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Meaning of various rituals in the Holy
Eucharist with photos
Meaning of various rituals in
the Holy Eucharist
Bowing of head:
When the resurrection hymn (Lord of all we
praise you) is sung the faithful bows their
head along with the celebrant. It is the
expression of our profound respect and
submission to Lord God almighty.
Incensing:
There are two purposes for incensing:
-
Sanctifying us (the celebrant, the people,
the altar and the objects) with the
blessed incense, the divine fragrance, the
symbol of divine presence. It is the sign
of forgiveness of sins and total surrender
to God.
-
Just as the smoke of incense goes up to
heaven, our praises and worship are raised
to heaven. It is an exhortation that our
hearts, mind and thoughts should raise up
to heaven along with the incensing.
Washing of hands:
The celebrant washes his hands with a prayer
before the offertory. This signifies that
God in his abundant mercy cleanses the
celebrant and the community and make purify
their hearts. It reminds us also the washing
of feet by Jesus during the last supper.
Preparation of host
and wine, the offertory gifts:
Host represents the body of Christ and wine
represents the blood of Christ. Adding water
into wine is the symbol of the blood and
water that was poured out of the side of
Jesus, when he was pierced with a lance on
the Cross.
Offertory prayer
with hands crossed: The celebrant
takes chalice with wine in right hand and
paten with host in the left and raises with
hands in the form of cross. This symbolizes
the death of Jesus on the cross. It reminds
us of the self sacrifice of Jesus on the
cross in Calvary.
Kissing the altar:
After the offertory, approaching the altar
the celebrant bows three times and then
kisses the altar in the middle and on both
sides. This to show respect and veneration
to the most Holy Trinity, the Father, the
Son and the Holy Spirit.
Exchange of peace:
The celebrant offers peace of Christ to the
faithful raising his hands and with the sign
of cross. And the faithful receives this
offer of peace with bowed head. Following
this the faithful offer one another the
peace of Christ that was received through
the celebrant.
Consecration
(Institution) words: This is one
of the most important part of the Holy
Eucharist. It is the commemoration of what
Jesus did during the last supper as he was
instituting Holy Eucharist for us. As we
join in the Consecration, we experience the
same incident as Jesus and his disciples
experienced during last supper. Holy
Eucharist is the reenactment of that first
sacrifice of Jesus as he had commanded us to
do in his memory.
Ringing bell:
Bell is to bring to the mind of the people
the importance of the rituals in the
Eucharist. It evokes in our minds a spirit
of devotion and worship.
Epiclesis (Prayer
of inviting the Holy Spirit):
This is another most important part of the
Holy Eucharist. The celebrant prays to the
Almighty Father to send his Holy Spirit on
the gifts and sanctify them, by which the
bread and wine on the altar becomes the body
and blood of our Lord Jesus.
The elevation of
the bread: The holy bread that
has become the living body and blood of
Christ through Consecration words and
sanctification by the Holy Spirit
(Epiclesis) is raised to signify the
resurrection and apparitions of Jesus. When
Jesus was appeared to his disciples after
resurrection, the disciples worshipped him
saying “My God and My Lord”. In the same
way, the faithful worship the risen Lord at
this time.
Breaking of the
Bread: After the elevation of the
holy bread, the celebrant breaks the bread
into two and blesses the wine with one half
of the bread. Then he blesses the part of
the bread with the other half that was
dipped in wine. Then hold the host together
and prays for various intentions. This
reminds the body of Christ broken by death
and rejoined in resurrection.
Receiving
Communion: This is the ritual of
receiving the blessed and sanctified body
and blood of Christ just as Jesus gave bread
and wine to his disciples during last supper
as his body and blood. As we receive Holy
Communion from the minister, we receive it
from the hands of Jesus himself.
Final blessing:
Eucharist concludes with a blessing just as
Jesus blessed his disciples before he
ascended into heaven after having entrusted
his mission to the disciples. Having
received the body and blood of Jesus and his
blessing, we go to continue the mission and
sacrifice of Jesus in our lives. |
