Blessed are those who hunger and thirst or the Eucharist
This week we continue our discussion of the Mass. Having been fed with the Word of God, we turn our attention to the highlight of the Mass; the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
The introductory rites and the liturgy of the word points us towards Jesus, the Word Made Flesh, revealed and given us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the climax of the Mass. It is where God feeds us spiritually. We hunger and long for God in the Word. And our hunger and longing for God is fulfilled in the Eucharist, the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe me. All those the father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6: 35-40,
The liturgy of the Eucharist is the highlight of the entire Mass! It is where Jesus is made present body and blood in the concreated bread and wine.
The Eucharistic prayer begins with a dialogue between the presiding priest and the congregation with the familiar words, “The Lord be with you”. The presider then invites us to “Lift up [our] hearts.” It is call for all of us to lift up the entirety of our hearts to God. Then we are invited to give thanks to God because it is right and just.
The liturgy moves in to what is called the Preface prayer. It is a prayer that changes depending on liturgical season or saint feast day that is celebrated. The preface prayer elaborates the thanksgiving we are offering to God. This prayer expresses for us the work of God through the salvation completed by Jesus Christ. This prayer of thanks sets the tone for the Eucharistic liturgy. In Greek, eucharist means thanksgiving and we offer thank to God.
At the conclusion of the Preface, we say or sing the Sanctus/Holy, Holy, Holy. This is a hymn of praise to God. It is not just some interlude prayer but it is a hymn that we sing along with the angels and saints in the Heavenly worship of our God.
Next, comes Epiclesis prayer, where the priest presider calls down upon Holy spirit upon the bread and wine to be offered. He makes the sign of the cross to make calling upon the Blessed Trinity to make Jesus to make it present in elements of bread and wine.
Some churches use bells to indicate this prayer and as well as during the elevation of the body and blood of Christ by the presider. It is a tradition from when the Mass was in Latin and the prayers of the priests were inaudible. The bells indicated the importance of what was taking place and indicated when the bread and wine were consecrated. The use of bells is no longer required, but can be used at the desire of the parish/priest.
Once the Epiclesis is said, the priest moves into to the narrative of the Last supper. Throughout the Mass, the priest is in persona Christi capatis, “in the person of Jesus Christ the head”. He is not representing Jesus, he IS Jesus Christ through the sacramental character given to him at his ordination.
The narrative of the Last supper is not a dramatic recreating of the Last Supper because the priest recounts the last Supper in the first person, as Jesus Christ. It is Christ made present sacramentally through the priest who re-presents His Last Supper and Passion.
As the priest takes the bread, he says,
“Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you.”
Likewise, as the priest takes the chalice, he says “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.”
These words consecrated the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. After consecrating the bread and wine, the priest genuflects after each elevation of the Body and blood of Christ.
After the consecration, the priest continues the prayer and offers intercessory prayer for the Church, Pope Francis, the local diocesan bishop, and for those who have died in Christ. This prayer also focuses on the glory of our resurrection yet to come.
At the conclusion of this prayer, the priest moves into the doxology prayer. The presider raises the body and blood of Christ, the Sacrifice of Christ offered to God the Father. The priest says, “Through Him, with Him and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.”
We pray the “Our Father” prayer, expressing our unity as brothers and sisters in Christ. The prayers asks God to give us our daily bread and we ask God to forgive us of our sins. Next, we offer a sign of peace, offering the peace of Christ to one another. In the United States, it is customary to offer a handshake as a sign of peace.
After the sign of peace, as the Agnus Dei/Lamb of God is sung or recited, the presider begins the Fragmentation rite. The priest says a secret prayer while breaking the consecrated Body of Christ in two and breaking a fragment of the host. He then mingles the fragment of the host with the Precious Blood of Christ. This gesture symbolizes Jesus breaking bread with his disciples and the broken body of our Lord on the cross. The comingling of the Body and Blood symbolizes the one body and blood of Christ.
After the fragmentation rite, the priest will genuflect and elevate the body and blood of Christ saying “Behold the Lamb of God...”. To which we respond, “Lord I am not worthy...” using the words of the centurion who went to Jesus to healing his servant.
The priest then reverently consumes the Body and Blood of Christ saying a secret prayer. The presider receives the Eucharist first and then distributes it to the deacon, the altar servers, and the extra ordinary ministers of communion.
The reception of the Eucharist forgives us of our venial sins. Our faith teaches us that the fullness of Christ is present in the consecrated bread and wine. We can receive either one and receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ. But it is praiseworthy to receive under both species, bread and wine.
The minister of communion says, “The body of Christ” or “the blood of Christ,” o which we respond, “Amen”, giving our consent and belief in the body and blood of Christ made present in the Eucharist. We don’t take communion, we receive communion.
The reception of the Body of Christ maybe received reverently on the hand or on the tongue. Once we receive communion, Jesus is closest to us this side of heaven. For we have received His body and blood and now carry Christ with us physically.
After the communion rite is finished. The clergy and extra ordinary ministers return to their seats. There is a sacred silence that is offered so that we can say a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the gift of the Eucharist, that gift of Jesus Christ that we receive.
The Liturgy the Eucharist ends with the Post-Communion prayer that sums up the effects of what we just received in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
Through the gift of the Mass, God feeds us spiritually and physically. In the Word of God proclaimed and in the Eucharist we receive. Next week, we’ll discuss what we are to do in response to gift God gives us in the Mass.