presentation of the gifts prayer

Mass – Preparation Of The Gifts

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Explanation of the Mass - The Preparation of the Gifts

The Liturgy of the Eucharist begins with the preparation of the gifts. The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist are not two different acts of worship, but two moments of one same mystery. The change from the Liturgy of the Word to the Liturgy of the Eucharist is well marked by the movement of the minister leaving his seat he goes to the altar, which is reserved for the sacrifice.

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Presentation of the Gifts: A Significant Moment in Our Prayer

Occasionally, you might hear someone jokingly refer to “halftime” during Mass — the interval following the Prayers of the Faithful, as the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins. It can be easy, even tempting, to zone out as you sit, waiting for the collection basket to make its way to your pew.

But if you pay attention, you’ll have the opportunity to enter into something deeper — a significant moment in our prayer.

It’s mentioned by St. Justin Martyr, one of the earliest Christian writers, when describing the Mass in the second century, “Bread is brought up and wine and water…”

This practice, of people bringing up the gifts, has been part of our Catholic tradition from the very beginning. Although we might think of this action as being merely practical, in reality, it serves a much deeper spiritual purpose.

Each Sunday Mass, someone is chosen, whether an usher, or another member of the parish, to bring forward “the gifts” — bread, wine, and, in many cases, the collection of money that has been gathered moments before, from the generosity of the congregation. These gifts not only symbolize, but also in reality, are the work of human hands. The bread and wine are fruit of God’s creation, which, through the effort of human hands, are made into the gifts that we present to the Lord.

Certainly, the collection that is presented to the priest also serves to represent the work and sacrifices of the previous week. Sharing our monetary “treasures” is one of the ways that we embrace stewardship. It’s an opportunity to generously give back to the Lord, from the fruit of our work.

In his book What Happens At Mass , Fr. Jeremy Driscoll, OSB explains, “We should not think of the collection of money at this point as some sort of banal, dirty but necessary affair. Money is our work. Money is hours of our lives. And now we give it away, we sacrifice it, for the work of the Church.”

In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul instructs Christians to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1).

The physical act of carrying the gifts forward to the priest is meant to serve as a tangible reminder of the fact that we are all called to stewardship. We are all called to present to God our lives — our work, our talents, the struggles and victories of the past week — as an offering and gift to God.

Those who bring forward the gifts each week have the privilege and responsibility of remembering what their action represents — that we are called to give generously of our time, talent, and treasure to God, who gives us His very self, at Mass. And for those sitting in the pews, tempted to “check out” for a few minutes, seeing the gifts being brought forward should serve as a powerful reminder to offer our lives back to God, through serving and honoring Him.

So next week, don’t just sit back and wait for “halftime.” Come to Mass a few minutes early and approach an usher to ask if you and/or your family may bring up the gifts that week. Don’t be surprised if you start to notice a change in your heart and a desire to be even more generous with God in the coming week!

The Preparation of the Gifts and the Altar, Part I

The preparation of the altar and the gifts in the Missal of Paul VI differs significantly in theology and in ceremony from the offertory elements of the Missal of John XXIII. Nevertheless, many, though not all, of the directives found in the former rubrics can help structure this part of Mass in a way which is both dignified and graceful. In so doing, the “traditional practice of the Roman Rite” mentioned in no. 42 of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) can enrich today’s celebrations of the Novus Ordo .

After the conclusion to the prayers of the faithful, the celebrant sits and the deacon goes directly from the place where he offered the intentions to the credence table or to the altar. According to long-standing custom, the credence table will be placed to the celebrant’s right as he faces the altar (whether celebrating ad orientem or versus populum ). The deacon is joined at the credence table by servers. If convenient, the deacon may bring the chalice from the credence table to the altar (GIRM 171b, 171e, 178), or he may wait at the altar for an instituted acolyte or other server to bring it to him there (GIRM 190). Customarily, the chalice is “vested,” that is, the chalice has with it a purificator, a paten with a host, a pall, a veil of the same material and color as the vestments of the day (or may be white, GIRM 118), and a burse containing a corporal. In the absence of a burse (which is not mentioned in the GIRM or in the Order for Mass , although its use is eminently practical), the corporal lays on the pall under the veil (See A. Mutel and P. Freeman, Cérémonial de la Sainte Messe , Artège, 110). When carrying the vested chalice, the deacon or server holds it by the node in his left hand, with his entire right hand resting flat on top of the veil (or burse) so that nothing falls. He carries it with the front of the veil (and the burse) facing outward—and he carries nothing else in his hands.

The deacon or the server places the chalice on the right hand corner of the altar, with the front of the veil facing the faithful. If there is a burse, a server may take it off the chalice, hold it open with both hands on either side of the burse so that the deacon can more easily retrieve the corporal (See Mutel and Freeman, 111). The deacon (or in his absence, a server) then unfolds the corporal in the middle of the altar such that its bottom edge will be an inch or two from the edge of the altar. With the folded corporal lying flat at the center of the altar, the deacon begins by unfolding a portion toward the left like a book, then to the right, then the top portion, and finally the bottom portion. The corporal is always unfolded and folded while it lays flat on the altar; it is never folded while held up in both hands over the altar. Alternatively, the deacon takes the burse and lays it flat on the altar with its opening facing to the right. With his left hand, he raises the flap of the burse, and with his right hand extracts the corporal from the burse and then proceeds to unfold the corporal as described above.

The deacon then turns to his right to the chalice, removes the veil, folds it, and places the folded veil (and the burse) in the hands of the server who brought the chalice or who accompanied him to the altar. He folds the veil while it lays flat on the altar; it is never folded while held in both hands above the altar. He places the pall (a roughly 6-inch rigid square that will cover the top of the chalice) near the top right corner of the corporal. He leaves the purificator draped over the chalice to the right side of the altar. The paten with the large host (and other hosts) can remain on the chalice and purificator, or it may be placed on the altar between the chalice and the corporal. (See Mutel and Freeman, 112)

A single additional chalice or ciborium is brought from the credence table to the altar by a server. The deacon places it on the corporal at the top right corner. If additional vessels are needed, beyond merely a single chalice or ciborium, additional corporals might be place on the altar, at first to the right hand side, either at the edge of the main corporal or at some distance from it, and then on the left hand side, away from the missal (See P. Elliott, Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite (Ignatius Press), 100). All the necessary corporals and purificators might be brought to the altar with the principal chalice either in a burse and/or under the chalice veil. Servers can bring additional vessels to the altar in a kind of procession, one behind the other, as the deacon places them in their proper locations, the chalices to his right side, the patens or ciboria to his left. The required purificators (which are used to wipe the rim of the chalice after the precious blood is received by the communicant) are placed near their corresponding chalices, along the edge of the corporal on which they rest. The additional chalices, ciboria, or patens already contain the elements in them which will be consecrated. Ciboria can be brought to the altar with their covers. During Mass, the deacon will have to attend to uncovering them and re-covering them at the proper time. However, the ciboria can also be brought to the altar without their covers, which remain at the credence table. Servers carry no more than one vessel in each hand. It may be preferable, especially with younger servers, for them to carry only one vessel in both hands.

