The Eucharistic Prayer has an invariable Preface and a ‘fuller summary of salvation history’ By Father Randy Stice In this series on the Eucharistic Prayer (EP), we have looked at Eucharistic Prayer I, the Roman Canon, which for centuries was the only Eucharistic Prayer used by the Roman Church, and …
Eucharistic Prayer I holds a privileged place
The Roman Canon has for centuries been a great prayer of thanksgiving and consecration Father Randy Stice In my July column, I began a series on the Eucharistic Prayer (EP) and gave examples from Eucharistic Prayer II, and in August I discussed Eucharistic Prayer III. This month I want to …
A closer look at Eucharistic Prayer III
Liturgical prayer—the words of the Mass—can enrich and inform our personal prayers By Father Randy Stice Last month I introduced the Eucharistic Prayer (EP), “the center and high point” of the Mass. The current liturgy has 13 Eucharistic Prayers. EP I (Roman Canon) was the only Eucharistic Prayer for many …
A catechesis on the Eucharistic Prayers
Their theological and spiritual riches are ‘the heart and summit of the celebration’ of Mass By Father Randy Stice The center and high point” of the Mass is the Eucharistic Prayer, “the prayer of thanksgiving and sanctification.” 1 Pope Benedict XVI describes it as action “in the highest sense of …
Summarizing Christ’s eucharistic presence
There are four key aspects of it; ultimately, His presence in the Eucharist can only be discerned by faith By Father Randy Stice The transformation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is both miracle and mystery, something that we can never fully comprehend. But …
‘The new covenant in my blood’
What did Christ mean by those words, and why does the covenant require His blood? By Father Randy Stice When Jesus gave the chalice to his disciples at the Last Supper, he told them, “This chalice is the new covenant in my blood” (1 Corinthians 11:25). This raises several questions. …
Addressing the Trinity during Mass
In sacramental communion, we receive the Trinity and become ‘partakers of the divine nature’ By Father Randy Stice The Trinity is the central mystery of our faith and life. The entire Christian life “is a communion with each of the divine persons, without in any way separating them.” When we …
External forms of participation in the Mass
From posture and gesture to the saying of ‘Amen,’ we can engage more fully in the liturgy By Father Randy Stice Our participation in the Mass is most fruitful when we do so “fully aware of what [we] are doing, actively engaged in the rite, and enriched by its effects” …
How we respond interiorly to God’s action
Opportunities for such participation make our experience of the Mass richer and more fruitful By Father Randy Stice I began my January column with St. John Paul II’s assertion that “the liturgy is the privileged place for the encounter of Christians with God” (Vicesimus Quintus Annus, 7), an encounter that …
In the Mass: ‘God himself acts’
‘The liturgy is the privileged place for the encounter of Christians with God and the one whom He has sent’ By Father Randy Stice The Liturgy,” wrote St. John Paul II, “is the privileged place for the encounter of Christians with God and the one whom He has sent, Jesus …
Understanding the Sacraments: The ‘peculiar graces’ of the Mass
The saints, including St. John of the Cross and St. Faustina, experienced this liturgical presence in profound ways By Father Randy Stice The meaning and power of the liturgical year was elegantly summarized by Vatican Council II: “Within the cycle of a year, moreover, she [the Church] unfolds the whole …
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Understanding the sacraments: The Word of God in the liturgy – a closer look
The performance character of and the sacramentality of the Word are two aspects not fully appreciated today By Father Randy Stice In a previous column, I introduced the new Lectionary Supplement and briefly discussed aspects of the Word of God in the liturgy. In this column, I would like to look …
