Missal 5: New prayers for the Eucharist

by admin · November 11, 2011

In Southern Africa, we implemented the new Roman missal’s Phase One the changes that most directly involve the congregation in 2008. Phase Two the changes to the parts of the Mass that are said by the Priest will be implemented in from the first Sunday of Advent, on November 27, 2011.

The most noticeable changes are:

1. The wording of the Eucharistic Prayers has changed. However, a close examination of them will reveal that they cover the same elements of prayer that formed the previous translation, but now with an added deeply reverent, sacred and profoundly humble style.

The Eucharistic Prayer is a very ancient practice and, as its name makes clear, it is a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the gift of the Incarnation, for the Easter mystery, for the gift of redemption, and for the mystery of the Church. The emphasis on reverence and humility in the new translations is directly descended from the Eucharistic prayers of the early Church.

An example of this is in the Second Eucharistic Prayer, which is used very often. The prayer immediately before the words of consecration has been changed to Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ (see Judges 6 and Exodus). Previously, this section read Let your Spirit come upon these gifts to make them holy, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The wonder, humility and prayerfulness of the new version is tangible.

Another example is in the Third Eucharistic Prayer, with the replacing of the words From East to West by the new wording, From the rising of the sun to the setting. The old wording referred to a limited geographical concept; the new wording refers to time and eternity.

Fr Noel Rucastle celebrates Mass at Our Lady of the Flight into Egypt cathedral in Cape Town. (CNS photo/Sydney Duval)

2. The Mystery of Faith. There are two major changes.

The Priest no longer says Let us proclaim the mystery of Faith. He now simply intones the words The Mystery of Faith. This re-positions what follows as a prayer, not as a proclamation or statement. Some of the changes we will experience will be the wording of the prayers at the Mystery of Faith.

One of the most noticeable changes will be that the Mystery of Faith, Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again, will no longer be used. This became the most frequently used mystery of faith, and many people will be both surprised and disappointed at its removal. It has undergone close scrutiny and the decision to remove it was not taken lightly. However, the decision is understandable when we consider the context. The Eucharistic Prayer is a prayer addressed to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the Mystery of Faith as a part of the prayer should not deviate from that. It should be a prayer addressed to God the Son, Jesus. However, even a quick examination shows that Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again is not a prayer addressed to Jesus – it is a statement about him.

The three versions that we will use in future are all clearly prayers addressed to our Saviour and are derived from St Paul’s teaching on the Eucharist (1 Corinthians 11:26). The three are:

We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again.
Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection, you have set us free.