More about GIRM - give thanks and praise: The Liturgy of the Eucharist

by Jane Bernard Hanson

This article continues our look at the basic structure of the Mass . . . Gather, Listen, Do and Go . . . the Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Dismissal Rites.

This time we concentrate on the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Picture this . . . Your family gathers at Great Aunt Martha’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. You greet one another and exchange the latest family news. You tell the favorite family stories and recall past holiday meals. Then you notice that the house does not smell like turkey and there is not one single whiff of pumpkin pie to be sniffed and savored. You notice that the table is not set. None of the familiar and necessary family Thanksgiving stuff is set out. And then Great Aunt Martha says something like this, "It sure was nice to see all of you dear people. Thanks for coming. Keep in touch! I love you!" A bit bewildered, you all bid one another farewell and trundle out the door, still hungry and becoming more and more convinced that great Aunt Martha has really lost it. What’s wrong with this picture!? Obviously, great violence has been done to the entire ritual of Thanksgiving . . . the meal is missing. And with the missing meal, the familiar and formative pattern and symbols of a family gathering have been short-circuited and utterly impoverished. You have been deprived of the doing part, the central action of the Thanksgiving ritual.

The central action of the Mass is of course the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Let’s zero in on two of the most important elements of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Eucharistic Prayer and the reception of Holy Communion. Here’s what the GIRM (General Instruction of the Roman Missal) has to say about the Eucharistic Prayer:

Now the center and summit of the entire celebration begins: the Eucharistic Prayer,

a prayer of thanksgiving and sanctification. The priest invites the people to lift up their hearts to the Lord in prayer and thanks; he unites them with himself in the prayer he addresses to God the Father in the name of the entire community through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. The meaning of the prayer is that the entire congregation of the faithful joins itself to Christ in acknowledging the great things God has done and in offering the sacrifice. (#78)

This whole, huge prayer is all about our relationship with God, past, present and future. We recall the wonderful deeds God has done in the past. The bread and wine we offer become the Body and Blood of Christ right here, right now. We intercede for the whole church. And we look to a future beyond our ability to imagine, "In that new world where the fullness of your peace will be revealed, gather people of every race, language and way of life to share in the one eternal banquet with Jesus Christ our Lord." (Eucharistic Prayer for Masses of Reconciliation II.)

This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper. Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed. The Body of Christ. Amen. The Blood of Christ. Amen.

Familiar words . . . sometimes we say them without even thinking. But when we do think about it, when we receive Holy Communion we express most eloquently who and whose we are. We walk in procession shoulder to shoulder as a body and receive eyeball to eyeball Jesus Christ who strengthens and nourishes us. This is our most intimate moment as the Body of Christ. Here it is that we glimpse the face of God through the eyes of our brothers and sisters, companion disciples transformed, just like bread and wine, into the Body of Christ for the life of the world.

Jane Bernard Hanson is director of the Office of Worship and Spiritual Life for the Diocese of New Ulm.

More about GIRM is a brief look at the recent history of the Sacramentary (the big red book of prayers.) The Second Vatican Council (1962-65) mandated that the order of Mass and all the sacraments be revised and renewed. The first revision was published in 1969 by Pope Paul VI. It introduced the changes in the Mass envisioned by the Council Fathers. Knowing that all living things, including the liturgy, evolve and develop, the Sacramentary was revised again in 1975. That revision took into consideration the experience of the changes in the Mass and the revisions of the other rites of the church. And now, based on the wisdom gleaned from more than 30 years of liturgical renewal and pastoral practice, the Sacramentary is again being fine-tuned. It is hoped that the revised GIRM will be ready for use in parishes on the first Sunday of Advent, December 1, 2002.