Who is Praying?

 With the recent presentation of Fr Paul Turner, Ars celebrandi, it occurs to me that both priests and people need to pay more attention to the details in the liturgy including when the different parties are called to pray. This can help us better understand the dynamic of the Eucharistic liturgy and enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ present in the people, the priest, the Word, the Blessed Sacrament, and the sacrament.

1. Prayers of the Priest

The priest is ordained to administer the sacraments. Acting in persona Christi capitis, that is, in the person of Christ the Head, he has prayers proper to him. This includes the: liturgical greeting, Collect, and a range of other prayers some of which are spoken for the people to hear and others which are secret. Some of the prayers are spoken as part of a dialogue with the people, who respond accordingly, and it makes no sense for the priest to speak them. Likewise, these cannot be spoken by a layperson who cannot respond to themselves. The priest will also speak those prayers proper to a deacon when there is no deacon present. This is all obvious. The key thing, though, is that the priest does not pray those things that belong to others when they are present.

2. Prayers for both Priest and People

Some of the prayers in the Mass are for both priest and people. This is one of the changes that makes the Mass in the ordinary form so different from the Mass in the extraordinary form. In this category we find the: Confiteor, Gloria, Alleluia, Credo, Sanctus, Non Sun Dignus and Pater Noster.

3. Prayer of the People 

These prayers are spoken or sung by the people. These are prompted by the ordained or by the action in the liturgy itself. They give us an insight into the theology of Vatican II with regard to the baptized as the being a priestly people. The key text is found in Lumen gentium, 10:

Christ the Lord, High Priest taken from among men, made the new people "a kingdom and priests to God the Father". The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, in order that through all those works which are those of the Christian man they may offer spiritual sacrifices and proclaim the power of Him who has called them out of darkness into His marvelous light. Therefore all the disciples of Christ, persevering in prayer and praising God, should present themselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. Everywhere on earth they must bear witness to Christ and give an answer to those who seek an account of that hope of eternal life which is in them.

Though they differ from one another in essence and not only in degree, the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood are nonetheless interrelated: each of them in its own special way is a participation in the one priesthood of Christ. The ministerial priest, by the sacred power he enjoys, teaches and rules the priestly people; acting in the person of Christ, he makes present the Eucharistic sacrifice, and offers it to God in the name of all the people. But the faithful, in virtue of their royal priesthood, join in the offering of the Eucharist. They likewise exercise that priesthood in receiving the sacraments, in prayer and thanksgiving, in the witness of a holy life, and by self-denial and active charity. 

With this in mind we can look at the prayers, other than short responses to greetings or dialogues prompted by the ordained, to see how this theology is enacted in the Mass. These prayers are: Mysterium Fidei, Great Amen, Doxology (completing the Pater Noster), and the Agnus Dei.

(a) Mysterium Fidei

This prayer is prompted by the priest, however, it is the people who make the response. These, in the vocative, are directed towards Jesus:

 - We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection until you come again.

 - When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your death O Lord, until you come again.

 - Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and resurrection you have set us free.

The acclamations speak to both what the Lord has done and what the response of the people to the miracle which has been performed in their midst. Other prayers from the pre-2010 liturgy which do not function in this way should not be used.

(b) Great Amen

This acclamation which completes the Great Doxology, led by the priest, is the climax of the Eucharistic Prayer. It gives voice to the acclamation of the people who give their assent to all that has been prayer by Jesus Christ through the ministry of the priest to the glory of God the Father. The people will then proceed to make a personal Amen when they come forward to receive the Host and Precious Blood at the hands of the priest and other ministers.

(c) Doxology (after the Embolism)

The people pray subsequent to the priest saying: "Deliver us Lord, we pray, from every evil..." to which the people say:

 - For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and for ever.

