
Weekly postings on the blog Living Eucharist explore different dimensions of the Eucharist.
The focus of the postings is on three things
- first – the ‘origins’ and historical influences on the contemporary regular form of the Mass of the Roman Rite. And for some readers they may already appreciate a little unpacking of how ‘contemporary’, ‘regular’ and ‘Roman Rite’ are used in that sentence. There’s a lot to explore!
- second – the prayers of the Mass, and especially on the Eucharistic Prayer itself.
- third – the Ars celebrandi – the ‘art’ of celebration. Very often this theme is considered from the point of view of the principal celebrant of the Mass – the bishop or priest. Here full consideration will also be given to how the congregation and any individual members of the Faithful take part in the celebration of the Mass – not only on the external actions that are evident to all but the inner, spiritual participation which is always at least as important, and mostly more so.
It may be that looking at these three things, pretty much in turn, will leave us all in a mighty muddle. But the hope is that there will prove to be a certain synergy between them, to our benefit in deepening our understanding and appreciation of this Sacrament, that we might still more find in it nourishment and derive from it the true Christian spirit.
Because there are other daily postings on that blog it is not easy for those wanting to catch-up or refer back to previous posts to find the relevant posts among everything else. So this page logs those weekly posts under their different headings.
Origins and Influences
- I: Take eat
- II: Some Old Testament meals
- III: Passover
- IV: The Last Supper and Communion in Christ
- V: The Breaking of the Bread
- VI: Eating and drinking with Jesus
- VI: An uncommon prayer
- VIII: The earliest known Eucharistic prayer?
- IX: Eucharist in the 150s AD
- X: The Apostolic Tradition?
- XI: Prayers from the ‘Apostolic Tradition’
- XII: Making Comparison between the prayer of Apostolic Tradition and Eucharistic Prayer II
The Prayers of the Mass
The ‘art’ of celebration
- I: Coming together as one
- II: The Introductory Rites
- III The Sign of the Cross and the Greeting
- IV: The Penitential Act
- V: The Gloria
- VI: The Collect
- VII: The blessing and sprinkling of water
- VIII: The Liturgy of the Word
- IX: Ministers to the Liturgy of the Word
- X: Structural relationships and the Liturgy of the Word
- XI: The Liturgy of the Word for Seasons and Weekdays
- XII: Ministering the First Reading
- XIII: Ministering the Responsorial Psalm
- XIV: Ministering the Second Reading
- XV: Ministering the Gospel Reading