We return to our
study of the Mass. Up until now, we have looked at the historical and biblical
roots of the Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word, and the Preparation
of the Gifts, which ushers in the most solemn part of the Mass: the Liturgy of
the Eucharist. In the Offertory, the priest, in following the ancient Jewish
blessing prayer at every supper (the Barakah) blesses the bread and wine while
giving thanks to God, the Lord of all creation. Following his purification
rite, he now turns to the people and implores them to join with him as he is
about to perform the most sacred of all acts. This part of the Mass is called
the Preface, and it literally means, “To say beforehand.” The priest offers the
invitation and we respond: “The Lord be with you, and with your spirit. Lift up
your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us thanks to the Lord our God. It is
right and just.” He follows with a prayer which is explained below. We must
look upward at this time to God our Father, and remember that earlier in the
Mass we asked forgiveness for our transgressions (the Penitential Rite),
received His mercy (Kyrie) and praised and thanked Him for it (Gloria). Now we must
place our hearts in our hands and lift them up to him, as a child presents his
father with a precious gift. We must always try to come to Mass with pure
hearts, having forgiven those who have hurt us, having asked forgiveness of
those we have offended, and having prepared our hearts to be open to the graces
we are about to receive. By lifting our hearts to God, we give ourselves into
His hands, just as Jesus did on the cross. Here in the Mass we are now united
with our Savior as the holiest event on earth is about to transpire. Be awed!
1 Samuel 16:7: But the LORD said to Samuel,
"Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have
refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the
outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
Psalm 62:8: Trust in Him at all times, you
people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.
Luke 24:32 And they said to one another,
"Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and
while He opened the Scriptures to us."
Proverbs 3:3-5: Let love and faithfulness
never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your
heart. He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul
to an idol or swear by what is false he will receive blessing from the LORD and
vindication from God his Savior.
Psalm 84:2: My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Preface
... We are used
to seeing a “preface” in many books. The point of the preface is to set out the
purpose and scope of the work, which will then be explored in detail. In the same way, the Preface to our
Eucharistic Prayer states the reason for the praising God.
Seasons of the Church
year have an assigned Preface, as do many feast days and votive masses. The current Sacramentary contains more than
80 individual Prefaces, but all follow the same formula.
The Preface begins with a dialogue, and the tradition of
this dialogue dating from the earliest Christian celebrations is a testament to
its importance. The presider proclaims, “The Lord be with you”, to which we
respond “and with your spirit.” The
phrase “Lift up your hearts” is found in Lamentations 3: 41. Finally, “Let us give thanks to the Lord, our
God” probably stems from Jewish table prayer, where it was part of the prayer
of blessing over the cup.
In this opening dialogue, we are conscious of our union with
the presider in offering this prayer.
The presider speaks in the name of us all. The body of each Preface
follows the pattern of the Jewish barakah, or blessing prayer. It is a statement of the special reason for
praising God, especially God’s work in creation and redemption. Focusing attention on a particular aspect of
salvation history or giving a quick glance at some mystery or feast, the
Preface is the keynote of the praise and thanksgiving that will follow in the
Eucharistic Prayer. Steve Raml http://www.stmglendale.org/fileadmin/worship/Mass/Liturgy_of_the_Eucharist_-_Eucharistic_Prayer.pdf
Hymn: One Bread, One Body
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