3rd Reflection on the Eucharistic Prayers: Instruments of God’s Peace

The Eucharist: The Gift That Keeps on Giving … and giving, and giving

By Fr. Ron Will, CPPS

You have joined the third in a series of videos on the Eucharistic prayers that we pray during Mass. This series is titled “The Eucharist: The Gift that keeps on giving…and giving, and giving.”

The struggle with praying a familiar prayer is that we do not really think about what we are saying, we do not think about the words and implications of our prayer. But when we really reflect on the words, they invite us to have a personal encounter with God. I am reflecting on some of those words with you, in the hope that you will notice the words that are said and their meaning,

Remember that there are 13 Eucharistic Prayers from which the presider at Mass may choose.

Today’s session is being recorded during the Season of Lent for broadcast during Holy Week. It seems appropriate that we reflect on the Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation-II, and allow ourselves to be drawn more deeply into the love of God for us this week.

It is a fact that the human race is divided by dissention and discord, but God is trying to work on our hearts to prepare them for reconciliation with one another. God is at work, but are we allowing our hearts to be molded and remolded by God?

We pray that God make us, his Church, a sign of unity and an instrument of God’s peace among all people. We are praying that God use us outside of this Mass to have a positive impact on the larger world.

We are gathered in unity with the people in this church building right now, but we are praying that God bring us into unity with a larger part of God’s family: with the saints in heaven, and with our brothers and sisters of every race and tongue who have died.

My hope is that my reflections will make you more attentive to the Eucharistic Prayer at the next Mass you attend. Start really listening to the readings and the prayers, and the pieces of the puzzle of the Mass will come together. You will only then begin to see the incredible vision God has for our lives, for His Church, and for the world.

Thank you for joining me for these refelctions.

I invite you to join me again next month, as I continue this series on “The Eucharist: The Gift that just keeps on giving … and giving, and giving.”

We will then reflect on another one of the 13 Eucharistic Prayers that may be used during Mass.

In the meantime, may you have a blessed and joy-filled Easter celebration which brings you to a personal encounter with the Risen Jesus.

All of the videos in this series can be found here: Reflections on the Eucharistic Prayers.

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[Fr. Ron Will, a Precious Blood priest and spiritual director, is a graduate of Catholic Theological Union and Creighton University’s School of Christian Spirituality. He has a special interest in helping form intentional disciples of Jesus, encouraging others to go spiritually deep-sea diving to explore a deeper relationship with God, and walking with people as they dive into the ocean of God’s mystery actually experiencing God rather than simply dipping one’s toe into the water.]

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