About the Mass Series: Preface

About the Mass Series:

 Preface

Although praise and thanksgiving characterize the whole Eucharistic Prayer, these elements particularly appear in the Preface, a term meaning “proclamation” or “speaking out” before God and his people.

The body of the preface is a statement of the special reason for praising God, especially God’s work in creation and redemption. The priest takes up the response of the people ‘it is right to give Him thanks and praise’. 

 

On behalf of the whole congregation, he praises God and gives thanks for what God has done to save us.

Nowadays, there are over 80 different Prefaces- at least 6 for Sundays and 6 for during the week, as well as one for every season and occasions (feast days). For example, the Christmas Preface gives thanks for the birth of Jesus; the Easter Preface gives thanks that Jesus was raised from the dead.  Each of the prefaces however begins with words like:

 

 ‘Father, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord’.

 

As the Mass progresses, the Church invites us again to give thanks to God for all the benefits and blessings of our lives.  As our hearts are lifted in thanks and praise, we are reminded towards the end of the prefaces that we are not alone in the pilgrim journey. In some form or other, we are praising and thanking God in the company of the angels and saints and/or the choirs of angels.

 

From a practical viewpoint, if you are using the overhead machine waiting to put up a transparency for the Holy Holy, or using a Power -point presentation, hearing the words, referring to the angels and/or saints gives you an important guideline that it is near the end of the preface. 

 

So, as we hear the Preface proclaimed Sunday after Sunday, let us give thanks to God for the many blessings He gives us, proclaim His glory with thankful praise and sing for joy with the company of the angels and saints the unending hymn of praise.