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March 15, 2007
Ending the Morning and Evening Prayer
And More on Concelebrants ROME, MARCH 13, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university. Q: We are a community of religious who have perpetual adoration and who pray morning prayer and evening prayer together. Morning prayer is followed by the celebration of the Eucharist, and evening prayer is often followed by Benediction. Often our chaplain is present for the morning prayer and evening prayer and prays the concluding prayer. Is this reserved for the priest when he is present, and if so, what is the blessing that he prays after the concluding prayer? Our chaplain prays: "Let us bless the Lord," to which the assembly replies: "Thanks be to God." The other blessing -- "May the Lord bless us and keep us from all evil and lead us to everlasting life" -- seems more complete, yet I see in the breviary that there is a dialogical form for the priest and the assembly. I would be grateful for some clarity regarding the correct way to end the prayer of the Church when prayed in common. -- L.R., Dublin, Ireland A: The situation described by our reader would explain the actions of the priest, which appear quite correct. First of all, he should pray the closing prayer as this is a presidential prayer and should be prayed by the priest (see No. 197 of the General Introduction). The priest should also open the office with the corresponding invocation, either "Lord, open our lips," if the invitatory psalm is prayed, or "O God, come to our aid," before morning prayer and evening prayer. He probably omits the blessing after morning prayer because Mass is about to begin, and it concludes with a blessing and dismissal. The blessing is omitted after the concluding prayer of evening prayer because blessings are never imparted in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed as it is in the present case. Thus there would be no blessing even if Benediction did not take place immediately after vespers. In the cases described above, there would be no concluding formula at all if the office is immediately followed by either Mass or Benediction. Therefore the question as to the correct conclusion would be moot. If Benediction does not follow immediately, but the Blessed Sacrament is still exposed, then the correct conclusion would be: "The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life." To which all respond, "Amen," since this is not properly speaking a blessing but an invocation. If the Blessed Sacrament is reserved before the office begins, then the priest should bless and dismiss the assembly as usual, using either the formula proposed in the breviary or, if vespers are celebrated with solemnity, one of the solemn blessings taken from the missal. The formula "Let us praise the Lord" and the response "Thanks be to God" are not used for morning prayer and evening prayer but for the office of readings and the prayer during the day. * * * Follow-up: What a Concelebrant Must Recite After our Feb. 27 column on the parts of the Mass recited by concelebrants, some priests asked for further details. One, from Pretoria, South Africa, asked: "Does the concelebrant remain seated for the concluding prayer of the Offertory before proceeding to join the main concelebrant at the altar at the opening of the Preface?" In interpreting the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), one has to remember that the different forms of Mass are described in decreasing detail. That is, the Mass of a single priest is described quite minutely. Elsewhere, the Mass with a deacon, the concelebrated Mass, and the Mass with only one minister, usually only detail what is different from the first form of Mass. The overall presumption is that whatever is not specifically mentioned in these celebrations follows what is described in the form of Mass with a congregation. Taking this into account we can see two details from the GIRM. No. 146 describes the posture to be adopted for the offertory prayer: "Upon returning to the middle of the altar, the priest, facing the people and extending and then joining his hands, invites the people to pray, saying, 'Orate, fratres' (Pray, brethren). The people rise and make their response: 'Suscipiat Dominus' (May the Lord accept). Then the priest, with hands extended, says the prayer over the offerings. At the end the people make the acclamation, Amen." No. 215 describes the movement of concelebrants at this time: "After the prayer over the offerings has been said by the principal celebrant, the concelebrants approach the altar and stand around it. …" Since nothing is stated about when the concelebrating priests stand, it is reasonable to presume that they do so at the same time as the people as indicated in No. 146. Also, liturgical tradition would never condone anyone's remaining seated while the principal celebrant recited a presidential prayer such as the prayer over the gifts. Another reader, from St. Paul, Minnesota, wrote: "I still have uncertainty about concelebrating Mass with a large group of priests. Do the concelebrants have to receive bread consecrated at that Mass to really have offered Mass? And do the concelebrants have to receive the Blood to have actually celebrated Mass?" We have dealt with a similar question in an earlier column (see Oct. 12, 2004). In short, the Mass would be valid but illicit for the priests receiving the previously consecrated hosts or not receiving the Precious Blood, except in special cases of illness or alcoholism where a dispensation has been granted (see June 7, 2005; and June 13 and 27, 2006). * * *
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