Eucharistic Prayer III

You are truly holy, O Father, and it is right that every creature should praise you. Through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you give life and holiness to the universe, and you gather a people to offer you the perfect sacrifice from one end of the earth to the other. We humbly pray: sanctify and consecrate by your Spirit the gifts we have presented to you, that they may become the Body and Blood of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who commanded us to celebrate these mysteries. On the night he was betrayed, he took bread, gave you thanks with the prayer of blessing, broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said: « Take this, all of you, and eat of it: for this is my Body, which will be given up for you ». In the same way, after supper, he took the chalice, gave you thanks with the prayer of blessing, gave it to his disciples, and said: « Take this, all of you, and drink from it: for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me ». The mystery of faith. We celebrate the memorial of the passion of your Son, his wondrous resurrection and ascension into heaven, and as we await his coming, we offer you, Father, in thanksgiving, this living and holy sacrifice. Look with love and recognize in the offering of your Church the victim immolated for our redemption; and grant to us, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son, the fullness of the Holy Spirit, so that we may become one body and one spirit in Christ. May he make of us an eternal offering acceptable to you, that we may obtain the promised kingdom together with your elect: with the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with Saint Joseph her spouse, with your blessed apostles, the glorious martyrs, and all the saints, through whose constant intercession we rely for help. We pray, Lord: may this sacrifice of our reconciliation bring peace and salvation to the whole world. Confirm in faith and love your pilgrim Church on earth: your servant our Pope N., our Bishop N., the order of bishops, all the clergy, and the entire people you have redeemed. Listen to the prayer of this family, which you have summoned to your presence. In your mercy, merciful Father, reunite to yourself all your children scattered throughout the world. Welcome into your kingdom our departed brothers and sisters and all who, pleasing to you, have left this world. We hope to enjoy the fullness of your glory, when you will wipe every tear from our eyes: then we shall see you, O God, our Father, as you are, and we shall be like you forever, praising you without end, through Christ our Lord, through whom you, O God, bestow upon the world all that is good.

Eucharistic Prayer III represents one of the highest peaks of the liturgical renewal that emerged from the Second Vatican Council. Introduced in the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969, this prayer follows the path of rediscovering the ancient liturgical traditions of the West and East, while offering a theological structure of extraordinary freshness and depth. Unlike the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I), characterized by a more complex flow and a rich list of saints, Eucharistic Prayer III was composed ex novo by a dedicated post-conciliar study group, drawing extensively from the structure of Syriac anaphora and the theological genius of the Church Fathers.

From a theological perspective, this prayer is a true treatise on the history of salvation and the action of the Most Holy Trinity. It opens with a solemn doxology addressed to the Father, creator and sanctifier, and then develops with great linearity the classic structure of Western anaphora: the epiclesis of consecration (the request for the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the gifts), the narrative of the institution with the words of Jesus at the Last Supper, the memorial (anamnesis), the offering of the paschal victim, and the second epiclesis, intended to ask that the communicants become “one body and one spirit in Christ.” This passage is particularly significant because it shifts the focus not only to the transubstantiation of the bread and wine but to the ecclesial and mystical transformation of the assembly participating in it.

One of the most appreciated curiosities and pastoral characteristics of Eucharistic Prayer III is its versatility and the richness of its intercessions. It offers the possibility of mentioning the Pope and the diocesan Bishop, but also includes flexible formulas for the deceased and for the entire pilgrim Church. Due to its clear narrative structure, its poetic yet rigorous language, and the strong emphasis on the eschatological dimension — the anticipation of Christ’s glorious coming and the vision of God “as he is” — it has become one of the most used Eucharistic prayers in Sunday and festive celebrations throughout the Roman Rite Catholic world.