The Mass Series: Prayers of the Faithful + Preparation of the Gifts
Prayer of the Faithful
The Liturgy of the Word ends with the Prayer of the Faithful or Universal Prayer, also called ‘Bidding Prayers’ in the Roman Missal.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal explains that in the Prayer of the Faithful the people exercise the office of their baptismal priesthood by offering prayers to God for the salvation of all (# 69). The early Church took this so seriously that only the baptised were allowed to be present for this part of Mass.
As the name ‘Prayer of the Faithful’ indicates, it is the prayer of the gathered members of the assembly, the Body of Christ, not of the presider, nor the person who composed or reads them, nor someone who has provided pre-prepared intercessions.
The Prayer of the Faithful is actually not a prayer addressed to God at all but a series of intentions that worshippers are invited to pray for. The General Instruction sets out the sequence of these intentions: the needs of the Church, public authorities and the salvation of the world, those burdened by any difficulty, the local community (# 70).
The pattern of the Prayer of the Faithful is:
The petitions of the Prayer of the Faithful make a connection between the Eucharist and life, so they must flow from the day-to-day lives of people in the community and from what is happening in the universal Church and in the world.
Pre-prepared sets of intercessions take away the right and responsibility of the local community to offer its own prayers of petition to God. There are always people who will take the easy option if it is offered, but like a diet of pre-packaged meals instead of home cooking, it is not what is best for our spiritual well-being.
As with all the elements that make up the Liturgy of the Word, the pattern of the Prayer of the Faithful is one of dialogue – between reader and listener, between God and us.
Preparation of the Gifts
The Liturgy of the Word at Mass is followed by the ‘Preparation of the Offerings’, or what the 1970 Missal called ‘Preparation of the Gifts’. Both terms are better than the old name ‘The Offertory’ because they more clearly describe the purpose of the rite: to prepare the altar, the bread and wine and the assembly for the offering that takes place during the Eucharistic Prayer.
To use the term ‘offertory’ for this part of the Mass suggests that it is when the sacrifice is offered, whereas it is during the Eucharistic Prayer that Jesus self-offering is recalled and re-presented. We are joined to Christ’s sacrifice when, as members of the body of Christ, the Church, we offer the consecrated bread and wine to the Father.
This might sound like nit-picking, but being careful to use the correct terminology in liturgy can help over time to shape the assembly’s understanding of what we are doing at worship.
The Preparation of the Offerings/Gifts has a long history. In the early Church, people brought bread and wine from home and gave them to the presider to use in the celebration of the Eucharist. They also contributed other gifts of food or money to help the work of the Church. It was a concrete way for everyone to participate in the real offering of the Mass.
The primary elements of the Preparation of the Offerings are the bringing forward of the gifts, placing the gifts on the altar and the prayer said over them. Other elements such as an accompanying song are secondary.
The procession with the gifts by members of the assembly is a powerful expression of the assembly’s participation in the eucharistic action. The General Instruction mentions only bread, wine and money (or other gifts for the poor and the Church) in the procession. It is a procession of gifts: you can’t take them back again afterwards! Other objects can be included in the entrance procession if they are of sufficient liturgical significance.
The Order of Mass says this about the prayers of preparation over the bread (and wine):
“The priest, standing at the altar, takes the paten with the bread and, holding is slightly raised above the altar, says inaudibly: ‘Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation…..’. Then he places the paten with the bread on the corporal. If no offertory song is sung, the priest may say the preceding words in a low voice; then the people may respond: ‘Blessed be God for ever’.”
After the priest has washed his hands and the music is finished, he invites the people to join in prayer: ‘Pray, brothers and sisters that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father’. After the people stand and respond, the presider sings or says the Prayer over the Offerings, a collect which is part of the Proper of the Mass, meaning that it varies for each Mass.
The Liturgy of the Word ends with the Prayer of the Faithful or Universal Prayer, also called ‘Bidding Prayers’ in the Roman Missal.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal explains that in the Prayer of the Faithful the people exercise the office of their baptismal priesthood by offering prayers to God for the salvation of all (# 69). The early Church took this so seriously that only the baptised were allowed to be present for this part of Mass.
