About the Mass Series: Eucharistic Prayer Part 5

4.  ‘Memorial Prayer-anamnesis’.

The Passover is a feast whose participants make memory, ‘anamnesis’ in Greek of the whole saving and liberating action of God in the historical past.  However, this is not a ‘remembering’ in the usual sense of the word; rather it is a making present, a re-actualizing for ‘today’ of something that occurred in the past.  Therefore the ‘anamnesis’ is the fulfillment of the command received from Christ through the apostles. The Church keeps his memorial by recalling his passion, resurrection and ascension. In other words, by doing what Jesus has done, the church makes living the memory of Christ’s saving deeds, and the fullness and power of the Pascal mystery continues to be present as an on-going reality when the church celebrates the Eucharist.

It is important to realise that this memorial prayer comes straight after the acclamation of faith, and although the wording is different in each of the Eucharistic prayers, the essential elements are embedded there to commemorate the death, resurrection of Jesus and to proclaim his glory.

Eucharistic Prayer 1: ‘Father we celebrate the memory of Christ, Your Son.  We, your people and your ministers recall his passion, his resurrection from the dead, and his ascension into glory’.

Eucharistic Prayer 11: ‘In memory of his death and resurrection, we offer you, Father this life giving bread and saving cup’.

Eucharistic Prayer 111: ‘Father, calling to mind the death Your Son endured for our salvation, his glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven’.

Eucharistic Prayer IV: ‘Father, we now celebrate this memorial of our redemption. We recall Christ’s death, his descent among the dead, his resurrection, and his ascension to your right hand’.

The Mass therefore is rich and gives us much to reflect upon.  
 

So why be bored at Mass?