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Day 26: Intercessions within the
Eucharistic Prayer May all of us who share in the body and blood of Christ be brought together in unity by the Holy Spirit. Lord, remember your Church throughout the world; make us grow in love together with N. our Pope, N. our bishop, and all the clergy. Remember our brothers and sisters who have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again.... As in the Liturgy of the Word, Intercessory Petitions have a very special importance for the Holy Mass. They serve as a pastoral connection between God, His Church and all of humanity. These petitions, coupled with the recounting of salvation history, make up the bulk of the Eucharistic prayer. By placing the petitions closer to the Consecration, the most sacred zone of the Mass, they would hold an even greater place with God. In the Roman Rite, the petitions take place before and after the words of Consecration in the first Eucharistic Prayer and only after the Consecration in the other Canons. In these intercessions, the Church on Earth and "all of us gathered her before you," is united with the Church in heaven, with her angels and saints in communion with the Mother of God, St. Joseph, St. John the Baptist, and finally with all those souls who have died and gone to their rest in the hope of rising again.Thus the Eucharistic Prayer forms one unified prayer from the Preface to the Great Doxology as the priest raises the Consecrated Host and prays the high words of praise and adoration, calling upon the congregation to join this trinitarian praise or Almighty God: Through Him, with Him and in Him. In the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours Almighty Father, for ever and ever. Then the entire congregation should give its affirmation and acclamation in this invocation by a resounding and powerful: AMEN!Silent reflection and commentary Psalm 10:17 "You listen, LORD, to the needs of the poor; you encourage them and hear their prayers." |
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