Prayer for Masses with Children I: God’s Message of Love

‘The Eucharist: The Gift That Keeps on Giving … and Giving and Giving’

By Fr. Ron Will, C.PP.S.

You have joined 10^th video in a series on the Eucharistic prayers that we pray during Mass. The series is entitled: “The Eucharist: The Gift that keeps on giving, and giving, and giving.”

Let’s take a minute and look at the big picture of what happens at Mass.

The Mass comprises the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist.

The Mass is always a celebration of the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection, and as such, we offer physical gifts of bread and wine and money, and the gift of ourselves in order to die to self and live anew for others. We do not simply listen to words of hope; we must remember and deepen within ourselves the commitment to live the self-sacrifice of the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection.

At the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, participation in the collection demonstrates willing sacrifice. The offering we make is meant to do much more than cover parish expenses; it signifies that all members of the Body of Christ, as well as those outside the Christian faith, are to be treated with dignity and given the necessary means to survive. Along with the collection, the presentation of gifts of bread and wine represent the sacrificial work of God’s people. It is our hope that God will accept them and return them to us to share.

Now let’s look more closely at the Liturgy of the Eucharist. There are 13 different Eucharistic Prayers from which the presider may choose. There is a variety of Eucharistic Prayers, because variety keeps the congregation more engaged.

Today, we will be look specifically at the Eucharistic Prayer for Masses with Children I, because it is still early in the school year, and you may be hearing this Prayer if you attend a school Mass or a Mass for Religious Education classes. (Last month we reflected on at the Eucharistic Prayer for Masses with Children III; there’s that variety we spoke of.)

This Eucharistic Prayer highlights the message that God love each one of us with intensity. Three times the priest begins with “God our Father, you have brought us here together so that we can give you thanks and praise for all the wonderful things you have done” and then three times says:

1. “We know that you are good. You love us and do great things for us.”
2. “Father, you are always thinking about your people; you never forget us. … [Your Son Jesus] loves everyone and showed us how to be kind. He took children in his arms and blessed them.”
3. “Father, because you love us, you invite us to come to your table. Fill us with the joy of the Holy Spirit as we receive the body and blood of your Son.”

Hopefully, the children get the message: God loves them. It should be comforting and reassuring for the children at Mass to hear this.

The Eucharistic Prayer is the story of God and the story of our lives becoming one story. By acclaiming the “Great Amen” at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer, we commit ourselves to this story of sacrifice. Our undying hope is that we participate more and more in the unfolding of God’s kingdom as we enter ever more deeply into the life of Christ.

Jesus wants to transform us into other Christs as we receive him. As he becomes part of our body, we become part of His body.

Thank you for joining me today.

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,” and reflect on another one of the 13 Eucharistic Prayers that may be used during Mass.

May God bless you today and throughout the week.

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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