Again, the people are replying not to the priest but to the Lord who has been made present in the sacrament. This prayer is not found in Sacred Scripture. In The Didache the Pater Noster is concluded: "... because yours is the power and glory forever." (Didache 8.2)

(d) Agnus Dei

Subsequent to the Pax (Sign of Peace) the priest directs his attention to the breaking of the Bread and the other elements required to prepare for the distribution of the Communion Rite. He has secret prayers proper to his office. Meanwhile the people, prompted by the action, acclaim:

 - Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us (x2) Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

The people, as in the other prayers, acclaim their Messiah, present substantially in the Holy Eucharist, using the testimony of John the Baptist (Jn 1: 29) and concluding with the petition for peace, which is the gift of the Lord promised to his disciples at the Last Supper (Jn 14: 27) and bestowed by the Risen Lord (Jn 20: 21).

4. Conclusion

My brief analysis of these prayers leads me to conclude that the people are not to be seen in the liturgy as accessing the Lord mediated solely through the priest. Rather they address Him directly. They, fed by the Word and nourished by the Holy Eucharist, function as a people present to the sacrificial action. They are united with the ordained in the offering of the sacrifice which is to be presented to the heavenly Father. Their participation in the Mass Parts tells us that they are attentive to the action and joined to it in faith. This is an advance on the Mass in the Extraordinary Form where the people, for the most part, sit as spectators watching the servers fulfilling their function for them in a language which they did not know.

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 I think it is permissible to understand the wedding feast, in today's parable, as the great banquet at the end of time: "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." (Rev 19: 9) In this way the parable can be seen as a summary of the history of salvation. The first group of slaves, sent to invite the guests (Mt 22: 3), is the judges: "Then the Lord raised up judges, who delivered them out of the power of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen even to their judges; for they lusted after other gods and bowed down to them." (Jg 2: 16-17). The second group of slaves (Mt 22: 4) is the prophets: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!" (Mt 23: 37) The destruction of Jerusalem is foretold: "He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers. and burned their city." (Mt 22: 7) The third group of slaves sent out is the Christian apostles and evangelists: "Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests." (Mt 22: 10) The man found to be not wearing a wedding garment is someone who is not clothed in good works or who has not been baptized. he is condemned: " 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' " (Mt 22: 13) In this way Jesus gives a stern warning to us his disciples not to be complacent or entitled regarding the grace given us: "For many are called, but few are chosen." (Mt 22: 14)

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 It is significant that the parable today is directed towards the chief priests and elders of the people. (Mt 21: 23) Having entered Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, thus declaring his messianic status, Jesus as the Messiah proceeds to put the chief priests and elders on trial for their deficiencies. The genius of this present parable is that our Lord gets the hierarchy to pronounce judgment on themselves: "'Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?' They (the chief priests and elders) said to him, 'He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time'." (Mt 21: 40-41) No wonder the Temple authorities were infuriated and looked to destroy him: "When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet." (Mt21: 45-46) What is the message for us in 2026? Surely, it is for us to give the produce of the Kingdom to our heavenly King. Is this cause for self-congratulation? Jesus tells us: "So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!' " (Lk 17: 10)

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Today's gospel reminds us of the importance of John the Baptist and therefore of his message of personal conversion. In Matthew's gospel, John the Baptist appears in the wilderness saying: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" (Mt 3: 2) while Mark has Jesus, coming in from the wilderness, preaching: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news." (Mk 1: 15) Jesus' proclamation gives further urgency: "the time is fulfilled." Many people, regarded as sinners and treated as outcasts, responded to this call and changed their lives. The Pharisees and Sadducees, watching critically, rather than change their conduct, sought ways to question John's legitimacy: "They (the Pharisees) asked him, 'Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah nor the prophet?' " (Jn 1: 20) Yet they were unable to answer Jesus' question as to the origins of John's ministry (Mt 21: 27) Applying this text to ourselves, we are challenged to see what fruit the Gospel has yielded in our lives. Do we sit on the sidelines analyzing the Church and finding fault in others? Or do we respond with humility by recognizing our own faults and asking for forgiveness? After all, Jesus points out: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." (Mt 9: 12-13) 

A Different Take on the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

 Recently we heard the parable of the Unforgiving Servant at Mass. This parable is clearly about the need to forgive but often I do not think it is taken seriously in its details. Consequently, I have an opinion on how we can look at this parable that potentially makes it land even more powerfully than ever.

