April 21, 2024

There are two prayers that the priest prays over the gifts of bread and wine at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist during the preparation of the gifts. At most daily Masses, those prayers are prayed aloud, and the people’s response is Blessed Be God Forever. At Sunday Masses, however, there is often a hymn at this point, so the priest prays these prayers quietly. These two prayers are:

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received 

the bread we offer you: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, 

it will become for us the bread of life.

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received 

the wine we offer you: fruit of the vine and work of human hands, 

it will become our spiritual drink.

These prayers are very similar to each other in their intention and structure. One aspect that struck me the other day is that we pray through your goodness we have received, and then the prayer goes on to describe what we have received and how we have received it. Although one prayer speaks about bread and the other about wine, the prayers insist that we give thanks, for it is through God’s goodness that we have received. This is the point of the two prayers – that we receive God’s gifts and offer them back to God. In the Eucharist, we offer the bread and wine to God. Then God offers Himself to us as the bread and wine are transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We then offer ourselves back to God, having received the gift of the Eucharist. What an incredible exchange! We also recognize that this exchange begins and ends with God. 

This is where it might get a bit more difficult to comprehend because when we speak of receiving from God, we are challenged to recognize that everything we receive, everything, is a gift of God’s grace. Everything includes not only all the good we receive but all the heartaches, tragedies, injuries, and troubles; it’s all God’s grace. Now, I don’t say that lightly. We all have experienced challenging circumstances that we are still trying to overcome. Amid those circumstances, it may be best to remain focused on God’s love – that God loves you and will see you through these difficulties is a genuine and authentic aspect of God’s grace. On the other side of the tragedy, however, we may recognize that everything truly is God’s grace. This does not mean God causes the evil that often happens in our lives. What it means is that by allowing it to happen, God already knows exactly how to bring about good from it. Much like a plant growing in the garden, we are challenged to receive the gift. 

Two Parishes, One Heart

Fr. Adam