Last week we took a look at the Overture, the Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer. This week, we briefly explore the main event. There are four versions of the Eucharistic Prayer that are commonly used, with Eucharistic Prayers II & III being the most widely used at Sunday Mass. There are, in fact, numerous Eucharistic Prayers approved for use in the Catholic Church, including those for feast days of our Lady, the saints, Christmas, Easter, Pentecost etc.. And although the Eucharistic Prayer is taken as a whole, it has distinct and separate parts.

According to paragraph 79 of the General Instruction on the Roman Missal – GIRM – there are 8 elements to the Eucharistic Prayer (EP). The Preface, being the first, outlines our reason for giving thanks. Next comes the Acclamation or the Holy, Holy, Holy.  After that comes the Epiclesis which means; ‘Calling Forth’, when we call on the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to make our gifts Holy. If we use EP II as an example, the Epiclesis begins with; ‘Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall…’, at which the priest extends his hands over the offerings. Next comes the Institution Narrative and Consecration when the priest prays the very words of Christ, consecrating the Bread and Wine, concluding with ‘Do This in memory of Me.’

After the Consecration comes the Anamnesis or Memorial when we recall what Christ has done for us in the Paschal Mystery. We acclaim this in the Mystery of Faith; ‘Dying You destroyed our death…’  or ‘Save us, saviour of the world…’ or any of the other options. Next, comes the Offering – ‘Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his Death and Resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation…’ This is followed by the Intercessions, when we pray for various needs. Indeed, there are Eucharistic Prayers for various needs that are used throughout the year. In the intercessions we pray for the: Pope, our Bishop, the Clergy and Religious, all the faithful. We pray too for our dead and we call on our Lady and all the saints to pray for us.

The Eucharistic Prayer concludes with the Doxology or Praise. The priest alone, with the Host and Chalice lifted up and his eyes turned upwards as if to Heaven, prays: ‘Through Him, with Him and in Him…all glory and honour is Yours…’ This is the culmination of the sacrifice. It is the moment when Jesus cried aloud: ‘Father into Your hands I commend My spirit.’ The congregation shout their agreement with a loud ‘AMEN’.  Amen, meaning this is my truth, to everything that has just been witnessed and participated in.

The Overture sets the stage. The Main Event brings the curtain down, but the Encore… well that’s for another day.