Fr. Don’s Weekly Letter ~ 22 March 2026

aDear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

Last week I spent my entire article on what I think is the most important aspect of your participation at Mass, and perhaps the most overlooked. It is the offering of the gifts to be consecrated. It is bread and wine, and it is also you, your hearts, your joys and sorrows, your successes and failures, your hopes and dreams. All of it is offered: “Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.”

All that follows is built on the integrity of this offering of self, and it needs to be a firm foundation.

The gifts of bread and wine are blessed, based on the barakoth blessing prayers of the Passover meal. We join the heavenly chorus found in scripture of the seraphim angels singing “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts.” Then we join the voices of the people as Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest.” The Eucharistic Prayer begins.

Two important elements need to be highlight-ed to understand the Eucharistic Prayer. The first is epiclesis (Greek for “calling upon”); the second is anamnesis (Greek for “memorial,” as in the sense of active remembering, bringing a past reality to the present moment).

If you don’t know about these, you may miss the point of the Eucharistic Prayer.

The priest calls the power of the Holy Spirit upon the gifts of bread and wine, they they may become the Body and Blood of our Savior. It is signified by a “laying on of hands,” or the priest holding his hands over the gifts. This gesture is found in most sacraments as signs of blessing for marriage, receiving the Holy Spirit at Confirmation, even the gesture of the priest during the words of absolution during Reconciliation. This epiclesis is the beginning of the consecration of the gifts.

Most people consider the “consecration” to be the words of institution (“this is my Body; this is my Blood to be poured out for the forgiveness of sins”) and the elevation of the host and cup. I had a liturgy teacher in the seminary who had a lot to say about this. He would ask, “When does the consecration end?” “With one of the three memorial acclamations,” someone would say who wasn’t paying attention the last time he asked the question. “No!” he would say. “Jesus became bread and wine for a reason, not a shiny object we would just treasure and admire. He must be consumed! He is food! Consecration doesn’t end until the last person in the church has received the Eucharist.” It is for you all of this happens, not just so that it happens.

As we lift up hearts to actively be present in the moment of this Eucharistic miracle, anamnesis is necessary. This is when your power of the soul, your memory (the other powers are intellect and free will) acts. Through the words of institution, the instrumentality of the priest to provide the Mystery of faith, and your ability to actively recall the saving power of this sacrifice, together we make present again the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary. He is not re-crucified as many people have mistakenly accused the Church of doing. This moment is when we are brought into this eternal moment of the Son of God (not limited to time as if only a man) and are present to him, and he to us. Sacraments are like portals which open the veil between time and eternity and we are suddenly, intimately joined.

The priest announces this moment: “The Mystery of faith.” In our active recalling, we respond with one of three options: “When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again.”

There is a second epiclesis that is not obvious-ly gestured as in the past, but is still present in all Eucharistic Prayers (except #1, which doesn’t mention the Holy Spirit at all). The priest prays that the reception of this one Body and one cup will gather us all as one in Christ. (I extend my hands in my imagination when I pray these words.)

Once this is done and we proclaim our “Great Amen” at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer (a nice symmetry with the Creed in the Liturgy of the Word), the Lord’s Prayer follows (Jesus’ own words), peace is made (If you are offering your gift at the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, first go and be reconciled with him, then come and offer your gift...”), the bread is broken and distributed. You have become what you receive, and now are sent to share what you have found with the world.

The Lord be with you,