Prefation

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15th century Sherborne missal . In the left column on the right the last words of the prefation ( Et ideo cum Angelis et Archangelis ... ).

The prefation (Latin praefatio , "opening word, prayer") is part of the Roman Catholic , Old Catholic , Orthodox , Anglican and Lutheran liturgy of Holy Mass , the Divine Liturgy and the Lord's Supper service . The prefation opens the prayer (called in the Divine Liturgy Anναφορά anaphora , "elevation").

In the Latin Church and the Lutheran Churches, the prefation belongs to the Proprium Missae , the changeable parts of the liturgy. It varies depending on the festivals and times and is sung or spoken. The prayer is one of the so-called official prayers , which are always recited by the main celebrant of the mass, who assumes the position of the ornament .

Prefaces are also part of Weihe acts of Pontifikales , such as the consecration . The second part of the exultet in the celebration of Easter Vigil is also designed in the manner of a prefation.

Introductory acclamations

Acclamations and Preface in Missal Scarense (12th Century)

The wording of the acclamations leading to the prayer has not changed since the 3rd century. Hippolytus of Rome was already familiar with the dialogue between priest and congregation and interpreted it theologically. The formula Gratias agamus (“Let us thank”) can be derived from Judaism, as well as the answer Dignum et iustum est (“That is worthy and right”). According to the ancient culture, in which the assembled people confirmed important decisions by acclamation, calling and countercalling before the prefation express that the church assembly wants to worship God through a priest or bishop. The celebrant does not stand before God as an isolated prayer, but as the speaker of the community.

Latin

The acclamation is in Latin :

  • Celebrant: Dominus vobiscum .
  • Community: Et cum spiritu tuo.
  • Celebrant: Sursum corda.
  • Parish: Habemus ad Dominum.
  • Celebrant: Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.
  • Municipality: Dignum et iustum est.

German

Preface prayer in the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church
  • Celebrant: "The Lord be with you."
  • Church: "And with your spirit."
  • Celebrant: “Lift up your hearts. (Lift up your hearts!) "
  • Church: “We have them with the Lord. (We make her lord.) "
  • Celebrant: “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. (Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.) "
  • Church: "That is worthy and right."

Byzantine

The following version of the acclamation is used in the Orthodox , Ancient Near Eastern and Byzantine Catholic rites, both for the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great .

Church Slavonic:

  • Priest: Станем добре, станем со страхом, вонмем, святое возношение в мире приносите.
  • Choir: Милость мира, жертву хваления.
  • Priest: Благодать Господа нашего Иисуса Христа, и любы Бога и Отца, и причастие Святаго Духма, вуди со васем.
  • Choir: И со духом твоим.
  • Priest: Горе имеим сердца.
  • Choir: Имамы ко Господу.
  • Priest: Благодарим Господа.
  • Choir: Достойно и праведно есть…

Other eastern rites

In the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church and especially the Coptic Church , variations on the sursum corda are used depending on the particular anaphora.

Prefation

This is followed by the prefation, with Vere dignum et iustum est, aequum et salutare ... ("In truth, it is worthy and right to thank you, Lord, Holy Father, almighty, eternal God, always and everywhere ...") or - in the newer prayers  - a similar formulation begins. The preface takes up the last sentence of the acclamation and accentuates the entire prayer as a solemn thanksgiving prayer: "The εὐαγγέλιον ( gospel , good news ) corresponds to εὐχαριστία ( Eucharist , thanksgiving )". The prefation ends with sine fine dicentes (“and cry out without ceasing”) or una voce dicentes (“and sing [...] the praises of your glory”). The Sanctus immediately follows the prefecture .

The structure of the prefation follows the following scheme:

  • solemn naming of God's name
  • Praise to God for the salvation given by Christ , depending on the occasion of the celebration, which often culminates in the phrase per Christ, Dominum nostrum "through Christ our Lord"
  • Join in the praise of the heavenly choirs: Et ideo cum angelis et archangelis […] gloriam tuam praedicamus (“That is why we praise you with all angels and saints […]”)

The Missale Romanum of 1962 provided for 16 different prefaces for the festive times of the church year and different occasions, the Missal from 1970 increased them to 85 and made use of old texts.

An example:

Latin German

Vere dignum et iustum est, aequum et salutare, nos tibi, sancte Pater, semper et ubique gratias agere per Filium dilectionis tuae Iesum Christum,

Verbum tuum per quod cuncta fecisti: quem misisti nobis Salvatorem et Redemptorem, incarnatum de Spiritu Sancto etatum n . Qui voluntatem tuam adimplens et populum tibi sanctum acquirens extendit manus cum pateretur, ut mortem solveret et resurrectionem manifestaret.

Et ideo cum Angelis et omnibus Sanctis gloriam tuam praedicamus, una voce dicentes:

In truth, it is worthy and right to give thanks to you, Lord, Holy Father, always and everywhere through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

He is your word, through him you created everything. You sent him as our Redeemer and Savior. He became man through the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. In order to fulfill your counsel and to acquire a holy people for you, he dying spread his arms on the wood of the cross. He broke the power of death and announced the resurrection.

That is why we praise you with all the angels and saints and sing with them the praises of your glory:

List of prefations at the celebration of Holy Mass in the Roman rite

The number of possible prefaces is limited in principle.

