The Holy Eucharist: Rite One
Annotated
The Entrance Rite
[Introit – sung psalm text]
Opening Acclamation
The people standing, the Celebrant says
[1]Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
People And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever.
Amen.
In place of the above, from Easter Day through the Day of Pentecost
CelebrantAlleluia. Christ is risen.
People The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
In Lent and on other penitential occasions
CelebrantBless the Lord who forgiveth all our sins;
People His mercy endureth for ever.
The Collect for Purity
The Celebrant says
Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires
known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the
thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy
holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Kyrie
Here may be sung or said
Lord, have mercy upon us.Kyrie eleison.
Christ, have mercy upon us.orChriste eleison.
Lord have mercy upon us.Kyrie eleison.
Gloria
When appointed, the following hymn or some other song of praise is
Sung or said.
Glory be to God on high,
and on earth peace, good will towards men.
We praise thee, we bless thee,we worship thee, (slight bow)[2]
we glorify thee,we give thanks to thee for thy great glory,
O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.
O Lord, the onlybegotten Son, Jesus[3] Christ;
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Thou that takes away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer.(slight bow)
Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father,
have mercy upon us.
For thou only art holy;thou only art the Lord;
thou only, O Christ,with the Holy Ghost,
[4]art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
The Collect of the Day
The Celebrant says to the people
The Lord be with you.
People And with thy spirit.
CelebrantLet us pray.
The Celebrant says the Collect.
People Amen.
The Lessons
The Lessons(one or two lessons may be read, from the Old Testament and or one of the New Testament Epistles)
A Reading (Lesson) from ______
After each Reading, the Reader may say
The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
A Psalm, hymn, or anthem follows each Reading.
[Gradual Psalm]
[Hymn]
Gospel
Then, all standing, the Deacon or a Priest reads the Gospel, first saying
[5]The Holy Gospel of our Lord JesusChrist
according to ______
People(bow) Glory be to thee, O Lord.[6] (rise)
After the Gospel, the Reader says
The Gospel of the Lord.
People (bow) Praise be to thee, O Christ.[7] (rise)
The Sermon
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,the onlybegotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father;
by whom all things were made;
[8] (bow)who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man;(rise)
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried;
and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures,
and ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;
and he shall come again, with glory,
to judge both the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and Giver of Life,
who proceedeth from the Father and the Son;
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped
and glorified;
who spake by the Prophets.
And I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church;
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins;
and I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Communion Devotions, Part I
The Prayers of the People
Prayer is offered with intercession for
- The Universal Church, its members, and its mission
- The Nation and all in authority
- The welfare of the world
- The concerns of the local community
- Those who suffer and those in any trouble
- The departed[9] (with commemoration of a saint when appropriate)
Confession of Sin
The Deacon or Celebrant says the following
Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.
Minister and People
Almighty God,Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
maker of all things, judge of all men:
We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sinsand wickedness,
which we from time to time most grievously have committed,
by thought, word, and deed, against thy divine Majesty,
provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us.
We do earnestly repent,
and are heartily sorry for these our misdoings;
the remembrance of them is grievous unto us,
the burden of them is intolerable.
Have mercy upon us,have mercy upon us, most merciful Father;
for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake,
forgive us all that is past;
and grant that we may ever hereafter
serve and please thee in newness of life,
to the honor and glory of thy Name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Bishop when present, or the Priest, stands and says
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who of his great mercy
hath promised forgiveness of sins to all those who with
hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him, have mercy
upon you, pardon[10] and deliver you from all your sins, confirmand strengthen you in all goodness, and bring you to
everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Peace
All stand. The Celebrant says to the people
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People And with thy spirit.
The Offertory
The Celebrant begin the Offertory with one of the sentences onpages 343-344, or with some other sentence of Scripture.
During the Offertory, a hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung.
The peoplestand while the offerings are presented and placed on the Altar.
The Great Thanksgiving
Opening Salutation/Greeting
CelebrantThe Lord be with you.
People And with thy spirit.
CelebrantLift up your hearts.
People We lift them up unto the Lord.
CelebrantLet us give thanks unto our Lord God.
People It is meet and right so to do.
Preface
Then, facing the Holy Table, the Celebrant proceeds
It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should
at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord,
holy Father, almighty, everlasting God.
Here a Proper Preface is sung or said on all Sundays, and on other
occasions as appointed.
Therefore with Angels and Archangels, and with all the
company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious
Name; evermore praising thee, and saying,
Sanctus
Celebrant and People
(bow) [11]Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts:
Heaven and earth are full of thy glory.
Glory be to thee, O Lord Most High. (rise)
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
The people kneel.
The Canon of the Eucharist (Eucharistic Prayer)
Then the Celebrant continues
[Thanksgiving for redemption in Jesus Christ]
All glory be to thee, O Lord our God, for that thou didstcreate heaven and earth, and didst make us in thine ownimage; and, of thy tender mercy, didst give thine only SonJesus Christ to take our nature upon him, and to suffer deathupon the cross for our redemption. He made there a full andperfect sacrifice for the whole world; and did institute, and inhis holy Gospel command us to continue, a perpetualmemory of that his precious death and sacrifice, until hiscoming again.
