reading

On Sundays and holy days there are three readings: the first from the Old Testament, the second from the writings of an apostle and the third from a Gospel. These are laid out with a specific plan so that the treasures of the Bible are fully available to the faithful. The congregation assumes a position of sitting, disposed to listening with attention and peace. After each reading there is a brief silence for personal reflection.  

·        Responsorial Psalm

The responsorial psalm corresponds to the readings and is usually taken from the Lectionary. It is preferred that it be sung by a cantor with the congregation singing its response. If not, it is recited meditatively.  Recitation of psalms is a long-standing tradition in the Church, following the custom of the Jewish liturgy.

·        Second Reading

The second reading is from the writings of an apostle of Christ. During a weekday celebration it is omitted. The first two readings conclude with the reader announcing “The word of the Lord” and people responding “Thanks be to God.”

·        Gospel Acclamation

After the second reading the congregation stands up for the Gospel acclamation. It serves as the greeting of the faithful, welcoming the Lord. The word Alleluia is the Judaic expression of Joy (meaning ‘Praise God’) and the verse often refers to the Gospel reading that follows. During Lent, in place of Alleluia, a verse is sung before the Gospel.

·        Gospel

This is the high point of the Liturgy of the Word. Gospels have a pre-eminence among the Scripture readings. It is an ordained minister, priest or deacon, who reads it.  The reading is preceded by a greeting and concluded by an announcement of the minister.

·        Homily

It is a short discourse (homily means ‘explanation’) on the readings by an ordained minister. It brings to light the relevance of the scripture to the faithful assembled.

·        Profession of Faith

It has two forms, the Nicene Creed and the Apostle’s Creed. The recitation of the Creed during Eucharistic liturgy is a later addition in the light of heresies. It is in use only on Sundays and holy days.

·        Prayers of the Faithful

The sequence of intercessory prayers is led by a minister.  The congregation makes it their own with a response “Lord, hear our prayer.”  The celebrant closes it with a concluding prayer. This brings the Liturgy of the Word to a conclusion.

The Changes

The new translation of the Mass will not affect the Scripture readings. They are contained in the Lectionary which will continue to remain in use.  The ordained minister, before reading the Gospel, usually greets the faithful with the words “The Lord be with you” and the congregation’s  new response will be “And with your spirit.” The other responses will not change.

          In this part of the Mass, most changes will be experienced in the Profession of Faith. The Nicene Creed used every Sunday will have a new translation. A few words and phrases will be new; some expressions will be unfamiliar. “I believe” instead of “We believe” and “consubstantial” in the place of “one in being” will be immediately noticed.  Our faith remains the same, though its expression at the Eucharist is going to change a little.
                                                                                                                               Fr. Xavier Thelakkatt

2. The Introductory Rites

The Eucharist is the most important celebration of our Catholic community. Weekend after weekend we come together to celebrate it in obedience to the Lord’s command, “Do this in remembrance of me” (1Cor 11:24).

The Development

The Mass as we celebrate it today evolved through many stages of development. The four evangelists, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John tell us of Jesus instituting the Sacrament, but it is Paul in I Corinthians and Luke in the Acts of the Apostles who give us an idea of how the earliest celebrations looked. As it evolved, it borrowed some elements from the Jewish liturgy and came to consist of reading from the Scriptures, praise and thanksgiving of God, remembering the last supper, breaking of the bread and the sacrificial communion. The original language was the mother tongue of Jesus, Aramaic, and later it was changed into Greek, the language of most Christians. Centuries later the common language of Latin was preferred. The bread and wine used were those brought by the people. Originally celebrations were in the homes and no specific vestments were used by the celebrant. Emperor Constantine the Great who gave freedom of worship in Rome to Christians, also gave numerous buildings for Christians to gather for worship. They were later called ‘Basilicas,’ prototypes of the present churches. In Rome the regular robes worn for the celebration began to be reserved for that purpose only. Later liturgical music and other ceremonies were added. As it continued to develop the liturgy also got diversified. In the East and in the West it took different forms. Today in the general structure of the Mass of the Roman Rite we can discern four integral parts: (1) The Introductory Rites, (2) Liturgy of the Word, (3) Liturgy of the Eucharist and (4) The Concluding Rites.

The Introductory Rites 

The rites before we read the Word of God, namely the Entrance, Greeting, Act of Penitence, Gloria and the Collect Prayer form the Introductory Rites. The purpose of these rites is to ensure that the faithful gathered establish a communion and to dispose them to listen properly and celebrate worthily.

