By Bishop Larry Silva | Special to the Herald

GIRM = “General Instruction of the Roman Missal,” editio typica tertia, 2002; ITTOOM = “Introduction to the Order of the Mass: A Pastoral Resource of the Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy, 2003.” Read GIRM #72-79; 139-158; 178-181; 190-191; 214-236; 265-268; ITTOOM #99-124

Collections

The GIRM #73 says: “It is well also that money or other gifts for the poor or for the church, brought by the faithful and collected in the church, should be received. These are to be put in a suitable place but away from the Eucharistic table.”

Sufficient ministers and equipment should be available to expedite the collection(s).

In light of #73, it is most appropriate that a second collection (for the poor or for the church), when scheduled, should follow immediately after the first collection (for the support of the parish). The purpose of the second collection may be briefly announced at the very beginning of the Preparation of Gifts, but no other announcements should be made at this time.

If, for a serious reason, the second collection is more suitably taken toward the end of the Mass, it should only be taken during the Concluding Rites, which begin after the Prayer after Communion. The second collection should never replace or distract from the time of reverent silence/thanksgiving after Holy Communion.

[Note: Provision should be made for the collection to be handled as little as possible, once it is taken, and always in the presence of two unrelated people. It is highly suggested that, once the priest celebrant has received the offering, that it be taken immediately to a locked drop safe and left there until two unrelated people can take it to the counting place after Mass. While this is not, strictly speaking, a liturgical matter, the manner of presentation of the collection and where it is placed do have implications for the flow of the liturgy. This matter should be carefully planned by each parish, to safeguard the collection, to protect the reputation of anyone handling the collection, and to be good stewards of the money collected for the Lord’s work.]

Preparation of the altar

During the Preparation of Gifts (during the collection) the altar is prepared. The corporal is placed on the altar at this time, not before. If more than one corporal (or, alternatively, one very large corporal) is needed for the vessels to be consecrated on the altar, they should be placed on the altar at this point.

Hosts sufficient for the Communion of the entire assembly should be brought forward, preferably in a single container. The reserved Sacrament in the Tabernacle should not normally be used.

[Note: With planning — e.g. using a measuring container in the sacristy that indicates the normal amount of hosts to be used for each Mass — the norm of using only hosts consecrated at the Mass being celebrated should be quite possible. Since the Sunday (and Vigil of Sunday) Mass is the high point of the week, and if there is a need to overestimate, then perhaps the remaining hosts in the tabernacle could be used for weekday Masses, with only one large host being consecrated on weekdays. Hosts from the tabernacle may be used at Sunday Masses, especially if there is an overabundance, but the practice of not using hosts from the tabernacle should be the norm and not the exception. All who minister Holy Communion should be informed of this norm and be aware of its rare exceptions.]

Only unleavened hosts and pure fermented wine should be used in the celebration of the Eucharist.

[Note: Any exceptions to this must be with the explicit permission of the bishop. Consult the Office of Worship for possible exceptions. For priests who are recovering alcoholics and for whom the use of wine would be a problem, permission must be sought from the bishop for the use of mustum, for the priest celebrant only. For persons with an allergy to gluten, consult the Office of Worship for the availability of low gluten hosts, which may only be used for those with such allergies. The Office of Worship should be consulted for suggestions about how to handle requests for special circumstances.]

If Holy Communion under the form of wine is to be available to all the communicants, sufficient wine should be prepared in a carafe to be presented by members of the assembly during the preparation of gifts. However, sufficient chalices for communicating all should be placed on the altar, then filled before they are consecrated. Alternatively, filled chalices could be brought over from the credence table, and a cruet of wine, or the main chalice for the celebration filled with wine, could be brought forward for the presentation of gifts. Auxiliary chalices should be placed on a corporal, but arranged in such a way that emphasis is given to the one container of bread and the main chalice for the celebration. If palls are needed to keep insects out, there should be sufficient palls for all the chalices. The auxiliary palls need not be taken off during the consecration. Or one may want to design one large pall that could fit over all the auxiliary chalices. (Wooden coasters that fit over the cups might also be considered as an alternative to palls.)

The Lavabo should not be omitted. It is a purification rite for the priest celebrant only. Note that it is a washing of hands, not of fingertips, so the lavabo bowl and towel should be able to accommodate the washing of hands.

Note: Private prayers designated to be prayed in a low voice should not be heard by the assembly.

The assembly should stand after the Lavabo and before the invitation “Pray, brothers and sisters, that our sacrifice ...” If this is not the custom, they will need a simple reminder for a few weeks. Once they have adopted the routine, it is not necessary to direct them to stand.

[Note: Even though the Liturgy of the Eucharist includes the Communion Rite, it will be treated in a separate Pastoral Note.]

Do this in remembrance of me

As we celebrate the Eucharist each Sunday we are faithful to Christ’s command “do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19: 1 Corinthians 11:24). Never in the history of the world has such a liturgical command been obeyed by so many people, under so many diverse circumstances, and in so many ways.

This directive has been followed by popes in Rome and by missionaries in remote areas of the world, by peoples in hamlets, towns, and cities, by powerful monarchs and by unlettered peasants, in prison camps and in majestic cathedrals, by our long forgotten ancestors, by our grandparents, our parents, and by us, Sunday after Sunday, week after week, year after year down through almost 20 centuries. This action of “doing,” of celebrating the Eucharist, has been the most cherished action of the church since its very beginnings.

In this first reflection on the Liturgy of the Eucharist we will consider the general structure of the Eucharist and then mention several major themes which highlight the meaning of its celebration.

