In my last post, I discussed how Eucharistic Prayer IV emphasizes the unity of the human race as a real symbol of the reign of God in our midst. Here, I focus on how this prayer expands the scope of salvation and redemption to the cosmos as such, living beings and inanimate beings.
As Pope Paul VI observed, a primary objective of the liturgical reform set in motion by the Second Vatican Council was to encourage the participation of all in the assembly “in the celebration of this Most Holy Mystery, to offer it to God along with the priest as a sacrifice for their own salvation and that of the whole world, and to use it as spiritual nourishment” (Mysterium Fidei 1; H/T Devin Rice).
Consider these excerpts from EP IV.
[Preface]
It is truly right to give you thanks, truly just to give you glory, Father, most holy, for you . . . have made all that is, so that you might fill your creatures with blessings and bring joy to many of them.
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[Preface]
And so, in your presence are countless hosts of Angels, who serve you day and night and, gazing upon the glory of your face, glorify you without ceasing. With them we, too, confess your name in exultation, giving voice to every creature under heaven as we acclaim:
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We give you praise, Father most holy, for you are great, and you have fashioned all your works in wisdom and in love. You formed man in your own image and entrusted the whole world to his care, so that in serving you alone, the Creator, he might have dominion over all creatures.
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To accomplish your plan, he gave himself up to death, and, rising from the dead, he destroyed death and restored life. And that we might live no longer for ourselves but for him who died and rose again for us, he sent the Holy Spirit from you, Father, as the first fruits for those who believe, so that, bringing to perfection his work in the world, he might sanctify creation to the full.
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. . . with the whole of creation, freed from the corruption of sin and death, may we glorify you through Christ our Lord, through whom you bestow on the world all that is good.
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No other Eucharistic Prayer refers to the creatures with whom we humans share the world, much less any divine intention to fill them with blessings. No other EP presents human beings praising God on behalf of all other creatures. Indeed, I wonder if this line might one day be revised in light of Pope Francis’ lament in Laudato Si’ 33: “Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us.”
EP IV is unique in its mention of the divine charge to care for “the whole world.” Even if one can raise questions about how the concept of “dominion” has been misused by Christians to justify all manner of environmental degradation, the language of care nevertheless pricks the conscience. Regarding the “whole world,” EP III asks that “this Sacrifice of our reconciliation, we pray, O Lord, advance the peace and salvation of all the world,” but no other EP makes reference to God’s vision of salvation as encompassing “all the world.” Indeed, “world” appears once in EP I, once in EP II, three times in EP III, and six times in EP IV. (It also appears in Memorial Acclamation C, which hails Jesus Christ as “Savior of the world.”)
No other EP mentions creation as such. Of course, the Preface to EP II begins with “it is truly right and just, our duty and salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Father most holy, through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, your Word through whom you made all things.” EP III asserts that “you are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all you have created rightly gives you praise.” Yet EP IV stresses that sanctifying creation is a matter of the perfection of the work of the Holy Spirit in the world. This prayer refers to creation in the context of being “freed from the corruption of sin and death.”
Nothing I say here should be interpreted as belittling the dignity and significance of any EP. I suggest only that in a church of the twenty-first century that is called to ever greater fidelity to care for our common home, EP IV has a particular resonance.
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