As the name ‘Prayer of the Faithful’ indicates, it is the prayer of the gathered members of the assembly, the Body of Christ, not of the presider, nor the person who composed or reads them, nor someone who has provided pre-prepared intercessions.
The Prayer of the Faithful is actually not a prayer addressed to God at all but a series of intentions that worshippers are invited to pray for. The General Instruction sets out the sequence of these intentions: the needs of the Church, public authorities and the salvation of the world, those burdened by any difficulty, the local community (# 70).
The pattern of the Prayer of the Faithful is:
- The presider begins by addressing the faithful and inviting them to pray.
- The intentions are read out, using a form of words such as “Let us pray for/We pray that…”. They are invitations to prayer announced to the assembly, not prayers addressed to God, so the words ‘you’ and ‘your’ are not used. Petitions should be brief, few in number and simply constructed.
- The faithful pray about the announced intentions in the pause that follows each one.
- After a cue (e.g. “Lord, hear us”), the community responds together (e.g. “Lord, hear our prayer”).
- The presider concludes with a collect that sums up the prayer of the assembly.
The petitions of the Prayer of the Faithful make a connection between the Eucharist and life, so they must flow from the day-to-day lives of people in the community and from what is happening in the universal Church and in the world.
Pre-prepared sets of intercessions take away the right and responsibility of the local community to offer its own prayers of petition to God. There are always people who will take the easy option if it is offered, but like a diet of pre-packaged meals instead of home cooking, it is not what is best for our spiritual well-being.
As with all the elements that make up the Liturgy of the Word, the pattern of the Prayer of the Faithful is one of dialogue – between reader and listener, between God and us.
Preparation of the Gifts
The Liturgy of the Word at Mass is followed by the ‘Preparation of the Offerings’, or what the 1970 Missal called ‘Preparation of the Gifts’. Both terms are better than the old name ‘The Offertory’ because they more clearly describe the purpose of the rite: to prepare the altar, the bread and wine and the assembly for the offering that takes place during the Eucharistic Prayer.
To use the term ‘offertory’ for this part of the Mass suggests that it is when the sacrifice is offered, whereas it is during the Eucharistic Prayer that Jesus self-offering is recalled and re-presented. We are joined to Christ’s sacrifice when, as members of the body of Christ, the Church, we offer the consecrated bread and wine to the Father.
This might sound like nit-picking, but being careful to use the correct terminology in liturgy can help over time to shape the assembly’s understanding of what we are doing at worship.
The Preparation of the Offerings/Gifts has a long history. In the early Church, people brought bread and wine from home and gave them to the presider to use in the celebration of the Eucharist. They also contributed other gifts of food or money to help the work of the Church. It was a concrete way for everyone to participate in the real offering of the Mass.
The primary elements of the Preparation of the Offerings are the bringing forward of the gifts, placing the gifts on the altar and the prayer said over them. Other elements such as an accompanying song are secondary.
The procession with the gifts by members of the assembly is a powerful expression of the assembly’s participation in the eucharistic action. The General Instruction mentions only bread, wine and money (or other gifts for the poor and the Church) in the procession. It is a procession of gifts: you can’t take them back again afterwards! Other objects can be included in the entrance procession if they are of sufficient liturgical significance.
The Order of Mass says this about the prayers of preparation over the bread (and wine):
“The priest, standing at the altar, takes the paten with the bread and, holding is slightly raised above the altar, says inaudibly: ‘Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation…..’. Then he places the paten with the bread on the corporal. If no offertory song is sung, the priest may say the preceding words in a low voice; then the people may respond: ‘Blessed be God for ever’.”
After the priest has washed his hands and the music is finished, he invites the people to join in prayer: ‘Pray, brothers and sisters that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father’. After the people stand and respond, the presider sings or says the Prayer over the Offerings, a collect which is part of the Proper of the Mass, meaning that it varies for each Mass.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
1. What did you here/see/experience that you were challenged by?
2. What do you need to know more about?
3. What surprised/challenged you?
Use a Plus Minus Interesting strategy to watch the films and read the text. Use the reflection questions to focus your discussion,
1. What did you here/see/experience that you were challenged by?
2. What do you need to know more about?
3. What surprised/challenged you?
Use a Plus Minus Interesting strategy to watch the films and read the text. Use the reflection questions to focus your discussion,
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