Eucharistic Liturgy for Peace & Ascension

A Eucharistic Liturgy
for Peace & Ascension

AN INTRODUCTION
THE EUCHARISTIC LITURGY OR MASS

The liturgy contained on the following pages is part of a tradition that goes back to the very beginnings of the Christian faith. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition the celebration of the Eucharist is most often referred to as "the Divine Liturgy." In the Western Catholic tradition the rite which celebrates the Eucharist, which literally translates as "blessing," this liturgy is more commonly referred to as the "mass." In the early days of the church when Christians gathered, a blessing or prayer was said over the wine and bread, the wine and bread, which scripture and the traditions of the church teach us, becomes the Body and Blood of Christ.

The Eucharistic liturgy has evolved since those early days of Christianity. The most common rite used in the churches of the East, or Orthodox churches, is named after St. John Chrysostom. While St. John Chrysostom died in 407 (Attwater, 1983) the liturgy bearing his name first appeared some three centuries later (Davies, 1986). In the West a variety of masses were used in different places at different times, and there was no real uniformity until a standard, known as the "Tridentine Mass," was published in the sixteenth century, during the reign of Pope Pius V. Said in Latin throughout the world in Roman Catholic churches, it reigned supreme in the West until the Second Vatican Council.

The Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch - Malabar Rite, is an independent Catholic (universal) church which traces its heritage, or "apostolic succession," to the ancient churches in both the West and East. Its Western lineage is traced through the Liberal Catholic Church and the Dutch Old Catholic Church. Our Eastern roots are traced to the Syrian Orthodox Church at Antioch through the Indian branch, which is centered in the Malabar region of southern India.

When the Liberal Catholic Church adopted its Eucharistic liturgy it retained the form of the Tridentine Mass, translated it into the local language, and purged it of some of its condemnatory language in an effort to make it more in keeping with the deep love and spirituality of the Christian faith. According to Eric Taylor1 the mass adopted by the Liberal Catholic Church, "Retained the full Tridentine mass, with its stately ritual undiminished but purified of all that was unworthy of Christian worship and incompatible with the teaching of Christ." A related liturgy was later developed by Archbishop Lowell Paul Wadle, an esoterically minded primate of the American Catholic Church. The present-day Church of Antioch (Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch - Malabar Rite) adopted the so-called "Wadle Mass" as one of its liturgies. In addition, a number of contemporary liturgical expressions have emerged, including the Taizé Eucharistic Liturgy, the New Zealand Prayer Book, and a beautiful liturgy developed by the Trappist community at Kurisumala, India, which harmonizes its native Indian culture with Christian Eucharistic worship. The Church of Antioch is an open church. The Eucharistic liturgies contained on the following pages, what we are referring to as Eucharistic Celebrations for Peace and Ascension, are an attempt to integrate the best of these rich and beautiful liturgies in a way that respects the Eucharistic tradition of the Christian church but ecumenically reaches out to a new generation.

A EUCHARISTIC LITURGY
FOR PEACE AND ASCENSION

(Under certain circumstances a candle lighting component may be appropriately added to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Here are two options)

LIGHTING THE CANDLES
: (The mass candles are lit either in private before the beginning of mass or as a preparatory rite. If done as a preparatory rite the following prayers are said:); O God, who made the light shine forth from the darkness (Isa 60:1), make it shine in our midst;; Be gracious to us and bless us and make your face to shine upon us (Ps 67:1); O Christ, the true light (Jn 1:9), enlighten us;; Make us children of the light (Eph 5:8) and of the day, and heirs of your everlasting kingdom;; O Holy Spirit, open our eyes to the comprehension of truth (Eph 1:13); And, guide us (Jn 14:26), Holy Spirit, on our path.; All: Amen
: LUCERNARION; (According to rubrics published by the Taizé Community, this short liturgy of the light may be said between the Introduction and the Psalm during certain evening services.); (The candles are lit while this song is being sung.); Joyous light of Glory,; of the heavenly immortal and blessed Father,; Jesus Christ!; The sun is setting,; and we look to the evening light;; we sing to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit of God!; Thou art worthy of being for ever sung with pure voices,; Son of God, Giver of Life,; the universe proclaims thy glory!

