Text and rubrics of the Roman Canon
Encyclopedia
Before the 1970 revision of the Roman Missal
, the Mass
had, in the Roman Rite
, only one Anaphora
or Eucharistic Prayer, which was referred to as the Canon of the Mass. Since the 1970 revision, which made only minimal changes in the text, but somewhat more important changes in the rubrics, it is called Eucharistic Prayer I or the Roman Canon. In the Anglican Missal
, it is called The Canon of the Roman Mass.
This article does not deal with the significance and history of this Eucharistic Prayer (for which see Canon of the Mass
and History of the Roman Canon
), but only with the text and rubrics of the Canon from the Te Igitur to the final doxology, omitting consideration of the introductory dialogue, the preface and the Sanctus
. These parts were not altered in 1970, except for the addition of further prefaces, generally taken from ancient sources.
form of the Mass, the priest says this part of the Canon inaudibly, with only two exceptions: he speaks the phrase "Nobis quoque peccatoribus" in a slightly audible voice, and says or sings aloud the final phrase of the doxology, "per omnia saecula saeculorum", so as to let the server or the choir know when to say or sing "Amen". This silence on the priest's part is associated with the fact that, in the Tridentine Mass, the priest says all parts of the Mass (except such responses as "Et cum spiritu tuo" and "Amen") himself, even if the choir sings them also. It became customary for the priest, having himself said the "Sanctus" quickly, not to wait for the choir to finish singing, but to continue immediately, necessarily not aloud, the rest of the Canon.
This was not always so. The older Roman ordines state that originally "the priest did not begin the Canon until the singing of the Sanctus was over" (Mabillon: In ord. Rom. comm., XXI). And, even in the Tridentine period, when an ordination Mass was almost the only case of concelebration left in the West, all the concelebrants said the Canon together aloud. However, mystic reasons were attributed to the silent prayers of the Canon, as purely sacerdotal, belonging only to the priest, with the silence increasing reverence at the most sacred moment of the Mass and removing the Consecration from ordinary vulgar use.
In the revised form of the Mass, the Canon is no longer said silently. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 147 states: "It is very appropriate that the priest sing those parts of the Eucharistic Prayer for which musical notation is provided." This brings the practice of the ordinary form of the Roman Rite closer to the rites of all the other ancient Christian Churches and to the practice of the Roman Rite itself before medieval times.
(the "Orantes
" posture), but, as prescribed in the Ritus servandus in celebratione Missae, V, 1, keeping his hands before his breast, neither higher nor wider than his shoulders, with fingers joined and the palms facing each other, and he continues: "in primis, quae tibi offerimus pro Ecclesia tua sancta catholica: quam pacificare, custodire, adunare, et regere digneris toto orbe terrarum: una cum famulo tuo Papa nostro N. et Antistite nostro N. et omnibus orthodoxis atque catholicae et apostolicae fidei cultoribus" (which we offer you firstly for your holy catholic Church. Be pleased to grant her peace, to guard, unite and govern her throughout the whole world, together with your servant (Name) our Pope and (Name) our Bishop, and those who, holding to the truth, hand on the catholic and apostolic faith).
In the Roman Missal as revised in 1970, the text remains exactly as before, but the rubrics have been simplified: the priest opens his arms immediately and, since he is not being obliged to keep them before his breast, may adopt the "Orantes" posture; he joins his hands at the same point as in the pre-1970 text, but makes only one sign of the cross (the only one in the whole course of the Canon) over host and chalice, and then opens his arms again.
This prayer is not, strictly speaking, a prayer for the Pope and the Bishop. It uses the expression "together with" (una cum) not "for". This "together with" may be linked either with the verbs "pacificare" etc. begging God's favour for the Church as a whole, or with the verb "offerimus", indicating that the priest is offering Mass in union with the Pope and the Bishop.
Past variations of this prayer included the once universal mention of the civil ruler (emperor or king), which Pope Pius V
removed in his 1570 revision of the Missal, but which continued in use in the Holy Roman Empire
until 1806 and later in the Austrian Empire
until 1918. The prayer also included, at one time, a special mention of the priest himself, though not by name.
The "Ritus servandus in celebratione Missae" section of the Tridentine Missal laid down that, in the prayer for the Pope, the priest should bow his head at the Pope's name. The Missal as revised in 1970 requires such a bow only "when the three Divine Persons are named together and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saint in whose honour Mass is being celebrated" (General Instruction", 275).
Even in the Tridentine Missal, which envisages Mass celebrated by one priest only, verbs such as "offerimus" are in the plural form (we offer). Some interpret this as a relic of the time before concelebration ceased (until after the Second Vatican Council) to be used in the West.
"Sacrifice of praise" is a phrase taken from Book of Psalms 49/50:23. The word "salus" can refer either to bodily health or to spiritual salvation.
At the point where the names of those being prayed for may be mentioned, the priest joins his hands and prays briefly for them.
Parts of this prayer were added at a relatively late date and are not found in early sacramentaries
.
In a concelebrated Mass, this prayer and the following one are spoken by individual concelebrants.
The prayer is as follows: "Communicantes, et memoriam venerantes, in primis gloriosae semper Virginis Mariae, Genetricis Dei et Domini nostri Iesu Christi: sed et beati Ioseph, eiusdem Virginis Sponsi, et beatorum Apostolorum ac Martyrum tuorum, Petri et Pauli, Andreae, (Iacobi, Ioannis, Thomae, Iacobi, Philippi, Bartholomaei, Matthaei, Simonis et Thaddaei: Lini, Cleti, Clementis, Xysti, Cornelii, Cypriani, Laurentii, Chrysogoni, Ioannis et Pauli, Cosmae et Damiani) et omnium Sanctorum tuorum; quorum meritis precibusque concedas, ut in omnibus protectionis tuae muniamur auxilio. (Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.)" (In communion with those whose memory we venerate, especially the glorious ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ, and blessed Joseph
, her Spouse, your blessed Apostles and Martyrs, Peter
and Paul, Andrew
, (James, John
, Thomas
, James
, Philip
, Bartholomew, Matthew
, Simon
and Jude: Linus
, Cletus
, Clement
, Sixtus
, Cornelius
, Cyprian
, Lawrence, Chrysogonus
, John and Paul
, Cosmas and Damian
) and all your Saints; we ask that through their merits and prayers, in all things we may be defended by your protecting help.. [Through Christ our Lord. Amen.])
Since 1970, the parts in brackets may be omitted, and the rubric has been removed that required the priest, if he pronounces the conclusion "Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen", to join his hands and open his arms again at the start of the following prayer. At all other points of the Canon in which "Per Christum Dominum nostrum" may or must be used, the post-1962 Missal directs that the priest should join his hands.
