In This Issue:
April, 2009
St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church
100 Oak Dr. South
Lake Jackson, Texas
LIGHT FOR THE WORLD
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In This Issue: |
PARTS OF THE MASS continued
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Entrance Procession
Entrance Song
Veneration of the Altar
Sign of the Cross: Greeting: Introduction
Penitential Rite
Invitation/Silence/Proclamation
Confiteor/Kyrie
(or Sprinkling Rite may take the place of the
Penitential Rite)
Gloria (Glory to God)
Opening Prayer (Collect)
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading
Responsorial Psalm
Second Reading
Gospel Acclamation
Gospel
Homily
Profession of Faith
General Intercessions
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Preparation of the Altar and the Gifts
Presentation of the Gifts
Offertory Song
Prayers At the Preparation of the Gifts
Mixing of Water and Wine
Lord God, We Ask You…
Incensation
Washing of the Hands
Prayer Over the Gifts and Its Invitation
Eucharistic Prayer*
(*continuation featured in this issue)
Preface
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord
Epiclesis
Institution Narrative
Memorial Acclamation
Anamnesis
Offering
Intercessions
Final Doxology
COMMUNION RITE
Lord’s Prayer
Rite of Peace
Breaking of the Bread
Commingling
Lamb of God (Agnus Dei)
(Private Preparation of Priest and People)
Invitation to Communion
Distribution of the Eucharist
Communion Song
Purification of the Vessels
Silent Prayer/Song of Praise
Prayer After Communion
CONCLUDING RITE
(Announcements)
Greeting and Blessing
Dismissal
Veneration of the Altar
Recessional
Eucharistic Prayer IV (last article on Eucharist Prayer)
by Father Paul Turner
Doing nothing. We yearn for that kind of leisure. But doing nothing can also be one of the hardest jobs we face. Take Mass, for example. The parts of the Mass where we do nothing permit us to be distracted by anxieties over kids, the hair color of a choir member, plot developments in tomorrow's soaps, or the possibility of a pennant race.
Perhaps the chief zoning out period is the Eucharistic Prayer, that long solo prayer which the presider recites in all-too-familiar tones, which incongruously is the most important prayer in the history of the planet.
When kids object that Mass is boring, they know they've got you on this one. Even chess masters find it challenging to concentrate during a Eucharistic Prayer.
Understanding the parts of the prayer may help us to pray it better. Of the 13 eucharistic prayers approved for use in the United States, one of the most beautiful is prayer four.
The prayer is structured as most Eucharistic Prayers are. An opening dialogue between priest and people leads into a preface and concludes with the "Holy." This is followed by a prayer for the Holy Spirit to bless the bread and wine (epiclesis). Then a recounting of the work of Christ precedes the story of the Last Supper. The second half includes an anamnesis, or remembrance, of Christ's activity; the actual offering of the sacrifice; a second prayer for the Holy Spirit (epiclesis), this time to come not over the gifts, but over the people; and the intercessions, or prayers for the members of the church and the world.
What distinguishes prayer four is the long exposition which follows the "Holy." It tells of humanity's place in creation, our need for redemption and the mission of the Son and Spirit.
This prayer also carries its own preface which praises and describes the mystery of God. You usually hear prayer four more during ordinary time. Seasons like Lent and Easter carry their own prefaces, as do most feasts. These work with other Eucharistic Prayers but not with prayer four.
This prayer loosely adapts one by St. Basil, prayed by our church in the fourth century. When we hear the story of salvation history, we remember also our own history as a church and recognize Christ, whose eternal presence rescues us from all that could keep us from him, including the boredom of doing nothing.
ANAMNESIS (Greek - an·nam·NE·sis play_w2("A0280200") ) A recalling to memory; or calling to mind; recollection. (Literally "loss of forgetfulness").
It does not imply simple psychological recollection. The word anamnesis, as it was often used in ancient times, means to bring the past into the present and the present into the past. In the Eucharist, we truly experience Christ's life, death, and resurrection, and Christ is made present to us, and we are made present to Him. This is far more dynamic than merely remembering something.
An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church says of the anamnesis: "This memorial prayer of remembrance recalls for the worshipping community past events in their tradition of faith that are formative for their identity and self-understanding" and makes particular mention of its place in "the various eucharistic prayers."
