The second major division of the Liturgy is the Liturgy of the Eucharist. This part of the Mass begins with the presentation of the gifts and extends to the sharing of Holy Communion.
During the presentation, the altar table is set. Often a few people representing the whole community bring the gifts of bread and wine to the altar. The presider, the priest, receives the gifts and places them on the altar. He then offers the gifts to God, blessing God for the goodness of all creation.
"Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become for us the bread of life."
A similar prayer is said as the priest lifts the cup of wine in a gesture of offering. To both of these prayers, the congregation responds, "Blessed be God forever."
The Eucharistic Prayer
Now begins the great Eucharistic Prayer. This prayer is the central prayer of the Mass. It is a prayer of praise and thanksgiving addressed to the Father. It recalls the Last Supper, which Jesus celebrated with his friends the night before he died. It also includes prayers for the Church's leaders, for those who have died, and for believers everywhere, striving to live out their faith.
The Eucharistic Prayer begins with the preface, or introduction. The presider invites us to lift up our hearts and to give thanks to the Lord our God. The preface reflects on how right and proper it is to praise God. All creation, all the angels and saints, are constantly praising God with songs of thanksgiving.
The preface invites us to join this joyful song of praise as we proclaim, "Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest."
The Eucharistic Prayer continues by recalling God's constant love relationship with humankind. That love found its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, who, on the night before he died, promised his followers a share in his very life. The priest tells the story of the Last Supper, how Jesus told his friends to remember him in broken bread and shared wine. The community today celebrates the presence of Jesus in this meal of love just as the early Christians gathered to share his life after the resurrection.
The priest then leads us in the memorial acclamation. Memorial means remembering. The memorial acclamation is a brief statement of what we remember to be the center of our faith, the heart of Jesus' message.
There are four versions of the memorial acclamation. Each one recalls the three essential elements celebrated in the Eucharist: the passion and death of Jesus, his resurrection, his promised return in glory. The first acclamation states our belief most simply: "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again."
The celebrant then continues with the Eucharistic Prayer, praising God and asking God to be mindful of our needs and the needs of both the living and the dead members of the Christian community everywhere. This great prayer of thanksgiving is concluded with a joyful statement of praise that begins with a reference to Jesus: "Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, forever and ever." The community responds with the Great Amen - a loud and committed yes to the realization that in Christ, God is praised in the deepest possible way. This brings to an end the Eucharistic Prayer.
The Communion Rite and Concluding Rites
The Communion Rite continues the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Lord's Prayer and Sign of Peace prepare us to receive the life of God in sharing Communion. The final action of the Liturgy of the Eucharist is the reception of the sacred bread and wine, the meal of the love and life of Jesus.
The Mass ends with simple Concluding Rites, a way of saying goodbye in the language of the Church. The presider asks for God's blessing on us. The community is then dismissed and encouraged to continue the Eucharist in service to one another. Most often, a recessional hymn is sung.