Eucharistic Prayer A

 The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give him thanks and praise.

Father, it is truly our joy to offer you thanks and praise, for you have revealed yourself, your Son, and your Spirit to us as three Persons, one God, forever intertwined with all that you have made.

Before speaking your first creative word, you loved us; and, though we turned from you and became subject to death, you never ceased to call us to life. In time, you revealed to us the full measure of your love: extending your mercy, calling us to loving service, and gently leading us on our journey home to you through the Covenant you have made with us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And so, as a people redeemed, we join our voices with your angels and saints as with one voice we acclaim:

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts!

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

Father, we give you thanks for Jesus, your beloved Son, who came to heal the chasm between us by offering himself for us upon the altar of the Cross. In witness to his love we have gathered at this altar to celebrate the Eucharist in obedience to his command.

The Celebrant's hands are spread over the Gifts.

In your goodness, Father, pour out your Holy Spirit upon these gifts of bread and wine, + that they may become for us the Body and Blood of Jesus, your Son.

The Celebrant takes the bread.

On the night before he suffered, Jesus took bread into his sacred hands, and looking heavenward, to you, his almighty Father, he gave thanks and said the blessing. He then broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:

“TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT IT,

FOR THIS IS MY BODY WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.

DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.”

The Celebrant takes the cup.

In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the cup into his sacred hands. Once again, he gave thanks and said the blessing. He then gave the cup to his disciples and said: 

“TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT,

FOR THIS IS THE CUP OF MY BLOOD,

THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND EVERLASTING COVENANT.

IT WILL BE SHED FOR YOU, AND FOR ALL, SO THAT SINS MAY BE FORGIVEN.

DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.”

The Celebrant briefly bows. 

And so, Father, with this Bread and this Cup, we celebrate the memory of Christ, your Son. 

We celebrate this holy meal with deep faith: remembering your Son’s boundless love, rejoicing in the power of his Death and Resurrection, and looking with unshakeable hope for his coming reign.

The Celebrant briefly joins hands and bows, touching the edge of the Altar,
before standing upright and making the sign of the cross.

In your love, hear our prayer:
+ pour your Holy Spirit upon us,
that our lives may become a pure sacrifice,

and that we may serve you in holiness and joy.

 

The Celebrant briefly bows and strikes the breast. 

Purify our inmost desires, defend us against every assault of the enemy, strengthen us in the midst of the challenges we face, and lead us to our eternal home, where with all the redeemed we will behold your splendor with bodies, minds, and spirits made new by the limitless love you have made known to us in the dying and rising of Jesus, your Son, our living Lord.

 

Elevating the Consecrated Gifts, the Celebrant concludes with the Doxology: 

Through him, with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours, Almighty Father, for ever and ever.
Amen.