In his revision of the Missal, Pope Pius V
removed some saints' names and other clauses that were then included, though some survived locally. The words "beati Joseph, eiusdem Virginis Sponsi" were added by Pope John XXIII
.
The normal text is: "Hanc igitur oblationem servitutis nostrae, sed et cunctae familiae tuae, quaesumus, Domine, ut placatus accipias: diesque nostros in tua pace disponas, atque ab aeterna damnatione nos eripi, et in electorum tuorum iubeas grege numerari. (Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.)" (Therefore, Lord, we pray: graciously accept this oblation of our service, that of your whole family; order our days in your peace, and command that we be delivered from eternal damnation and counted among the flock of those you have chosen. [Through Christ our Lord. Amen.])
In a concelebrated Mass, the prayer is said by the principal celebrant.
In the Tridentine Missal, the priest spreads his hands over the offerings during this prayer. This gesture was a late ceremony, occurring first in the fifteenth century, and was not adopted by the Dominicans and Carmelites. In the 1970 Roman Missal, it is during the next part of the Canon that the priest celebrating Mass, together with any concelebrating priests, performs this gesture, as at the pre-Consecration epiclesis of other Eucharistic Prayers.
Although this prayer does not mention the Holy Spirit, it is otherwise similar to an epiclesis
, in which, usually, the Holy Spirit is invoked to effect the change of the bread and the wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Accordingly, the 1970 edition of the Roman Missal directs the priest to extend his hands over the offerings while reciting it. In the Tridentine form of the Mass, the priest says the prayer with hands joined, except while making the five signs of the cross prescribed in that form of the rite.
From this pre-consecration epiclesis to the post-consecration epiclesis, inclusive, the words are spoken or sung by all the concelebrants together.
: "Qui, pridie quam pateretur, accepit panem in sanctas ac venerabiles manus suas, et elevatis oculis in caelum ad te Deum Patrem suum omnipotentem, tibi gratias agens benedixit, fregit, deditque discipulis suis, dicens: Accipite et manducate ex hoc omnes: hoc est enim Corpus meum, quod pro vobis tradetur" (On the day before he was to suffer, he took bread in his holy and venerable hands, and with eyes raised to heaven to you, O God, his almighty Father, giving you thanks, he said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take this, all of you, and eat of it: for this is my Body, which will be given up for you).
The actions and words attributed to Jesus in this account are not exactly the same as in the account of the Last Supper in any one of the Gospels. The raising of Jesus' eyes to heaven is not mentioned in the account of the Last Supper in any of the Gospels, though this action (of course, without "to you, God, his almighty Father") is mentioned in the accounts of the first of the two multiplications of the loaves. The word "enim" (for) has also been added to the words of consecration, apparently through analogy with the consecration of the chalice.
This prayer admits of one addition in the year: on Holy Thursday the prayer begins: "On the day before he was to suffer for our salvation and the salvation of all, that is today, ...", etc.
The rubrics direct the priest to accompany the words about taking and looking up with similar actions, but the bread is not broken or distributed at this point. The priest also bows slightly while speaking the words of Jesus. He then shows the consecrated host to the people, replaces it on the paten
(1970 form) or on the corporal
(Tridentine form), and genuflects in adoration.
The Tridentine Missal requires the priest also to bow his head at the words "giving you thanks", to make the sign of the cross at the words "he blessed it", and to genuflect before as well as after showing the host to the people.
Before as well as after 1970, the rubric in the Missal has the phrase "shows it (the consecrated host) to the people" (in Latin, "ostendit populo") not, as some imagine, "elevates it". If the people are behind the priest, the traditional way of showing the consecrated host is by raising it above the level of the priest's head. This showing of the host was introduced in France in the twelfth century and became general in the Roman Rite in the thirteenth. However, earlier texts speak of a gesture of adoration ("the bishops, deacons, subdeacons, and priests stay in the presbytery bowing down") at the consecration itself. The genuflection, in place of the previous bow of the head, was introduced only in the fourteenth century.
The General Instruction, 150 directs: "A little before the consecration, when appropriate, a server rings a bell as a signal to the faithful. According to local custom, the server also rings the bell as the priest shows the host and then the chalice." The Tridentine Missal does not mention the first ringing, but, since 1604, states that the bell should be rung either three times or continuously while the host and the chalice are being shown (Ritus servandus in celebratione Missae, VIII, 6).
The Tridentine text varies from this in two points. One is the insertion of the words "mysterium fidei" (the mystery of faith) immediately after the word "testamenti". The other is that, in place of the final words, "Hoc facite in meam commemorationem", which Jesus used at the Last Supper , it has the words "Haec quotiescumque feceritis, in mei memoriam facietis" (As often as you do this, you will do it in my memory), a conflation of Jesus' words with a comment by Saint Paul
in .
The words of the consecration of the wine come mainly from ; "calix Sanguinis mei" is adapted from Luke and 1 Corinthians; "pro vobis" come from Luke, and "pro multis" from Matthew. The phrase "et aeterni" is found in no New Testament
passage.
It has been suggested that the phrase "mysterium fidei" was originally a warning by the deacon to the people, but no evidence has been found to support this supposition. The priest now speaks the phrase after showing the chalice to the people and genuflecting. It serves as an introduction to a Memorial Acclamation
by the people, absent in the Tridentine Missal.
The Missal gives three forms of this acclamation, the first two of which are closely based on , while making explicit the reference to the resurrection of Christ, which is only implicit in that text:
of the sacrament
, concluding with "Do this in memory of me", are, quite naturally, followed by a solemn recalling of Christ's death and resurrection. The term used to refer to this explicit recalling is Anamnesis
. The anamnesis then turns seamlessly into a prayer of offering. The text in the Canon is: "Unde et memores, Domine, nos servi tui, sed et plebs tua sancta, eiusdem Christi, Filii tui, Domini nostri, tam beatae passionis, necnon et ab inferis resurrectionis, sed et in caelos gloriosae ascensionis: offerimus praeclarae maiestati tuae de tuis donis ac datis hostiam puram, hostiam sanctam, hostiam immaculatam, Panem sanctum vitae aeternae et Calicem salutis perpetuae" (Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the blessed Passion, the Resurrection from the dead, and the glorious Ascension into heaven of Christ, your Son, our Lord, we, your servants and your holy people, offer to your glorious majesty from the gifts that you have given us, the pure victim, the holy victim, the spotless victim, the holy Bread of eternal life and the Chalice of everlasting salvation).
During this prayer, the Tridentine form of the Canon prescribes that the priest make five signs of the cross over the consecrated bread and wine, the first of a total of fifteen to be made after the consecration. All fifteen are omitted in the post-1962 form.
figures. In other words, it asks that the devotion of the Church may be like theirs.