: INTROIT LITURGY
: OPENING SONG (INTROIT OR ENTRANCE ANTIPHON); (Stand for song. The ministers enter the sanctuary.); (The opening song may be a psalm, a hymn that is sung from a hymnal, or an appropriate recording, which is played.); (People may be seated at conclusion of the song)
: BLESSING WITH HOLY WATER (ASPERGES); (Receiving the aspergill, the celebrant touches it to his forehead); Priest: Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow (Psalms 51:7).; (Sprinkling the altar in the middle; then chancel to the left and the right, and continuing:); (Turning to the people and sprinkling them with the same triple motion)
: INVOCATION; All make the sign of the cross as the chief celebrant makes the following invocation); Priest: In the name of God, the Creator, + Son, and the Holy Spirit.; R: Amen.; Priest: (Additional option: In recognition that Jesus was a pious Jew, the traditional Hebrew call to prayer may be chanted. This both affirms the three identities within the One Nature of God and honors our Jewish heritage); Sh'ma Israel, Adonai Elohaynu, Adonai Y'hud. O hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.
: GREETING; (Informal welcoming remarks and announcements); Priest: The Lord be with you; Cn: And also with you; or; Priest: Grace and peace to you from God; Cn: God fill you with truth and joy; or; Priest: This is the day which the Lord has made; Cn: Let us be glad and rejoice in it; (The following may be said or sung by priest); Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secret are hidden; cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, so that we may truly love you and worthily praise your holy name; through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
: THE CONFITEOR (OR CONFESSION); (At the option of the celebrant, the Confiteor or the Kyrie may be omitted since they both serve essentially the same function); Priest: Let us now prepare ourselves in consciousness by asking forgiveness for our wrong doings and admitting our human imperfections. So, at this time in an act of humbleness and truth, let us pray together sincerely admitting our wrong doings and asking God to cleanse us.; (All say together); All: I admit to God, to the saints, and to all here present that I failed to love God and my neighbor as I ought to have, committing wrongs in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done and by what I have not done. I acknowledge my failings and that I have missed the mark many times. I now seek God's forgiveness and ask blessed Mary, the angels, the saints, and you my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.; Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us for our wrong doings, and bring us all, in peace, to eternal spiritual life.
: THE KYRIE; (The people sit or kneel and sing with the priest either to the accompaniment of a recorded Kyrie or the simple Kyrie included below, which may be said or chanted); Priest or cantor: Kyrie eleison; Cn: Lord, have mercy; Priest or cantor: Christie eleison; Cn: Christ, have mercy; Priest or cantor: Kyrie eleison; Cn: Lord, have mercy
: THE ABSOLUTION; (Turning to the altar, the priest says or sings); Priest: O God, open thou our lips; Cn: And from our mouths shall pour forth Your praise; Priest: Transform our failings and shortcomings, we ask You, O God, so that we might enter your spiritual domain, the Holy of Holies, with pure minds and hearts; We ask this in the name of the Christ; All: Amen; Priest: Let each of you acknowledge the wrongs you have committed, and humbling yourself before God, know that it is the Father's will to forgive you for your wrongdoings and have mercy on you through Jesus Christ. To all who thus repent, I declare absolution of your sin + in the name of God, the Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit.; R: Amen
: CENSING; (This is optional, especially if the asperges and/or confiteor are included in the rite. If used, the priest blesses the incense in the customary manner and then censes the altar, sanctuary area, and the people. It may be desirable to have music during the censing.); (If the Lucernarion is used, the priest and people say the following:); Priest: An angel came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God's people (Rev 8:3).; All: An angel came and stood at the altar.; Priest: The smoke of the incense … went up before God (Rev 8:4).; All: With the prayers of all God's people.; Priest: Glory be to God the Creator, and to the + Son, and to the Holy Spirit.; All: An angel came and stood at the altar.
: GLORIA IN EXCELSIS; (Generally omitted during Advent and Lent. The following Gloria may be sung unless another version is used); All: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God's people on Earth. Lord God, heavenly King, Almighty God and Father. We worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.; Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father … Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy … have mercy on us. You are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer … receive our prayer.; For you alone are the Holy One; You alone are the Lord. You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God … in the Glory of God, the glory of God the Father. Amen … Amen … Ahh - men.
: Priest Let us pray.
: THE COLLECTS (prayer before liturgy of the word); (There should be 1, 3, or 7 collects. The priest recites the collect for the day and other collect(s), if any, and then the following, if 3 or 7 collects are chosen.); Priest: O Holy Spirit, sanctifier of the faithful, visit us, we pray, and give us Your inspiration; enlighten our minds more and more with the light; establish within our hearts a love of the truth; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and in Your great love keep us, O blessed Spirit, Whom with the Creator and the Son, we worship and glorify as one.; R. Amen.
: Taizé Collect of the Light (Used when the Lucernarion is employed.); Priest: Almighty God, as the day draws to an end, we give thanks to thee for the clear light of the evening, and as the clarity of this pure light surrounds us we beseech thee of thine infinite goodness to enlighten also our hearts by the light of thy Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. R. Amen.; (Three forms of the mass may be followed here. Choice 1): a reading from the Epistles, a Gradual, followed by a reading from the Holy Gospels [as will be shown here]. Choice 2): a reading from the Old Testament, followed by a psalm reading, followed by a reading from the Epistles, followed by a psalm reading, followed by a reading from the Holy Gospels. Choice 3): A selection of readings, separated by psalms, followed by a reading from the Holy Gospels.)
: LITURGY OF THE WORD; THE EPISTLE; (The people are seated.); (After the epistle is read:); Reader: This is the Word of the Lord; Cn: Thanks be to God
: THE GRADUAL; (The Gradual may be omitted. If used, however, a proper gradual of the day, based upon the psalms or other appropriate scripture, is read or sung. The use of music as a transition is also appropriate)
: MUNDA COR MEUM (& 2nd Censing &endash; Optional); (If Gospels are to be censed, the incense is now blessed and the priest, standing before the center of the altar, says:); (Priest says silently to him/her self if there is no bishop present.); Priest: 1. Cleanse my heart and my lips, O God, who through your Seraph cleansed the lips of Your Prophet, Isaiah, with a burning coal from Your altar. Purify me, O God, that I might approach your spiritual presence and worthily proclaim the Holy Gospel. R: Amen.; or; 2. May the Lord be in my heart and on my lips, that through my heart the Love of God may shine forth, and through my lips His spiritual powers may be made manifest. R. Amen.; (If the deacon or separate gospeller reads the gospel then the celebrant blesses him/her in the following or similar words.); 1. Cleanse your heart and your lips that you may be purified and approach God's spiritual presence to worthily proclaim the Holy Gospel. R. Amen.; or; 2. May the Lord be in your heart and on your lips, that through your heart the Love of God may shine forth, and through your lips His spiritual powers may be made manifest. R. Amen.; (The Gospels may be censed.); (The people stand as the Gospeller turns and says or sings the Alleluia, except during Lent, when it is omitted:)
: THE GOSPEL; (During Lent, a saying such as praise, glory to you, Lord, or a phrase such as Laudate Omnes Gentes, Laudate Dominus, is said or sung.); All: Alleluia … Alleluia … Alleluia … (This may be said, sung as a community, or a recorded rendition may be played).; Priest: The Lord be with you.; All: And also with you.; Deacon (or Priest): A reading from the holy gospel according to N.; (The people should stand. The gospeller kisses the Gospel book and asks that by the words of the Gospel sins may be blotted out. As the Gospel is announced, all make the sign of the cross with the right thumb upon the forehead, lips and breast, successively, and sing or say:); All: Glory to You, Lord.; Priest: This is the Gospel of the Lord (Upon conclusion of the Gospel); All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.; (The people may sit.)
: THE HOMILY OR SERMON; (If there is to be a homily or sermon, it follows here, preceded by the following invocation: In the Name of God, the Creator, + and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.). R. Amen.
: PROFESSION OF FAITH; (The profession of faith may be omitted. If, however, a profession of faith is used it is customary that it be one of the creeds. Some Independent Catholic, Old Catholic, some churches within the world wide Anglican communion, and many celebrants within our liberal tradition, prefer alternative affirmations, some of which are included among the professions of faith which are located elsewhere in this book. If one of these is selected, do so knowing that this diverges from Roman Catholic/Orthodox custom, wherein the recitation of the creed by the celebrant establishes his/her credentials to celebrate the mass by professing adherence to orthodoxy.)

: PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE; Priest: O Lord of all, Source and Establisher and Preserver of eternal path we pray that peace and tranquillity may descend on the whole world and on us who offer Your eternal sacrifice. It was this sacrifice that restored the cosmic order and established the spiritual path. May all people grow in the eternal life which You give them.; Cn: Lord, hear our prayer.; Deacon: We pray for our leaders. [Individual leaders mentioned, as well as all bishops, priests, and ministers of the Church. May also include all spiritual leaders everywhere.]; Cn: Lord, hear our prayer.; Deacon: We pray for the unity of the Churches and the peace and serenity of all communities of love and service. You were the servant of the people and of the whole world, and the Son of Mary, who offered herself to Your Father as the Lord's servant, prompt us to be servant-Churches in the world today.; Cn: Lord, hear our prayer.; Deacon: Lord, You are the Resurrection and the Life who raise the dead and lead them to dwell in Your Father's house. Bless all the living and the dead and all those in need, especially those who asked prayers from us.; Cn: Lord, hear our prayer.; Deacon: We pray that justice with love may reign all over the world and harmony be restored among all nations and races, and preserved in this our country, its neighbors, and in the whole of creation.; Cn: Lord, hear our prayer.; Deacon: We pray for our planet &endash; for the air, for the rains and the dews and the fruits of the earth, for the seasons of growth and of harvesting; we pray for all living beings, that all who control the oceans and the earth, and space may respect nature and share its treasures with the millions who are in want.; Cn: Lord, hear our prayer.; Deacon: We pray for our land, that You may give to her leaders a spirit of dedication and service, for building up our people into an integrated and deeply united and prosperous nation.; Cn: Lord, hear our prayer.; (free prayers); A MOMENT OF SILENCE & PRIVATE PRAYER; Priest: Let us take a moment in silence to center ourselves and offer our own silent prayers, communing privately in the holy place that is within.; Priest: And so it is, Amen.; LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST; OFFERTORY; (The people are seated. The collection is taken up and/or written prayers gathered.); (The priest offers the offering of the host at eye level, facing the altar.); (The gifts are brought forward and placed on the altar by the people); (Singing of the doxology)
: DOXOLOGY; Priest: Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him all creatures here below; Praise him above ye heavenly hosts; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. R: Amen.
: PRIEST'S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING; (Either version 1 or 2 of the following is used for both bread and wine. The traditional Hebrew blessing, version 2, may be used here if not integrated into the anemnesis.); Priest: 1. Accept, O God, maker and giver of all good things, this bread which we offer You, as a symbol of Your bounty, and as a token of our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. May it become to us, that most precious gift, the Body of Your Son, Jesus Christ, which gives life to Your children, both living and departed.; or; 2. Baruch ata Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha-olom, ha-motzi lechem min ha'arets &endash; Blessed be you, O Lord our God, Who brings forth bread from the earth.; Cn: Amen.; (The priest elevates the offering of bread); (Either version 1 or 2 of the following is used for both bread and wine. The traditional Hebrew blessing, version 2, may be used here if not integrated into the remembrance of the Last Supper.); 1. As we now mix water with this wine in token of the union of the divine and human natures in Christ, Jesus, let us be mindful that we rest in Christ, He in us, just as He also abides with God, the Father.; or; 2. Baruch ata Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha-olom, boray peri ha'gafen &endash; Blessed be you, O Lord our God, Who brings forth the fruit of the vine.; (The priest pours the wine and a little water into the chalice, saying:); Priest: May this chalice of joy and gladness which we offer to You with thankful hearts become to us the Blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ, which takes away the sin of this world.; Cn: Amen.
: (Priest elevates the offering of wine.)

