Pastoral Reflection: Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026
The central prayer of the Divine Liturgy is the Anaphora, also known as the Eucharistic Prayer. The word “anaphora” means “lifting up”. In this great prayer, the Church gives thanks for all that God has done—from creation to the Incarnation, the Cross and Resurrection, the Ascension and the Second Coming—and offers back to God “His own of His own” in the gifts of bread and wine. The tone here is praise, gratitude, and wonder.
During the Anaphora, the priest recounts God’s mighty acts, and the people respond with acclamations like, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Sabaoth...” and “We praise thee, we bless thee, we give thanks unto thee...” The prayer makes clear that this is not a new sacrifice separate from Christ’s once-for-all offering. It is a mystical participation in that one eternal sacrifice.
Jesus says that we offer the bread and wine “in remembrance of Him.” This remembrance is far more than a commemoration of a historical event. The ancient Greek word signifies taking something and holding it in our attention as a real event or moment in the here and now. What our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished for us two millennia ago in Jerusalem is made real and accessible to us through the Eucharistic Gifts.
With love in Christ,
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