We’re now three weeks into our series of homilies about the Holy Mass, keying in on some vital aspects of our most important activity as Catholic Christians.  We’re doing this because, if we knew what was really going on at Mass, we would die of joy.  First we talked about Holy Mass as a holy sacrifice: the one bloody sacrifice of Christ on the cross that paid the just price for our salvation, re-presented in an unbloody mystical way here in this place and time.  Last week we spoke about worship: we don’t come to church for a self-help session or a spiritual massage: we come to worship Almighty God and unite our prayers to his sacrifice, and the Mass gives us the perfect way to do that.  Today, we’re going to look carefully at the central feature of the Mass: the apex, the high-point, the most sacred moment of this most sacred activity.  

We’re going to talk about the Eucharistic Prayer, also called the Canon of the Mass.  This is part of Mass between when we sing “Holy, Holy, Holy” and when we stand up for the Lord’s Prayer: you can tell it’s the holiest part of Mass, because it’s the time when everyone kneels: when the only proper and appropriate response is to fall down in adoration and humility before the Mystery of Almighty God made present in our midst.  The Church gives a few options for the text of this prayer, and as you’ve all noticed, I use the long one: yeah, the one with all those saints’ names, every time.  You all have been extremely patient with me, and I thank you for that.  There’s a reason I think it’s important to use that slightly longer prayer, even at the expense of having to trim my homilies a bit so that we can keep Mass a reasonable length.  For one thing, it’s the most ancient, by far.  It’s about 1800 years old: the saints’ names were the last pieces to be added: they’re all people from the early church, and when they were added to the prayer, they were still “breaking news.”  This prayer’s use was made universal in the West around the year 375, and it had been around and used in Rome quite a bit before that.  It’s been completely unchanged since the time of Gregory the Great, around the year 600.  So when we pray that prayer: we’re using the prayer that the early Roman church used, that St. Francis and St. Dominic prayed, that St. Patrick prayed, practically every great saint in our Church’s history.   

And this prayer is packed with history: for one thing, it attaches us to the ancient worship of the Hebrew People.  Our worship is connected to the worship given by God’s people who wandered in exile, made sacrifices in the Temple, and studied the Law and the Prophets in the synagogue.  What we do at Mass is right in line with what the people of God have always done.  We need to hear about those early sacrifices: Abel, Abraham, and Melchizedek are the ones mentioned.  Abel’s was humanity’s very first sacrifice, which was “acceptable” because he gave God the very best he had.  Abraham offered God his own Son, powerfully foreshadowing exactly what would happen on the cross.  Melchizedek was a righteous king who offered bread and wine: again, a sacrifice that points to what we do here.  We position what we do in the context of everything God has done throughout time: we see just how profoundly God has always been in charge: he prepared for this sacrifice for millennia.  And what we do here completes and fulfills all those centuries of preparation.  

The names of those holy ones, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James…Linus, Cletus, Clement, Sixtus…all these heroes of the earliest days of our Church: they also give us really important perspective.  It’s good for us to hear all those names…it’s good actually that it’s a little tedious.  These were men and women from all walks of life, various cultures, Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor.  And they all achieved holiness of life, through this sacrifice.  They had the same Mass, the same sacraments, the same Catholic Faith.  They had struggles and weaknesses like ours, and they became great heroes of faith.  What’s our excuse?  All these names remind us, that we don’t have any.  God is giving us everything we need right here: we just have to keep struggling and never give up.  These names also remind us that we have so many friends in heaven, watching over us, interceding for us, praying for us.  

There are two beautiful moments in the Canon, one early, one towards the end, when I pause for a moment and pray in silence.  The first time I pray for the living, the second time for the dead.  That’s when I call to mind all those things you’ve asked me to pray for, my intentions that I bring myself, and especially the specific intention for which the Mass is being offered.  That’s a great time for you to do the same.  Early on in the prayer, the priest prays “We offer this sacrifice of praise for all those gathered here, or they offer it for themselves and all who are dear to them.”  You offer the Sacrifice of the Mass too.  Everything we talked about last week: your opportunity to attach your own prayers and sacrifices to the sacrifice of the Mass: these two moments are great times to renew those thoughts and prayers.  The first time for those you care about on this earth; the second time for those who have passed on and need our prayers to make it the rest of the way.  

Of course, the greatest moment, is right in the middle.  The first time the bells ring, it’s kind of a signal: “Pay attention: this is about to get awesome.”   And then, it does.  By those most sacred of all human words, “This is my body…this is the chalice of my blood:”  that’s when heaven and earth collide.  That’s when Jesus Christ comes to earth again.  That’s when his sacrifice makes everything ok.  That’s when salvation is made real and personal for each one of us.  What a privilege it is, that we are permitted by God to experience this every single Sunday.  Try your best not to die of joy.