After joining the angels and saints in Heaven in joyfully singing the “Holy, Holy, Holy”, the faithful kneel down and the church falls silent as the lone voice of the priest continues with the Eucharistic Prayer.
At this point, for those who may be following along with the priest at Mass with some sort of worship aid, a question arises. Which Eucharistic Prayer will the celebrant use? Before the revision of the Roman Missal following the Second Vatican Council, this was never a question. There was only one Eucharistic Prayer that was ever used, known as the Roman Canon. The word “canon” means “fixed rule”, indicating that for this part of the Mass, the prayers are always the same, no matter the day of the year, with some slight inclusions on special occasions.
With the new Roman Missal that was promulgated after the Council, the celebrant was given some flexibility in choosing which Eucharistic Prayer to use. There are four main Eucharistic Prayers from which to choose, though there are some additional ones provided for different occasions, but I will just focus on the main four for the sake of our reflections.
The Roman Canon, mentioned above, continues to be an option, and it is also known as Eucharistic Prayer I. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal describes this prayer in the following way:
Eucharistic Prayer I, or the Roman Canon, which may always be used, is especially suited for use on days to which a proper text for the Communicantes (In communion with those whose memory we venerate) is assigned or in Masses endowed with a proper form of the Hanc igitur (Therefore, Lord, we pray) and also in the celebrations of the Apostles and of the Saints mentioned in the Prayer itself; likewise it is especially suited for use on Sundays, unless for pastoral reasons Eucharistic Prayer III is preferred.
(GIRM, 365a)
Here at the Cathedral, you will hear us using this Eucharistic Prayer on more solemn Sundays and Solemnities, though there is no reason it cannot be used at any time. A beautiful aspect of this prayer is that it helps to show the continuity in the liturgy of the Church throughout the ages. Those who may not have a strong affinity for the Mass celebrated according to the Roman Missal of 1962 (which people sometimes call the Latin Mass) may think that using this prayer is going backward to a previous time when this was used. And since it is longer, people might not like it as much. But get used to hearing it as we approach Christmas, and listen well to how beautiful the words are.
Eucharistic Prayer II is another option, and according to the GIRM, is more appropriate for weekdays. The GIRM states that for Eucharistic Prayer III, “[i]ts use should be preferred on Sundays and festive days.” (GIRM, 365c) And finally, Eucharistic Prayer IV, used less frequently, is described as follows:
Eucharistic Prayer IV has an invariable Preface and gives a fuller summary of salvation history. It may be used when a Mass has no Preface of its own and on Sundays in Ordinary Time.
(GIRM, 365d)
You will therefore never hear Eucharistic Prayer IV during the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter, or on any day in which a solemnity, feast day, or memorial is observed.
Those are the general principles that a celebrant follows when choosing a Eucharistic Prayer, though note that there is a lot of freedom in the choice made. Hopefully this clears up some of the questions that arises on why a certain Eucharistic Prayer is used and when it is used.
Father Alford