Only after all the vessels are placed on the altar, a server brings the missal from the celebrant’s chair to the altar. Or, he may have brought it to the credence table first in order to place it on its stand or pillow and then proceed to take both to the altar once the preparation of the altar and the gifts is completed. The server brings the open missal (on its stand) to the altar and places it at an angle to the left of the main corporal, and insofar as is possible, off the corporal. The deacon or the server may turn the missal to the preparation of the gifts, if it is not already open to that page.

If there is no deacon assisting the priest for the celebration of Mass, an instituted acolyte or other server properly trained may take the role of the deacon described above. If there is no server suitable for these tasks available, perhaps because of age or stature, the priest himself should go to the altar at the conclusion of the prayers of the faithful to prepare the altar in the manner previously indicated. If there is no procession with the gifts, the celebrant goes directly from his chair to the altar after it has been prepared and bows to it upon arriving (Elliott, 102).

The next post will continue with a description of the postures and gestures involved in carrying out the prayers of preparation for the bread and wine. Many of the traditional practices of the Roman tradition can be helpful in making these gestures as graceful and as efficient as possible.

This is the ninth part of an ongoing series for Adoremus by Monsignor Caron on “Liturgical Traditions,” one that situates the Novus Ordo rites amidst the received liturgical observances, thereby helping us to understand today’s rites in their proper “hermeneutic of reform.” Read the previous parts of the “Liturgical Traditions” series by clicking here .

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Liturgy Matters — Presentation of the Gifts

By Dr. Judy Bullock

What is the significance of the Presentation of the Gifts at Mass?

The congregation is seated. The hospitality ministers take up the collection. Members of the assembly prepare to bring the bread and wine to the altar along with gifts for the poor.

In the early church the people brought the bread they had baked and the wine they had made in their homes for the liturgy. In this way it was clear that these gifts of bread and wine represented the people, “the work of human hands.” Over time this ministry became the purview of specialists, as monasteries and religious communities produced the hosts and wine for Mass.

For those old enough to remember the pre-Vatican II liturgy, you may recall that the priest, usually entering from a side door near the altar, brought the bread and wine to the altar as he entered at the beginning of Mass.

With the liturgical revisions of Vatican II the church recommended a gift procession where members of the congregation carry the bread, wine and gifts for the poor through the assembly to the altar. This ritual sought to recapture the same spiritual intent of the early church liturgy. The procession through the assembly brings attention to this offering, hoping to make it clearer that it comes from all the people.

After the gifts have been placed on the altar and the altar prepared, the priest celebrant prays, “Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.”

The rest of the assembly responds, “May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy church.”

Today if asked what their part in the Presentation of the Gifts includes, many would still say that it is their contribution to the collection. Even though the collection is an important support for the work of the church, it is not the most significant part of this rite.

Our part in this presentation of gifts and preparation for the great Eucharistic Prayer is our intention to offer ourselves to the Father with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the church expresses this intention that the “faithful not only offer this unblemished sacrificial Victim but also learn to offer their very selves, and so day by day to be brought, through the mediation of Christ, into unity with God and with each other, so that God may at last be all in all.”

Our sacrifice is to turn ourselves over to God with a willingness to let go of those things that keep us from being Christlike. We are asked to offer our very lives to the Lord, as a living sacrifice. At Communion, when we receive that very bread and wine that we brought to the altar that has been transformed by the Holy Spirit into the Body and Blood of Christ, we pray that we too may be transformed, one body in Christ.

St. Augustine’s prayer says this very well, “May we become what we receive.”

Dr. Judy Bullock is the director of the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Worship.

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The Presentation of Gifts

From the beginning of our Church, bread and wine have been brought forward by the people for the celebration of the Eucharist. In apostolic times, these gatherings took place in homes and privately-owned meeting rooms, and this presentation of gifts was a simple gesture of placing the bread and wine that would be blessed and shared at the altar. By the 3rd century, deacons assisted by collecting these gifts from the assembly who came forward bringing home-baked bread and flasks of wine. The deacons took some of the bread and wine to the altar. The rest they distributed to the poor who often lingered in the gathering areas of the church throughout the week. As this rite developed, other gifts for the poor and for the work of the church, such as candles, wheat, and grapes, were presented by the assembly.

As the number of people who participated in Communion declined and as the church changed to using unleavened bread, this procession of gifts gradually disappeared. By the 11th century, this presentation of bread and wine by the assembly was replaced by the collection of money. Vatican II restored this simple procession of bread and wine. Today, representative members of the assembly carry forward bread, wine, and gifts for the poor.

Music in Catholic Worship , 46, reminds us that this rite is meant to be very simple and secondary to the Eucharistic Prayer that will follow it.

The purpose of the rite is to prepare bread and wine for the sacrifice. The secondary character of the rite determines the manner of the celebration. It consists very simply of bringing the gifts to the altar, possibly accompanied by song, prayers to be said by the celebrant as he prepares the gifts and the prayer over the gifts. Of these elements the bringing of the gifts, the placing of the gifts on the altar, and the prayer over the gifts are primary. All else is secondary.

Bearing this in mind, we need to be careful that we do not add additional symbols or texts to this rite that would detract from the primary symbols of bread, wine, gifts for the poor, and prayer. It is not always appropriate to present other symbols, nor does a verbal explanation of the symbols contribute to the simple power of this rite. When preparing this ritual, pay attention to the following:

Music must serve the ritual action and never dominate. Although a solo or choral piece can be appropriate here, it cannot stall the flow of the liturgy by being too long in length for the ritual action. Unlike the gathering song, a song during the preparation of the gifts should end once the ritual action is completed.
Consider using an instrumental piece or even silence during this procession.
If a song is sung by the entire assembly at this time, consider inviting the assembly to stand for the last refrain or stanza of the song. This prepares the assembly for the posture of the prayer over the gifts and it subtly changes the energy of the liturgy from the more passive action of preparing the gifts to a more active stance of prayer over those gifts.
Instruct those who carry the gifts forward to hold them high and to walk slowly with purpose to the altar.
Consider having the gifts carried all the way to the altar and there, handed to the presider. The common practice of having the presider and acolytes wait at the foot of the altar to receive the gifts is possibly an unconscious remnant from the times when altar rails separated the faithful from the sanctuary. Of course, be conscious of those who may not be able to walk up steps if you have them around the altar.
Some parishes have revived the ancient practice of inviting the assembly to come forward to place their monetary gifts in baskets near the altar. This helps the assembly be less passive during this rite, it gives children the opportunity to actively participate in caring for the poor and supporting the ministry of the church, it makes our active participation in the work of the church more visible, and it gets people moving who may have been sitting in their pews for some time. Of course, the layout of your church and makeup of your assembly will determine if and how this could be a feasible action for your liturgies.
If you use baskets on poles to collect money from the assembly, consider using instead baskets without the poles. The ushers hand the basket to a person at the end of a pew, and this basket is passed from person to person. This enables the assembly to engage with one another rather than passively sitting and avoiding contact with their neighbor.

As simple as this action is, it can convey a deeper meaning of sacrifice, offering, participation, and discipleship. The “work of our hands” that we present is really us, ourselves. In that bread and wine and in the gifts we give, we place our very lives upon that altar, and we commit to give ourselves to each other, especially the poor. Our participation in presenting the gifts is a sign of our commitment to become what we will soon share—the Body and Blood of Christ.