The text is: "Supra quae propitio ac sereno vultu respicere digneris: et accepta habere, sicuti accepta habere dignatus es munera pueri tui iusti Abel, et sacrificium Patriarchae nostri Abrahae, et quod tibi obtulit summus sacerdos tuus Melchisedech, sanctum sacrificium, immaculatam hostiam." (Be pleased to look upon these offerings with a serene and kindly countenance, and to accept them, as once you were pleased to accept the gifts of your servant Abel the just, the sacrifice of our Abraham
, our father in faith, and the offering of your high priest Melchizedek
, a holy sacrifice, a spotless victim).
, in which the Holy Spirit is invoked upon those who are to receive the Body and Blood of Christ so as to sanctify them. It still ends with a prayer that all who will receive the sacred Body and Blood of Christ will be filled with every heavenly blessing and grace. A phrase of Pope Gelasius I
(492-496) has been interpreted as indicating that in his time the Roman Canon still had an express mention of the Holy Spirit, such as there is in all other ancient liturgies. He wrote: "How shall the Heavenly Spirit, when he is invoked to consecrate the divine mystery, come, if the priest [and he] who prays him to come is guilty of bad actions?" (Ep., vii; Thiel, Ep. Rom. Pont., I, 486) - "and he" corresponds here to the single word "et" in Latin, which may be a scribal error. It has also been suggested that the angel mentioned here is the Holy Ghost - an attempt to bring the prayer more into line with the proper form of an epiclesis, but the evidence rather tells against this interpretation.
The prayer is: "Supplices te rogamus, omnipotens Deus, iube haec perferri per manus sancti Angeli tui in sublime altare tuum, in conspectu divinae maiestatis tuae; ut quotquot ex hac altaris participatione sacrosanctum Filii tui Corpus et Sanguinem sumpserimus, omni benedictione caelesti et gratia repleamur. (Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen)" (In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God, command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy Angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty, so that all of us, who through this participation at the altar receive the most holy Body and Blood of your Son, may be filled with every grace and heavenly blessing. [Through Christ our Lord. Amen]).
The rubrics as revised in 1970 direct the priest to bow while saying this prayer and to stand erect and make the sign of the cross on himself when saying the final phrase, "omni … gratia repleamur" (may be filled with every grace and heavenly blessing). In the Tridentine form the priest places his joined hands on the edge of the altar while making the bow, kisses the altar at the words "hac altaris participatione" (this participation at the altar), and makes a sign of the cross over the consecrated host at the word "Corpus" (Body) and over the chalice with the consecrated wine at the word "Sanguinem" (Blood).
The rubrics direct that, after the words "dormiunt in somno pacis" (rest in the sleep of peace), the priest joins his hands and prays briefly for them.
The Tridentine Missal has at the end of this prayer a rubric unparalleled in the rest of the book: at the final clause, "Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen", obligatory in that form of the Mass, the priest bows his head, although the clause does not contain the name of Jesus. The only explanation proposed is a mystic one: after the prayer for the dead the priest bows his head as Christ did when he died.
In a concelebrated Mass, this prayer and the following are said by individual concelebrants.
, Agatha, Lucia, Agnete, Caecilia, Anastasia) et omnibus Sanctis tuis: intra quorum nos consortium, non aestimator meriti, sed veniae, quaesumus, largitor admitte. Per Christum Dominum nostrum." (To us, also, your servants, who, though sinners, hope in your abundant mercies, graciously grant some share and fellowship with your holy Apostles and Martyrs: with John the Baptist
, Stephen
, Matthias
, Barnabas
, (Ignatius
, Alexander
, Marcellinus, Peter
, Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha
, Lucy
, Agnes, Cecilia
, Anastasia and all your Saints; admit us, we beseech you, into their company, not weighing our merits, but granting us your pardon, through Christ our Lord).
The saints of this Second Intercession are headed by John the Baptist, who is accompanied by seven male and seven female saints, all of them martyrs.
The opening words, "Nobis quoque peccatoribus", are the only ones of the Canon, apart from the "Per omnia saecula saeculorum" that concludes the Canon, that, in the Tridentine form of the Roman Missal, are spoken aloud after the Sanctus. They are to be said in a rather low voice, since the rubric speaks of the priest "raising his voice a little."
At the same words, both before and after 1970, the priest strikes his breast, as do all the priests, if the Mass is concelebrated.
It is unclear what is referred to by the phrase "all these good things". One theory is that it refers to fruits of the earth and prepared food brought up to be blessed at this point of the Canon, which is when the bishop blesses the oil of the sick with a special formula at the Chrism
Mass on Holy Thursday.
The Tridentine Missal requires the priest to make three signs of the cross over the host and chalice together during this prayer.
While pronouncing the doxology, the priest, or the priest and the deacon, if there is one, elevate the paten containing the consecrated host and the chalice containing the consecrated wine. The Tridentine Missal has a more complicated ritual: the priest uncovers the chalice, genuflects, takes the host between right thumb and forefinger and, holding the chalice in his left hand, makes the sign of the cross three times from lip to lip of the chalice, while saying: "Per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso"; he then with the host makes the sign of the cross twice in the space between him and the chalice, saying: "est tibi Deo Patri omnipotenti, in unitate Spiritus Sancti"; next he elevates chalice and host slightly, while saying: "omnis honor et gloria"; and finally he replaces the host on the corporal
, covers the chalice with the pall
, genuflects, stands up, and says or sings aloud: "Per omnia saecula saeculorum."
Roman Missal
The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.-Situation before the Council of Trent:...
, the Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
had, in the Roman Rite
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
, only one Anaphora
Anaphora (liturgy)
The Anaphora is the most solemn part of the Divine liturgy, Mass, or other Christian Communion rite where the offerings of bread and wine are consecrated as the body and blood of Christ. This is the usual name for this part of the Liturgy in Eastern Christianity, but it is more often called the...
or Eucharistic Prayer, which was referred to as the Canon of the Mass. Since the 1970 revision, which made only minimal changes in the text, but somewhat more important changes in the rubrics, it is called Eucharistic Prayer I or the Roman Canon. In the Anglican Missal
Anglican Missal
The Anglican Missal is a liturgical book often used at Mass by Anglo-Catholics and other High Church Anglicans instead of the Book of Common Prayer.-History:...
, it is called The Canon of the Roman Mass.
This article does not deal with the significance and history of this Eucharistic Prayer (for which see Canon of the Mass
Canon of the Mass
Canon of the Mass is the name given in the Roman Missal, from the first typical edition of Pope Pius V in 1570 to that of Pope John XXIII in 1962, to the part of the Mass of the Roman Rite that begins after the Sanctus with the words Te igitur...
and History of the Roman Canon
History of the Roman Canon
From the 7th century the Canon of the Mass has remained relatively unchanged.It is to Pope Gregory I the great organiser of all the Roman Liturgy, that tradition ascribes its final revision and arrangement. His reign thus provides a natural division in the discussion of the history of the Canon...
