Unit 3 Sacraments - The Eucharist

Offertory

Members of the congregation bring gifts of bread and wine and donations to the altar: The Offertory, or Collection, at Mass is an integral part of the Sunday liturgy, not just because it is the primary means by which the parish receives financial support from the parishioners, but because it is also an expression of our gratitude to God for the blessings He has given us to return a portion of them back Him for use by his Church

Eucharistic Prayer

The primary prayer of the Liturgy of the Eucharist which contains several parts which includes the Acclamation, Epiclesis, Consecration, Anamnesis, Intercessions and the Final Doxology

Acclamation

The people join in the song of the angels in Heaven and sing the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy...) a sign that the Liturgy is the union of Heaven and earth

Consecration

The epicenter and climax of the Eucharistic Prayer: The priest repeats the words of Our Lord, “This is my Body ... This is is the chalice of my Blood”, and the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ: At this moment the substance of bread and wine are changed into the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ while the appearance of bread and wine remains the same: this change is known as transubstantiation

Anamnesis..

The Church recalls the suffering, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus as the same event is actually made present in the Holy Eucharist

Intercessions

The Church shows its unity with the souls in Purgatory by praying that all who sleep in Christ find happiness in the presence of God

Final doxology

The end of the Eucharistic Prayer with a praise to God for all his gifts and blessings

The Lord’s Prayer

The people join together to pray the prayer that Jesus taught us: The Our Father

Rite of Peace

Because the Eucharist is a sign of unity in Christ, the members of the congregation greet one another with a sign of peace before approaching the Eucharistic Feast

Breaking of the Bread

The Host is broken in a small piece and placed in the Chalice signifying the unity of the church

Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)

The congregation acknowledges that Jesus is the Lamb of God whose sacrifice is the source of the forgiveness of our sins and our salvation, and asks for his mercy

Final dismissing and Blessing

The Mass concludes with a blessing and a command to go forth into the world as witnesses to the love of Christ whom we have received:

Gloria

A prayer of praise for the blessed Trinity.

General intercessions

Prayers for individuals, the Church and the World.

Readings from scripture

Includes the Responsorial Psalm and the Gospel.

Homily

The Priest’s commentary on the readings.

Veneration of the Altar

Includes kissing the alter; may include incensing the altar.

Preparation of the Mass

Blessing onself with holy water and genuflecting before the tabernacle in recognition of the Presence of Jesus.

Entrance

The solemn procession that begins the mass.

Penitential Rite

The Confiter and Kyrie Eleison

Profession of Faith

The Nicene Creed.

Opening Prayer

A prayer summarizihng the intentions for the feast or particular celebration of the day.

Eucharist

From the Greek for "thanksgiving"; also called the Mass or Lord's Supper. It is the principal sacramental celebration of the Church, established by Jesus at the Last Supper, in which the mystery of salvation through participation in the sacrificial Death and glorious Resurrection of Christ is renewed and accomplished. The term applies to the species of bread and wine consecrated during the Mass.

Passover

Jewish Feast commemorating the deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

Blood of the Covenant

The term refers to the establishment of the covenant between God and Israel; in the Old Testament, it was the blood of the sacrificed young bull sprinkled on the altar to seal the Mosaic Covenant; in the New Testament, it is Jesus own Blood shed for our sins.

Paschal Lamb

In the Old Testament, the sacrificial lamb shared at the Passover Meal on the night the Israelites escaped from Egypt; in the New Testament, the Paschal Lamb is Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God who dies on a cross to take away "the sin of the world."

Cup of Consummation

The last or fourth cup in the Passover meal that Jesus left untouched but finally drink when he was on the cross to link the Eucharist with his sacrificial death on the cross.

New Covenant

"The new order established by Jesus at the Last Supper to succeed and perfect the Old Covenant.

Garden of Gethsemane

The place where Jesus agonized over his (fourth cup) i.e. his impending Passion and Death.

Manna

Food God miraculously provided for the Israelites in the wilderness; it was a type or prefigure of the Eucharist.

Adoration

Worship; the humble acknowledgment by human beings that they are creatures of a thrice-holy Creator.

Anaphora

The Eucharistic prayer that is prayed by the priest at Mass.

Benediction

A prayer calling upon God's power and care upon a person, place, thing, or undertaking.

