In liturgical use the term preface is a formal thanksgiving that immediately precedes (or forms part of) the Canon, Eucharistic Prayer, Prayer of Consecration or analogous portion of the Eucharist (Holy Communion, Mass or Divine Liturgy). [1] The preface, which begins at the words, "It is very meet and just, right and salutary" (or a variation thereof) is ushered in, in all liturgies, with the Sursum corda ("Lift up your hearts") and ends with the Sanctus ("Holy, Holy, Holy").
In most Western liturgies, proper prefaces are appointed for particular occasions. In the various Eastern liturgies there is great variation. Among those who follow the Rite of Constantinople the audible portion of the preface does not change, but the silent prayer said by the priest will differ depending upon whether it is the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom or the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great. Among the Oriental Orthodox Churches the preface will take different forms, depending upon the liturgical rite or the particular feast day.[ citation needed ]
In the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, the preface omits the Dominus vobiscum ("The Lord be with you") and is in the form: [2]
Then the Sanctus is said or sung. In more modern orders of service, it is common for the Dominus vobiscum to introduce the Sursum corda.
In the Byzantine Rite, the preface opens with the following:
Greek original | English translation [3] | |
---|---|---|
Deacon | Ἂς σταθοῦμε καλά· ἂς σταθοῦμε μὲ φόβο· ἂς προσέξουμε νὰ προσφέρωμε τὴν ἁγία ἀναφορὰ μὲ εἰρήνη. | Let us stand well; let us stand with fear; let us attend, that we may offer the Holy Oblation in peace. |
People | Εἰρηνικὴ ἡ ἀγάπη μας, δοξαστικὴ ἡ θυσία μας. | A mercy of peace, a sacrifice of praise. |
Priest | Ἡ χάρη τοῦ Κυρίου μας Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατέρα, καὶ ἡ ἑνότητα τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἂς εἶναι μὲ ὅλους σας. | The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. |
People | Καὶ μὲ τὸ πνεῦμα σου. | And with thy spirit. |
Priest | Ἂς ὑψώσουμε πρὸς τὸ Θεὸ τὶς καρδιές μας. | Let us lift up our hearts. |
People | Ἔχομε τὴν καρδιά μας στραμμένη στὸ Θεό. | We lift them up unto the Lord. |
Priest | Ἂς εὐχαριστήσουμε τὸν Κύριο. | Let us give thanks unto the Lord. |
People | Ἀξίζει καὶ πρέπει. | It is meet and right. |
(to worship the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity one in essence and undivided.) | ||
In Lutheran liturgies, the preface has many different translations that can be used in the Divine Service. The following is a common form: [4]
In the Roman Rite, the preface opens with the following:
The current English translation has:
There are a wide variety of proper prefaces for every mass, depending on the missal used. As an example, a preface appointed for masses in the first Sunday in Advent is: [5]
In English:
Mass is the main Eucharistic liturgical service in many forms of Western Christianity. The term Mass is commonly used in the Catholic Church, Western Rite Orthodoxy, Old Catholicism, and Independent Catholicism. The term is also used in some Lutheran churches, as well as in some Anglican churches, and on rare occasion by other Protestant churches.
The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass, the Traditional Rite, or the Extraordinary Form, is the liturgy in the Roman Missal of the Catholic Church codified in 1570 and published thereafter with amendments up to 1962. Celebrated almost exclusively in Ecclesiastical Latin, it was the most widely used Eucharistic liturgy in the world from its issuance in 1570 until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI.
Divine Liturgy or Holy Liturgy is the usual name used in most Eastern Christian rites for the Eucharistic service.
The epiclesis refers to the invocation of one or several gods. In ancient Greek religion, the epiclesis was the epithet used as the surname given to a deity in religious contexts. The term was borrowed into the Christian tradition, where it designates the part of the Anaphora by which the priest invokes the Holy Spirit upon the Eucharistic bread and wine in some Christian churches. In most Eastern Christian traditions, the Epiclesis comes after the Anamnesis ; in the Western Rite it usually precedes. In the historic practice of the Western Christian Churches, the consecration is effected at the Words of Institution though during the rise of the Liturgical Movement, many denominations introduced an explicit epiclesis in their liturgies.
The Sanctus is a hymn in Christian liturgy. It may also be called the epinikios hymnos when referring to the Greek rendition and parts of it are sometimes called "Benedictus". Tersanctus is another, rarer name for the Sanctus. The same name is sometimes used for the Trisagion.
The Exsultet, also known as the Easter Proclamation, is a lengthy sung proclamation delivered before the paschal candle, ideally by a deacon, during the Easter Vigil in the Roman Rite of Mass. In the absence of a deacon, it may be sung by a priest or by a cantor. It is sung after a procession with the paschal candle before the beginning of the Liturgy of the Word. It is also used in Anglican and various Lutheran churches, as well as other Western Christian denominations.
The Anaphora, Eucharistic Prayer, or Great Thanksgiving is a portion of the Christian liturgy of the Eucharist in which, through a prayer of thanksgiving, the elements of bread and wine are consecrated. The prevalent historical Roman Rite form is called the "Canon of the Mass."
In Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches, an entrance is a procession during which the clergy enter into the sanctuary through the Holy Doors. The origin of these entrances goes back to the early church, when the liturgical books and sacred vessels were kept in special storage rooms for safe keeping and the procession was necessary to bring these objects into the church when needed. Over the centuries, these processions have grown more elaborate, and nowadays are accompanied by incense, candles and liturgical fans. In the liturgical theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the angels are believed to enter with the clergy into the sanctuary, as evidenced by the prayers which accompany the various entrances.
Dóminus vobíscum is an ancient salutation and blessing traditionally used by the clergy in the Masses of the Catholic Church and other liturgies, as well as liturgies of other Western Christian denominations, such as Lutheranism, Anglicanism and Methodism.
The Canon of the Mass, also known as the Canon of the Roman Mass and in the Mass of Paul VI as the Roman Canon or Eucharistic Prayer I, is the oldest anaphora used in the Roman Rite of Mass. The name Canon Missæ was used in the Tridentine Missal from the first typical edition of Pope Pius V in 1570 to that of Pope John XXIII in 1962 to describe the part of the Mass of the Roman Rite that began after the Sanctus with the words Te igitur. All editions preceding that of 1962 place the indication "Canon Missae" at the head of each page from that point until the end of the Mass; that of 1962 does so only until the page preceding the Pater Noster and places the heading "Ordo Missae" on the following pages.
The Sursum corda is the opening dialogue to the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer or Anaphora in Christian liturgies, dating back at least to the third century and the Anaphora of the Apostolic Tradition. The dialogue is recorded in the earliest liturgies of the Catholic Church in the west and east, and is found in all ancient rites.
The Divine Service is a title given to the Eucharistic liturgy as used in the various Lutheran churches. It has its roots in the Pre-Tridentine Mass as revised by Martin Luther in his Formula missae of 1523 and his Deutsche Messe of 1526. It was further developed through the Kirchenordnungen of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that followed in Luther's tradition.
The Liturgy of Saint Basil or, more formally, the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, is a term for several Eastern Christian celebrations of the Divine Liturgy (Eucharist), or at least several anaphoras, which are named after Basil of Caesarea. Two of these liturgies are in common use today: the one used in the Byzantine Rite ten times a year, and the one ordinarily used by the Coptic Church.
In Eastern and Western Christian liturgical practice, the elevation is a ritual raising of the consecrated Sacred Body and Blood of Christ during the celebration of the Eucharist. The term is applied especially to that by which, in the Catholic Roman Rite of Mass, the Sacred Body of Christ (Host) and the chalice containing the Most Precious Blood of Christ are each lifted up and shown to the congregation immediately after each is consecrated. The term may also refer to a musical work played or sung at that time.
The Anaphora of the Apostolic Tradition, also known as the Anaphora of Hippolytus, is an ancient Christian Anaphora which is found in chapter four of the Apostolic Tradition. It should not be confused with the Syriac Orthodox Anaphora of the Twelve Apostles, which is similar, and may be one of several liturgies derived from this Anaphora, yet is considerably longer and more ornate.
Vesting prayers are prayers which are spoken while a cleric puts on vestments as part of a liturgy, in both the Eastern and Western churches. They feature as part of the liturgy in question itself, and take place either before or after a liturgical procession or entrance to the sanctuary, as depends on the particular liturgical rite or use which is being observed.
The General Intercessions or Universal Prayer or Prayer of the Faithful are a series of prayers which form part of the liturgy in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist and other Western Liturgical Churches.
In Lutheranism, the Eucharist refers to the liturgical commemoration of the Last Supper. Lutherans believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, affirming the doctrine of sacramental union, "in which the body and blood of Christ are truly and substantially present, offered, and received with the bread and wine."
The embolism in Christian liturgy is a short prayer said or sung after the Lord's Prayer. It functions "like a marginal gloss" upon the final petition of the Lord's Prayer, amplifying and elaborating on "the many implications" of that prayer. According to the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia, "[t]he embolism may date back to the first centuries, since, under various forms, it is found in all the Occidental and in a great many Oriental, particularly Syrian, Liturgies."
The episcopal or pontifical blessing is a blessing imparted by a bishop, especially if using a formula given in official liturgical books.