Celebrating Eucharist Chapter 10 – The Preparation of the Gifts

The people and presiding priest prepare the table and set bread and wine on it.

Every significant Jewish meal involved seven actions: (1) bread was taken, (2) a prayer of blessing was said over it, (3) it was broken, and (4) it was shared; then there was a common meal; then (5) a cup of wine and water was taken, (6) a prayer of thanksgiving, the “Birkat hamazon”, was chanted over it, and (7) all drank from the cup. The Last Supper (whether Passover or chaburah meal) included these seven actions. It is these actions which were given a new significance. When Christians did them, they did them to remember Christ the action of God’s eternal Word in creation, the incarnation, birth, life and ministry of Jesus, his death, resurrection, exaltation, giving of the Spirit, and the promise of his coming in glory.

The separation of the meal from the seven actions contributed to their conflation into the four classical eucharistic actions: (A) bread and wine are taken, (B) a prayer of thanksgiving is made, (C) the bread is broken, and (D) the bread and wine are shared. Of these (A) and (C) are preparatory. The bread and wine are placed upon the holy table in order that the Great Thanksgiving may be offered. The breaking of the bread prepares for the administration of communion. This chapter concentrates on the first of these actions the Preparation of the Gifts.

The altar is best kept as bare as possible until the Preparation of the Gifts, when the focus moves from the lectern to the altar.

Items such as the chalice and paten, purificators, and corporal are not gifts, and so these are not brought forward from the congregation. Before the service they are placed on a credence at the side of the chancel. Traditionally, the water is placed on the credence as well, as it is not the work of human hands. There is no need to use a burse or veil.

The white altar cloth and the candles could be placed on the altar at the time of the Preparation of the Gifts. This highlights the Eucharist as a meal, an aspect often obscured by our inherited architecture and ceremonial. Placing the corporal on the altar may be unnecessary if this practice is adopted as the corporal is a shrunken vestige of an altar cloth. In some churches it is possible to have large candle sticks (or candelabra) next to the altar rather than on it.

There are a variety of ways of taking the collection and bringing forward the gifts. A collection plate may be placed on the oblations table, at the entrance of the nave, with the bread and wine. A food basket could be placed by this table. In this way the people can place their gifts of money and food in the plate and basket as they enter church. These are then presented at the Preparation of the Gifts.

It is easy for the symbolism of objects to be lost when there are too many on the altar. The Prayer Book assumes that there will only be one chalice and one paten on the altar during the Great Thanksgiving in accordance with the symbolism of one bread and one cup. A clear glass pitcher or a flagon with wine may be placed on the altar at the Preparation of the Gifts if more wine will be needed for communion. Further empty chalices and baskets or patens can be brought up as needed at the time of the distribution of communion. The consecrated bread and wine is then placed in these.

Supplementary consecration is normally unnecessary. “Care should be taken to ensure that sufficient bread and wine is placed on the holy table” (page 516). Although the Roman Catholic Church normally reserves the Sacrament, liturgists of that church deprecate the practice of administering from the reserved Sacrament in a Eucharist. Our Prayer Book also emphasizes that people have a right to receive the Sacrament which has been consecrated during that celebration. It highlights the purpose of reservation as being “for the communion of persons not present” (page 516).

Only in the Eucharistic Liturgy Thanksgiving for Creation and Redemption does the Prayer Book require a prayer at the Preparation of the Gifts. The other rites all allow for this preparation to be done without a verbal prayer. This simplifies and clarifies a part of the liturgy which, through centuries of accretions, had developed much complexity.

At the Preparation of the Gifts bread and wine are taken in order that thanks may be offered with them. Any prayer at the Preparation is in danger of anticipating the Great Thanksgiving. It is in the eucharistic prayer that thanks is given and the gifts are “offered” (hence the Greek word for the eucharistic prayer is the “anaphora” the “offering”).

It is because of this that the Roman Missal encourages the priest to pray the prayers during the Preparation of the Gifts quietly rather than aloud. At this point our own Prayer Book seems to depart from modern liturgical consensus when it instructs that “the priest may offer praise for God’s gifts in the following or other appropriate words” (page 420). The prayer which follows obviously derives from the Roman Missal. However, scholarly liturgical opinion would have the Great Thanksgiving as being the prayer in which the priest offered “praise for God’s gifts.” Furthermore, there is no description of what sort of words would be “inappropriate.” In defence of the rubrics it is to be noted that the prayers on page 420 are all optional, and so may normally be omitted.

In some communities there is more ceremony associated with the collection of money than would ever be considered appropriate for the eucharistic bread and wine! In the way that the collection and/or bread and wine is passed from person to person some places may appear to give the impression that the chancel and more especially the sanctuary are clerical spaces which only clergy (or at least those who are robed) may enter. Such practices merit serious reflection.

There is a wide variety of ways of preparing the gifts. The following description is only one of a number of possibilities, and not every celebration needs to be identical.

Having concluded the sign of peace, the presider may return to the presider’s chair while others bring up the gifts from the congregation. Because of the long period of standing which follows, from the beginning of the Great Thanksgiving until coming forward for communion, communities may wish to experiment with being seated during the Preparation of the Gifts. A hymn might be sung (texts need not speak of the bread and wine, nor of offering, they might be joyful, reflect the liturgical season, or speak of community). There might be an anthem, instrumental music, dance, or silence. On occasion (such as Harvest Thanksgiving) the whole community might be involved in a procession, all bringing forward some gift.

The bread, wine, money, and food offerings for the poor are brought forward together. If it was desired to use one of the optional prayers from the Preparation of the Gifts, the presider, still at the presider’s chair, could pray one of these. Certainly those bringing the gifts present them directly to the deacon, priest, or other minister who is preparing the gifts rather than handing them to servers who in turn present them to the deacon or priest. Assigning the presentation of the gifts to a particular group such as children, servers or the ushers, can detract from the realisation that this presentation is on behalf of the whole community.

The deacon, if there is one, or an assisting minister oversees the whole preparation of the table: the covering of the altar with the altar cloth, the positioning of the altar book or cards of the Great Thanksgiving flat on the altar, and the placing of the bread and wine (in chalice and flagon) on the altar. Preferably this minister filled the chalice with the wine and water at the credence. The chalice and paten (or bread basket) are best placed side by side so that they can be seen by all. Placing the chalice on the right of the paten allows it to be close to the deacon who stands to the right of the priest. The chalice is only covered with a pall if there is a danger of flies, for example.

The church’s tradition is that there is nothing on the altar during the Eucharist apart from what is actually needed. Since 1662, however, money has been an exception to this rule in Anglican practice. If the continuation of such a practice is desired, a suggestion is that the money be placed on the altar, but removed to the credence before the Great Thanksgiving begins. An alternative location for the money offering is at the foot of the altar where the food basket could also be placed.

If incense is used, the presider puts some into the thurible and censes the gifts and altar. This may be very effective if done in silence. The deacon or thurifer then censes the ministers and assembly without making hierarchical distinctions. Those in the sanctuary and those in the congregation are censed collectively and in the same way. The thurifer may swing the thurible gently during the Great Thanksgiving and the Lord’s Prayer.

Ritual hand washings were customary at Jewish meals and from earliest times the presider washed the hands immediately before proclaiming the eucharistic prayer.

