Praise and Thanksgiving
by Fr. Erasto Fernandez
With the Praise and Thanksgiving behind us, we now move into the Eucharistic Prayer which begins with the Preface. As the Introductory Dialogue of the Preface itself indicates, this is a prayer of praise addressed to the Father by the entire Church (visibly represented by the assembly present for the Eucharist) but articulated by the Celebrant alone. Yet, even though the President/Celebrant articulates this prayer, it cannot be emphasized sufficiently that this is the prayer of the entire community. That is why the Celebrant addresses the assembly saying: ‘Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.’ And only after the community expresses its consent (‘Yes, it is right that we give him praise and thanks’) does he begin his prayer. It is also noteworthy that several times as the prayer unfolds, he ensures that the people come in with an appropriate acclamation – keeping them in touch with what is happening, as it were.
Praise: highest form of prayer
Before we move into deeper explanations, it would be worth recalling that praise, and particularly selfless praise of God, is the highest form of prayer that we could ever make. In the face of God’s marvelous deeds all we can do is ‘wonder’ or marvel at the unbelievable depth of his love for each of his creatures! Yet, it is a form of prayer that so few use and one of the reasons for this is that people do not have sufficient practice in making this kind of prayer even when they celebrate the Eucharist.
The question worth asking is: ‘How many persons present at the Eucharist do actually join the Celebrant in praising God silently in their hearts – for blessings they are conscious of having received in the recent past?’ Somehow the understanding that prevails in most minds is that this part of the Eucharist is meant for the Celebrant alone. And this thinking is true, in practice, both of the congregation and of the Celebrant too. For, the break-neck speed at which he often rattles off this prayer cannot be accounted for except under the presumption that he believes that this is his ‘personal and private’ prayer; and so, he feels free to do it the way he thinks best! This further makes it difficult for the people to really understand what is being said; the result is that no one can really make it his/her own. And not having practiced it during the Eucharist, they rarely have recourse to it during the rest of the day. The Celebrant too needs to realize that the Eucharistic Prayer is primarily the people’s prayer and that he prays it in their name. Hence, the people have a right to know what is being said, especially if they are to endorse it at the end with a resounding ‘Amen.’
It would not be far-fetched to assert that if the people did consciously praise and thank God each day at the Eucharist for some concrete gifts, they would gradually develop the habit of praising God all through the day. For, doesn’t the Celebrant say: It is right that we should give you praise and thanks always and everywhere…? Once we realize that everything we have, every blessing we receive is a gift from God, we wouldn’t find it difficult to praise God in all circumstances. A devout Jew is expected to say a minimum of a hundred prayers of praise (berakoth) each day; and most Jews would be faithful to this requirement. For the Christian, the injunction is that s/he should praise God ‘always and everywhere!’ And if they really did this, would they not rather be ‘specialists’ in this kind of selfless praise? After all, what return could we ever hope to make to God who loves us so marvelously? The best we can do is to acknowledge his love and kindness by simply extolling his greatness.
Among the blessings listed by the Celebrant for which he thanks and praises God, the greatest blessing comprises what Jesus did – on the night before he died. To ensure that we always have this in mind, at each Eucharist the Celebrant reminds us of this as he recounts the story in the Institution Narrative. Prior to Vatican II, it was believed that this part contained the important words of ‘consecration’ at which the bread and wine are transformed into Jesus. Today our understanding of this has changed considerably. First of all, we do not speak so much of ‘consecration’ as of sanctification, ‘being filled with God’s Spirit’ – and this is more linked with the prayer calling down the Spirit (epiclesis) which comes both before and after the Institution Narrative. Thus, this section is no longer known as consecration but as the Institution Narrative.
Secondly, the entire Eucharistic Prayer is seen as one whole, and the entire prayer is considered to be ‘consecratory.’ One immediate consequence of this would be that the entire prayer should be prayed with care and full attention – not just as something recited by rote. Nor should the section of the Institution Narrative be given any special attention by reciting it slowly and deliberately, or in a different tone and speed from the rest of the prayer. Also it is important to remember that the transformation of the gifts into Jesus is a miracle undoubtedly, but the bigger and greater miracle that we pray for and witness is that we, the community who are the ‘body of Christ,’ are also transformed likewise into Jesus. Perhaps during the actual Eucharist our attention should be more on this second aspect of the transformation of the community, with our preoccupation on the things that prevent us from being more fully the Body of Christ. These should have been surrendered into the Lord’s hands together with the gifts of bread and wine, no doubt, but this would be the time to listen to what the Lord says to us about how they could be transformed into his own body during the rest of the day.
