Message from Fr. Con

REFLECTION FOR FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT ( YEAR C)

WEEK BEGINNING 6 APRIL 2025

In these Reflections for Lent on the parts of the Holy Mass, we have now reached Part 5 of 6: the Preface & Eucharistic Prayer. The Preface is so-called because it literally prefaces i.e. ‘faces before’ the Eucharistic Prayer, into which it leads – this is the very heart of the Mass.
The Preface is a thanksgiving prayer to God the Father. It ends by joining us with the angels in heaven, praising and thanking God with the ‘Holy, Holy, Holy …’ prayer (the ‘Sanctus’).
The Eucharistic Prayer that follows will be any one from a choice of 4, with the opening words being in praise of God. Then will come THE ‘EPICLESIS’ (Greek for ‘calling down upon’) i.e. the priest now places his hands, side-by-side, over the bread and wine, calling down the Holy Spirit to change them into the Body and Blood of Our Lord. The priest then relates the words of Jesus at the Last Supper, over both species. The wondrous miracle of CONSECRATION has now been effected by the Holy Spirit. The priest proclaims the ‘Mystery of Faith’ and the people respond with the set words on the missalette.
The remaining part of the Eucharistic Prayer is quite naturally characteristic of praise and of thanksgiving. It gives the opportunity for a named mention for one or more deceased souls for whom there has been a Mass request. In conclusion to the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest will then raise the Sacred Host and Chalice to God the Father.
Jesus’ once-for-all self-sacrifice on Mt. Calvary is re-presented to His Father sacramentally at every Mass. This is the miracle of TRANSUBSTANTIATION which is brought about by the Holy Spirit. Only God could change bread and wine into God.
At every Mass, therefore, we are witnesses to the greatest imaginable miracle. After Consecration, the contents of the chalice equal the contents of the consecrated cup at the Last Supper, just as the consecrated altar breads have become truly the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ.