From Gert’s Catholic Library
The Liturgy of the Eucharist begins with the presentation and preparation of the gifts. This is also called the Offertory because here the gifts are brought to the altar. The gifts are the bread and wine, but also we have the opportunity to “give” of ourselves by making an offering of our money in the basket brought around by the ushers. During this time we are all to sing the offertory hymn. This is also the time when the altar is prepared. The altar servers set out the corporal, purificator, Sacramentary, paten, and chalice on the altar.
Just as during the procession at the beginning of Mass when the Book of the Gospel was held aloft, members of the congregation carry up the gifts of bread and wine. They are given to the Priest with the understanding that he will offer them to God in our name.
After the gifts have been received, the Priest prays over them, asking Go to bless them. After each prayer over the bread and the cup we are to respond, “Blessed by God forever.” The priest than says two prayers quietly, on is a prayer of contrition and the second accompanies the ”washing of the hands.” The priest then invites us to join him in prayer with our responses.
The Eucharistic prayer then begins with a dialogue between the Priest and the congregation. This is the most solemn part of the Mass. There are several Eucharistic prayers that are used and all have a common form.
The Preface is a thanksgiving offer to God in which we the congregation have a short dialogue with the priest responding to his words.
The Acclamation Sanctus which is us singing the Holy, Holy, Holy, follows prayers said by the priest. Following this we all kneel to set our focus on God and change our level of attention.
Once the congregation is kneeling the priest calls upon God to send his Spirit upon the bread and wine so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord. This is called the Epiclesis, which is translated to mean “calling down upon” or “invoking upon.”
The most important part of the Mass follows with the Consecration where the Priest recalls the very first Mass itself as part of the Last Supper. The priest repeats what Jesus himself said on that night, “This is my body,” and “This is my blood.” When the Priest says these words, God performs a miracle that transforms the elements of bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ, together with his soul and his divinity.
The priest than says, “The mystery of faith,” and then we sing a prayer commemorating what Christ has done for us. The Eucharistic Prayer continues with the Priest offering intercessions for members of the Church, for the Pope, for our Diocesan bishop, and others. The Eucharistic Prayer comes to a close with a final doxology and our response, “Amen.”