), but only with the text and rubrics of the Canon from the Te Igitur to the final doxology, omitting consideration of the introductory dialogue, the preface and the Sanctus
Sanctus
The Sanctus is a hymn from Christian liturgy, forming part of the Order of Mass. In Western Christianity, the Sanctus is sung as the final words of the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer, the prayer of consecration of the bread and wine...
. These parts were not altered in 1970, except for the addition of further prefaces, generally taken from ancient sources.
Inaudible recitation of the Canon
In the TridentineTridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
form of the Mass, the priest says this part of the Canon inaudibly, with only two exceptions: he speaks the phrase "Nobis quoque peccatoribus" in a slightly audible voice, and says or sings aloud the final phrase of the doxology, "per omnia saecula saeculorum", so as to let the server or the choir know when to say or sing "Amen". This silence on the priest's part is associated with the fact that, in the Tridentine Mass, the priest says all parts of the Mass (except such responses as "Et cum spiritu tuo" and "Amen") himself, even if the choir sings them also. It became customary for the priest, having himself said the "Sanctus" quickly, not to wait for the choir to finish singing, but to continue immediately, necessarily not aloud, the rest of the Canon.
This was not always so. The older Roman ordines state that originally "the priest did not begin the Canon until the singing of the Sanctus was over" (Mabillon: In ord. Rom. comm., XXI). And, even in the Tridentine period, when an ordination Mass was almost the only case of concelebration left in the West, all the concelebrants said the Canon together aloud. However, mystic reasons were attributed to the silent prayers of the Canon, as purely sacerdotal, belonging only to the priest, with the silence increasing reverence at the most sacred moment of the Mass and removing the Consecration from ordinary vulgar use.
In the revised form of the Mass, the Canon is no longer said silently. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 147 states: "It is very appropriate that the priest sing those parts of the Eucharistic Prayer for which musical notation is provided." This brings the practice of the ordinary form of the Roman Rite closer to the rites of all the other ancient Christian Churches and to the practice of the Roman Rite itself before medieval times.
Te igitur
In the Tridentine form, the priest begins this prayer by raising his hands a little, joining them, looking briefly up to heaven, and then bowing deeply before the altar and resting his hands on it. He then says: "Te igitur, clementissime Pater, per Iesum Christum Filium tuum Dominum nostrum, supplices rogamus, ac petimus" (To you therefore, most merciful Father, we make humble prayer and petition through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord). Then he kisses the altar, joins his hands before his breast and continues: "uti accepta habeas, et benedicas" (that you accept and bless). Next he makes the sign of the cross three times over the host and the chalice, while saying: "haec dona, haec munera, haec sancta sacrificia illibata" (these gifts, these offerings, these holy and unblemished sacrifices). He then opens his arms, not into the position of prayer represented in paintings in the CatacombsCatacombs
Catacombs, human-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place can be described as a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman empire...
(the "Orantes
Orans
Orans , is a figure with extended arms or bodily attitude of prayer, usually standing, with the elbows close to the sides of the body and with the hands outstretched sideways, palms up....
" posture), but, as prescribed in the Ritus servandus in celebratione Missae, V, 1, keeping his hands before his breast, neither higher nor wider than his shoulders, with fingers joined and the palms facing each other, and he continues: "in primis, quae tibi offerimus pro Ecclesia tua sancta catholica: quam pacificare, custodire, adunare, et regere digneris toto orbe terrarum: una cum famulo tuo Papa nostro N. et Antistite nostro N. et omnibus orthodoxis atque catholicae et apostolicae fidei cultoribus" (which we offer you firstly for your holy catholic Church. Be pleased to grant her peace, to guard, unite and govern her throughout the whole world, together with your servant (Name) our Pope and (Name) our Bishop, and those who, holding to the truth, hand on the catholic and apostolic faith).
In the Roman Missal as revised in 1970, the text remains exactly as before, but the rubrics have been simplified: the priest opens his arms immediately and, since he is not being obliged to keep them before his breast, may adopt the "Orantes" posture; he joins his hands at the same point as in the pre-1970 text, but makes only one sign of the cross (the only one in the whole course of the Canon) over host and chalice, and then opens his arms again.
This prayer is not, strictly speaking, a prayer for the Pope and the Bishop. It uses the expression "together with" (una cum) not "for". This "together with" may be linked either with the verbs "pacificare" etc. begging God's favour for the Church as a whole, or with the verb "offerimus", indicating that the priest is offering Mass in union with the Pope and the Bishop.
Past variations of this prayer included the once universal mention of the civil ruler (emperor or king), which Pope Pius V
Pope Pius V
Pope Saint Pius V , born Antonio Ghislieri , was Pope from 1566 to 1572 and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He is chiefly notable for his role in the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman liturgy within the Latin Church...
removed in his 1570 revision of the Missal, but which continued in use in the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
until 1806 and later in the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
until 1918. The prayer also included, at one time, a special mention of the priest himself, though not by name.
The "Ritus servandus in celebratione Missae" section of the Tridentine Missal laid down that, in the prayer for the Pope, the priest should bow his head at the Pope's name. The Missal as revised in 1970 requires such a bow only "when the three Divine Persons are named together and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saint in whose honour Mass is being celebrated" (General Instruction", 275).
Even in the Tridentine Missal, which envisages Mass celebrated by one priest only, verbs such as "offerimus" are in the plural form (we offer). Some interpret this as a relic of the time before concelebration ceased (until after the Second Vatican Council) to be used in the West.
Commemoration for the living
The priest next prays: "Memento, Domine, famulorum, famularumque tuarum N. et N. et omnium circumstantium, quorum tibi fides cognita est, et nota devotio, pro quibus tibi offerimus: vel qui tibi offerunt hoc sacrificium laudis, pro se, suisque omnibus: pro redemptione animarum suarum, pro spe salutis et incolumitatis suae: tibique reddunt vota sua aeterno Deo, vivo et vero" (Remember, Lord, your servants (Name) and (Name) and all gathered here, whose faith and devotion are known to you. |For them, we offer you this sacrifice of praise or they offer it for themselves and all who are dear to them, for the redemption of their souls, in hope of health and well-being, and paying their homage to you, the eternal God, living and true)."Sacrifice of praise" is a phrase taken from Book of Psalms 49/50:23. The word "salus" can refer either to bodily health or to spiritual salvation.
At the point where the names of those being prayed for may be mentioned, the priest joins his hands and prays briefly for them.
Parts of this prayer were added at a relatively late date and are not found in early sacramentaries
Sacramentary
The Sacramentary is a book of the Middle Ages containing the words spoken by the priest celebrating a Mass and other liturgies of the Church. The books were usually in fact written for bishops or other higher clegy such as abbots, and many lavishly decorated illuminated manuscript sacramentaries...
