Wednesday, January 26, 2011

About the Mass Series: Preparation of the Gfits Part 11


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Preparation of the Gifts Part 11

In the ancient Roman Liturgy, once the bread and wine were placed on the altar, the bishop said a prayer over these gifts and then began the Eucharistic prayer. The Prayer over the gifts was originally said aloud and later, because of the length of the prayer, only the conclusion was said aloud. Nowadays, the prayer’s original name and manner of recitation has been restored.

 The prayer over the gifts concludes the preparation of the bread, wine, altar and congregation.  Unlike the opening prayer of the Mass, which is more expansive and frequently characterizes the mystery of the day or liturgical season, the prayer over the gifts is more concise.  It requests divine acceptance and expresses the congregation’s desire to unite itself with the offering to come. The priest speaks in our name asking the Father to bless and accept these gifts. 
Today’s prayer over the gifts exemplifies these features as well as its brevity.
“God of mercy accept our offering

 and make it a source of blessing for us.”


Our response to this prayer is ‘Amen’, and it is important, as when we use it as a response to prayer, it is used as an adverb meaning either ‘It is so’ or ‘May it be so’ (may that happen).

Although the prayer over the gifts is always used in the context of Mass, we may find it useful to incorporate it into our daily prayer life. Such a short prayer could provide spiritual nourishment for us as we reflect on its concrete meaning for our lives both in times of difficulty and joy.
The preparation of the gifts in the Liturgy of the Eucharist ends with the Prayer over the gifts.      


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