The tradition of the Eucharist

Jesus’ words, which we hear at every Mass, were “do this in remembrance of me.” But just what is it that we “do” as we carry out this command. These words of the Lord were said at the Last Supper, which most scholars believe was a Jewish Passover meal. And at this meal celebrated by Christ several actions stand out as especially significant according to the scriptural accounts of the event. The New Testament writers tell us that toward the beginning of the meal Jesus

1. took bread;

2. said a prayer of blessing (i.e., praise) over the bread;

3. broke the bread;

4. and distributed the bread.

Then toward the end of the meal Jesus

5. took a cup of wine;

6. said a prayer of blessing (i.e., praise) over the cup;

7. and shared the contents of the cup.

The early Christian community, conscious of Christ’s example and command, continued these actions of Jesus and did so within a meal setting. And yet there is no reason to believe that the first Christians followed all the ritual details of the Passover meal.

At a very early period a number of factors influenced the shape of the eucharistic celebration. As the numbers of Christians increased, it became more and more difficult to serve a regular meal every week. There is also evidence that certain divisive abuses at times occurred in conjunction with the common meal (cfr. 1 Corinthians 11:18).

Furthermore, as Christianity began to spread into a Gentile milieu, there was a danger that the Eucharist could be confused with meals associated with certain pagan religious and political movements. As a consequence, two major changes took place, perhaps taking place somewhat simultaneously.

First, the Eucharist was gradually separated from the meal: the bread and cup rites to which Christ had given a new meaning in reference to himself were at first celebrated either before or after the meal, and eventually completely apart from the meal.

Second, since there was an evident parallelism existing between the bread rite and the cup rite, a process of ritual simplification took place. The seven actions of Jesus became four actions. Bread and wine were “taken” and placed on the table together; one prayer of praise to God was offered over the bread and wine together; the bread was then broken; and finally the eucharistic bread and wine were distributed at the same time. This four-action shape of the Eucharist has been preserved to this day.

1. PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS — taking of bread and wine.

2. EUCHARISTIC PRAYER — praise of God over the bread and wine.

3. COMMUNION RITE

Preparation — the breaking of the bread.

Distribution — the giving and receiving of the consecrated bread and wine.

At Sunday Mass we are faithful to Christ’s command when we make ready the altar and gifts for what is to come, when we praise the Father in the eucharistic prayer, when we break bread as a preparation for sharing at the table of the Lord. Throughout the centuries many embellishments (i.e., auxiliary prayers, actions and gestures) were added within this basic framework. And yet these additions, many of which were reordered or modified as a result of the Second Vatican Council, must never cause us to lose sight of what is basic when we gather in obedience to Christ’s command.

Meaning of the Eucharist

So rich is the meaning of the Eucharist that it can be viewed from any number of aspects. Space allows us to focus on only eight of them.

Banquet of the church: The Eucharist is a meal, a banquet in which the church shares at the table of the Lord. It is an eating and a drinking together that is done without speed and efficiency, so different from our fast-food meals common today. As we take time to be with one another and the Lord, we are nourished to become one people by receiving the sacramental body and blood of the Lord.

Sacrifice of Christ and the church: In the Eucharist the church enters into the total self-giving of Christ. The sacrifice of the cross is made present and perpetuated till Christ comes again. We enter into this sacrifice by our surrender to Christ, by our dedication to doing the will of God.

Memorial of Christ: The word “memorial” or “memory might be misleading to some who understand the term to mean just a “recalling” of something that took place centuries ago. By celebrating the Eucharist, however, we do much more. We enter the timelessness of God in order to be touched and changed by God’s loving action which extends beyond the past and into the future. We share in what Christ once did; we continually experience it anew. What was once accomplished lasts till the present and is the basis for our hope that Christ will indeed come again.

Sign of the Kingdom: The Eucharist is a sign foreshadowing the eternal banquet in heaven to which we are all invited. By participating in the Eucharist we anticipate that day when we shall enjoy eternal communion with the Lord. For this reason the Eucharist is called a “pledge of future glory given to us” (Feast of Corpus Christi, Evening Prayer II, Antiphon for the Canticle of Mary).

Transformation: It is our strong belief that at Mass the material elements of bread and wine are changed, are transformed into Christ’s body and blood. This belief is grounded in the very words of Christ “this is my body,” “this is my blood.” It is also our belief that the purpose of this change is that we too may be changed or transformed into one people, into the body of Christ on earth, into a people who know that we have been redeemed and made holy by the saving action of Christ.

Our central action: The Eucharist is our central sacrament. We are called to celebrate it every week. And in that celebration we are nourished and shaped as church. Thus the Eucharist is at the center of our lives as Christians. It is an affirmation of what we believe and the nourishment that enables our belief.

A Sunday celebration: Although through venerable tradition the Eucharist has come to be celebrated on weekdays, it is especially on Sunday, the Day of the Lord, that the church has constantly gathered to do what Jesus did. The Sunday Eucharist has been the hallmark of the church. It has even been said that Christians have a right to the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. But due to lack of ordained priests, Sunday services without the celebration of the Eucharist are becoming more common. Yet this can never be considered the norm. The norm, as is evident from the command of Christ, is for the whole Eucharist to be celebrated, including the eucharistic prayer.

A call to justice and peace: The whole life of Jesus was one of self-giving, an action which reached its high point in the giving over of his body and the pouring out of his blood on behalf of the world. Our own sharing in the Eucharist then demands that we follow his example, giving ourselves as reconcilers and peacemakers.