Someone once said to me, “I have no problem believing that it’s Jesus, it’s believing that it’s bread that I find difficult!” Another time I heard someone explaining, “it’s not supposed to be bread, it’s just supposed to symbolise bread.” In the early church, Christians used the same baking techniques and same ovens for both their daily bread and that which was to be used in the Eucharist. For about a thousand years the bread of the Eucharist was ordinary, leavened bread. Then, in the Western church, there came a growing distinction between the “symbolic” and the “real.” This resulted in changes to the theology of the Eucharist. A dichotomy grew between our daily bread and the “bread of angels,” the “manna from heaven.” The eucharistic presence was too holy to occur in ordinary bread. Furthermore, the growing practice of reservation of the sacrament required the bread to be unleavened.

If what we receive in communion appears neither as bread nor as broken, how can we say that “We break this bread to share in the body of Christ”? If children are not encouraged to receive, and if we don’t share from a common loaf, how can we say “We who are many are one body, for we all share the one bread”?

If wafers are used, it is worth reflecting what clericalism is communicated by distinguishing between “priest’s” and “people’s” wafers. If a larger wafer is used for visibility it is preferable that it is shared with communicants other than the presiding priest.

Using a ciborium or something else that looks like a cup or chalice as a receptacle for the bread confuses the symbolism of eating with drinking. So also does the visible “pouring” of wafers from such a vessel onto (into?) another container. Bread requires a plate, wine a goblet.

Breaking or cutting a loaf before the liturgy (into cubes, for example) also obscures the symbolism. A very exciting ministry for many is the chance to bake the bread for the Sunday Eucharist.

Some Questions

In this chapter the author presents some clear reasons for proposing the ways that the preparation of the gifts may best happen. Some of the reasons for the practice may be unfamiliar. Review these carefully in the light of your own understanding of what you believe this part of the liturgy is designed to achieve. Are there ways that you would like to change your practice? Have other thoughts and ideas come to mind? Who would it be best for you to discuss these with?

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Before you go

The following is the fourth part in a seven-part series on the Mass.

Before moving forward let’s review. One week ago, we saw that the church considers the Liturgy of the Word power-packed. What the liturgy’s actions say, the word of God enacts. Or as the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” says: “The liturgical word and action are inseparable both insofar as they are signs and instruction and insofar as they accomplish what they signify.”

Two weeks ago, we observed how the entrance rites developed in the church’s history. At the time of St. Justin Martyr in A.D. 155, they were very rudimentary (see CCC, 1345), but other parts of Mass, including the procession of gifts, were already being done.

Three weeks ago, we examined some liturgical concepts that are helpful in understanding the Mass, especially how the liturgy makes use of signs and symbols to communicate God’s grace to us.

All three of these – symbols, gifts, and word plus action – are important for the part of the Mass we look at today: preparation of the gifts.

Sometimes this is also called this the “offertory,” but since the bread and wine will be supremely “offered” in the eucharistic prayer, we’ll use the term preferred by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.

Presentation of the gifts assumed great importance in the early church.

St. Cyprian, martyred in Africa in 258, chided those who came to Mass and received the Eucharist but made no offering of their own: “You are wealthy and rich, and do you think that you celebrate the Lord’s Supper, not at all considering the offering? Who comes to the Lord’s Supper without a sacrifice, and yet takes part of the sacrifice which the poor man has offered? Consider in the Gospel the widow. . .”

St. Augustine was impressed by a fifth-century procession of gifts in Rome in which the faithful brought from their own homes things from their kitchen tables. (After handling all the gifts, no wonder the priest had to wash his hands!)

Augustine called this an “admirable exchange” – for their gifts, God gave back Jesus. Our present prayer over the gifts from the sixth day in the octave of Christmas uses Augustine’s language: “Lord, receive our gifts in this wonderful exchange: from all you have given us, we bring you these gifts, and in return, you give us yourself.”

Valid matter. The church uses unleavened bread made only of pure wheat flour and water, and wine only from grapes. Why?

Because that’s what Jesus used. He told us to “do this” in his memory, and if “this” changes too much, we’re no longer following his command.

Even in places of the world where wheat or grapes are scarce, the church still insists that these foodstuffs be imported instead of substituted with local products such as corn flour or rice wine. For persons with celiac disease or alcohol intolerance, the church permits virtually gluten-free hosts and mustum, wine, whose fermentation has been arrested.

Collection of money. Yep, it’s in the Bible. “From the very beginning, Christians have brought, along with the bread and wine for the Eucharist, gifts to share with those in need” (CCC, 1351). Tithing and almsgiving are acts of worship (2 Corinthians 9:10-15) and express not only our desire to help those in need but also our generosity to God.

A $20 bill and a $1 bill are next to each other in a man’s wallet. The $20 bill says, “Isn’t life great! I get to go to the best places: to movies and nice restaurants and the mall.” The $1 bill replies, “Well, I go to church.” (Right about now lots of people are upset with me, while pastors are secretly sighing, “Thank you Father Tom!”)

Made by hand. The ordinary form of Mass uses adapted Jewish “berakah” (blessing) prayers whose words are packed with meaning, even if they’re done silently during the music.

Bread and wine symbolize a wonderful cooperation between God and humans. We lay upon the altar not only creation’s goods but ours, too. The gifts are not mere wheat and grapes, but “the work of human hands.”

Symbolically, that’s us on the altar, offering ourselves to God. In the eucharistic prayer, we will ask God to send the Spirit to change the gifts and change us as well – but, again, I’m getting ahead of myself.

The gift of ourselves is never easy, and the church, knowing that, treats our offerings with great care. The priest places them in a dignified place on the altar, incenses them reverently, and asks God to receive them to himself.

“Pray, sisters and brothers, that our sacrifice” – not only bread and wine, but what they symbolize: our work, struggles, joys, money, our very lives – “may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.”

In the next part of Mass, the great eucharistic prayer, it happens: the Holy Spirit comes down, and as the words of Christ are repeated over the bread and wine . . . Stay tuned!

Father Tom Margevicius is instructor of liturgical theology at St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul.

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The Liturgy of the Eucharist: The Preparation of the Gifts (6)

“pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to god, the almighty father.”.

The bishop or priest invites everyone participating in the liturgy to join their voices to the prayer he’s just said in silence that the offering may be acceptable to God. Together the assembly prays that their sacrifice be pleasing to God and they exercise their baptismal priesthood by offering not just bread and wine, but all their sacrifices since the last celebration of the Eucharist. Whether it’s been a day or a week since our last participation in the Eucharist, this is the moment when we turn the ups and downs of daily life, those little acts of kindness, those great sacrifices for the sake of others, and all our efforts to grow in holiness and virtue into spiritual sacrifices that we hope are pleasing to Our Father, alongside the perfect and pleasing sacrifice of His Son. In this way we exercises a spiritual priesthood that we’ve received through Baptism, even as the bishop or priest exercises a sacramental one through Holy Orders. Maybe in that day or week between participation in the Eucharist we don’t think much about whether what we’re doing can be brought to the altar, but we should. It motivates us to not come to the next celebration of the Eucharist empty handed. The Lord is pleased by even one act of faith, hope, or charity.