.
In a concelebrated Mass, this prayer and the following one are spoken by individual concelebrants.
First Intercession
In the Missal, the next prayer is preceded by the rubric "Infra Actionem" (Within the Action), which was originally a heading over variations of this prayer, placed among other prayers for certain feasts, to indicate that they were to be inserted in the Canon. The feasts at which these variations are still used are Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost, and throughout their octaves. Since 1970, only Christmas and Easter have octaves.The prayer is as follows: "Communicantes, et memoriam venerantes, in primis gloriosae semper Virginis Mariae, Genetricis Dei et Domini nostri Iesu Christi: sed et beati Ioseph, eiusdem Virginis Sponsi, et beatorum Apostolorum ac Martyrum tuorum, Petri et Pauli, Andreae, (Iacobi, Ioannis, Thomae, Iacobi, Philippi, Bartholomaei, Matthaei, Simonis et Thaddaei: Lini, Cleti, Clementis, Xysti, Cornelii, Cypriani, Laurentii, Chrysogoni, Ioannis et Pauli, Cosmae et Damiani) et omnium Sanctorum tuorum; quorum meritis precibusque concedas, ut in omnibus protectionis tuae muniamur auxilio. (Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.)" (In communion with those whose memory we venerate, especially the glorious ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ, and blessed Joseph
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
, her Spouse, your blessed Apostles and Martyrs, Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
and Paul, Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
, (James, John
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
, Thomas
Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...
, James
James, son of Alphaeus
Saint James, son of Alphaeus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. He is often identified with James the Less and commonly known by that name in church tradition....
, Philip
Philip the Apostle
Philip the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Later Christian traditions describe Philip as the apostle who preached in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia....
, Bartholomew, Matthew
Matthew the Evangelist
Matthew the Evangelist was, according to the Bible, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists.-Identity:...
, Simon
Simon the Zealot
The apostle called Simon Zelotes, Simon the Zealot, in Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13; and Simon Kananaios or Simon Cananeus , was one of the most obscure among the apostles of Jesus. Little is recorded of him aside from his name...
and Jude: Linus
Pope Linus
Pope Saint Linus was, according to several early sources, Bishop of the diocese of Rome after Saint Peter. This makes Linus the second Pope. According to other early sources Pope Clement I was the Pope after Peter...
, Cletus
Pope Anacletus
Pope Saint Anacletus , also called Pope Cletus, was the third Roman Pope Pope Saint Anacletus (very rarely written as Anencletus), also called Pope Cletus, was the third Roman Pope Pope Saint Anacletus (very rarely written as Anencletus), also called Pope Cletus, was the third Roman Pope (after St....
, Clement
Pope Clement I
Starting in the 3rd and 4th century, tradition has identified him as the Clement that Paul mentioned in Philippians as a fellow laborer in Christ.While in the mid-19th century it was customary to identify him as a freedman of Titus Flavius Clemens, who was consul with his cousin, the Emperor...
, Sixtus
Pope Sixtus II
Pope Sixtus II or Pope Saint Sixtus II was Pope from August 30, 257 to August 6, 258. He died as a martyr during the persecution by Emperor Valerian....
, Cornelius
Pope Cornelius
Pope Saint Cornelius was pope from his election on 6 or 13 March 251 to his martyrdom in June 253.- Christian persecution :Emperor Decius, who ruled from 249 to 251 AD, persecuted Christians in the Roman Empire rather sporadically and locally, but starting January in the year 250, he ordered all...
, Cyprian
Cyprian
Cyprian was bishop of Carthage and an important Early Christian writer, many of whose Latin works are extant. He was born around the beginning of the 3rd century in North Africa, perhaps at Carthage, where he received a classical education...
, Lawrence, Chrysogonus
Saint Chrysogonus
Saint Chrysogonus is a saint and martyr of ancient Rome venerated by the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.-Life:Chrysogonus was martyred at Aquileia, probably during the Persecution of Diocletian, was buried there, and publicly venerated by the faithful of that region. He is the...
, John and Paul
John and Paul
For the musical partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, see Lennon/McCartneyJohn and Paul are saints in the Roman Catholic Church. They were martyred at Rome on 26 June. They should not be confused with the famous apostles of the same name...
, Cosmas and Damian
Saints Cosmas and Damian
Saints Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers, physicians, and early Christian martyrs born in Cilicia, part of today's Turkey. They practiced their profession in the seaport of Ayas, Adana, then in the Roman province of Syria...
) and all your Saints; we ask that through their merits and prayers, in all things we may be defended by your protecting help.. [Through Christ our Lord. Amen.])
Since 1970, the parts in brackets may be omitted, and the rubric has been removed that required the priest, if he pronounces the conclusion "Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen", to join his hands and open his arms again at the start of the following prayer. At all other points of the Canon in which "Per Christum Dominum nostrum" may or must be used, the post-1962 Missal directs that the priest should join his hands.
In his revision of the Missal, Pope Pius V
Pope Pius V
Pope Saint Pius V , born Antonio Ghislieri , was Pope from 1566 to 1572 and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He is chiefly notable for his role in the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman liturgy within the Latin Church...
removed some saints' names and other clauses that were then included, though some survived locally. The words "beati Joseph, eiusdem Virginis Sponsi" were added by Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
.
Hanc Igitur
This prayer, like the preceding, has variations at a very few celebrations. Such occasions were once much more numerous: the Gelasian Sacramentary has as many as 38 special forms to be intercalated for all kinds of special intentions, including requiem and wedding Masses.The normal text is: "Hanc igitur oblationem servitutis nostrae, sed et cunctae familiae tuae, quaesumus, Domine, ut placatus accipias: diesque nostros in tua pace disponas, atque ab aeterna damnatione nos eripi, et in electorum tuorum iubeas grege numerari. (Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.)" (Therefore, Lord, we pray: graciously accept this oblation of our service, that of your whole family; order our days in your peace, and command that we be delivered from eternal damnation and counted among the flock of those you have chosen. [Through Christ our Lord. Amen.])
In a concelebrated Mass, the prayer is said by the principal celebrant.
In the Tridentine Missal, the priest spreads his hands over the offerings during this prayer. This gesture was a late ceremony, occurring first in the fifteenth century, and was not adopted by the Dominicans and Carmelites. In the 1970 Roman Missal, it is during the next part of the Canon that the priest celebrating Mass, together with any concelebrating priests, performs this gesture, as at the pre-Consecration epiclesis of other Eucharistic Prayers.
