This week, we have some practical tips for how to participate in the Eucharistic prayer – when the priest reads the long text from the book on the altar.
We have heard the Eucharistic prayer so many times that we become immune to it. The words have little effect on us anymore. That’s why we need to eavesdrop. The Eucharistic prayer is a glimpse into what the Son is speaking to His Father about us, through the person of the priest. When we stop listening to the priest reading from a book but instead focus on Jesus speaking to His Father, we become aware of the Mass in a whole new way. Eavesdropping on the Eucharistic prayer means listening to the words like it’s the first time – listening in as Jesus speaks to the Father about us!
We should use our imaginations to be present at the Crucifixion. At every Mass, we are mystically transported to the foot of the Cross. What do you see as Jesus is hanging on the Cross offering His life for you? How do you want to respond? You are there. You might not feel it but you are. Use your imagination to fill in what your senses cannot detect.
Study the Eucharistic prayers. Pray with them. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you things that you have not experienced before. And the next time you come to Mass, you will have a new understanding of the Mass.
Use this link to read and pray with the different parts of the Mass, including the Eucharistic prayers: https://universalis.com/static/mass/orderofmass.htm