At the following words concerning the bread, the Celebrant is to hold
it, or lay a hand upon it; and at the words concerning the cup, to hold
or place a hand upon the cup and any other vessel containing wine to be
consecrated
[The Institution Narrative with the Words of Institution]
For in the night in which he was betrayed, he took bread;and when he had given thanks to thee, he broke it, and gave itto his disciples, saying, “Take, eat, this is my Body, which isgiven for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”[12]
Likewise, after supper, he took the cup; and when he had
given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink this, all of
you; for this is my Blood of the New Covenant, which is shed
for you, and for many, for the remission of sins. Do this, as
oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me.”
[Anamnesis – the “making memory” of the saving acts of Jesus] Wherefore, O Lord and heavenly Father, we thy people docelebrate and make, with these thy holy gifts which we nowoffer unto thee, the memorial thy Son hath commanded us tomake; having in remembrance his blessed passion and preciousdeath, his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension; andlooking for his coming again with power and great glory.
[Epiclesis – invocation of the Holy Spirit]
And we most humbly beseech thee, O merciful Father, tohear us, and, with thy Word and Holy Spirit, to bless andsanctify these gifts of bread and wine, that they may be untous the Body and Blood of thy dearlybeloved Son JesusChrist.
[Oblation – the double offering of the Gifts (of Bread and Wine become His Body and Blood) and of ourselves]
And we earnestly desire thy fatherly goodness to accept thisour sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, whereby we offerand present unto thee, O Lord, our selves, our souls andbodies. Grant, we beseech thee, that all who partake of thisHoly Communion may worthily receive the most preciousBody and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ, and [13]be filled withthy grace and heavenly benediction; and also that we and allthy whole Church may be made one body with him, that hemay dwell in us, and we in him; through the same JesusChrist our Lord;
[Doxology – concluding with praise and adoration]
By whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of theHoly Ghost all honor and glory be unto thee, O FatherAlmighty, world without end. People AMEN.
Communion Devotions, Part II
The Lord’s Prayer/Our Father
And now, as our Savior Christ hath taught us, we are bold
to say,
People and Celebrant
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,thy will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Fraction (The Breaking of the Bread)
The Celebrant breaks the consecrated Bread.
A period of silence is kept.
Then may be sung or said
[Alleluia.] Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast. [Alleluia.]
Agnus Dei
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world,
grant us thy peace.
Prayer of Humble Access
The following prayer may be said, the People joining
We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful
Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold
and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather
up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord
whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore,
gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ,
and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him,
and he in us. Amen.
Invitation
Facing the people, the Celebrant may say the following Invitation
The Gifts of God for the People of God.
The ministers receive the Sacrament in both kinds, and then immediately
deliver it to the people
Music During Communion
Concluding Rites
Postcommunion Prayer [of thanksgiving]
After Communion, the Celebrant says
Let us pray.
The People may join in saying this prayer
Almighty and everliving God, we most heartily thank thee
for that thou dost feed us, in these holy mysteries, with the
spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of thy
Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and dost assure us thereby of
thy favor and goodness towards us; and that we are very
members incorporate in the mystical body of thy Son, the
blessed company of all faithful people; and are also heirs,
through hope, of thy everlasting kingdom. And we humbly
beseech thee, O heavenly Father, so to assist us with thy
grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do
all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the
Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory, world without end.Amen.
Blessing
The Bishop when present, or the Priest, gives the blessing
The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep
your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God,
and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of
God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be
amongst you, and remain with you always. Amen.
Dismissal
The Deacon, or the Celebrant, may dismiss the people with these words
Let us go forth in the name of Christ.
People Thanks be to God.
[Hymn]
Manual Acts of Devotion
Reverence: Ceremonial gestures to express respect, honor or veneration.There are no strict rules here. The idea at work in any gesture in one of reverence, honor, or, in the case of God along, of worship.
- Sign of the cross: By making this sign, on our head, breast and shoulders, (up-down-left-right-center – the five points reminding us of the five wounds of Christ on the cross) we acknowledge ourselves to be crucified with Christ, in our thinking, our affections and our actions. The Sign of the Cross is always made when the Trinity is invoked (“In the Name of the Father…” or “Blessed by God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit”), when receiving blessing or absolution, or at the conclusion of the Gloria and the Creed.
- Nod of the head: this is done primarily at the Name of Jesus [Philipians 2:10 – “That at the name of Jesus everyknee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth].
- Bow: [made with a nod of the head and a slight bending at the waist]. This is made when the Blessed Trinity is being directly addressed in praise(“Glory be to the Father…” or “Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost” or “We praise thee, we blessed thee, we worship thee) and when important objects pass in procession: the cross, the Gospel book, etc.
- Genuflection [made with the right knee touching the floor, the torso and head kept upright]. This is done when entering a pew, facing the altar and the tabernacle or aumbry, where the Blessed Sacrament in reserved. You will know if the Sacrament is there if a candle (known as the “sanctuary lamp”) is burning above it.
The very best summary and explanation of the Liturgy and all its movement isThe Liturgy Explained, Thomas Howard (Morehouse Publishing 1981). Copies are available in the Incarnation Bookstore.
1
[1] () This denotes when the Sign of the Cross is made. By making the sign, we acknowledge ourselves to be crucified with Christ (Gal 2:20).
[2] A Simple Bow can be here as a way of allowing or bodies to enact what we say with our lips, as one would bow before a king.
[3] It is a particularly Anglican custom show honor to the name of Jesus (bolded throughout the liturgy) with a slight nod of the head [see Philippians 2:10 – “That at the name of Jesus everyknee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth]. There is no need to do this if you are already kneeling.