One of the most fascinating classes I had in graduate school was a course on the Eucharist. As we explored various Eucharistic prayers, it quickly became apparent that the prayer is meant to be understood as a unified whole, and our understanding of the Eucharist is diminished if we focus on only one or another part of the prayer.

I remember my professor posing this question: “How often do we pull out the Institution Narrative (the Consecration) as the most important part of the Eucharist Prayer? How often is the Consecration the point of focus so much so that it is separated from the rest of the prayer so that the rest of the prayer becomes a mumble of words?”

This really got me thinking, because I had thought of the Consecration as the moment in Mass. Understanding the fullness of the Eucharist Prayer, though, helps me set the Consecration in the proper context. Indeed, without the Consecration, the Eucharistic Prayer loses its meaning, but without the rest of the Eucharist Prayer, the Consecration loses its purpose.

The Eucharistic Prayer is an example of God’s superabundant graces given to us. It is miracle enough to have the Real Presence of the Christ through the Consecration. It would be enough to have the Consecration at Mass because we could still talk about the Real Presence, and we could still receive the sacramental presence of Christ at communion. But without the rest of the Eucharistic Prayer — specifically — without the few lines that are spoken immediately after the Consecration, the Real Presence of Christ simply remains on our altars.

That is miracle enough, but God desires — and does — more. Only in embracing the fullness of the Eucharistic Prayer do we understand that the Church – as the Mystical Body of Christ — does something with the Real Presence of Christ. In remembering the events of the Paschal Mystery — the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ — the Church offers that very presence of Christ back to God, the Father.

In calling to mind the events of the Paschal Mystery, we bring those same events to the present moment, and the Mystical Body of Christ offers all this, brought into the present moment in this particular Eucharistic celebration, to the Father. Here we have offering and sacrifice, and we begin to realize the Sacrifice of the Mass. Listen carefully, or you might miss it: “Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the saving Passion of your son, His wondrous resurrection, and ascension into heaven, and as we look forward to His second coming, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice” (Eucharistic Prayer III).

This is but one example of how the complete Eucharistic Prayer, taken as a single whole, offers a more complete picture of what happens at Mass.

May we more fervently join in the entire Eucharistic Prayer with our hearts and minds, remembering that through this prayer, the mission of the Church is accomplished.

— Josh Perry is director of the Office of Worship for the Diocese of Burlington.

— Originally published in the Aug. 12-18, 2023, edition of The Inland See.