Lent Instructed Eucharist
Used
During Sermon Time
Session
4: The Great Thanksgiving to the Great AMEN
The Great
Thanksgiving (333-336, 340-343; 361-363, 367-369, 369-372, 372-375)
Unlike all previous BCP's, the 1979 book has six
Eucharistic prayers: two in Rite 1 and four in Rite 2. And if you
think that's a lot, there was a time in the early church, as
liturgies were being formalized, that there was a different prayer
for each Sunday and holy day. Because there is so much here, I'm not
going to delve into the details of the prayers, but give a general
overview of each.
All six begin with the opening dialogue (salutation and
sursum corda).
The salutation (“The Lord be with you. And also
with you/And with thy spirit.”) officially begins the Great
Thanksgiving. The only other place this occurs is just before the
Collect of the Day to officially initiate the Liturgy of the Word.
Remember, this greeting comes from Ruth 2:4.
It appeared in the 1549 BCP, was dropped in 1552, and
it wasn't until 1979 that it reappeared here. Like at the Collect of
the Day, this again calls people to attention as we shift our focus.
The sursum corda (“Lift up your hearts.”)
was a command to stand, signifying the congregation's participation
in the action.
“Let us give thanks . . .” was the celebrant's
request for permission to offer thanks in the name of those present,
and the people's response was their consent.
This back and forth between Celebrant and people is
based on the Jewish prayer of thanksgiving.
Also note that Communion is to be celebrated with
people, ie no private Masses. If the Celebrant begins the service
and there is no response, the service ends at that point.
Before the 4th Century, Eucharistic prayers
were not standardized, although they did require certain things to be
present (think Prayers of the People that require specific subjects
but not forms). During the 4th Century these began to be
standardized. And each Eucharistic prayer contains a creedal
affirmation of the faith.
Part of this standardization includes the acts of
creation, the Incarnation, the Fall, the Passion, and the
Resurrection.
After the 1789 revision, this creedal affirmation was
prefaced by an acclamation of praise (“it is very meet, right . .
.”; “It is right, and a good and joyful . . .”). In the 1979
book this standard acclamation is part of Prayers I & II and A &
B. The acclamation allows for a Proper Preface to be inserted.
Again, the 1979 book allows for more variety, including prefaces for
every Sunday, major seasons, saints' days, and certain other
occasions.
A word about the various Eucharistic prayers.
Prayer I closely follows the Scottish rite which was
adopted for the first US BCP in 1789. This ties back to Samuel
Seabury being ordained in Scotland, and agreeing to follow their form
in the new US BCP. It is more focused on the atonement and sacrifice
than other prayers. Because of this tone, we use it during Lent here
at St. John's.
Prayer II is a revised version of Prayer I, adding
explicit references to the creation, incarnation, and second coming.
It's overall tone is much less penitential than Prayer I. We use
this prayer at all times other than Lent.
Prayer A is a shorter, modern adaptation of Prayer I.
Although taken from the more sobering Prayer I, I opt to use it
during Epiphany and the season after Pentecost (Ordinary Time). This
is primarily because it's the first prayer in Rite 2 and the one most
people are familiar with simply based on its position.
Prayer B also makes use of a Proper Preface, and
includes a conflated prayer of thanksgiving from Hippolytus and Frank
Griswold (before he became a bishop and Presiding Bishop). It
utilizes forms from the Eastern church. I use it Advent and Lent
because of the words, “in these last days,” and, “. . . out of
sin into righteousness, out of death into life.”
Prayer C is very Eastern in style with its versicles
and responses. Following the Eastern custom, there is no Proper
Preface. This prayer is different in that the epiclesis (sanctifying
the water and wine) happen before the Institution Narrative
(eat/drink in remembrance of me). I use this prayer during the
Easter season because of its participatory format, as well as the
line of congregational response, “Risen Lord, be known to us in the
breaking of the bread.”
Prayer D is adapted from the liturgy of St. Basil (c.
379). It's used by Greek, Slavic, and Coptic Christians, as well as
being one of four Eucharistic prayers of Pope Paul VI. The main
substance of this prayer makes it used by more Christians than any
other Eucharistic prayer. I use it during the Christmas season
because of its reference to the Virgin Mary. I also use it during
baptisms, or renewal of baptismal vows, because it allows
intercessory prayers within the prayer itself, thereby making
baptismal services flow better.
Back to specific points in the Eucharistic prayer.