“May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.”

In this prayer we’re invited to think big, not just glorifying God, not just asking for our own good, but asking for the benefit of the entire Church. The bigger the stakes, the bigger the sacrifice. Not only are we called to give glory to Glory Himself, the Lord, but to win favor for the entire Church. We make intercession, just as we know our brothers and sisters participating in the Eucharist throughout the world are interceding for us. Priesthood, whether sacramental or spiritual, entails interceding on behalf of others. That’s what transforms our prayers into something beyond a transaction between me and God, just seeking some personal benefit, into something selfless. We don’t just think big for ourselves, we think big for the Church, all our brothers and sisters in the faith who need prayers to grow in holiness and to be strong in the face of adversity, whether material or spiritual. With the stakes so high we must be emboldened in our daily lives to practice the selflessness that truly benefits others. When we keep those we can help in mind it helps us to make the more difficult sacrifices knowing that they’ll bear great spiritual fruit. That spiritual sacrifice helps us to grow in holiness as well.

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PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS

The offertory of the Mass. It is recommended that the faithful bring up the bread and wine, which the priest or deacon receives and places on the altar. While doing this the priest says some prescribed prayers. Money and other gifts for the poor or for the Church may be collected from the faithful at this times and carried to the altar, but placed in some convenient place rather than on the altar itself. The offertory antiphon is to accompany the procession of the gifts, after which the altar may be incensed, rising like a fragrant odor in the sight of God, as a symbol of the prayers and sacrifices of the faithful. Then the priest washes his hands as a sign of his desire for inward purification. Following this he says the familiar Orate Fratres , (Pray, Brethren), in which the faithful are invited to ask that their common sacrifice may be pleasing to God. The Prayer over the Gifts leads into the climax of the Mass.

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ROME, AUG. 25, 2004 (Zenit) - Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University.

Q: For daily Mass my parish priest prepares the chalice before the celebration with the wine and water in the sacristy. So when it is time for the Liturgy of the Eucharist he just takes the chalice with wine and water and continues on with the prayers. Does the Church allow this? -- D.O., Toronto. Is there any reason why the bread and wine are offered with separate prayers at the presentation of gifts at Mass? Is it acceptable for the priest to say one prayer over the bread and wine, combining the two prayers? -- D.C., Carenage, Trinidad and Tobago

A: The practice described of preparing wine and water beforehand is not quite correct, although unfortunately not uncommon in some quarters.

There is no good reason to do so since the time "saved" is minimal. And, of course, saving time is not an overly important criterion in liturgy.

There are certainly times when rites must necessarily be abbreviated, but abbreviation does not imply hastiness.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), No. 73, permits the chalice to be prepared at the credence table rather than at the altar, but always during the preparation of the gifts.

We ask you, humbly, to help.

It is usually preferable, however, to prepare the chalice at the altar so that the faithful may observe the meaningful rite of adding the water to the wine. An earlier column dealt with this rite.

It is possible to prepare additional chalices before large concelebrations. But the preparation of the principal chalice should still preferably be carried out at the altar by the deacon and offered by the main celebrant.

A priest may not take it upon himself to change the liturgical text by offering a single prayer over the gifts just as he may not change other liturgical texts.

The practice of a separate offering of the bread and wine is a long-standing liturgical tradition which is found in one form or another in all the ancient manuscripts of the Roman rite, even though this rite has undergone many changes over time.

Some other rites, such as the Armenian and the ancient Hispanic (or Mozarabic) of Spain, do have a single prayer over both gifts. But, unlike the Roman rite, some of these rites have minute and painstaking ceremonies for preparing the gifts just before Mass begins.

In both ancient documents and in recent commentaries the separate offering of the gifts seems to be taken for granted. There is little reflection as to possible theological or spiritual motivations for this practice.

GIRM 72 however seem to suggest that the reason for this rite is to somehow parallel the separate consecration of the two species and to reflect the gestures of Christ at the Last Supper:

"At the Last Supper Christ instituted the Paschal Sacrifice and banquet by which the Sacrifice of the Cross is continuously made present in the Church whenever the priest, representing Christ the Lord, carries out what the Lord himself did and handed over to his disciples to be done in his memory.

"For Christ took the bread and the chalice and gave thanks; he broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take, eat, and drink: this is my Body; this is the cup of my Blood. Do this in memory of me.' Accordingly, the Church has arranged the entire celebration of the Liturgy of the Eucharist in parts corresponding to precisely these words and actions of Christ:

"1. At the Preparation of the Gifts, the bread and the wine with water are brought to the altar, the same elements that Christ took into his hands."

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From a historical perspective, the separate offerings in the Roman rite would appear to stem from the ancient practice of each member of the faithful, or at least those intending to receive Communion, approaching the sanctuary after the Liturgy of the Word to offer bread and sometimes wine from their homes for the sacrifice.

In most Eastern rites the people left their gifts before Mass in a place designated for this purpose.

The Roman custom led to the development of an elaborate procession of the gifts and to the celebrant and other ministers receiving the gifts separately before placing them on the altar. During this period, however, the gifts were merely received and there were as yet no elevations or offertory prayers.

Once the gifts were paced upon the altar, the celebrant said the prayer over the gifts and then commenced the canon.

As the number of those receiving Communion dropped after the 10th century, the procession gradually disappeared from the liturgy. It has been restored, albeit symbolically, in the present Roman rite.

At the same time, a series of offertory rites, prayers and priestly "apologias" (prayers in which the priest admits his indignity before the celebration of the mystery and still found in the present rite) were added to the rite between the 10th to 13th centuries.

From this time, the rites of preparing the paten and chalice were taken up by the priest and deacon. Always retained were the separate offerings of both species.

Follow-up: Gospel Reflection by a Layperson?

In the wake of the July 27 column on the abuse of lay people giving homilies at Mass, I will take the opportunity to answer a couple of related questions.

A reader from Prague in the Czech Republic asks if the homily is obligatory on weekdays.

The homily is obligatory on Sundays and holy days of obligation at all Masses that are celebrated with the participation of a congregation. On these days it may only be omitted for grave reasons.

Regarding other days, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, No. 66, states: "It is recommended on other days, especially on the weekdays of Advent, Lent, and the Easter Season, as well as on other festive days and occasions when the people come to church in greater numbers."

Therefore a homily is recommended every day although on weekdays it may consist of a brief reflection or even be omitted if, for example, those attending are commuters with limited time.

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A priest from New Zealand asked if it legitimate for a priest to deliver a prepared sermon from a liturgical Internet site instead of preparing his own homily.

The instruction "Redemptionis Sacramentum," No. 67, dwells on the quality of the homily:

"Particular care is to be taken so that the homily is firmly based upon the mysteries of salvation, expounding the mysteries of the Faith and the norms of Christian life from the biblical readings and liturgical texts throughout the course of the liturgical year and providing commentary on the texts of the Ordinary or the Proper of the Mass, or of some other rite of the Church.

"It is clear that all interpretations of Sacred Scripture are to be referred back to Christ himself as the one upon whom the entire economy of salvation hinges, though this should be done in light of the specific context of the liturgical celebration.

"In the homily to be given, care is to be taken so that the light of Christ may shine upon life's events. Even so, this is to be done so as not to obscure the true and unadulterated word of God: for instance, treating only of politics or profane subjects, or drawing upon notions derived from contemporary pseudo-religious currents as a source."

