Here are five tips curated from Father Schmitz’s experience to help Catholics become better evangelizers:

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Amen! Today we look at our response at the end of the doxology: the Great Amen. After the priest sings or says, “Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever,” the people respond with, “Amen!” What exactly does Amen mean? Amen is a special word that most often is understood to mean, “So be it.

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Today we are in the homestretch of our journey through the Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass! At the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest prays some very special words: The Doxology. The glossary of our Catechism defines doxology as a “Christian prayer which gives praise and glory to God, often in a special way to the three divine persons of the Trinity” (CCC, 875). The Catholic Source Book tells us the word doxology comes from the Greek doxa, which means “glory.” In our tradition, the Gloria can be referred to as the “Greater Doxology” and the prayer “Glory Be” the “lesser doxology” (The Catholic Source Book, p. 7). There are many doxologies found throughout our prayer, including those in the Bible. For example: “For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36). Another example is: “To him be glory now and to the day of eternity” (2 Peter 3:18).

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As we have been reflecting on the Intercessions of the Eucharistic Prayers, perhaps it is a good time to address all those saint names in Eucharistic Prayer I. Who are all those people? Of course, the first list begins with Mary and Joseph and then the “blessed Apostles and Martyrs,” including Peter, Paul, Andrew (Peter’s brother), James (“the Greater”: the brother of John), John, Thomas, James (“the Lesser”: the son of Alpheus), Matthew, Bartholomew, Simon (“the Zealot”), and Jude (also called Thaddeus).‍

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After the Consecration, Memorial Acclamation, and our offering of Jesus to the Father along with ourselves, the Eucharistic Prayer also includes some Intercessions. The Diocese of Peoria teaches, “The Eucharistic prayer also intercedes or prays for various members of the Church. We always pray for the pope, the bishop and all the clergy. Intercession is also made for the Church suffering in purgatory, as we pray for the faithful departed. We pray that they soon be taken into Heaven and live in the presence of God. Intercession is also made for the entire Church, both those who are present at the Mass and those throughout the world. We pray God hears our prayers as we offer them through the Mass, we ask for His mercy and we also pray we be united so we may worship as one body as our Lord Himself desired”.

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Continuing through the parts of the Eucharistic Prayer, this week we look at the Oblation, where the Church “offers the unblemished sacrificial Victim in the Holy Spirit to the Father… as well as our very selves” (GIRM, 79). We certainly have a lot to be excited about, especially Holy Communion, which is coming. Lest we lose focus and let our attention fade, the prayers that follow the Memorial Acclamation help us to recall the Mass as the one perfect sacrifice, as well as our participation in that sacrifice.

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Blessings to you all! As we continue through the Mass, here comes another big word: Anamnesis (commonly pronounced: Ann-amm-nee-siss), also known as the Memorial Acclamation. Now that Jesus is truly present on the altar and we have adored him quietly, what else should we do but raise our voices and proclaim our joy out loud? After the elevation of the chalice, the priest genuflects in adoration. When he rises, he says, “The mystery of faith.” These words invite one of three responses: “We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again”; or “When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again”; or “Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.”  A Charles Belmonte writes, “The Anamnesis is a prayer of remembrance in which the Church calls to mind the Lord’s passion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven... We have just been asked to ‘proclaim the mystery of faith.’ And what is this mystery? Precisely the redeeming sacrifice of Christ celebrated in these rites” (Understanding the Mass, p. 145).

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I often hear people ask why it is that, for so many priests, the Consecration is their favorite moment of the Mass. How exactly does the Consecration “work”?

Thanks for asking! Some years ago, I was in the midst of a large assignment by myself and was struggling with some health issues. I was working long days to try and cover all that was needed, but I felt myself regularly falling short. Around that time, I was gifted with a wonderful confession from one of our wise priests, who reminded me that the best and most important part of my day is always what happens at the altar. He said I could end the day with unfinished projects and unanswered messages, but if I prayed the Mass faithfully at the altar, then it will have been a great day. What great words of consolation!

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This week we reflect on the Consecration in our E-Team blog post.  At the moment of the Mass when the priest takes the bread and chalice of wine that will become the Body and Blood of Jesus, we hear the words of Jesus: “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body…”.

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Continuing now with the individual parts of the Eucharistic Prayer, we come to a really action-packed moment: the Epiclesis. What is the “Epiclesis”? How do we even pronounce it? (A common pronunciation is Epp-eh-clee-sis.) Charles Belmonte teaches, “In the Epiclesis, the priest requests God the Father to send the Holy Spirit so that the bread and wine offered may become Christ’s Body and Blood and so we may be able to celebrate the Eucharistic mystery, and to make all the effects of the sacrament operative in us. At the same time, the priest extends his hands, palms downward, over the chalice and host, and traces the sign of the cross over them. With this gesture, he asks God to pour his blessing over the gifts offered and to turn them into his Son’s body and blood” (Understanding the Mass, p. 135). That is a lot of action for a few quick words! This is an important moment because it gives us notice about what is soon to come: the changing of the bread and wine into the very Body and Blood of Jesus.

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What is the background for the Eucharistic Prayers? We begin with what Jesus himself said and did. Fr. Guy Oury writes, “According to St. Paul and Saint Luke, Jesus ‘gave thanks’ (1 Cor. 11:24; Lk 22:17). According to Saint Matthew and Saint Mark, he ‘said [a] blessing’ (Mt. 26:26; Mk 14:22). The two expressions are equivalent. They designate a blessing prayer of thanksgiving that was customary among the Jews. The ritual of the Passover meal, which may have been the setting for the institution and first celebration of the Eucharist, included such a prayer”. If we look through the Gospels, we will see Jesus often giving thanks. This reminds us of the word Eucharist, which means thanksgiving!

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