| The First Eucharistic Prayer is lengthy and ponderous.Its repetitive structure so differs from the other prayers that it canbe hard to follow. Yet throughout our history as a church, the Roman ritehas used no other eucharistic prayer more frequently. Inspired by St. Ambrosein the fourth century, it became the only eucharistic prayer permissiblein the Roman liturgy until the Second Vatican Council. Having no prefaceof its own, it accepted one chosen for the feast, season, or occasion.The rest of the prayer remained unchanged since about the seventh centuryand assumed the title "canon" because it was the only one. Now because we have so many eucharistic prayers, it is less accurateto call any of them a "canon." The prayer balances across the account of the Last Supper. We pray forthe living in the first half, for the dead in the second. We ask intercessionfrom some saints in the first half, and from others in the second. Theprayer never included an explicit appeal to the Holy Spirit, which causedsome controversy among the Eastern rites noted for their devotion to thethird person of the Trinity. Consequently, every single eucharistic prayerapproved since Vatican II includes an explicit "epiclesis" -- a requestfor the Holy Spirit to change the bread and wine into the Body and Bloodof Christ. Although fixed in form, Prayer I offers internal options. The prefaceschange. The lists of the saints may be abbreviated. Many subsections concludewith an optional formula: "Through Christ our Lord. Amen." Prayer I alsopermits a special acknowledgment of some feasts such as Christmas, HolyThursday, and Easter.
Before Vatican II, Pope John XXIII authorized one last change to theRoman canon: He included Joseph among the list of saints. A few years afterthe council, the memorial acclamation was added as well. Eucharistic PrayerI is admittedly hard to follow, but its endurance gives testimony to thetimelessness of the Catholic faith. What do YOU Think?
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Paul
Turner, pastor of St. Munchin Parish in Cameron, MO, holds a doctorate
in sacramental theology from Sant' Anselmo University in Rome. | |