Praise and Petitions
In the Jewish form of prayer known as the ‘berakah’, the Rabbis always recommended that a few petitions be added to the praise one makes. The reason behind this practice is that since God has been so gracious to his people in the past (for which we thank him), there is no reason to believe that he will not continue to bless his people in the present and future. Hence, with confidence based on our past experience of God’s goodness, we bring our urgent and important needs before the Father. Here too we note that the categories for which we pray are the standard ones – the Holy Father, Bishops, Priests and faithful, the living and the dead. But there is nothing to prevent the assembly from praying for these intentions silently, or even adding their own petitions personally as the celebrant makes the official ones. The important point is that they be aware that this is the time for petitions and these are made by the entire assembly, and not the priest alone.
The entire Eucharistic Prayer is brought to a conclusion with a mighty burst of praise to which the assembly responds with a resounding Amen. It is worth noting the fuller and richer meaning of the word ‘Amen.’ It means not only that we agree with all that the celebrant has prayed but also that we commit ourselves to make the last statement a reality. In the final burst of praise, the celebrant prays that “all honour and glory be yours, heavenly Father, for ever and ever” and our Amen confirms that we will work to make this a reality – that all people everywhere give praise and glory to the Father for ever. What a demanding challenge this! But how little do we attend to this meaning of ‘Amen’ in the rush to get on with the ritual! It would help if, from time to time, the Celebrant invites the assembly to reflect on finer points like this, which even if they seem trivial, have a tremendous bearing on practical living.
Expressions like the Amen and all it implies remind us that if we are going to ensure that all people give praise and glory to the Father, we would need to be the first to do that ourselves – no matter how difficult the circumstances of our daily living. That would keep us on our toes right through the day, especially if we are in the habit of sincerely living out what we did in the liturgy each day. This one point would be enough to give us plenty of ‘matter’ for our spiritual endeavour to respond more effectively to God’s goodness to us.
Jewish Antecedents
The Preface and Eucharistic Prayer are based on the Jewish form of prayer called ‘Berakah’ or prayer of praise (plural = berakoth). Accustomed as they were to regular and frequent sacrifices, they found themselves at a total loss when they experienced the Babylonian captivity. In that foreign land, they were bereft of Temple, Prophet, Priest, Sacrifice, in short of every means of approaching Yahweh (Dan 3:37-40). In this predicament they experienced greater dryness and emptiness in their lives than even when they journeyed through the great desert on their way to the Promised Land. Unable to bear this distance from God, they sought to overcome this serious deprivation by resorting to prayers of praise to Yahweh recalling his past deeds and his present goodness to them in spite of their failings. These ‘berakoth’ were later termed, ‘the sacrifice of praise’ since they enabled the people to get in touch with God effectively, just as much as a sacrifice would. Every devout Jew was expected to make at least a hundred berakoth each day if he wished to deepen his relationship with Yahweh.
Special Format
As they became more and more adept in praying the Berakah, the Jews gave it a very definite shape comprising of four steps:
- Invitation – ‘Come praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord…’ ‘ Bless the Lord, O my soul; let all that is within me bless his holy name.’
- Reasons – ‘O give thanks to the Lord for he is good…’
- The praise itself – ‘You caused the grass to grow for the cattle …’
- Concluding burst of praise – ‘ Blessed be God, forever.’ ‘ Bless the Lord, O my soul; let all that is within me bless his holy name.’
It is helpful to note that praise indicates a more selfless extolling of God’s good qualities as such; it is different from thanksgiving for favours received out of his goodness. In this latter instance, we are the beneficiaries of God’s favours and so we thank him, whereas when we praise God we focus on his good qualities even when we personally may not have benefited from them (‘You set the earth on its foundations so it shall never be shaken…’).
Jesus himself prayed the berakah several times, e.g. at the grave of Lazarus (Jn 11:41-42), or, when the disciples returned after their trial mission (Lk 10:21-22) and so on. However, expert that he was, he did not tie himself down to the pattern mentioned above yet kept the basic elements of the prayer. However, there is one point the Rabbis insist on with regard to the Berakah. Since every Jew was expected to make 100 berakoth each day, they realized that pretty soon routine would set in and that their prayer would become yet another ritual in their lives. Hence, they insisted that while making this prayer, the devotee should remember the ‘kawanah halleb’ or ‘attention of the heart’ so that each prayer is made consciously and meaningfully.
In the Eucharist, the berakah pattern is seen in the Eucharistic Prayer that begins with the dialogue of the Preface – a call to praise. In the unfolding of the Preface generally, we have the various reasons listed, and this is followed by the praise itself in the Eucharistic Prayer. A careful reading of the Preface and Eucharistic Prayer would reveal a wealth of reasons very briefly mentioned. To get the maximum benefit of this prayer one would need to elaborate on each of these points and perhaps even personalize them. By far, the greatest reason we have for praising God is recalled in the Institution Narrative, viz. that Christ freely chose to die out of love for us and in obedience to the Father’s call. A burst of praise follows in the Memorial Acclamation. After recalling further aspects of Christ’s self-gift, especially his resurrection, ascension and sending of the Spirit, we move into the “tefillah” or intercessions. The final burst of praise is seen in the Doxology especially when it is sung together with the Great Amen.
