The Preface Dialogue of Divine Worship: a meditation

[ READ TIME 7 minutes ]

The Preface Dialogue is a three part exchange between people and celebrant in the Mass that acknowledges the movement of prayer toward the Father in glory. The practice of having the people - not just the Master of Ceremonies, for example - respond to the priest, became prevalent in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. The practice of the people praying aloud the Preface was not unknown prior to the Council. Dialogue Masses, typically Low Masses, witnessed the involvement of the congregation making the responses together with the servers.

preface (n.) Online Etymological Dictionary

late 14c., "an introduction to the canon of the Mass," also "statement or statements introducing a discourse, book, or other composition; series of preliminary remarks, written or spoken," from Old French preface "opening part of sung devotions" (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin prefatia, from Latin praefationem (nominative praefatio) "fore-speaking, introduction," in Medieval Latin "prologue," noun of action from past participle stem of praefari "to say beforehand," from prae "before" (see pre-) + fari "speak," from PIE root bha- (2) "to speak, tell, say."

The alternation between the united voices of members of the common priesthood of the baptized faithful and a member of the ministerial priesthood enables and fosters a true participation, an actual or intentional participation, a total participation of heart, mind and body, lauded in the liturgical movement leading up to the Second Vatican Council, and affirmed in Council documents.

Monsignor Richard Schuler, an eminent student and promoter of the Sacred Liturgy as well as an accomplished musician, has traced out for us a good deal of the historical background to this important phrase, and I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to him for this. (“Participation” Sacred Music, Winter 1987) As noted earlier, the first magisterial use of our expression occurs in Tra le Sollecitudini, wherein the Pope observes: “. . . the faithful assemble to draw that spirit from its primary and indispensable source, that is, from active participation in the sacred mysteries and in the public and solemn prayer of the Church” [emphasis added]. Twenty-five years later, Pope Pius XI in Divini Cultus opined that through the restoration of Gregorian chant to the people, “the faithful may participate in divine worship more actively” [emphasis added]. Pope Pius XII in Mystici Corporis [1943] and in Mediator Dei [1947] likewise used the term. In 1958, the Sacred Congregation of Rites in De Musica Sacra distinguished several levels of participation. We find the following: “The Mass of its nature requires that all those present participate in it, in the fashion proper to each.” First of all, this participation should be “interior”, that is, union with Christ the Priest. The participation becomes plenior if the interior participation is yoked to external participation [e.g., gestures, posture, responses, singing]. The highest degree of participation is achieved when sacramental participation is added to the other forms. - NLM/Dipippo/https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2016/09/participatio-actuosa-in-current.html#.ZD2_cnbMKUk

The Preface Dialogue registers us in the rapport between heaven and earth. 

The Priest then begins the Eucharistic Prayer with the Preface Dialogue.

The Priest, extending his hands, sings or says:

  

℣. The Lord be with you.

℟. And with thy spirit.

The Priest, raising his hands, continues:

℣. Lift up your hearts.

℟. We lift them up unto the Lord.

Bowing his head and joining his hands, the Priest says:

℣. Let us give thanks unto the Lord our God.

℟. It is meet and right so to do.

The Priest, with hands extended, sings or says the Preface.

We lift our hearts up unto the Lord.

Recall that a few moments earlier Jesus' priest invites us to offer our hearts to God. In fact, it is Jesus Himself acting in and through His priest Who beckons us to offer the sacrifice of our hearts to God.

The Priest kisses the altar and, turning towards the People, extending and then joining his hands, says aloud:

Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable unto God, the Father Almighty.

The People stand and respond:

May the Lord accept the sacrifice at thy hands, for the praise and glory of his Name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

Later, the priest prays in the Commemoration of the Living,

REMEMBER, O Lord, thy servants and handmaids (N. and N.) and all who here around us stand, whose faith is known unto thee and their steadfastness manifest, on whose behalf we offer unto thee, or who themselves offer unto thee this sacrifice of praise; for themselves, and for all who are theirs; for the redemption of their souls, for the hope of their health and well-being; and who offer their prayers unto thee, the eternal God, the living and the true.

God makes Himself entirely vulnerable by becoming consumable. He transforms the bread and wine into His very flesh and blood, soul and divinity. Stop and think about that for a moment.

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.” This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Caper′na-um.

Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you that do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that should betray him. And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. Jesus said to the twelve, “Will you also go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” - Saint John 6:52-69

Our hearts and all contained therein are offered to God. We are making ourselves entirely vulnerable so that God may inhabit our hearts, that our entire being may be open to God. We make our hearts an ark, a tabernacle ready for the Blessed Sacrament to be received during Holy Communion.

Gratitude for that which God offers us is a fitting response to God's gift of Himself. If we imagine we are somehow entitled to receive Holy Communion on our terms, we are mistaken. If we imagine we can approach the altar of the Lord with a life polluted by mortal sin, we should visit the confessional before sauntering up to the altar rail.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we should not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are chastened so that we may not be condemned along with the world. - 1 Corinthians 11:27- 32

During this Eastertide, in this season of grace wherein we encounter the mystery of Christ's Resurrection, are we prepared - each and every one of us - to own our responsibility as baptized Christians to pray the Mass with renewed vigour? Our minds, illuminated by the light of the Resurrection, are they wed to Jesus, the Lord Who offers His Soul and Divinity to us each and every Mass?