A priest friend of mine who is a liturgical specialist once told me that one of the criteria for being chosen as bishop in the early Church was the ability to improvise Eucharistic Prayers. Some priests whom I have greatly admired have, on occasion, either written their own Eucharistic Prayers or used alternative ones from other sources. These priests are not liturgical mavericks. They are good, devoted and holy pastors of their people or are Religious who have a wide experience of people’s needs. As mentioned in the previous article, this has encouraged me occasionally, when appropriate, to use Eucharistic Prayers I have composed or adapted myself. I have tried to be faithful to the basic pattern of the Eucharistic Prayers authorised by the Church.
1 Justice and Peace
Father, we praise and thank you in the name of our whole human family, especially all struggling to make your kingdom come in our world. We bring before you the deep longing for justice and peace of so many of our sisters and brothers through the world, as we join the hymn of all the angels and saints: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY …
Father, your son, Jesus, has opened our eyes to the presence of your Spirit within us, between us and among us, a Spirit which empowers us to love and respect each other, especially those in greatest need and trapped in deadly poverty.
May that same Spirit come down on these gifts that they may become for us the body and blood of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
Father in heaven, we celebrate the memory of Christ, your Son. By his suffering, death and resurrection he has brought hope to our world.
God of history, in the face of all the violence of our world, may your Spirit help the leaders and governments of nations to respond to the terrible poverty and injustice in our world. Heal our blindness and give us wisdom and courage to remedy all the damage we are doing to the wonderful creation you have entrusted to our care. Free us and all people from any addiction to consumerism that we may be more truly disciples of your Son, committed to justice and peace in our world. Empower nations suffering corrupt government to be freed from their slavery.
May all who believe in you, of whatever faith or creed, be led by your Spirit into a closer communion with each other. Together with our Muslim sisters and brothers and all men and women of good will, may we build your kingdom of justice and peace in our world today. Give us all a desire to live simply, sustainably and in solidarity.
Heal any blindness holding our Church back from seeking true justice. Bless BENEDICT, Bishop of Rome, our own bishop, PATRICK, the whole college of bishops and all Church leaders.
May all our dead, especially those who have given their lives for justice and peace, in communion with Mary and all the saints, be sharing with your risen Son, Jesus, the joy and happiness of your own life and love. THROUGH HIM …
2 Christian Unity
God of love, we thank you for the longing to live together in unity and peace you have planted deep in our hearts. Your Son, Jesus, revealed that this longing is your own Spirit of unity and love poured out into our hearts. In the power of that spirit and with all your spirit-filled family down through the ages, we give you thanks and praise on behalf of all creation as we say: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY …
God of love, we thank you for the longing for unity and peace you have planted deep within us. Your Son, Jesus, revealed that this longing is your own Spirit of unity and love poured out into our hearts.
Through the power of that same Spirit may these gifts become for us the body and blood of Jesus, our brother and our Lord.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
Let us proclaim the mystery of faith …
Father, we celebrate the memory of Christ, your Son. Having shared our suffering and death, through his resurrection he has brought hope and meaning to our world. May we become one body, one spirit in him.
Renew in us the gifts of your Spirit. Heal the memories of past cruelties and intolerance which have made fellow Christians view each other with fear and suspicion.
May your Spirit lead our Christian Churches to a unity which is open to the rich gifts of our different traditions. May we be a more effective sign and instrument of the unity of our whole human family.
Bless BENEDICT, Bishop of Rome. May your Spirit guide him in his special ministry of unity and love. Bless, too, the whole college of bishops, along with ROWAN, Archbishop of Canterbury. Be with our Merseyside church leaders as they continue to walk in faith towards the unity your Son prayed for, especially our own bishops, PATRICK and JAMES.
We commend to you all our dead. In the fullness of time, may we be one with them in your kingdom, sharing the peace and unity of your Son, Jesus, in communion with his mother Mary, and all your spirit-filled family down through the ages. THROUGH HIM …
3 Creation
Blessed are you, Creator God. In the beginning you called forth life out of nothingness and order and beauty out of chaos. Down through the ages, by your creative power, life in all its richness has gradually evolved. When you deemed the time right, like a potter lovingly shaping his clay, you fashioned women and men and made us in your own image and likeness. You opened our eyes to the grandeur of the work of your hands. Like you, we were able to say: ‘Yes, it is good, very good’. And so, in the name of all your creatures we give you glory as we say: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY …
Creator God, in the fullness of time you sent Jesus to be your ‘Yes’ to all goodness and beauty, all love and compassion, all healing and forgiveness in our world. He used the everyday things of your creation to open our eyes to the goodness and beauty you have given us – bread and wine, seeds and vines and trees, water and storms and wind, sparrows and the birds of the air, fish, pearls and precious stones. He spoke to us amid the beauty of natural scenery, by the lakeside, in the fields, on top of the mountain.
