The Memorial Acclamation ‘expresses an essential aspect of the Eucharist.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines the paschal mystery as “Christ’s work of redemption, accomplished principally by his Passion, death, Resurrection, and glorious Ascension.” It “is celebrated and made present in the liturgy of the Church, and its saving effects are communicated through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, which renews the paschal sacrifice of Christ as the sacrifice offered by the Church.”

The Memorial Acclamation of the people, which follows the institution narrative and is introduced with the words “Let us proclaim the mystery of faith,” “confesses the Church’s belief in the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s death, resurrection, and presence among his people.” According to the U.S. bishops’ document Sing to the Lord, it is one of the ways “the faithful participate in keeping the memory of Christ’s Paschal Mystery” (No. 180).

The words of the invitation, Mysterium fidei (“the mystery of faith”) in Latin, were part of the consecration of the chalice as early as the seventh century. The exact meaning of the phrase is unclear, although scholars associate it with St. Paul’s exhortation to deacons to hold fast “to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience” (1 Timothy 3:9). The acclamation is a dialogue between priest and people, so the priest gives the invitation but does not join in the acclamation.

The priest’s invitation in the new Missal is the simple declarative “The mystery of faith.” This formulation accomplishes two things. First, it acclaims the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice already present on the altar, in which “is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch” (CCC, No. 1324). Second, it invites the faithful to acclaim the sacramental mystery.

The faithful respond with one of three options. The first is “We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again,” based on 1 Corinthians 11:26. The second is also based on that verse: “When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.” The third option is from John 4:42: “Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.”

These three options share several characteristics. First, they are all scriptural in origin. Second, they are all in the second person (“you/your”), addressing Christ directly. Third, they all include us: “we proclaim” and “save us.”

Absent from the new Missal is the acclamation “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” The request to the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments (CDWDS) for an adaptation for this acclamation was not accepted.

CDWDS gave several reasons. First, it is not found in the original Latin edition, the editio typica. Furthermore, it “is not consistent with the style and signification of the other Memorial Acclamations.” In other words, it lacks the clear scriptural basis common to the other acclamations, does not address Christ directly, and does not include us.

In the Memorial Acclamation the faithful address Christ the Word in words taken from his Word, proclaiming that he is alive even though he died and that we await his return. In the words of the liturgical scholar Johannes Emminghuas, it “has become the ‘spark’ for a special activity of the people, which, with its acclamation, also expresses an essential aspect of the Eucharist.”

Father Stice directs the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy. He can be reached at frrandy@dioknox.org.

Tags: The new missal