We need to notice, first of all, that we are dealing with a king. The king wishes to run his kingdom through using the services of senior slaves. Now and again, the king wants to do an audit to ensure that no one is cheating him. To this end he begins the audit by calling forward the one who owes him the most. In this case it is a man who owes ten thousand talents which is an enormous sum. Obviously, this man was originally owed the money for a reason. One might surmise that this individual is the effectively the reserve banker for the kingdom. It is his job, therefore, to lend out money to the subjects of the king to keep the economy functioning. The banker will charge interest, take his commission, and pass the profit on to the king.

The king is in a ruthless mood and looks to imprison the slave when he is unable to pay him back the money. The banker slave, who has been taken by surprise with the sudden audit, admits that he cannot pay the stupendous sum because the money has all been loaned out. That is why he thinks that with sufficient time he will be able to call in all of the loans and pay the king: "Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything." (Mt 18: 26) The change of heart by the king is amazing. He does not even need to have the money paid back but forgives the debt. This action potentially makes the banker slave stupendously rich since he can still call in the loans and then take all of the money for himself. The ten thousand talents is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

With this in mind, we can see how the banker immediately begins to enforce the loans by throttling, in the presence of other slaves, a debtor slave who owes hundreds of dollars. he does this in public because all the other slaves also owe him. He throttles this slave: "Pour encourager les autres" (to encourage the others). They will be next. Instead of giving the debtor time to pay the banker, who is now stupendously rich, throw him into prison with no mercy. The other slaves, seeing they will be in line for the same treatment, go to the king to tell him of the story.

The king, who from the outset was aware of the greed and ruthlessness of the banker, who happens to the be the loan shark of the kingdom, then has a pretext to act as he wished from the beginning. He recalls the banker, reimposes the debt and sends him to prison. The change here, however, is that this time around: "... his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay the entire debt." (Mt 18: 34) What a horrifying thought that the banker would have to wait for all the loans to come due and be paid back while being tortured to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars!

What is the application? I can see in this a parable about purgatory. If I do not forgive people, while alive, when I have been forgiven so much by the Lord, then I will experience the pains of purgatory until all effects of my own sin have been satisfied: "So my heavenly father will also do to every one of you, of you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart." (Mt 18: 35) That is a hideous thought! All the more to prompt me to forgive in this life while the mercy of God is offered to me.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Today's gospel is an excellent one for teaching us about missionary discipleship. We all remain disciples under the one Master. No one generation, socio-economic group, ethnicity or other description of social organization has complete ownership of the Church. This includes how long we have been Catholic or lived in a particular parish. We are called to serve in the mission given us by the Lord. The danger is that we settle in our comfort zone and become self-serving. In the parable the workers with the sharpest elbows, who managed to get to the front of the queue to obtain work for the day, seem oblivious to the fact that other workers may have had bills to pay and families to feed. Their focus is on themselves, "Or are you envious because I am generous?" (Mt 20: 15) Elsewhere the Lord the gospel tells us: "So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, so, 'We are worthless slaves, we have done only what we ought to have done'." (Lk 17: 10) The words of St Paul to the Philippians is relevant to us today: "Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind in the faith of the gospel." (Phil 1: 27)

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

  We hear in the First Reading: "Anger and wrath. these are abominations, yet a sinner holds on to them." (Sir 27: 30) St Paul tells us elsewhere: "Be angry but do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil." (Eph 4: 26-27) The emotion of anger is not sinful. The choice to hold onto anger, fostering bitterness and hatred, is. Each one of us has a royal prerogative of pardon. Our heavenly King has forgiven us; we are obliged by him to forgive others. We say: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" every time we pray the Our Father. In this we acknowledge that we belong to the Lord and his righteousness not to the ways of the world: "If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live of whether we die, we are the Lord's." (Rm 14: 8) Thus, the measure of our mercy comes from God whose love is unlimited and mercy is super-abundant: "I forgave that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?" (Mt 18: 32-33)