          Entrance: Celebration begins as the priest and the other ministers enter the sanctuary. This procession symbolizes the journey of the pilgrim Church towards heaven. Usually on weekends a hymn accompanies this procession. On weekdays the priest and the people together recite the words of the entrance antiphon.  As they enter the sanctuary, the priest and the deacon venerate the altar with a kiss and other ministers by a deep bow.  Greeting: Everyone makes the Sign of the Cross while the priest says the words and the people respond “Amen.”  The priest then greets everyone with a formula chosen from the three in the book and the people respond accordingly. Penitential Rite: The priest invites people to the Penitential Rite after a brief silence. There are three different options for this rite and it concludes with the priest’s absolution. Gloria:  What follows is the very ancient and venerable hymn called the Gloria. When it is not sung, it is recited by all. On weekdays and Sundays in Advent and Lent this solemn hymn is not used. The Collect: The priest invites everyone to pray and pauses in silence. Then the priest says aloud a prayer specific for the day, addressed to God the Father, and the people conclude it with “Amen.” With that the introductory rites conclude.

The Changes

The form of the introductory rites remains the same though some words change. Greeting: The three formulas of greeting available to the priest will be slightly changed. The most common one is “The Lord be with you.”  It will not change, but its response will be “And with your spirit.” Penitential Rite: There are three options for this. The words of the priest or deacon will change a little, but the response “Lord, have mercy” will remain the same. The most popular Penitential Act is the prayer called Confiteor. The words of that prayer will have considerable changes. Gloria: One of the biggest changes we will notice in the new Roman Missal will be for the prayer Gloria, though the rules regarding the use of this prayer will remain the same. The Collect: This is the prayer of the priest and the people respond to it with “Amen.” The new prayer will be different, but the response will not change. All the collect prayers are being retranslated and hence it will sound different though the meaning will remain the same. 

                                                                          Fr. Xavier Thelakkatt

1.    Is the Mass Changing?
                                  

The answer to that question is “No.” Only some prayers are changing, in fact only their wordings. The manner of celebrating the holy Eucharist remains the same in the Catholic Church.

The Reason for Change

The celebration of the entire Eucharist in vernacular or the language of the place (English) began only after the Second Vatican Council (1962-‘65). For this the Missale Romanum, originally published in Latin in 1969, had to be translated into English, our vernacular.  The principles of translation were contained in a document published in the same year. The International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) led by 11 bishops from ten different English speaking countries had the oversight of these proceedings of translating the liturgical texts. Thus in 1973 a complete Roman Missal for use was approved and it was called the Sacramentary. This is the book we currently use for the celebration of the mass.

          This was nearly forty years ago and we have gotten used to the prayers and rubrics of the Sacramentary, which is a translation of the Missale Romanum. In fact in 2002 a new edition of Missale Romanum (Third Edition) came out and it contained some new prayers. Besides, in March 2001 the Congregation for Divine Worship issued a document Liturgiam Authenticam on the use of vernacular in liturgy introducing some new translation principles for liturgical texts.  Now, the new edition of the Missale Romanum had to be translated to the vernacular (English) using the newer principles of translation, though many of the prayers in Latin were the same.  

          This process of translation was a highly consultative work. The ICEL chartered the preparation of the draft texts and submitted them to all the bishops’ conferences to study, modify and approve, including the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The text thus improved was offered for the authoritative approval of the Congregation for Divine Worship at the Vatican. The USCCB website now contains the Vatican approved official text of the Order of the Mass for catechetical purposes. New liturgical texts will soon become available for use. 

 

What is New?

The new mass text will be called the Roman Missal, not Sacramentary. It will contain new prayers for the recently canonized saints, additional Eucharistic prayers and Masses and Prayers for various Needs and Occasions.

          The existing prayers will have a new translation maintaining the unique style of the Roman Rite. The translations will have a firmer grasp of the original Latin texts with greater depth of meaning. The allusions to the Biblical texts will become clearer. The prayers will have a more formal style than our ordinary daily conversation. Some new words to match the extensive vocabulary of the Latin prayers will be another difference. Some of the sentences may appear longer than those we are accustomed to. 

The Implementation

The Roman Missal will be implemented in the United States on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011. The text is already available for study and reflection. Until that day the currently existing texts of the mass will be validly used and the new text will not be liturgically feasible. 

          In the coming months we will be learning the newly translated prayers and responses of the new Missal and practicing the new musical settings of the Order of the Mass. The entire Church in the United States has been blessed with this opportunity to deepen our understanding and appreciation of the Sacred Liturgy through these sessions.

                                                                   Fr. Xavier Thelakkatt