Following the words of consecration the priest invites us to join in song in the Eucharistic Acclamation in some form of “Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again.” In this acclamation we acknowledge that our lives are always a sharing in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We acknowledge that as we celebrate the Eucharist we are being swept up over and over again in this paschal mystery of Christ. Life is not just an endless series of events or a constant progress to a richer lifestyle as our culture tries to convince us, life is but rather a sharing in life, death and resurrection, ups an downs, joys and sorrows all leading us to a fuller life and finally to the gift of eternal life with the Father in heaven.
As we continue in the Eucharistic prayer we remember we are a part of the Universal Church and we remember all of our loved ones living and dead. In the commemoration of the beloved dead we acknowledge that as we share at the banquet table of the Lord here on earth our loved ones who have joined before us share at the banquet table of the Lord in heaven. We likewise remember the Pope and the Bishop of the local diocese, which connect us historically with the larger Church.
We close the Eucharistic Prayer with the doxology “THROUGH HIM, WITH HIM, IN HIM…” to express the belief that all of prayer is to the Father through Jesus His Son and led by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. We joyfully and enthusiastically sing AMEN, the Hebrew word meaning an emphatic YES to the prayer of thanksgiving, the Eucharist Prayer that the priest has led. We stand as a sign of joyful praise and acclamation.
