In This Issue:
November, 2008
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*
(*Overview 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
The Eucharistic Prayer
The origins of the Eucharistic prayer are found in 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. A Jewish prayer of blessing, known in Hebrew as a Berakah, blessed and praised God. On certain festive occasions, this section was expanded by a request that God accept the "remembrance" of his people, that is, that God, ever faithful to his covenant, might continue to renew his great deeds.
It has long been debated whether the Last Supper was an actual Passover meal as the Synoptic Gospels say, but John's Gospel implies it was not. However, Jesus used the traditional meal Berakoth (plural) and gave them new dimensions with his words, "This is my Body" and "This is my Blood." He also commanded, "Do this in memory of me."
The Apostles continued to gather for table fellowship after Christ's Resurrection and Ascension, and traditional prayers were used over the bread and cup. There were no liturgical books: the presiding minister merely improvised and it was not until the fourth century that a fixed form grew, but differed according to geographic regions.
Unlike the Eastern liturgies, the Roman Rite for centuries had only one Eucharistic Prayer, the Roman Canon, and although its Preface was variable, the rest of the Canon was fixed with only some minor additions on certain days. The text that dates back to the fourth century was stabilized and edited by Pope Gregory the Great in the sixth century, and was meant to be heard by all. By the second half of the ninth century it came to be prayed in a low voice, but in the liturgical reforms of the 1960s the presiding priest could say aloud the whole Eucharistic Prayer.
Although it was felt the Canon had certain weaknesses, it was decided it could not be greatly modified without damage to the prayer itself, so it was retained and alternative prayers to be used along with it were issued. In 1968, a slightly revised version of the Canon, now known as Eucharistic Prayer I was published, together with three other prayers designated as Eucharistic Prayer II, III and IV. In 1974, 3 Eucharistic prayers for Masses with children were approved for trial use, and there are two Eucharistic prayers for reconciliation.
While the prayer is essentially one, there are several elements or focal points that are found, which make explicit the themes permeating the whole prayer:
1. thanksgiving
2. acclamation
3. epiclesis
4. narrative of the institution and consecration
5. anamnesis
6. offering
7. intercessions
8. final doxology
These elements will be examined more closely in future issues, but we must remember the Eucharistic Prayer, a prayer of thanksgiving and sanctification, is the center and high point of the entire celebration, and a summary of what it means for the church to celebrate the Eucharist. All should listen to the Eucharistic prayer in silent reverence and share in it by making the acclamations. By an introductory dialogue, the priest invites the people to lift their hearts to God in praise and thanks; he unites them with himself in the prayer he addresses in their name to the Father through Jesus Christ. The meaning of the prayer is that the whole congregation joins Christ in acknowledging the works of God and offering the sacrifice. As a statement of the faith of the local assembly, it is affirmed and ratified by all those present to acclamations of faith: the first acclamation or Sanctus, the Memorial Acclamation, and the Great Amen.
THE DIVINE OFFICE (covered in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy #83-101)
The Divine office is a group of songs, hymns, prayers, biblical and spiritual readings formulated by the church for chant or recitation at stated times every day, and whose origins go back to apostolic times.
In 1st Thessalonians 5:17, St. Paul exhorts all to "pray without ceasing". That is why the apostles, instituting deacons, said "we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word" (Acts 6:4). (CSL #86)
The latest edition of the Divine Office was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970, according to the directives of the Second Vatican Council.
“The work of Christ is a song of praise for God, and the church now continues that hymn by celebrating the Eucharist but also by praying the Divine Office. It is composed in such a way that all the hours of day and night are filled with prayer. This is the very prayer of the Body of Christ!"
QUIZ
(TRUE/FALSE)
Q. A priest may never use an unauthorized Eucharistic Prayer.
(Click here for answers, or scroll down)
That the Liturgy of the Hours that came to be known as the Divine Office is part of the liturgical prayer of the church and that laypeople are encouraged to pray the Divine Office with priests, among themselves, or even individually?
In ancient Roman times, people went to bed at dark and got up at dawn. If they were in bed for 12 hours, it didn't hurt to get up in the middle of the night to pray to the God who never sleeps. Christians eventually developed a rhythm of prayer into the Paschal Mystery of Christ so as to shape daily lives and actions.
The Liturgy of the Hours had as its structure:
Matins. Latin for praise (as Psalms 148 through 150 are)
Prime. "First" hour or 6 a.m. or sunrise (considered beginning the day)
Terce. "Third" hour, our 9 a.m. (the hour Jesus was nailed to the cross)
Sext. "Sixth" hour or noon (at crucifixion, great darkness overcame light)
None. "Ninth" hour or 3 p.m. (The hour Christ died)
Vespers, when the evening star appeared, called in the medieval English
term "eve’n song" (about six).
