Following the Great Amen, which concludes the Eucharistic Prayer portion of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we now move into the Communion Rite. Gathered around the table of the Lord whereupon Christ is truly present in the Eucharistic elements, we stand and join our voices (sung or spoken) in the prayer that Jesus himself taught us, the Our Father. This prayer has been part of the Mass since around the 4th century. It serves as an appropriate preparation to receive the Eucharist since the Our Father includes a petition to give us “our daily bread” which can be understood in part to be a reference to the Bread of Life, the Body of Christ we are preparing to receive. Click the title to read more.

Despite the fact that there are 13 different Eucharistic Prayers (anaphora), there is a similar pattern to all of them. Each prayer begins with an address to God the Father followed by the petition to send the Holy Spirit to make the gifts of bread and wine holy that they may be worthy elements to be transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. This is known as the “epiclesis” and is accompanied by the gesture of the priest extending both hands over the bread and wine.