: CENSING THE GIFTS (3rd Censing &endash; Optional); (If the gifts are to be censed, the priest blesses the incense holds up the censer before the center of the altar, saying:); Priest: O God, we ask that you accept and bless these gifts and our prayers. Let our prayers and the worship which we offer ascend to your spiritual realm as a sacrifice pure in spirit and acceptable to You. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. R. Amen.; (The priest then senses the oblation and returns the thurible, saying)
: LAVABO; Priest: (Psalm 26: 6-7). I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your altar, O Lord, singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds.; We praise You, O God, for the Glory of Your Gifts resound throughout the universe. Glory be to God our Creator, and to the + Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
: Cn: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
: ORATE FRATRES (Exhortation); (Turning toward the people, the priest says:); Priest: Brothers and sisters, pray that our prayers and this sacrifice will be acceptable to God, Who is Creator of us all.; Cn: May the Lord our God receive these humble but sincerely offered gifts.
: SECRET PRAYER; (Turning towards the altar the priest says:); Priest: You are the source of all life and goodness; through your eternal Word you have created all things from the beginning and formed us in your own image.; We ask that You receive, O God, this + Oblation, and we pray that reverently receiving these holy mysteries we will be filled with Your Grace.; Priest: The Lord be with you.; Cn: And also with you.
: SURSUM CORDA; Priest: Lift up your hearts.; Cn: We lift them up to the Lord.; Priest: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.; Cn: It is just and right to do so.