Compline, 9 p.m., just before retiring (from completorium, "completing"
day’s service.)
The church framed the day in prayer, the promise of a new day, our thanksgiving and sense of repentance at its ending and the hopeful anticipation of the next dawn.
When the Breviary – pronounced BREEV-uree (from the Latin breviarium; meaning a summary; abridgment) - the liturgical book containing the Divine Office, was revised (undertaken from 1965 to 1975), the selections were arranged for special times of the day and related to the calendar of the Church Year.
Matins (French matin; morning), traditionally the first of the canonical hours and formerly chanted during the early hours shortly after midnight by enclosed monks and nuns who alone continue the practice, is now replaced by the Office of Readings. This now first hour of the Divine Office consists mainly of three psalms, and of two readings, one each from the Bible and a nonbiblical source. The traditional (Latin) terms of "hours" have been replaced with simpler terms under the headings: Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayers, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer.
The General Instructions to the Liturgy of the Hours encourages at least the two "hinge" prayers of Morning and Evening (#37) be prayed, basically joining ourselves to Christ's resurrection at Morning Prayer and to the mystery of dying at Evening Prayer. Ideally these prayers would be said with others in community, but it is still liturgical prayer even when prayed individually because we are praying the prayer of the church, an official rite, uniting ourselves with the whole Body of Christ in common praise and supplication.
In the Gospel, Christ complains that many turned down his invitation to the Heavenly Wedding Banquet. He calls us to the fulfillment of our heart’s desires, but so many ignore or even spurn his generous invitation. Even those of us who, with our Baptism, have formally and joyfully accepted his invitation, are too often guilty of dragging our feet, delaying in our replies and making excuses for not joining whole-heartedly in the Eucharistic celebration.
Fr. Rory Pitstick, SSl
ORDINARY
TIMES
The Bible is not really God’s book about God, but God’s book about human questions about God. By hearing the stories proclaimed over and over, by reflecting on them in light of our ever-changing experience, we get a clear picture of who we are, where we came from, where we are going, how we will get there and who will help. When we hear The Word, we ask, “What do I need to give over to God for healing today?”
The important aspect of liturgical time is that we gather in Jesus Christ to celebrate our identity as God’s people. Church seasons and feasts, along with the daily rhythms of morning and evening prayer form us and our community through the constant acknowledgement of the presence of Christ in our midst.
The Feast of Christ The King is the final Sunday of Ordinary Time and brings the final week of the Church Year. The First Sunday of Advent thus begins a new Liturgical Year, this year, Year B Cycle, in which we will hear the Gospel According to Mark.
Feast Days of Saints
Feast Days of Saints
NOVEMBER 2008
Nov. 1 All Saints –Obligation for this Holy Day removed this year.
Nov. 2 All Souls Roll-Call of faithful departed at Vigil Mass 11/1
Nov. 3 St. Martin de Porres
Nov. 4 St. Charles Borromeo
Nov. 9 Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Nov. 10 Pope Leo the Great
Nov. 11 St. Martin of Tours*
Nov. 12 St. Josaphat
Nov. 13 St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
Nov. 17 St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Nov. 21 Presentation of the Virgin Mary
Nov. 22 St. Cecilia
Nov. 23 Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King
Nov. 24 St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions
Nov. 30 The First Sunday of Advent
*St. Martin of Tours, an early saint of the Church, was born c.316 in present day Hungary, and died c. 397 in Touraine, France, where he had established a religious center. He was born into a pagan family, the son of an army officer, but was drawn to Christianity.
While a Catechumen in Amiens on a freezing cold night, Martin divided his military cloak (cappa) and gave half to a beggar at the city gate. He wrapped the other half round his shoulders, thus making of it a cape (capella). This cape, or its representative, was afterwards preserved as a relic and accompanied the Frankish kings in their wars, and the tent which sheltered it became known also as cappella or capella. In this tent, Mass was celebrated by the military chaplains (capellani). When at rest in the palace the relic likewise gave its name to the oratory where it was kept, and subsequently any oratory where Mass and Divine service were celebrated was called capella, chapelle, chapel.
Martin worked hard to spread and defend the faith, especially against Arianism, and was one of the great saints of Gaul and the outstanding pioneer of Western monasticism before St. Benedict. He is a patron Saint of France, and his shrine at Tours became one of the most popular pilgrim centers in Europe.
ANSWER:
A. True; only the Eucharistic Prayers approved by the Vatican are to be used in Mass. (Inaestimabile Donum #5)
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