The Year of Prayer at the Eucharist is a reflection on the liturgical action, prayer and rituals of the community.  It is intended to lead to a renewal in the prayer of the parish at Mass, a new knowledge of what the Mass is about, and a deeper commitment to living out that Mission when the Mass is over.  Therefore, we begin at the end, and take as our first theme, “Go In Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.”  Why do we go to Mass, and what difference does it make in our lives?  The ultimate goal of learning more about the Mass is not just to feed ourselves, but to feed others, to live as Christ lived, strengthened by our gathering week after week.  We receive the Body of Christ, we become the Body of Christ, and we live that new life out in the world.

What is the assembly and how is Christ present?  Is liturgy a performance?  Are the people who gather together for Mass an audience?  The liturgy documents tell us there are four ways Christ is present:  In the people gathered, in the word proclaimed, in the ministers who leads in prayer, and pre-eminently in the Body and Blood of Christ.  What does this mean for us each week at Mass?

Each week we listen to the Word of God and marvel at the actions of God throughout history.  God continues to act in the world today, as we learn from the readings, and live according to the way of Jesus.  Listening with our hearts leads to transformation of our lives, rather than just hearing the word week after week.  Silence:  how it is used and why it is used?  Listening:  we do not read along, but we listen with our ears and hearts.  Intercessions:  what are they and what is the purpose.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist is a central element of the weekly celebration, and yet many do not understand it or see their part in it.  What is this ritual prayer about, and how does the assembly participate?  Is this a prayer of the assembly at all, or just the priest?  This prayer is about the Eucharist as both a meal and a sacrifice, so we want to address both of those elements.  Where does the prayer come from, what are its different forms?

We are called together by Christ, and in our gathering Christ is present.  What is our part in this gathering, and what are we called to do?  Why should we come to Church on time to be a part of this gathering together?  The rituals at the beginning of Mass form us into a community of disciples who are ready to listen to the word of God, and live our lives according to that word.  Participation, singing, responding are key to our gathering as a community.

When we gather as a community we are called to participate.  We sing, process, respond, listen, sit, stand, kneel, bow, genuflect.  Why are all of these important parts of the ritual and why should we participate in them?  Our posture is an indication of our prayer.  Our singing is prayer.  We process to receive the Body of Christ, and thus come forward as the Body of Christ to receive that which we are.  What is the meaning behind each of these movements, and the various gestures of the Mass?  How do we improve our participation?

The Paschal Mystery is the central celebration of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ.  We celebrate this each year at the Triduum, and we celebrate it each Sunday at our weekly celebration of the Eucharist.  What does it mean, and why is it important to us?

The Communion Rite at Mass is one of peace, solidarity and unity.  It has several parts that need exploration and understanding.  The Our Father, the Sign of Peace, the Lamb of God.  The Rite itself, for receiving the Eucharist and the proper way to do it.  We also want to answer the question of why do we do this in a certain way, and how are we changed by what we do.  The Eucharist transforms our lives.  What is the Prayer after Communion?  How is the Sign of Peace understood – as a social occasion?

We are the Body of Christ, and we receive the Body and Blood of Christ.  What does it mean to be the Body of Christ?  How do we live that out in the week to come?  What does our ritual tell us about being the body of Christ?  We all come to receive the Body and Blood of Christ from the “one bread and the one cup” and we are all united in Christ.

The final session takes us back to where we started, with the end of the Mass, the final ritual, our command to “Go In Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.”  Why do we go to Mass, and what difference does it make in our lives?  What have we learned about the Mass in this past year that is not just to feed ourselves, but to feed others, to live as Christ lived, strengthened by our gathering week after week.  We receive the Body of Christ, we become the Body of Christ, and we live that new life out in the world.  How are we different or how does Christ act through us so that we are transformed to live differently when we leave Mass each week.