: PREFACE; Priest: It is not only right to do this but it is both our great joy and our responsibility that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to God.; (Here follows the proper Preface); Priest: Therefore, with the faithful who rest in him, with angels and archangels, the saints, sages, mystics, and all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and saying:
: SANCTUS AND BENEDICTUS QUI VENIT; (The people sit or kneel and sing); All: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts, Heaven and earth are full of Your Glory; Hosanna in the highest.; Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the Highest.
: ANAPHORA/EPICLESIS; (Form 1) (Special rubrics are available); Priest: We now center our attention on this bread and fruit of the vine. May the pure, perfect, and Holy Light of the Christ, that lives within us, now consecrate these gifts, changing them into our spiritual food and drink, by the action of the Holy Spirit. In and through these gifts, may they become for us earthly manifestations of God, to consume into our bodies, so that our bodies may become ever more perfect conduits for God's power, that we might be unified with God in Christ, and that we, in turn, might live this earthly life by letting our own light shine so that others may see that light, so that we ourselves become evermore living sacraments, embodying the Christ consciousness, seeding others with the strengthening Bread of God's Word, and healing others with the life giving Wine of God's Love.
: ANAPHORA/EPICLESIS; (Form 2) (Said secretly); Priest: We beseech Thee, O Lord, that you will send down Your Holy Spirit upon these offerings, that You would make this bread the precious Body of Your Christ, and that which is in this Cup the precious Blood of Your Son, our Lord, changing them by Your Holy Spirit.; LAST SUPPER & WORDS OF INSTITUTION; Priest: And now we remember Jesus and what He did, Who, in the night in which He was betrayed, took bread into His holy and innocent hands, and with His eyes lifted up towards heaven, He gave thanks to You, Almighty God, our Father, and He blessed It.; (If not previously used in the prayer of thanksgiving over the gifts, the following traditional Hebrew blessing may be said at the option of the celebrant: Baruch ata Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha-olom, ha-motzi lechem min ha'arets &endash; Blessed be you, O Lord our God, Who brings forth bread from the earth).; He broke It, and gave It to His disciples saying: "All of you, take and eat of this for; This is my Body; which was broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me."; (The Host is elevated); Priest: In like manner, after He had supped, He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He blessed it.; (If not previously used in the prayer of thanksgiving over the gifts, the following traditional Hebrew blessing may be said at the option of the celebrant: Baruch ata Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha-olom, boray peri ha'gafen &endash; Blessed be you, O Lord our God, Who brings forth the fruit of the vine.); and He gave It to His disciples saying: All of you, drink of this, for; This is my Blood; Of the New and Everlasting Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.; GREAT OBLATION AND PRAYERS; (Based upon practices of the Eastern church, this optional crossing of the arms may be included. When used, the priest lifts the paten with host and chalice, and crossing his arms with them says the prayer which follows. Regardless if arms are crossed the prayer is always said.); Priest: Wherefore, O God, our Creator, we offer to You these, the most precious Gifts which You Yourself have bestowed upon us, this pure Host of life everlasting and the Chalice of eternal salvation, and we pray that you will bid Your holy angel to bear our Oblation to your spiritual realm, there to be offered by Christ, Who, as the Eternal High Priest, forever offers Himself as sacrifice for all humankind.; Priest and People Together; We open ourselves to your Grace, we offer ourselves, our souls, and our bodies for a Holy and living sacrament of the power of God. We know that through your Grace, O God, our lives will die many times to old habits and to negative thinking, and actions that do not serve us any more. Let us be continually resurrected into new life as the Christ is reborn in us again and again. We pray that all those who are participating in this Holy Communion with us now may be awakened to this spiritual grace and heavenly benediction, and that we may come to recognize our oneness with the Christ so that we may express more deeply the Christ dwelling in us. As this happens to us here today, we know that the consciousness of all life on earth is being brought more closely to a state of peace.; Priest (Chanted.) Through Him, with Him, in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. R: Amen.
: THE LORD'S PRAYER; (When the Lord's Prayer is sung, substitute the words debt and debtor for trespass and trespasser, in concert with the music available).; Priest: And now standing and holding hands, let us sing the Lord's Prayer, the prayer which Christ, Jesus, taught us to pray.; All: Sing or say the Lord's Prayer:; Our Father which art in heaven; Hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done; On earth as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive our debts; As we forgive our debtors; And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil; (For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory Forever, Amen.)

