13. Intercessory Prayer, Doxology and the Great AMEN!
Together today we will take a final look at the Eucharistic Prayer by considering the last three “parts”
1. Intercessory Prayer,
2. The Doxology
3. The Great Amen.
First we will begin with the part of the Eucharistic Prayer which is a prayer of “Intercession”
After we proclaim the Mystery of Faith, Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again the Eucharistic prayer proceeds to become an Intercessory Prayer . . .
When we say intercessory prayer we are saying that through this part of the Eucharistic Prayer we pray for others, or… we are asking for other’s to pray for us.
You will notice that we pray for our Pope and Bishop by name.
We pray for all the faithful and all the world
We pray for those who have died (this is a good time to pray in your heart for your loved ones who have died)
We pray that the Lord will hear and accept the prayers of Mary and the saints on our behalf
The Eucharistic Prayer always concludes with something called the “Doxology,” . . .
Doxology means “a word of praise to God.”
The doxology is very familiar to all of us. It is when the priest raises up the Body and Blood of Jesus in a gesture indicating that “this is the sacrifice we offer to God,” and he says . . .
“Through Him, With Him, and In Him; In the unity of the Holy Spirit; All glory and honor is yours, almighty Father. . . forever and ever.”
We have learned during the past few teachings before Mass … that the prophets longed for a day when God’s people would have a “perfect sacrifice” to offer God in order to express their repentance, and to put them in right relationship.
Now, at this point in the Mass, we are proclaiming that Jesus has provided us with this perfect sacrifice.
No longer do we offer up animals or crops or the ordinary things which sustain our lives. Jesus—as both God and human and by his obedience and perfect faith—provides us with the perfect sacrifice.
It is our sacrifice in that we place our faith—not in anything we have done—but our faith, in his saving death and resurrection.
All of us respond to the doxology with one of the most familiar words of our Faith: AMEN.
This Amen, which follows the doxology, is called the “Great Amen,” because we sing it and repeat it, and we stand during or immediately after it, as a way of saying enthusiastically, “Yes! It is true! He has saved us!