QUIZ
(TRUE/FALSE)
exchange peace with the congregation.
(Click here for answers, or scroll down)
That the beginnings of the Eucharistic Prayer are closely connected with a series of table prayers required at every Jewish meal? These assumed the greatest importance on such holy days as the feast of the Passover, at the beginning of which, the father of the family or the presiding member of the community offered a Jewish prayer of blessing, known in Hebrew as a berakah, which blessed or praised God. The meal is distinguished by special foods, prayers and a recitation of the Haggadah – which narrates the special meaning of the feast as one which made present God’s liberating deeds of the past and applied their power to those celebrating the feast.
Christ’s Presence in the Eucharist is Greater Than in the Assembly. Pope John Paul II, in his 2003 encyclical on the Eucharist, said that we should be able “to recognize Christ in His many forms of presence, but above all in the living sacrament of His Body and Blood.”
There is a vast difference between Christ’s presence in the Eucharist and in the assembly of its members. The worshipers, if they have the proper dispositions, are mystically united to God by grace. The Holy Spirit dwells in them, but they retain their own personal identity. They are not transubstantiated; they do not cease to be themselves and turn into Christ the Lord. Cardinal Avery Dulles
EASTER
Lent will end on Holy Thursday, when the Triduum will begin, this year on April 9th. And Eastertide will last until Pentecost Sunday, May 31st.
The English name for the holy day of Easter has long been linked to the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, usually called Eostre or Ostara. Also known as a pagan goddess of dawn, Eostre is a deity whose name is connected to the word “east” – where the sun rises.
In most other languages, the holiday’s name (such as Pascua in Spanish) is related to the Hebrew word Pesach, for Passover, which commemorates the exodus of the Jews, led by Moses, from Egypt. In the Gospel, Jesus’ last days take place during Passover, and early Christians linked the Easter celebration to Passover. However, since the Jewish calendar is based on a lunar year, the date for Passover changes. The date for Easter was set at the Council of Nicea in AD325, and also changes.
Wearing new Easter clothes comes from the tradition of white garments worn by the newly baptized and our clothing should remind us of the new life within. During the Easter Season, the Paschal Candle is the focal point of celebrations and remains in the sanctuary until Pentecost, when it is moved, to be brought out and used during the rest of the year for Baptisms and funerals. A new Paschal Candle will then be blessed during the following Easter Vigil. Lumen Christie reminds us of Christ, the “light of the world”. The word “Paschal” comes from the Latin word, pascha, meaning “Passover”, the feast celebrating Israel’s deliverance from slavery.
The Easter feast is the apex of our journey together as Christians; what Sunday is to the week,
Easter is to the entire Liturgical Year.
Feast Days of Saints
APRIL
Apr. 5 Palm Sunday begins Holy Week
Apr. 9 Holy Thursday
Apr.10 Good Friday
Apr.11 Holy Saturday
Apr. 12 Easter Sunday
Apr. 13 World Day of Prayer for Vocations
Apr. 19 Divine Mercy Sunday*
Apr. 21 St. Anselm
Apr. 25 St. Mark, Evangelist
Apr. 29 St. Catherine of Siena
*The Second Sunday of Easter was declared Divine Mercy Sunday by Pope John Paul II in his homily at the canonization of Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska on April 30, 2000, which was the Octave Day of Easter that year. The Holy Father was making the connection between the “Easter Mystery of the Redemption”- the suffering, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ, followed by the sending of the Holy Spirit – and this Feast of Divine Mercy. The image St. Faustina saw, which is to be venerated on Mercy Sunday, represents the Risen Christ bringing mercy to the world.
ANSWER:
A. False. Despite wide-spread acceptance, the priest may give the sign of peace to the ministers but should always remain in the sanctuary so as not to disturb the celebration. (GIRM 136)
Featured book of the month
THE HOLY AND LIVING SACRIFICE
NCCB: a pamphlet published by the United States Catholic conference of Bishops
BX22235.5 20 pages paperback
Directory for Celebration and reception of Communion under both kinds
Brought to you monthly by The Envision Priority Area Team:
Understanding The Mass and Eucharist