Certainly there are many valuable resources found on the Internet as well as in specialized reviews and books of reflections on the liturgical year.

These may all be profitably used in order to draw insights and inspiration from the sacred texts. But such reflections are usually designed to be read and not delivered orally. They usually read like a scriptural commentary and they are not tailored to the spiritual needs of the specific congregation.

All the same, there is no explicit prohibition of using pre-prepared homilies and in times when the shortage of clergy makes such huge demands on a priest's time they may considerably shorten the time required to prepare a personal homily.

This personalization requires the prayerful mediation of the priest as he tries to weave the insights garnered from others into a cogent whole and applies it to the needs of his faithful.

I personally believe that the priest should start preparing Sunday's homily on the previous Monday morning, preferably by meditating on the texts so that he delivers to others the fruits of his contemplation.

Even when a priest decides to closely follow a prepared text he should strive to assimilate it so that it is delivered from the heart and not consist of mere reading which is rarely efficacious and often fails to move the congregation.

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Recourse to prepared texts should never spring from laziness on the part of a priest as this would also indicate a lack of due care for the spiritual welfare of those entrusted to his pastoral care.

Still, the grace of God is greater than man's weakness. If God was able to deliver a spiritual message through the mouth of Balaam's donkey (Numbers 22:28) then Christ can give spiritual inspiration through an unprepared homily.

As the poet George Herbert said about preachers:

"God calleth preaching folly: do not grudge To pick out treasures from an earthen pot The worst speaks something good; if all want sense God takes a text and preacheth patience"

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The Mass Part 4: Presentation of the gifts

Before moving forward let’s review.

One week ago, we saw that the church considers the Liturgy of the Word power-packed. What the liturgy’s actions say, the word of God enacts, or as the “Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “The liturgical word and action are inseparable both insofar as they are signs and instruction and insofar as they accomplish what they signify.”

Three weeks ago, we examined some liturgical concepts that are helpful in understanding the Mass, especially how the liturgy makes use of signs and symbols to communicate God’s grace to us.

All three of these — symbols, gifts, and word plus action — are important for the part of the Mass we look at today: preparation of the gifts.

— Presentation of the gifts assumed great importance in the early church.

St. Cyprian, martyred in Africa in 258, chided those who came to Mass and received the Eucharist but made no offering of their own: “You are wealthy and rich, and do you think that you celebrate the Lord’s Supper, not at all considering the offering? Who comes to the Lord’s Supper without a sacrifice, and yet take part of the sacrifice which the poor man has offered? Consider in the Gospel the widow . . .”

Augustine called this an “admirable exchange” — for their gifts God gave back Jesus. Our present prayer over the gifts from the sixth day in the octave of Christmas uses Augustine’s language: “Lord, receive our gifts in this wonderful exchange: from all you have given us we bring you these gifts, and in return, you give us yourself.”

— Valid matter. The church uses unleavened bread made only of pure wheat flour and water, and wine only from grapes. Why?

Because that’s what Jesus used. He told us to “do this” in his memory, and if “this” changes too much, we’re no longer following his command.

— Collection of money. Yep, it’s in the Bible. “From the very beginning, Christians have brought, along with the bread and wine for the Eucharist, gifts to share with those in need” (CCC, 1351). Tithing and almsgiving are acts of worship (2 Corinthians 9:10-15) and express not only our desire to help those in need but also our generosity to God.

— Made by hand. The ordinary form of Mass uses adapted Jewish “berakah” (blessing) prayers whose words are packed with meaning, even if they’re done silently during the music.

Symbolically, that’s us on the altar, offering ourselves to God. In the eucharistic prayer, we will ask God to send the Spirit to change the gifts and change us as well — but, again, I’m getting ahead of myself.

“Pray, sisters and brothers, that our sacrifice” — not only bread and wine, but what they symbolize: our work, struggles, joys, money, our very lives — “may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.”

In the next part of Mass, the great eucharistic prayer, it happens: the Holy Spirit comes down, and as the words of Christ are repeated over the bread and wine . . . Stay tuned!

Father Tom Margevicius is instructor of liturgical theology at St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul.

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The Priest in the Offertory of the Mass

A ZENIT DAILY DISPATCH

Reflection by Father Juan José Silvestre Valór

ROME, 19 FEB. 2010 (ZENIT)

This article by Juan José Silvestre Valór, professor of liturgy at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross and consultor to the Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, describes the priest's role in the Offertory of the Holy Mass.

The commentary only takes the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite into consideration, which, in comparison to the Extraordinary Form, has been simplified with regard both to the gestures and the prayers. The article shows the spiritual richness, which is still possible to identify, despite the simplification of the Ordinary Form.

"In the early Church there was a custom whereby the Bishop or the priest, after the homily, would cry out to the faithful: 'Conversi ad Dominum' — turn now toward the Lord. This meant in the first place that they would turn toward the East, toward the rising sun, the sign of Christ returning, whom we go to meet when we celebrate the Eucharist. Where this was not possible, for some reason, they would at least turn towards the image of Christ in the apse, or towards the Cross, so as to orient themselves inwardly toward the Lord.

Fundamentally, this involved an interior event; "conversion," the turning of our soul toward Jesus Christ and thus toward the living God, toward the true light."[1] These words of the Holy Father Benedict XVI permit us to introduce the theme that we would like to focus on: the priest in the Offertory of the Holy Mass.

After the Liturgy of the Word we enter into the Eucharistic Liturgy. As we know, both parts of the Mass "are closely united and form a single act of worship."[2] This part of the Mass begins with the "oblatio donorum," or the presentation of the gifts, the first gesture that the priest, representing Christ the Lord, performs in the Eucharistic Liturgy.[3] This is not a mere interlude between the two parts of the Mass but is rather a moment in which they are unified, without being confused, and so form a single rite. In fact the Liturgy of the Word, which the Church reads and proclaims in the liturgy, leads to the Eucharist.

The Liturgy of the Word is a true discourse, which awaits and demands a response. It has the character of proclamation and dialogue: God who speaks to his people and the people who answer and make the divine Word their own through silence and through song. They adhere to it and profess their faith in the "profession fidei" and, filled with confidence, they present their requests to the Lord.[4] Consequently, the turning of the one who proclaims toward those who listen, and vice versa, imply that it is reasonable that they face each other.[5]

Nevertheless, when the priest leaves the ambo or his seat to ascend to the altar — the center of the whole Eucharistic Liturgy[6] — we prepare ourselves in a more immediate way for the common prayer of the priest and the faithful directed to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit.[7] In this part of the celebration the priest speaks to the people only from the altar,[8] since the sacrificial action that takes place in the Eucharistic Liturgy is not principally directed to the community. In fact, the spiritual and interior orientation of everyone, of the priest — as representative of the entire Church — and of the faithful, is "versus Deum per Iesum Christum" (toward God through Jesus Christ). In this way we better understand the acclamation of the ancient Church: "Conversi ad Dominum" (turn toward the Lord). "Of course the priest and the people do not pray to each other, rather toward the one Lord. Therefore, during the prayer they face in the same direction, toward the image of Christ in the apse or toward a cross, or simply toward heaven, as the Lord did in his priestly prayer on the eve of his Passion."[9]