Communion

The reception of the Body and Blood of Christ during the Eucharist, which gives the Church the unity of Jesus/We partake in the sacrificial feast and are transformed into the Body of Christ: We become what we eat

Epiclesis

The calling down of the Holy Spirit during Mass, as the priest extends his hands over the gifts of bread and wine.

Covenant

A solem promise binding the participants and fortified by an oath, expressed either in words or in ritual action.

Excommunication

A censure by means of which a person is excluded from the communion of the faithful in response to a grave, habitual, public sin.

Koinonia

The Greek word for "communion"; it refers to bond of union with Jesus and all baptized with one another in Christ.

Ite, Missa Est

The Latin for "Go you are sent", said at the end the Mass, from which the word Mass is derived.

Missal

Sometimes called a Sacramentary, a liturgical book which contains the prayers of the Mass for the use of the priest at the altar.

Missalette

A booklet for the use of the laity which generally contains the prayers, songs, and Scripture readings used at Mass.

Monstrance

A vessel of precious metal used for exposing the Blessed Sacrament for adoration.

Real Presence

The unique and true presence of the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ in the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine; also called Sacramental or Eucharistic Presence.

Spiritual Communion

A conscious, burning desire to receive Holy Communion when unable to do so physically.

State of Grace

Is the condition of a soul as it should be before God, having no unconfessed mortal sins. This is a requirement for receiving most of the Sacraments.

Tabernacle

An ornamented receptacle in the church in which the consecrated Eucharist is reserved for Communion for the sick and dying as well as for adoration. In the Old Testament, it was a special Tent, God Dwelling Place containing the Ark of the Covenant and other sacred items.

Transubstantiation

A philosophical term used to designate the unique change of the entire substance of the Eucharistic bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.

Victim

A living being sacrificed to a deity in the performance of a religious ritual. For Christians, it is Jesus.

Eucharistic Fast

Refraining from food or drink except water or medicine for one hour before receiving Holy Communion.

botb

The earliest name for the Eucharist in the Early Church.

The Divine Liturgy

The term for the Mass in the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church.

Mass of the Catechumens

Another name for the Liturgy of the Word because in the early Church, the catechumens were invited to participate in this part of the Mass and were dismissed at the end of it.

Iconostasis

A screen of icons in churches of the Eastern Rite separating the people from the sanctuary which reinforces the idea that in the Eucharist, the people are approaching the altar of Heaven and communion with the saints.

Road to Emmaus

One of the post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus in which Jesus veiled his glory from two of his disciples, illustrating the two parts of the Mass: Jesus explained and interpreted the Scriptures to them along the road - the Liturgy of Word and Jesus broke the bread and vanished- the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Anamnesis

A part of the Eucharistic Prayer after the Consecration in which the Church recalls Christ's Passion, Death and Resurrection made present at the consecration.

Confiteor

A term meaning "I confess;" a prayer said during the Penitential Rite at Mass.

Kyrie Eleison

Greek for "Lord have mercy;" a prayer said during the Penitential Rite at Mass.

pen Rite

The part of the Mass where we admit that we are sinners and ask God and our neighbor for forgiveness.

Liturgy

The official public prayer and worship of the Church through which Christ our High Priest continues the work of our redemption through the Church's celebration of the Paschal Mystery.

Altar

The center and focal point of a sanctuary, where the sacrifice of the cross is made present during the Mass.

Blessed Sacrament

A name given the Holy Eucharist reserved in the tabernacle for adoration, or for the sick.

Paschal Mystery

Christ's work of redemption accomplished through His Passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension.

Bread of Life Discourse

Jesus' most controversial teaching about his true presence in the Eucharist.

Sancturary Lamp

A lamp usually lit near the tabernacle to show the Blessed Sacrament is reserved there.

Collect

The opening prayer of the Mass. It concludes the Introductory Rites and precedes the Liturgy of the Word.

Eucharistic Procession

A solemn carrying of the Eucharist in a monstrance, usually accompanied by song, incense, and many of the faithful, to show reverence for the Real Presence of Christ.

Eucharistic Adoration

A type of prayer that involves sitting in quiet in front of the consecrated host. Since Christ is truly present in the host, this prayer connects us to Jesus in a special way.