The Hidden Depths of the Mass #22

The Eucharistic Prayers

Following the offertory at Mass, the Eucharistic Prayer follows.  There are a total of ten Eucharistic Prayers found in the Roman Missal that contains all the prayers for Mass.  The Eucharistic Prayers are trinitarian in their nature.  They are addressed to God our Father.  The prayers invoke the Holy Spirit to make our sacrifice acceptable and for the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus.  We also ask the Holy Spirit to transform us into the Body of Christ.

The Eucharistic Prayers vary in age.  The oldest is Eucharistic Prayer II, which dates back to third century.  The newest are the four Eucharistic Prayers for Various Needs written in the 1970’s.  Eucharistic Prayer I, sometimes called the Canon, is the one Eucharistic Prayer used in the centuries leading up to the Second Vatican Council.