The generally used prefations of the Roman rite as of 1962 (today represented in the extraordinary form) are (each with their equivalent in the liturgy reformed after the Second Vatican Council ):

  1. General preface: if no other preface is pending (now in an expanded form: preface for weekdays II)
  2. Preface of Christmas (now: from Christmas I; Christmas up to and including January 5th and on Candlemas)
  3. Preface of the appearance of the Lord (now expanded: on the feast and on the Sunday after, today also in the days in between, until 1955 also in the octave of the apparition)
  4. Preface of Lent (now: for Lent IV; Ash Wednesday up to and including Passion Sunday )
  5. Preface of the Holy Cross (now: first special preparation of the Feast of Exaltation of the Cross; then: Passion Sunday up to and including Maundy Thursday and in the feasts and votive masses of the Passion of Christ)
  6. Preface of Easter (now: for Easter I; from the Vigil from Easter to Ascension Day only)
  7. Preface of the Ascension of Christ (now: of Ascension of Christ II: from Ascension of Christ to Pentecost exclusively)
  8. Preface of the Heart of Jesus (now abolished: on the feast and in the votive masses of the Heart of Jesus )
  9. Preface of Christ the King (on the festival of Christ the King and in the corresponding votive masses)
  10. Preface of Pentecost (now: from the Holy Spirit I; in the votive masses from the Holy Spirit, earlier also on Pentecost and in its octave)
  11. Preface of the Most Holy Trinity (on the Feast of the Holy Trinity ; previously also on every Sunday on which there is otherwise no prefecture)
  12. Preface of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary (now: I; in all Marian masses)
  13. Preface of St. Joseph (in festivals and votive masses)
  14. Preface of the hll. Apostles (now changed: from the Holy Apostles I; in all feasts and votive masses of the apostles as well as the evangelists, but not of St. John on his feast day, December 27, on which the Christmas prefecture is due)
  15. Preface for the deceased (now: I).

Further prefations that were allowed before the liturgical reform are the

  1. Preface of Advent (now abolished; in Advent)
  2. Preface of the Holy Eucharist (now changed: for Easter V; then on Corpus Christi and in the corresponding votive masses)
  3. Preface of the saints (now changed: I; on holy festivals of high rank)
  4. Preface of the parish fair (now changed: II).

The following prefations were newly introduced by the liturgical reform

  1. Preface when using the Prayer II (the one used above as an example)
  2. Preface when using the Prayer IV
  3. Preface from Advent I, II, III, IV and V
  4. Christmas pre-fations II and III (next to the older I)
  5. Prefations for Lent I, II and III (in addition to the older IV)
  6. Preface of the Passion of Christ I and II (from Passion Sunday to Holy Wednesday)
  7. Prefations for Easter II, III and IV (in addition to the older I and the V that emerged from the old Eucharist prefection)
  8. Preface of Ascension I (next to the older II)
  9. Prefations for Sundays in the annual cycle I – VIII
  10. Prefations for the days of the week in the annual circle I, III, IV, V (in addition to the slightly expanded former general prefecture as II)
  11. Preface of the Holy Eucharist I and II
  12. Preface from the Heart of Jesus (new version)
  13. Preface of the Holy Spirit II
  14. Preface of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary II
  15. Preface from the angels
  16. Preface of the Apostles II
  17. Preface of Saints II
  18. Preface from Martyrs I and II
  19. Preface by the Shepherds of the Church
  20. Preface of the holy virgins and religious
  21. Preface of the deceased II, III, IV, V
  22. Preface when using the prayer for special concerns (“Swiss prayer” I – IV, which differ essentially in the prefation), for prayer for masses with children and for the votive prayer for reconciliation
  23. Special preparation on the occasion of special festivals and days, in addition to the already mentioned preparation for the exaltation of the cross (the old cross-preparation), there are those for: Immaculate Conception, Candlemas, first and second, and in reading year A also third to fifth Sunday of Lent, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Annunciation of the Lord , Pentecost (new prefecture), St. Mary Magdalene, Transfiguration of the Lord, Assumption of Mary, Birth of Mary, Sorrows of Mary, All Saints' Day, St. Elisabeth of Thuringia.

Web links

Wiktionary: Preface  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Josef Andreas Jungmann : Missarum Sollemnia. A genetic explanation of the Roman mass . Second volume, 5th edition. Nova & Vetera, Bonn 1962, p. 138ff .; Hans Bernhard Meyer : Eucharist: History, Theology, Pastoral. Pustet, Regensburg 1989, ISBN 3-7917-1200-4 (Church service. Handbook of liturgical science, part 4); P. 179
  2. ↑ L. Soroka (Ed.): Orthodox Prayer Book. 8th edition. St. Tikhon's Seminary Press, 1999, p. 110.
  3. ^ Josef Andreas Jungmann: Missarum Sollemnia. A genetic explanation of the Roman mass . Second volume, 5th edition Nova & Vetera, Bonn 1962, p. 145.
  4. ^ Hans Bernhard Meyer: Eucharist: history, theology, pastoral. Pustet, Regensburg 1989, ISBN 3-7917-1200-4 (Church service. Handbook of liturgical science, part 4); P. 346
  5. ↑ Praise to God No. 588: 3
  6. ^ Source of extraordinary form: Schott , Herder 1962, reprint FSSP ; Source ordinary form: [1]
  7. ↑ http://www.erzabtei-beuron.de/schott/register/proprium.kal/schott_anz/index.html?file=proprium/September14.htm
  8. ↑ see in the bulkhead on the pages of the Archabbey of Beuron
  9. ↑ www.liturgie.ch , Liturgical Institute of German-speaking Switzerland, June 13, 2016