Pre-consecration epiclesis
There follows the prayer: "Quam oblationem tu, Deus, in omnibus, quaesumus, benedictam, adscriptam, ratam, rationabilem, acceptabilemque facere digneris: ut nobis Corpus et Sanguis fiat dilectissimi Filii tui, Domini nostri Iesu Christi" (Be pleased, O God, wepray, to bless, acknowledge, and approve this offering in every respect; make it spiritual and acceptable, so that it may become for us the Body and Blood of your most beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.)Although this prayer does not mention the Holy Spirit, it is otherwise similar to an epiclesis
Epiclesis
The epiclesis is that part of the Anaphora by which the priest invokes the Holy Spirit upon the Eucharistic bread and wine in some Christian churches.In most Eastern Christian traditions, the Epiclesis comes after the Anamnesis The epiclesis (also spelled epiklesis; from "invocation" or...
, in which, usually, the Holy Spirit is invoked to effect the change of the bread and the wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Accordingly, the 1970 edition of the Roman Missal directs the priest to extend his hands over the offerings while reciting it. In the Tridentine form of the Mass, the priest says the prayer with hands joined, except while making the five signs of the cross prescribed in that form of the rite.
From this pre-consecration epiclesis to the post-consecration epiclesis, inclusive, the words are spoken or sung by all the concelebrants together.
Consecration of the bread
Next comes the first part of the account of the Last SupperLast Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
: "Qui, pridie quam pateretur, accepit panem in sanctas ac venerabiles manus suas, et elevatis oculis in caelum ad te Deum Patrem suum omnipotentem, tibi gratias agens benedixit, fregit, deditque discipulis suis, dicens: Accipite et manducate ex hoc omnes: hoc est enim Corpus meum, quod pro vobis tradetur" (On the day before he was to suffer, he took bread in his holy and venerable hands, and with eyes raised to heaven to you, O God, his almighty Father, giving you thanks, he said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take this, all of you, and eat of it: for this is my Body, which will be given up for you).
The actions and words attributed to Jesus in this account are not exactly the same as in the account of the Last Supper in any one of the Gospels. The raising of Jesus' eyes to heaven is not mentioned in the account of the Last Supper in any of the Gospels, though this action (of course, without "to you, God, his almighty Father") is mentioned in the accounts of the first of the two multiplications of the loaves. The word "enim" (for) has also been added to the words of consecration, apparently through analogy with the consecration of the chalice.
This prayer admits of one addition in the year: on Holy Thursday the prayer begins: "On the day before he was to suffer for our salvation and the salvation of all, that is today, ...", etc.
The rubrics direct the priest to accompany the words about taking and looking up with similar actions, but the bread is not broken or distributed at this point. The priest also bows slightly while speaking the words of Jesus. He then shows the consecrated host to the people, replaces it on the paten
Paten
A paten, or diskos, is a small plate, usually made of silver or gold, used to hold Eucharistic bread which is to be consecrated. It is generally used during the service itself, while the reserved hosts are stored in the Tabernacle in a ciborium....
(1970 form) or on the corporal
Corporal (liturgy)
The Corporal is a square white linen cloth, now usually somewhat smaller than the breadth of an altar, upon which the chalice and paten, and also the ciborium containing the smaller hosts for the Communion of the laity, are placed during the celebration of the Eucharist .-History:It may fairly be...
(Tridentine form), and genuflects in adoration.
The Tridentine Missal requires the priest also to bow his head at the words "giving you thanks", to make the sign of the cross at the words "he blessed it", and to genuflect before as well as after showing the host to the people.
Before as well as after 1970, the rubric in the Missal has the phrase "shows it (the consecrated host) to the people" (in Latin, "ostendit populo") not, as some imagine, "elevates it". If the people are behind the priest, the traditional way of showing the consecrated host is by raising it above the level of the priest's head. This showing of the host was introduced in France in the twelfth century and became general in the Roman Rite in the thirteenth. However, earlier texts speak of a gesture of adoration ("the bishops, deacons, subdeacons, and priests stay in the presbytery bowing down") at the consecration itself. The genuflection, in place of the previous bow of the head, was introduced only in the fourteenth century.
The General Instruction, 150 directs: "A little before the consecration, when appropriate, a server rings a bell as a signal to the faithful. According to local custom, the server also rings the bell as the priest shows the host and then the chalice." The Tridentine Missal does not mention the first ringing, but, since 1604, states that the bell should be rung either three times or continuously while the host and the chalice are being shown (Ritus servandus in celebratione Missae, VIII, 6).
Consecration of the wine
"Simili modo, postquam cenatum est, accipiens et hunc praeclarum calicem in sanctas ac venerabiles manus suas, item tibi gratias agens benedixit, deditque discipulis suis, dicens: Accipite et bibite ex eo omnes: hic est enim calix Sanguinis mei novi et aeterni testamenti, qui pro vobis et pro multis effundetur in remissionem peccatorum. Hoc facite in meam commemorationem" (In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took this precious chalice in his holy and venerable hands, and once more giving you thanks, he said the blessing, and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying: Take this, all of you, and drink from it: for this is the cup of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternalcovenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.)The Tridentine text varies from this in two points. One is the insertion of the words "mysterium fidei" (the mystery of faith) immediately after the word "testamenti". The other is that, in place of the final words, "Hoc facite in meam commemorationem", which Jesus used at the Last Supper , it has the words "Haec quotiescumque feceritis, in mei memoriam facietis" (As often as you do this, you will do it in my memory), a conflation of Jesus' words with a comment by Saint Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
in .
The words of the consecration of the wine come mainly from ; "calix Sanguinis mei" is adapted from Luke and 1 Corinthians; "pro vobis" come from Luke, and "pro multis" from Matthew. The phrase "et aeterni" is found in no New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
passage.
It has been suggested that the phrase "mysterium fidei" was originally a warning by the deacon to the people, but no evidence has been found to support this supposition. The priest now speaks the phrase after showing the chalice to the people and genuflecting. It serves as an introduction to a Memorial Acclamation
Memorial Acclamation
In Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and some Anglican and Methodist churches, the Memorial Acclamation is a part of the Eucharistic Prayer. It is sung or recited by the congregation.It is most commonly used after the Words of Institution.- Form of the acclamation :...
by the people, absent in the Tridentine Missal.
The Missal gives three forms of this acclamation, the first two of which are closely based on , while making explicit the reference to the resurrection of Christ, which is only implicit in that text:
- "Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine, et tuam resurrectionem confitemur, donec venias" (We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection, until you come again).
- "Quotiescumque manducamus panem hunc et calicem bibimus, mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine, donec venias" (When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again).
- "Salvator mundi, salva nos, qui per crucem et resurrectionem tuam liberasti nos" (Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free).