: THE PEACE; Priest: Let us exchange a sign of the Peace. [Formal alternative: O Christ, who said to Your apostles, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you;" regard not our sins, but the faith of Your Church and grant Her that peace and unity which are agreeable to Your holy will; You, who lives and reigns God, forever and ever.; Cn: Amen.]; (The priest exchanges the sign of peace with the deacon or other ministers, and bids that all exchange the sign of peace with each other.)
: THE CONFRACTION (Breaking Bread); Priest: O Jesus, the Christ, Son of God, Who shows Yourself this day upon countless altars and yet are one and indivisible, in token of Your great Sacrifice, we break this Your Body:; (The priest breaks the host in half over the chalice and with a small particle thereof makes the sign of the cross thrice over the chalice and finally at the words "we unite" drops the particle into the chalice.); An in token of Your + triumph over death, the reuniting of Your + Soul and Body, and Your glorious resurrection and ascension, we unite this Your Body and this Your Blood;; Praying that we, becoming dead to wrong doing, but alive to righteousness, will become one with You even and You are one with the Creator.; (Priest elevates the Body and Blood of our Lord, saying the following:); Priest: Behold, the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, which takes away the wrong doing of the world.
: AGNUS DEI (May be Omitted)
: (When used the people say the Agnus Dei while the priest elevates the Body and Blood of our Lord); (Traditional Form); All O Lamb of God,; Who takes away the sins of the world,; Have mercy upon us!; O Lamb of God,; Who takes away the sins of the world,; Have mercy upon us!; O Lamb of God,; Who takes away the sins of the world,; Grant us peace!; (A Modified Form); All O Light of God,; Who takes away the darkness of the world,; Illumine us!; O Light of God,; Who takes away the darkness of the world,; Illumine us!; O Light of God,; Who takes away the darkness of the world,; Grant us your peace!
: COMMUNION; Priest: Holy things for the Holy.; (The priest elevates the chalice and host After this he/she communicates, then administers to the clergy and servers. If communion is administered by intinction he/she says:); May the Body and Blood + of Christ bring you to everlasting spiritual life.; If administered in both species separately the minister(s) say(s):; The Body of Christ bring you to everlasting spiritual life; The Blood of Christ bring you to everlasting spiritual life; (After the communicants have received both the Body and Blood of Christ they return to their seats and either kneel or sit.)
: ABLUTIONS; (The remaining portions of the Body of Christ that will be reserved are removed. Any fragments or crumbs placed in the chalice. The priest cleans the chalice with unconsecrated wine, then his/her fingers with wine and water. Finally, whatever remains in the chalice is consumed.)
: CONCLUDING PRAYERS/BLESSING; (The following prayer may be omitted); Priest: Let us all pray together by giving thanks and rededicating our lives to spiritual principles.; (Choice 1); Priest and People say together: Almighty, and Everliving God, we now truly give thanks for these Holy Mysteries, for this spiritual food and drink, for this opportunity for Holy Communion with You, the Indwelling Spirit, which is our true heritage. We give thanks because we know that we are truly incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ, and that our human selves are washed clean, renewed, transformed in mind, and healed in body. We know that from this holy experience, we are better prepared to serve all humankind, to love more deeply, to forgive more surely. We pray that peace will reign in the hearts of all the people of the earth.; We rededicate our lives to awakening the spirit within us, practicing in our lives spiritual principles, walking with the Holy Spirit of God, embodying the Christ in our every word and deed. We give thanks for this truth. And so it is, Amen.; or; (Choice 2); Priest: O God, we give you thanks and praise, that when we were still far off you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, He declared your love, gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory. May we who share in Christ's body live his risen life; we who drink his cup bring spiritual life to others; we whom the Spirit lights give light to the world.; Cn: Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us, so we and all your children shall be free, and the whole world live to praise your name.; or; (Choice 3); Priest: Almighty God, giver of all good things, we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the precious body and blood of our Savior, Christ, Jesus. We thank you for your promise of the gift of eternal spiritual life and in uniting us with the blessed company of all faithful people.; Cn: Therefore, everliving God, keep us steadfast in your holy fellowship. And now we offer ourselves, all that we have and are, to serve you faithfully in the world, through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, to whom with You and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
: BLESSING; Priest: The Lord be with you.; Cn: And also with you.; Priest: May Christ our Lord give us the grace to continue our lives in the spirit of this sacrifice, overcoming evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatered with love. By seeing our good works, may others also come to glorify God.; Cn: Amen.; Priest: In the name of God, the Creator, + Son, and the Holy Spirit, the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7).; Cn: Amen.; Priest: This mass is ended, let us go in peace to love God and our fellow human beings.