After the Proper Preface in prayers I, II, A, & B,
the salvation history in C, and the acknowledgment of the glory of
God in D, we say/sing the Sanctus. This is the song angelic
host sings in Is. 6:3 and Rev. 4:8, and the congregation shares in
the singing of this hymn of adoration with the whole company of
angels. It is customary to bow during the first part of the hymn,
symbolizing our deference to Almighty God. Sanctus bells are also
rung during the three Holys (giving rise to the term “Sanctus
bells”). This practice dates back to the 15th Century.
The second part of the Sanctus is technically referred
to as the Benedictus qui venit, Blessed is he who comes. This
phrase is option in Rite 1. Since we see this as an affirmation of
both Christ's first and second coming, it is customary to cross
oneself here as an acknowledgment of our agreement with this
statement.
An interesting side note: In all Eucharistic Prayers
except C, the people are directed to stand or kneel. Prayer C
assumes the traditional posture of standing for the Eucharistic
prayer. Traditionally kneeling was forbidden during the Great Fifty
Days of Easter; another reason I use Prayer C during that season.
Each prayer, at some point, includes what is called
Salvation History. In Prayers I, II, A, B, & D, this is located
after the Sanctus. In Prayer C it happens before the Sanctus.
The Institution Narrative follows in Prayers I, II, A,
B, & D. This is the, “He took bread . . . This is my body . .
. He took the cup of wine . . . This is my blood” part of the
service. It is taken from 1 Cor. 11:23-26. During this time the
priest will elevate the host and chalice to show them to the
congregation. This practice developed when the Mass was said in
Latin and was unintelligible by the majority of people attending.
The priest would elevate the elements at the appropriate time to let
the congregation know where they were. Sanctus bells are also rung
at this time, bringing attention to each element present. After the
elevation, people will bow or cross themselves.
The Memorial Acclamation follows. In Rite 1, this is
said by the priest. In Rite 2 it is said by priest and people. In
short, we remember his death, resurrection, and coming again.
In and around the Memorial Acclamation is what is
called the anamnesis. This is the opposite of amnesia, in
that, instead of forgetting who you are, you know who you are, to
whom you belong, and where you are headed. You remember you and your
purpose. For Christians, through anamnesis the death and
resurrection of Christ is a present reality, although not yet fully
realized.
What follows is called the epiclesis. This
is where the priest places his/her hands over the elements and asks
God to bless and sanctify them so that, by the power of the Holy
Spirit, they may be infused with the real presence of Christ. The
Episcopal church does not hold to the doctrine of transubstantiation
(that is, that the bread and wine are transformed into the actual
body and blood of Christ), but to the doctrine of Real Presence (the
body and blood of Christ are really present in the elements). One
way to remember this is that The elements have been
substantially changed, they have not been changed in substance.
And once infused with the presence of Christ, they are permanently
changed. This is what makes the bread and wine a Sacrament, and this
is why we place unused elements in the aumbry or reverently consume
them after the service.
The Supplication
generally follows the epiclesis.
It is a petition that those who communicate may be gathered into one
and that their faith may be confirmed. There are also prayers for
the unity of the Church, and a gathering of all God's people, past,
present, and future. Some prayers include an epiclesis
of the people within the supplication (the descent of the Holy Spirit
upon us). It is customary to cross oneself as we ask to be
sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
The Doxology (a hymn of praise to God) wraps up the
Eucharistic prayer. Since Christianity is doctrinally Trinitarian, a
Trinitarian doxological statement affirming the Trinity, although
differing from rite to rite, was the inevitable conclusion of the
prayer. We are affirming that all of this is being done for the
glory and to the honor of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Great AMEN,
or the People's AMEN,
is the only amen in all caps. This is your assent to all that has
happened, and it is capitalized to give emphasis to this assent.
This should be said with gusto, and the Sanctus bells are rung at
this point signifying that this is also a joyous moment.
Here I need to say something about Eucharistic Prayer C,
because there are a lot of differences in structure between it and
the other prayers.
As I mentioned, Prayer C is Eastern in style in that it
uses a litany-form in its structure; that is, after the Celebrant
says his/her part, the congregation has a response.
The Salvation History is broken up into three sections
with their own responses (p. 370).
There is a longer introduction to the Sanctus that
includes a whole host of characters and is taken from Rev. 5:11.
Unlike all other prayers, there is no rubric giving an
option to kneel after the Sanctus.
The epiclesis
immediately follows the Sanctus, coming earlier than any other
prayer.
The Institution
Narrative and anamnesis
follow.
The Supplication,
epiclesis of the
people, and doxology wrap it up.
This
concludes Session 4.
Next
week: The Lord's Prayer to the Dismissal
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