Anamnesis
In the Eucharistic Prayers of all liturgies, the Words of InstitutionWords of Institution
The Words of Institution are words echoing those of Jesus himself at his Last Supper that, when consecrating bread and wine, Christian Eucharistic liturgies include in a narrative of that event...
of the sacrament
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
, concluding with "Do this in memory of me", are, quite naturally, followed by a solemn recalling of Christ's death and resurrection. The term used to refer to this explicit recalling is Anamnesis
Anamnesis (Christianity)
Anamnesis , in Christianity is a liturgical statement in which the Church refers to the memorial character of the Eucharist and/or to the Passion, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ...
. The anamnesis then turns seamlessly into a prayer of offering. The text in the Canon is: "Unde et memores, Domine, nos servi tui, sed et plebs tua sancta, eiusdem Christi, Filii tui, Domini nostri, tam beatae passionis, necnon et ab inferis resurrectionis, sed et in caelos gloriosae ascensionis: offerimus praeclarae maiestati tuae de tuis donis ac datis hostiam puram, hostiam sanctam, hostiam immaculatam, Panem sanctum vitae aeternae et Calicem salutis perpetuae" (Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the blessed Passion, the Resurrection from the dead, and the glorious Ascension into heaven of Christ, your Son, our Lord, we, your servants and your holy people, offer to your glorious majesty from the gifts that you have given us, the pure victim, the holy victim, the spotless victim, the holy Bread of eternal life and the Chalice of everlasting salvation).
During this prayer, the Tridentine form of the Canon prescribes that the priest make five signs of the cross over the consecrated bread and wine, the first of a total of fifteen to be made after the consecration. All fifteen are omitted in the post-1962 form.
Supra quae
The Canon continues with a prayer that God may accept the sacrifice the Church now offers as he accepted the sacrifices of three outstanding Old TestamentOld Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
figures. In other words, it asks that the devotion of the Church may be like theirs.
The text is: "Supra quae propitio ac sereno vultu respicere digneris: et accepta habere, sicuti accepta habere dignatus es munera pueri tui iusti Abel, et sacrificium Patriarchae nostri Abrahae, et quod tibi obtulit summus sacerdos tuus Melchisedech, sanctum sacrificium, immaculatam hostiam." (Be pleased to look upon these offerings with a serene and kindly countenance, and to accept them, as once you were pleased to accept the gifts of your servant Abel the just, the sacrifice of our Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
, our father in faith, and the offering of your high priest Melchizedek
Melchizedek
Melchizedek or Malki Tzedek translated as "my king righteous") is a king and priest mentioned during the Abram narrative in the 14th chapter of the Book of Genesis....
, a holy sacrifice, a spotless victim).
Post-consecration epiclesis
The following prayer is believed to have once been a regular epiclesisEpiclesis
The epiclesis is that part of the Anaphora by which the priest invokes the Holy Spirit upon the Eucharistic bread and wine in some Christian churches.In most Eastern Christian traditions, the Epiclesis comes after the Anamnesis The epiclesis (also spelled epiklesis; from "invocation" or...
, in which the Holy Spirit is invoked upon those who are to receive the Body and Blood of Christ so as to sanctify them. It still ends with a prayer that all who will receive the sacred Body and Blood of Christ will be filled with every heavenly blessing and grace. A phrase of Pope Gelasius I
Pope Gelasius I
Pope Saint Gelasius I was pope from 492 until his death in 496. He was the third and last bishop of Rome of African origin in the Catholic Church. Gelasius was a prolific writer whose style placed him on the cusp between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages...
(492-496) has been interpreted as indicating that in his time the Roman Canon still had an express mention of the Holy Spirit, such as there is in all other ancient liturgies. He wrote: "How shall the Heavenly Spirit, when he is invoked to consecrate the divine mystery, come, if the priest [and he] who prays him to come is guilty of bad actions?" (Ep., vii; Thiel, Ep. Rom. Pont., I, 486) - "and he" corresponds here to the single word "et" in Latin, which may be a scribal error. It has also been suggested that the angel mentioned here is the Holy Ghost - an attempt to bring the prayer more into line with the proper form of an epiclesis, but the evidence rather tells against this interpretation.
The prayer is: "Supplices te rogamus, omnipotens Deus, iube haec perferri per manus sancti Angeli tui in sublime altare tuum, in conspectu divinae maiestatis tuae; ut quotquot ex hac altaris participatione sacrosanctum Filii tui Corpus et Sanguinem sumpserimus, omni benedictione caelesti et gratia repleamur. (Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen)" (In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God, command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy Angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty, so that all of us, who through this participation at the altar receive the most holy Body and Blood of your Son, may be filled with every grace and heavenly blessing. [Through Christ our Lord. Amen]).
The rubrics as revised in 1970 direct the priest to bow while saying this prayer and to stand erect and make the sign of the cross on himself when saying the final phrase, "omni … gratia repleamur" (may be filled with every grace and heavenly blessing). In the Tridentine form the priest places his joined hands on the edge of the altar while making the bow, kisses the altar at the words "hac altaris participatione" (this participation at the altar), and makes a sign of the cross over the consecrated host at the word "Corpus" (Body) and over the chalice with the consecrated wine at the word "Sanguinem" (Blood).
Commemoration for the dead
"Memento etiam, Domine, famulorum famularumque tuarum N. et N., qui nos praecesserunt cum signo fidei et dormiunt in somno pacis. Ipsis, Domine, et omnibus in Christo quiescentibus, locum refrigerii, lucis et pacis, ut indulgeas, deprecamur. (Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.)" (Remember also, Lord, your servants men (Name) and (Name), who have gone before us with the sign of faith and rest in the sleep of peace. Grant them, O Lord, we pray, and all who sleep in Christ, a place of refreshment, light and peace. [Through Christ our Lord. Amen]).The rubrics direct that, after the words "dormiunt in somno pacis" (rest in the sleep of peace), the priest joins his hands and prays briefly for them.
The Tridentine Missal has at the end of this prayer a rubric unparalleled in the rest of the book: at the final clause, "Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen", obligatory in that form of the Mass, the priest bows his head, although the clause does not contain the name of Jesus. The only explanation proposed is a mystic one: after the prayer for the dead the priest bows his head as Christ did when he died.
In a concelebrated Mass, this prayer and the following are said by individual concelebrants.
Second Intercession
"Nobis quoque peccatoribus, famulis tuis, de multitudine miserationum tuarum sperantibus, partem aliquam et societatem donare digneris, cum tuis sanctis Apostolis et Martyribus: cum Ioanne, Stephano, Matthia, Barnaba, (Ignatio, Alexandro, Marcellino, Petro, Felicitate, PerpetuaSaints Perpetua and Felicitas
Perpetua and Felicity are Christian martyrs of the 3rd century. Perpetua was a 22-year old married noble, and a nursing mother. Her co-martyr Felicity, an expectant mother, was her slave. They suffered together at Carthage in the Roman province of Africa.The Passion of St. Perpetua, St...