Eucharistic Values
If we pray the Eucharistic Prayer purposefully and meaningfully every time we celebrate Eucharist, we would gradually develop the attitude of praising God in every circumstance. We see this attitude so dramatically and vividly in the members of the Charismatic Renewal who explode into innumerable expressions like ‘Praise the Lord’ or ‘Alleluia’ almost all through the day. Even if sometimes these acclamations seem to be somewhat stylized and artificial or ‘put on’, they do clearly reveal the habit of praising God in every circumstance. We would need to be particularly careful of circumstances that are challenging and difficult for it is naturally more difficult to see God’s loving hand in such painful situations.
Recalling the typical Jewish way of thinking in such situations would certainly help us make these prayers more meaningfully. Based on their experience of God’s loving action, particularly during their Exodus journey, the Jews were firmly convinced that God has chosen them as his own people – and that too gratuitously, for no great virtue on their part. Having chosen them out of all the peoples on the earth, they further believed that God would certainly not desert them in their hour of difficulty, even if they had not responded as they should have. Another key idea that had embedded itself into their collective consciousness was that Yahweh was always faithful to his promises. So, if he has committed himself to bless them and care for all their needs, he would never go back on this promise. He would always be there ‘for’ them.
In fact, so strong was this conviction with them, that they did not feel the need to wait to see the promise fulfilled before bursting out into praise and thanks of God. A classic example of this attitude is the case of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. No sooner does Eli, the priest, assure her in God’s name that she would bear a boy child, than she returns home and begins to eat and drink casting aside all her previous mourning and sadness. As yet she had no proof that she was definitely going to bear a child, nor could she have known that it would certainly be a boy child. Yet, she knew that God does not go back on his word – once spoken, his word is as good as done! If this was the way the Israelites understood God’s fidelity, would it not be easier for us to imitate them in this regard? After all, we have even greater proof of the Father’s fidelity in that he sent his only Son Jesus who loved us, every single one of us, even to the point of sacrificing his life for us on the Cross.
It could be said that this attitude of sincerely praising and thanking God in every circumstance is about the greatest sign that the Eucharist is really transforming our lives. Once we get a firm grasp on this aspect of the Eucharist, nothing would really disturb us or separate us from the love of the Father. St. Paul reminds us: “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?” (Rom 8:31-32). What blessedness would be ours if we could learn to take God seriously, to believe in his word or hold him to his promises! Our lives would certainly be suffused with peace and contentment in all circumstances.
Another aspect, almost an offshoot of the previous considerations, would be that we would find ourselves selflessly praising God for the blessings that others around us receive – even when they are not directly connected with us as part of our family or circle of friends. This is true especially if the blessings others receive are precisely what we would have liked to have had, and had actually been praying for - and what is more, they seem to have received them in even greater measure than we could ever hope for! We are able to genuinely rejoice at the good fortune of others! This selfless praise of God for others is the sure test of our being transformed more and more into Christ – because as long as the Self reigns supreme in our lives, even in spiritual matters, we can be sure that we are still rather distant from God. He makes his sun to shine on the good and bad alike and pardons the sinner no matter how many times s/he has fallen into the same fault.
A further development that would soon show itself in our lives is that we have become a lot more positive in our outlook – we are able to first spot what is good in everything around us, and maybe only then notice all that is lacking or negative. We have all certainly come across several people who have the unpleasant knack of constantly picking out the faults in themselves and in others as well. The good qualities are referred to almost as an after-thought - if they are mentioned at all! But if we can be habitually and almost instinctively positive and optimistic, what a difference it would make in our own life and that of others. We would certainly make the world a far better place to be in!
Another quality that an intelligent participation in the Eucharistic Prayer produces is the ability to be more sensitive to the people around us; we are not only more keenly aware of their presence but also see them as intimately connected with ourselves. ‘No man can live as an island’ becomes a reality for us, but more in the sense that we are convinced that we are all members of one big family in Christ. This mental attitude makes us much more careful about how we live our lives – realizing that whatever we do or say has an impact on all others too. We remember often that Jesus has called us to be light of the world and salt of the earth, as also leaven in the dough. All three metaphors speak of a certain insertion into a larger surrounding which is different from itself. It speaks also of a certain inner vitality that simply radiates out on to others. This inspires us both negatively in the sense that we consciously avoid whatever might be a cause of scandal to others, but also positively in that we do whatever we can to witness to the power of Christ’s life within us.
Put schematically, celebrating the Eucharistic Prayer meaningfully would produce in us attitudes such as:
- Spontaneously praising God always and everywhere
- An abiding conviction of the Father’s fidelity to all his promises to us
- A sense of deep peace and contentment
- The ability to genuinely rejoice over the good of others
- A noteworthy positive attitude in every situation
- A sense of belonging to one big family – a solidarity with all people.
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Copyright © Fr. Erasto Fernandez. All rights reserved.
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