The Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer varies with the liturgical seasons and solemnities. Priests can choose from a number of different Prefaces for Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time. Each one specifically addresses the season and provides a beautiful reflection on salvation history and on the mystery and awe of the Eucharist.
Each Preface begins with a reference to our previous response of “It is right and just.” The priest reiterates, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give You thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.” Think about these words for a moment. God deserves all our thanks and praise. It is our duty to thank and praise Him. It is our salvation to thank and praise Him, for in doing so, we open ourselves to His grace, and we repent of our sins.
The Eucharist is the high point of our praise and thanksgiving. We join ourselves to Jesus as He offers the highest sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to the Father, the almighty and eternal God, Who graciously bows down to accept our sacrifice of His beloved Son. Then we have the opportunity to receive the Son in the most intimate way possible.
The Preface helps us meditate on the sheer beauty and wonder of the Eucharistic mystery we are entering into. Yet it goes by so quickly that we may miss it if we aren't paying close attention. It helps to read through the Prefaces for the current liturgical season in the missal and reflect on them, allowing them to sink deeply into our minds and hearts. Then when we hear them at Mass, we can bask in their depths and in the light of their truth.
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