, Agatha, Lucia, Agnete, Caecilia, Anastasia) et omnibus Sanctis tuis: intra quorum nos consortium, non aestimator meriti, sed veniae, quaesumus, largitor admitte. Per Christum Dominum nostrum." (To us, also, your servants, who, though sinners, hope in your abundant mercies, graciously grant some share and fellowship with your holy Apostles and Martyrs: with John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
, Stephen
Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
, Matthias
Saint Matthias
Matthias , according to the Acts of the Apostles, was the apostle chosen by the remaining eleven apostles to replace Judas Iscariot following Judas' betrayal of Jesus and his suicide.-Biography:...
, Barnabas
Barnabas
Barnabas , born Joseph, was an Early Christian, one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem. In terms of culture and background, he was a Hellenised Jew, specifically a Levite. Named an apostle in , he and Saint Paul undertook missionary journeys together and defended Gentile converts...
, (Ignatius
Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius of Antioch was among the Apostolic Fathers, was the third Bishop of Antioch, and was a student of John the Apostle. En route to his martyrdom in Rome, Ignatius wrote a series of letters which have been preserved as an example of very early Christian theology...
, Alexander
Pope Alexander I
Pope Saint Alexander I was Bishop of Rome from about 106 to 115. The Holy See's Annuario Pontificio identifies him as a Roman who reigned from 108 or 109 to 116 or 119...
, Marcellinus, Peter
Marcellinus and Peter
Saints Marcellinus and Peter were two 4th century Christian martyrs in the city of Rome.-Life:Very little is known about the two martyrs' lives. Marcellinus, a priest, and Peter, an exorcist, died in the year 304, during the persecution of Diocletian...
, Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha
Agatha of Sicily
Saint Agatha of Sicily is a Christian saint. Her memorial is on 5 February. Agatha was born at Catania, Sicily, and she was martyred in approximately 251...
, Lucy
Saint Lucy
Saint Lucy , also known as Saint Lucia, was a wealthy young Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint by Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Orthodox Christians. Her feast day in the West is 13 December; with a name derived from lux, lucis "light", she is the patron saint of those who are...
, Agnes, Cecilia
Saint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia is the patroness of musicians and Church music because as she was dying she sang to God. It is also written that as the musicians played at her wedding she "sang in her heart to the Lord". St. Cecilia was an only child. Her feast day is celebrated in the Roman Catholic, Anglican,...
, Anastasia and all your Saints; admit us, we beseech you, into their company, not weighing our merits, but granting us your pardon, through Christ our Lord).
The saints of this Second Intercession are headed by John the Baptist, who is accompanied by seven male and seven female saints, all of them martyrs.
The opening words, "Nobis quoque peccatoribus", are the only ones of the Canon, apart from the "Per omnia saecula saeculorum" that concludes the Canon, that, in the Tridentine form of the Roman Missal, are spoken aloud after the Sanctus. They are to be said in a rather low voice, since the rubric speaks of the priest "raising his voice a little."
At the same words, both before and after 1970, the priest strikes his breast, as do all the priests, if the Mass is concelebrated.
Per quem
The "Per Christum Dominum nostrum" at the end of the Second Intercession is not followed by the usual "Amen." What follows instead is the short prayer (reserved to the principal celebrant in a concelebrated Mass): "Per quem haec omnia, Domine, semper bona creas, santificas, vivificas, benedicis, et praestas nobis." (Through whom you continue to make all these good things, O Lord, you sanctify them, fill them with life, bless them and bestow them upon us.)It is unclear what is referred to by the phrase "all these good things". One theory is that it refers to fruits of the earth and prepared food brought up to be blessed at this point of the Canon, which is when the bishop blesses the oil of the sick with a special formula at the Chrism
Chrism
Chrism , also called "Myrrh" , Holy anointing oil, or "Consecrated Oil", is a consecrated oil used in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Rite Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, in the Assyrian Church of the East, and in Old-Catholic churches, as well as Anglican churches in the administration...
Mass on Holy Thursday.
The Tridentine Missal requires the priest to make three signs of the cross over the host and chalice together during this prayer.
Doxology with elevation
The priest ends the Canon with the doxology, "Per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso, est tibi Deo Patri omnipotenti, in unitate Spiritus Sancti, omnis honor et gloria per omnia saecula saeculorum." (Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory is yours, for ever and ever). To this the response is: "Amen."While pronouncing the doxology, the priest, or the priest and the deacon, if there is one, elevate the paten containing the consecrated host and the chalice containing the consecrated wine. The Tridentine Missal has a more complicated ritual: the priest uncovers the chalice, genuflects, takes the host between right thumb and forefinger and, holding the chalice in his left hand, makes the sign of the cross three times from lip to lip of the chalice, while saying: "Per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso"; he then with the host makes the sign of the cross twice in the space between him and the chalice, saying: "est tibi Deo Patri omnipotenti, in unitate Spiritus Sancti"; next he elevates chalice and host slightly, while saying: "omnis honor et gloria"; and finally he replaces the host on the corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
, covers the chalice with the pall
Pall
Pall may refer to:* Pall , a cloth used to cover a coffin* Pall , a Y-shaped heraldic charge* Pall , a piece of stiffened linen used to cover the chalice at the Eucharist* Pall Corporation, a global business...
, genuflects, stands up, and says or sings aloud: "Per omnia saecula saeculorum."
See also
- Canon of the MassCanon of the MassCanon of the Mass is the name given in the Roman Missal, from the first typical edition of Pope Pius V in 1570 to that of Pope John XXIII in 1962, to the part of the Mass of the Roman Rite that begins after the Sanctus with the words Te igitur...
- History of the Roman CanonHistory of the Roman CanonFrom the 7th century the Canon of the Mass has remained relatively unchanged.It is to Pope Gregory I the great organiser of all the Roman Liturgy, that tradition ascribes its final revision and arrangement. His reign thus provides a natural division in the discussion of the history of the Canon...
- MassMass (liturgy)"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
- Pre-Tridentine MassPre-Tridentine MassThe term Pre-Tridentine Mass here refers to the variants of the liturgical rite of Mass in Rome before 1570, when, with his bull Quo primum, Pope Pius V made the Roman Missal, as revised by him, obligatory throughout the Latin-Rite or Western Church, except for those places and congregations whose...
- Tridentine MassTridentine MassThe Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
- Mass of Paul VIMass of Paul VIThe Mass of Pope Paul VI is the liturgy of the Catholic Mass of the Roman Rite promulgated by Paul VI in 1969, after the Second Vatican Council...
- English MissalEnglish MissalThe English Missal is a translation of the Roman Missal used by some liturgically advanced Anglo-Catholic parish churches. After its publication by W. Knott & Son Limited in 1912, the English Missal was rapidly endorsed by the growing Ritualist movement of Anglo-Catholic clergy, who viewed the...