Sharing the faith and vision of Jesus, we are gathered here in the power of your life-giving spirit to celebrate once again this sacred meal which feeds our faith and nourishes us on our journey through life.
May that same spirit of love which filled the heart of Jesus brood over this bread and wine, produced from the womb of Mother Earth. May they become for us the body and blood of Jesus, your Son.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
Father, as we remember the Passion and death of Christ, your Son, we rejoice that he is risen from the dead, the first fruits of all creation.
Fill us with your life-giving Spirit. May our hearts be in tune with the love and energy which animates all creation. May our ears and eyes be open to your revelation in our world today. May our thoughts and prayers be at one with all our sisters and brothers of every faith and none who are striving to live by the truth.
Bless BENEDICT, Bishop of Rome, our own bishop, PATRICK and the whole college of bishops. May our own Catholic Christian community proclaim by word and example the dignity of the human person in our world today and promote whatever is true, good and beautiful in life. .
We commend to you all our dead, each in his or her own way a unique image of your love and goodness. May we one day share with them in communion with Mary and all the saints, the joy and peace of the Kingdom of your Son, Jesus. THROUGH HIM...
4 Humility
Father, the gift of your Holy Spirit enables us to see ourselves and each other through your eyes, precious and lovable despite our weakness and sinfulness. And so, grateful for your gift of being who we are, we join in the hymn of thanksgiving of all women and men down through the ages, as we sing: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY …
Father, giver of all gifts, we thank you for your Son, Jesus, the greatest of all your gifts. He is your own love made visible in our midst. We thank you, too, for the gift of all the people who are part of our lives, our parents, our families, our friends and neighbours. Through them you have gifted our lives with warmth, joy and laughter; through them you have given us comfort and support in times of grief and hardship. Through them your Holy Spirit is present and active among us, inspiring all the love, kindness, forgiveness, generosity, self-sacrifice and faithful perseverance we experience all around us.
May that same Holy Spirit come down upon these gifts of bread and wine that they may become for us the body and blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
Father, we give thanks for the self-giving love of your Son, Jesus, crucified, buried and risen from the dead. Your word made flesh, he speaks the ‘Yes’ of your love to us for all time. He has poured into our hearts of the gift of your Holy Spirit.
May that same Holy Spirit fill our hearts with your love – so that we may all be generous with the gifts you have given us; and recognise and value each other’s gifts. May your Spirit brood over us and our world, healing the blindness which makes people of different faiths view each other with fear and suspicion. May those who are divided live together in peace. May your Spirit free us from selfishness and enable us to bring the gift of your compassion and comfort to all troubled in mind and heart or finding life cruel or difficult. May your Spirit give wisdom and understanding to all our leaders, in Church and State.
Bless BENEDICT, Bishop of Rome, our own bishop, PATRICK and the whole college of bishops. May your Church accept in all humility its mission to be a sign of unity in the midst of our divided and violent world.
We return to you the gift of our dear ones who have died. Together with Mary and all the saints, may they be gifted with the fullness of life and love in the kingdom of your Son, where there will be no death, no more mourning and sadness. THROUGH HIM …
5 The Gift of Diversity
Father, we thank you in the name of our sisters and brothers from all the races and nations of your human family. Young and old, women and men, we praise you for the richness of your image revealed in our diversity. We may differ in the colour of our skin and the shape of our faces, in our languages and our customs, in the way we dress and the food we eat, but we are all your family and belong to each other. So together we join in praising you: HOLY …
Father, we bring before you the joys and hopes, the sorrows and fears of your whole human family. Through your Son, Jesus, you revealed to us that our human family is your family and that you want us to live together in peace and love, reflecting your own inner life of unity in diversity. Jesus has opened our eyes to the presence of your Spirit within us and among us.
May your Holy Spirit of love come down upon these gifts of bread and wine that they may become for us the body and blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
Father, your Son, Jesus, died for us and is now risen in glory.
May his gift of the Holy Spirit inspire all races and nations to live together in peace and harmony. May we rejoice in our differences. Help us believe that we really do belong to each other. May we love and reverence as our own sisters and brothers all excluded through poverty and injustice.
Bless BENEDICT, Bishop of Rome, our own bishop, PATRICK, the whole college of bishops and all Church leaders. May your Church bear witness to the presence of your Spirit in other faiths; and may Christians and non-Christians work together for justice and peace in our world. Heal the wounds of division between Christian Churches so that we may love and respect each other as members of the one body of Christ.
We remember our brothers and sisters from all races and nations who have died. In communion with Mary and all the saints, may they experience the joy of being fully one with each other in the Kingdom of your Son, Jesus. THROUGH HIM …