In case you haven’t noticed, we Catholics like to pray…a lot. We pray not only for ourselves, but for each other, so it’s no surprise that we felt like having another chance to pray WITHIN the larger context of the Eucharistic Prayer. The next part of the Eucharistic Prayer is the Intercessions…that’s a fancy-schmancy word for “prayers.” Now, these are not to be confused with the General Intercessions that came after the Profession of Faith (Nicene Creed) earlier in the Mass. These intercessions are worded in a way to remind us that the prayer we make in the Sacrifice of the Mass is made in communion (Ooooooh..! See that clever, theological play on words, there?) with the whole Church in Heaven and on earth. We also show through these prayers that the offering we make at Mass is for the Church and ALL its members, both living and dead who are called to share in the Salvation Christ gives us through HIS sacrifice. So let’s look at how this prayer is spelled out in Eucharistic Prayer II.
Current Text:
Lord, remember your Church throughout the world; make us grow in love together with _____ our Pope, ______ our bishop, and all the clergy.
Remember our brothers and sisters who have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again; bring them and all the departed into the light of your presence. Have mercy on us all, make us worthy to share eternal life with Mary, the virgin Mother of God, with the apostles, and with all the saints who have done our will throughout the ages. May we praise you in union with them, and give you glory through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Beginning Advent 2011:
Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity, together with ______ our Pope and ______ our Bishop and all the clergy.
Remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection and all who have died in your mercy; welcome them into the light of your face. Have mercy on us all, we pray, that with the blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, with the blessed Apostles, and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to be co-heirs to eternal life, and may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Obviously the priest doesn’t say “blank” at those blanks, but inserts the name of the current Pope (Pope Benedict XVI at the time of this post), and the bishop of the diocese where the Mass is being celebrated. Also, notice that THIS is where the Mass outlines for us to pray for the dead…not at the General Intercessions that occur earlier in the Mass. In fact, in Masses for the dead, there is another little paragraph that can be inserted after praying for the Pope, bishop, and all the clergy:
Current Text:
Remember ______, whom you have called from this life. In baptism he (she) died with Christ: may he (she) share his resurrection.
Beginning Advent 2011:
Remember your servant ______, whom you have called from this world to yourself. Grant that he (she) who was united with your Son in a death like his, may also be one with him in his Resurrection.
I have heard this little extra prayer occasionally thrown in at a Sunday Mass by a priest when a member of a parish has recently died, and has not yet had a funeral Mass. As to the “correctness” of doing this, I can’t find anything saying it SHOULDN’T be done, and I don’t think God minds if we say a few extra prayers at this point for someone’s soul. But that’s just my thought. Any priests out there that want to weigh in on the subject, please do.
So anyway, remember that the word Eucharist means “thanksgiving.” Also, the word Communion, which is what receiving the Eucharist is commonly called, indicates that receiving the Eucharist brings us into COMMUNION with each other in the Church, meaning that we realize that we are all part of the larger Body of Christ, the Church Community. That’s what these Intercessions in the Eucharistic Prayer are designed to remind us. We are all part of the Church, whether our souls are still partnered with our mortal bodies here on earth (i.e. we’re alive), or our souls have left these mortal bodies to live with God in the eternity of Heaven (i.e. we’re dead). So here in the Intercessions we pray for the members of the Church, the leaders of the Church, and those members of the Church who have already passed away. We also pray that the members of the Church will ultimately get to Heaven where we will praise God forever and live in eternal Glory with Him.
Well, that’s about it. Nothing more to see…move it along, folks…until next post where we’ll just keep on keepin’ on through the Eucharistic Prayer.
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