The "oblatio donorum," that is, the Offertory or the presentation of the gifts, prepares the sacrifice. In the early Church it was a simple external preparation of the center and summit of the whole celebration, which is the Eucharistic Prayer. This is evident in the testimony of St. Justin,[10] or in the more elaborate development that the "Ordo Romanus I" presents already in the 7th century. At any rate, to limit oneself to considering the offering of the faithful in these first centuries only from the point of view of a simple external preparation would be to empty the action of its ideal and concrete meaning.[11]

Indeed, quite early this material gesture was understood in a much more profound way. This preparation came to be conceived not only as a necessary external action but as an essentially interior process. It was seen as related to the Jewish practice in which the head of the household lifted up the bread to God to receive it again from him, renewed. Eventually, understood in a deeper way, this gesture was associated with Israel's preparation for presenting herself before the Lord. In this way, the external gesture of the preparation of the gifts was more and more regarded as an interior preparation before the nearness of the Lord, who seeks the Christians in their offerings. In reality "it is made clear that we are the true gift of sacrifice conformed to the Word, or at least we must become this through participation in the act by which Jesus Christ offers himself to the Father."[12]

This deepening of the gesture of the presentation of the gifts stems from the logic of the external form that the Holy Mass itself presents.[13] Its primordial element, the radical "novum" that Jesus inserts into the Jewish sacrificial supper, is precisely the "Eucharist," that is, that it is a memorial prayer of thanksgiving. This prayer, the solemn Eucharistic Prayer, is something more than a series of words: it is a divine action that is realized through human discourse. Through it the elements of the earth are transubstantiated, wrested, so to speak, from their creaturely reality, taken into something more profound and transformed into the Body and Blood of the Lord. We ourselves, participating in this action, are transformed and converted into the true Body of Christ. Thus, we understand that "[the] remembrance of his perfect gift consists not in the mere repetition of the Last Supper, but in the Eucharist itself, that is, in the radical newness of Christian worship. In this way, Jesus left us the task of entering into his 'hour.' 'The Eucharist draws us into Jesus' act of self-oblation. More than just statically receiving the incarnate Logos, we enter into the very dynamic of his self-giving.' Jesus 'draws us into himself'."[14]

It is God himself who is at work in the Eucharistic Prayer and we feel ourselves drawn by this action of God.[15] In this journey, which begins with the presentation of the gifts, the priest plays a mediating role, as happens in the Canon or in the administering of Communion. Although in the current offertorial procession the task of the faithful is above all in evidence, the mediation of the priest always remains because the priest receives the gifts and places them on the altar.[16]

In this movement toward the "oratio," which carries the offering of self with it, the external gestures are secondary. With the "oratio" man's action takes a backseat. What is essential is God's action. Through the Eucharistic Prayer he wants to transform us and the world. Because of this, it is logical that we draw near to the Eucharistic Prayer in silence. And it remains necessary that corresponding to the external procession of the presentation of the gifts there is an interior procession. In "the preparation of ourselves we place ourselves on a journey, we present ourselves to the Lord: we ask him that he prepare us for the transformation. The community's silence is therefore the community's prayer, and ultimately its common action; it is the beginning of a journey toward the Lord in our daily life, making ourselves his contemporaries."[17]

Thus, the moment of the "oblatio donorum," while it is a "humble and simple gesture, [it] is actually very significant: in the bread and wine that we bring to the altar, all creation is taken up by Christ the Redeemer to be transformed and presented to the Father."[18] This is what we can call the cosmic and universal character of the eucharistic celebration. The offertory prepares the celebration and we place ourselves within "the 'mysterium fidei' which is accomplished in the Eucharist: the world which came forth from the hands of God the Creator now returns to him redeemed by Christ."[19]

This is what the elevation of the gifts and the prayers that accompany it are: "Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life." The content of the prayers is connected with the prayers that the Jews recited at table. They are prayers that, in the form of benedictions, have as their reference point the Passover of Israel and are thought, declaimed and lived thinking of this event. This supposes that they were chosen as a silent anticipation of the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ. For this reason, the preparation and the definitive reality of the sacrifice of Christ interpenetrate in these words.

On the other hand, "we also bring to the altar all the pain and suffering of the world, in the certainty that everything has value in God's eyes."[20] In reality, "the celebrant, as minister of this sacrifice, is the authentic priest, performing-in virtue of the specific power of-sacred ordination-a true sacrificial act that brings creation back to God. Although all those who participate in the Eucharist do not confect the sacrifice as He does, they offer with Him, by virtue of the common priesthood, their own spiritual sacrifices represented by the bread and wine from the moment of their presentation at the altar."[21]

The bread and wine become, in a certain sense, the symbol of all that that the eucharistic assembly as such brings in offering to God and that it offers in spirit. This is the force and the spiritual meaning of the presentation of the gifts.[22] In this light we understand the incensing of the gifts on the altar, of the cross and the altar itself, which signifies the offering of the Church and her prayer, which ascend like incense into the presence of God.[23]

"We now better understand why the Eucharistic Liturgy, as a presentation and offering of creation and [the faithful themselves] to God began, in the early Church with the acclamation: 'Conversi ad Dominum' — we must always distance ourselves from the dangerous pathways on which we often travel with our thoughts and deeds. We must instead always direct ourselves toward him. We must always be converted, with our whole life directed toward God."[24]

This path of conversion, which must be more intense and immediate in the moment leading up to the Eucharistic Prayer, must always be guided in the first place by the cross. In this connection Benedict XVI makes the following proposal: "Do not go on with new transformations but simply place the cross at the center of the altar. The priest and the faithful look together toward the cross to let themselves be guided in this way by the Lord, to whom all pray together."[25]

On the other hand, the gesture of the presentation of the gifts and the attitude with which it is done stimulate the desire of conversion and the gift of self. The gestures and the words that are directed toward this end are different. Let us briefly look at two of them:

a) The prayer "In spiritu humilitatis"[26]: This formula entered into the liturgical books of France in the 9th century. It appears for the first time in the sacramentary of Amiens, in the offertorial part.[27] In the Roman liturgy we already find it in the "Ordo" of the Curia and from there it passed into the Missal of Pius V.

