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When we respond ‘Amen’ after the minister says to us ‘The Body of Christ,’ we are at one and the same time saying : Yes it is true, I believe that this is the Body of Christ, and yes, I will be the body of Christ with God’s grace.

Sr. Kathleen Hughes, R.S.C.J., The Voice of the Church at Prayer, p. 111

While for much of Church history there was only one Eucharistic Prayer, there are now several others. Eucharistic Prayer I, the Roman Canon, holds pride of place as the first Eucharistic Prayer. Eucharistic Prayer II, used most often, is the most ancient, based on the earliest existing text attributed to St. Hippolytus who died around 235. Eucharistic Prayer III is a new prayer, composed in response to the Second Vatican Council, and Eucharistic Prayer IV is not often heard because of its great length and its rather difficult language. In addition to the four principal Eucharistic Prayers, there are also three adapted to the understanding of children, and two more for Masses of Reconciliation.

Copyright © 2008, World Library Publications, the music and liturgy division of J.S. Paluch Co., Inc. Used with permission.