Prayer over the Offerings
| Position | End of the Preparation of the Gifts |
|---|---|
| Minister | Priest celebrant |
| Response | Amen |
Prayer over the Offerings is the presidential prayer that concludes the preparation of the gifts at Mass and asks God to receive and sanctify the Church's offering before the Eucharistic Prayer.
Place in the Mass
After the bread and wine have been placed on the altar and the accompanying rites are complete, the priest invites the people to pray that his sacrifice and theirs may be acceptable to God. The people respond, and the priest sings or says the Prayer over the Offerings with hands extended. Their Amen makes the prayer their own and leads directly into the Eucharistic Prayer.
The prayer is proper to the celebration or selected according to the rubrics. Only one Prayer over the Offerings is used at a Mass. It ends with the short conclusion “Through Christ our Lord,” or the corresponding form when the Son is named at the end, rather than the longer Trinitarian conclusion ordinarily used for the Collect.[1]
Text and theology
The texts commonly ask that God accept the gifts, purify the worshipers, and make the sacramental offering fruitful. They interpret the bread and wine, the self-offering of the faithful, and the particular mystery of the liturgical day in relation to Christ's sacrifice. They do not themselves consecrate the Eucharistic elements; consecration occurs within the Eucharistic Prayer.
The older English term secret reflects the late-medieval and Tridentine practice of the priest reciting this prayer in a low voice. In the reformed Roman Missal it is proclaimed aloud. Historical names and modes of delivery should not obscure the prayer's continuing structural identity at the threshold of the Eucharistic Prayer.
Presidential character
As a presidential prayer, it is addressed to God by the priest in the name of the whole holy people and all present. The assembly listens and assents with Amen rather than reciting the text in parallel. Musical settings must preserve the prayer's words and conclusion and must not turn it into an offertory song.
The offertory chant, preparation of the altar, procession of gifts, mixing of water and wine, incensation, and lavabo are distinct rites within the same preparation. The Prayer over the Offerings gathers that preparation into prayer and closes it.
References
- Back to citation General Instruction of the Roman Missal — The authoritative ordering and rubrics of Mass in the ordinary form of the Roman Rite.