In the middle of the Eucharistic Prayer, we have the account of what Jesus did at the Last Supper. It tells us what he did and what he said.
As we have seen over the last few weeks, what he did structures the shape of the whole Liturgy of the Eucharist in the repetition of his actions of taking the bread and wine, blessing the Father over them, breaking the bread and giving the bread and wine to his disciples.
The words which he says to accompany these actions tell us the meaning of what he is doing. Originally in those words, he was handing himself over to his death the next day in which his body would be given and his blood shed in the course of his death on the cross.
As we celebrate the Eucharist, those words are now directed to us by the Risen Lord. His death was his passing over into the new life of the resurrection. Now it is he, as the risen Lord, who says those words to us as we gather around the table of the Eucharist. These words express the gift he gives of himself to us now.
When we hear those words, we take them to ourselves and open ourselves to this gift of himself to us. These words are more important than the elevation of the host and the chalice which follows them precisely because they are the words in which he now offers the gift of himself to us. (This is why bells are not always used at the consecration – they don’t put sufficient emphasis on the part of the Mass which is the more important, that is the repetition of the words which express Jesus’ gift of himself to us).
We receive that gift of himself to us as we go to receive holy communion.
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Mike Lescai says:
Thanks Fr Frank
A wonderful insight, again. The ringing of the bells was an area of specific interest. Thank you.