As Lodi points out, before the text of the great Eucharistic Prayer begins (the Roman Canon), which must be faithfully recited and in which it is the most difficult to express personal intentions, we find this prayer that permits the celebrant to express his sentiments. At the same time, though the biblical Word that inspires this whole prayer, the ultimate meaning of external offering is expressed: the gift of the heart accompanied by the intimate disposition of personal sacrifice.[28]

We observe that the plural articulation ("sacrificium nostrum") seems to indicate, once more, that the celebrating priest pronounces it in the name of the people. The fact that it is said silently by the priest does not seem to us a sufficient reason to regard it as a private prayer. Indeed, the prayers of the presentation of gifts themselves can be said aloud or quietly and in no way are they considered private. The silence that is produced in this moment of apologetic prayer, and the position — a profound bow — of the priest, which is clearly penitential, helps those present at the celebration to enter into the invisible realm and emphasizes the idea of the necessity of penitence and humility in our encounter with God. Humility and reverence before holy mysteries. These are attitudes that reveal the substance itself of any liturgy.[29]

b) The lavabo[30]: The priest's washing of his hands does not represent a universal tradition (in Italy and Spain it is not met with until almost the end of the 15th century, while is France it was introduced in the "Ordines" that came from Rome toward the end of the 9th centiry).[31] In Rome it had an entirely practical function, even though later it also acquired a symbolic value.[32] Currently, the lavabo is an entirely symbolic gesture, as can be deduced from the formula that goes along with it, and as can also be seen from the fact that, in general, all that get washed are the tips of the priest's fingers and thumb, those that touch the sacred Host. We can say that the rite expresses the desire for interior purification.[33] Some have proposed and continue to propose the suppression of this rite. We do not share this idea, because we believe that it has a clear catechetical value and, moreover, renewed penitential act of the priest, who in that moment is disposing himself to the eucharistic act and is preparing himself for it. At the same time, as Lodi notes,[34] the formula that accompanies the washing of the hands is already present in Christian antiquity as a solemn practice used before the priest recollects himself in prayer, as is testified to by Tertullian [35] and the "Apostolic Tradition".[36]

The priest concludes the presentation of the gifts turning to the faithful and asking them to pray that "my sacrifice and yours will be acceptable to God the Father almighty." "These words are binding, since they express the character of the entire Eucharistic Liturgy and the fullness of its divine and ecclesial content." [37] The same can be said for the response of the faithful: "May the Lord accept this sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his Holy Church." It is therefore logical that the "[a]wareness of the act of presenting the offerings should be maintained throughout the Mass,"[38] because the faithful must learn to offer themselves in the act of offering the immaculate Host, not only through the hands of the priest, but also together with him. [39]

[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]

[1] Benedict XVI, Easter Vigil Homily, March 22, 2008. [2] "Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani" (General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM)), No. 28; cf. Vatican II, "Sacrosanctum Concilium," No. 56.

[3] Cf. GIRM, Nos. 72-73. [4] Cf. GIRM, No. 55.

[5] Cf. J. Ratzinger, "El espíritu de la liturgia. Una introducción," p. 102. [6] Cf. GIRM, No. 73. [7] Cf. GIRM, No. 78.

[8] Cf. "Pregare 'ad Orientem versus'," "Notitiae." 322, vol. 29 (1993), p. 249. [9] J. Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, "Gesammelte Schriften," Preface to vol. XI: "Theologie der Liturgie."

[10] Cf. St. Justin Martyr, "Apology," I, 65 ff. [11] Cf. V. Raffa, "Oblazione dei fedeli," in "Liturgia eucaristica. Mistagogia della Messa: dalla storia e dalla teologia alla pastorale pratica," CLV-Edizioni Liturgiche, Rome, 2003, p. 405.

[12] J. Ratzinger, "El espíritu de la liturgia. Una introducción," p. 237. [13] Cf. J. Ratzinger, "Forma y contenido de la celebración eucarística," in "La fiesta de la fe," pp. 43-66.

[14] Benedict XVI, "Sacramentum Caritatis," No. 11. [15] "The greatness of Christ's work consists precisely in the fact that he does not remain isolated and separated from us, that he does not relegate us to a merely passive role; not only does he support us, but he carries us, he identifies with us, whose sins belong to him, whose being belongs to us: he truly accepts us in such a way that we become active with him and from him; we act with him and so participate in his sacrifice, we share in his mystery. Thus also our life and our suffering, our hope and our love become fruitful in the new hear he has given us" (J. Ratzinger, "Il Dio vicino," pp. 47-48).

[16] Cf. GIRM, No. 73. [17] J. Ratzinger, "El espíritu de la liturgia. Una introducción," p. 236. [18] Benedict XVI, "Sacramentum Caritatis," No. 47.

[19] John Paul II, "Ecclesia de Eucharistia," No. 8. "However it is explained, objectively speaking, it does not seem possible to deny the effective involvement, already actual in the action and movement (which we say is sacrificial by nature — 'offerimus'), of the earth, of man and his creative activity, obviously not as an absolute object closed in on himself and definitively complete in the fleeting moment, but dynamic, open to what is to come and aimed at a goal that is future in itself but already present in the mind and heart. Certainly in the ritual the sacrifice will only be represented in the eucharistic prayer. Nevertheless, it will not be as an event that emerges out of nowhere. It will be rather be the culmination of a discipline that is lived interiorly and wholly directed toward it" (V. Raffa, "Liturgia eucaristica: Mistagogia della Messa: dalla storia e dalla teologia alla pastorale pratica," p. 415).

[20] Benedict XVI, "Sacramentum Caritatis," No. 47. [21] John Paul II, "Dominicae Cenae," No. 9.

[22] Cf. GIRM, No. 73. [23] Cf. GIRM, No. 75.

[24] Benedict XVI, Easter Vigil Homily, March 22, 2008. [sic] [25] J. Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, "Gesammelte Schriften," Preface to vol. XI: "Theologie der Liturgie."

[26] Cf. J. Jungmann, "El sacrificio eucarístico," II, nos. 52, 58, 60, 105. M. Righetti, "Historia de la Liturgia," II, p. 292. [27] Cf. P. Tirot, "Histoire des prières d'offertoire dans la liturgie romaine du VIIe au XVIe siècle," "Ephemerides Liturgicae" 98 (1984), p. 169.

[28] Cf. E. Lodi, «Les prières privées du prêtre dans le déroulement de la messe romain», in "L'Eucharistie: célebrations, rites, piétés," BEL Subsidia 79, CLV-Edizioni Liturgiche, Rome 1995, p. 246.

[29] Cf. John Paul II, Message to the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Sept. 21, 2001.

[30] Cf. J. Jungmann, "El sacrificio eucarístico," nos. 83-84. M. Righetti, "Historia de la Liturgia," II, pp. 282-284.

[31] Cf. P. Tirot, "Histoire des prières d'offertoire dans la liturgie romaine du VIIe au XVIe siècle," pp. 174-177.

[32] It should not be forgotten that the symbolic ablution is found very early on in the Eastern liturgy. It is attested to by Cyril of Jerusalem, who died in 387. (cf. "Catechesi mistagogiche," V, 2: ed. A. Piédagnel, SCh 126, 146-148) and in the 5th and 6th centuries in Pseudo-Dionysius (cf. "Ecclesiastica Hierarchia," III, 3, 10: PG 3, 437D-440AB).

[33] GIRM, No. 76: "The priest then washes his hands at the side of the altar, a rite that is an expression of his desire for interior purification."

[34] Cf. E. Lodi, "Les prières privées du prêtre dans le déroulement de la messe romain," p. 246.

[35] Cf. Tertullian, "De oratione," III: CSEL 20, 188. [36] Cf. "Tradition Apostolique," 41, SCh 22 bis, 125.

[37] John Paul II, "Dominicae Cenae," No. 9. [38] Ibid. [39] Cf. Vatican II, "Sacrosanctum Concilium," No. 48.

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Therefore, during the prayer they face in the same direction, toward the image of Christ in the apse or toward a cross, or simply toward heaven, as the Lord did in his priestly prayer on the eve of his Passion."[9] The "oblatio donorum," that is, the Offertory or the presentation of the gifts, prepares the sacrifice.
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