In my last column, I discussed the Liturgy of the Eucharist, which consists of the Preparation of the Gifts, the Prayer over the Gifts, the Eucharistic Prayer, and the Communion Rite, which begins with the Lord?s Prayer and continues with the Rite of Peace, the Breaking of the Bread, the Reception of Communion, and the Communion Prayer. In that column I noted that the Eucharistic Prayer is so rich that I would reserve my comments for it this column.

The Eucharistic Prayer is the central piece of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, for it is during and through this prayer that our offerings of bread and wine are transformed by the power of God?s Spirit into the body and blood of the crucified and risen Christ. While there are several forms of the Eucharist Prayer, all of them follow this pattern.

Once you are aware of these elements, which occur in the Eucharistic Prayer, you will find that the prayer takes on a new and deeper meaning.

Thanksgiving: Every Eucharistic Prayer begins with a proclamation of thanksgiving for all that God has done in Christ. This thanksgiving, which begins with an opening dialogue between priest and congregation, is commonly called the ?Preface? to the great Eucharistic Prayer, and it tends to vary from Sunday to Sunday, and from feast to feast. But the central theme is always the same: Thanksgiving for what God has done for us in the history of our salvation.

Acclamation: The preface ends with the first of three acclamations during which we sing ?Holy, Holy, Holy ?.? Formerly called by its Latin name, the Sanctus, this acclamation reminds us that we are about to enter into the holy presence of God.

Epiclesis: At the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer, after the Holy, Holy, Holy, the priest stretches out his hands and calls upon the power of God?s Spirit to change the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Epiklesis is a Greek word that means ?calling upon,? and so we are calling upon the power of God?s Spirit to do what we cannot do.

Institution Narrative & Consecration: The most recognizable element of the Eucharistic Prayer is the Institution Narrative. Here the priest recounts what Jesus did at the Last Supper. Speaking in the name and person of Jesus, the priest consecrates the bread and wine, and through the power of God?s Spirit the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ.

Acclamation: After the consecration there is a second acclamation. The priest proclaims ?The Mystery of Faith? and the congregation responds, ?When we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim your death until you come again,? or some other acclamation.

Anamnesis: Anamnesis is another Greek word; it means ?remembrance.? Immediately after the consecration, the priest remembers the central elements of God?s work of redemption in Christ: Christ? Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.

Offering: Having consecrated the bread and wine, the priest now offers the body and blood of Christ to God the Father. The simple gifts that we bring to the altar have become the very body and blood of Christ. And so we are no longer offering bread and wine, we offer to the Father the gift of his own Son.

Intercession: Having offered this pleasing sacrifice to the Father, the priest prays for the whole church, the living and the dead.

Final Doxology: The Eucharistic Prayer ends with a third acclamation in which we offer the Father the gift of his Son whom he has given to us, and the entire congregation concludes the Eucharist Prayer with its great Amen, thereby showing its assent of faith.

In next week's column, I will discuss some things that will help us to celebrate the Eucharist more profitably.