The Eucharistic Prayer: Introduction
In beginning this new set of reflections on the Eucharistic Prayers used in the Roman Catholic tradition, it may help to see what the Church provides us in the new General Instruction to the Roman Missal (GIRM), which I will be referring to in the posts on the eight elements present in the Eucharistic Prayers. The General Instruction first states,
There are a many things to note in just this short paragraph of the new GIRM. First, we are reminded that the purpose of the Eucharist is thanksgiving and sanctification. We enter this sacrament in order to thank God for the many blessings he has given to us and to be made increasingly more holy each time we celebrate the Eucharist. The Eastern Church often refers to this process as theosis. St. Athanasius’ prayer said by the priest during the preparation of the gifts reminds us of this central goal of the Christian life. As the priest pours the wine into the chalice, he adds a small amount of water and prays, “through the mingling of this water and wine, may we come to share the divinity of Christ, who humbled Himself to share in our humanity.”
The second thing to note is that we pray as Christians always to the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. The novus ordo in the West, that is the mass most celebrated since the Second Vatican Council, calls for the priest to be facing the congregation versus the more traditional liturgy that calls for priest and congregation to face East together towards the rising sun (or rising Son). This is an innovation in the liturgy that I feel has both positive and negative implications. It is positive in that it clearly symbolizes the aspect of the Eucharist as a holy meal that is shared by all who participate. It also allows the congregation to enter more easily into an understanding of what is happening during this holy sacrifice. On the other hand it seems to have, in my opinion, allowed for there to often be an over emphasis on the priest rather than upon the shared prayer offered together by the priest and congregation to the Father. I have been asked on occasion why I do not look at the congregation during the Eucharistic Prayer as some priests do. The reason is that the prayer is not addressed to the people, but rather to God the Father. There are parts of the liturgy which are addressed to the congregation and with these prayers I give my attention to those gathered. The other often overlooked part of this instruction in the West is that we always pray as a people who are gathered in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit has been sent to us to guide and direct our lives and to continue us on the path to theosis.
Perhaps the thing we as Catholics should most receive from this paragraph of the GIRM is that the priest unites himself with all who have gathered to offer this prayer to God the Father. As we like to say here at St. Thomas Parish, there are no spectator seats here! The priest leads the prayer, but it is the entire congregation who are called upon to pray and to unite themselves to God in this celebration. It is not meant to be a passive experience of prayer.
I hope that this post will begin this new conversation on the Eucharist and set the stage for future dialogue with all who visit this blog.
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