“Sacrifice” and “Father” in Prayers of the Mass
Date: February 8, 2026
Author: Fr. Edward McNamara, LC
Question: Before the Prayer over the Offerings, the priest celebrant extends his hands, saying, “Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.” Does the word "sacrifice" refer to the Body and Blood of the Lord into which bread and wine will be transformed, or does it simply mean the gifts (bread and wine) on the altar at the moment? Also, in each of the four Eucharistic Prayers, the prayer addresses God as "Father" in one paragraph and as "Lord" in the next one. Why is there a change of addressing to God from one paragraph to another? What is the reason for the switching from "Father" to "Lord" and vice versa? — A.P.H., Washington, D.C.
Answer: To the first question, we first note a subtle change in terminology regarding the bread and wine.
Before they are placed upon the altar, they are referred to as "gifts" (dona). Once they have been placed on the altar, the rubrics refer to them as "offerings" (oblata). They are therefore now in relation to the upcoming sacrifice and hence may also be incensed. Although they are not yet consecrated, they are now dedicated and reserved for that purpose.
The former English translation said "our sacrifice" rather than the current "my sacrifice and yours" which follows more closely the Latin original (ut meum ac vestrum sacrificium) to which the faithful respond:
"May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name for our good and the good of all his holy Church."
This invitation of the priest to the people to pray for him before the Prayer over the Offerings is found at least from the eighth century in France from whence it entered into the Roman liturgy during the 13th century and has remained ever since.
Some writers suggest that it proposes a distinction between the sacrifice of the faithful and that of the priest. While such a distinction might exist on the personal spiritual level, and on the level of the ministerial function, it should not detract from the fundamental unity of the one sacrifice of Christ that is celebrated at every Mass.
Thus St. John Paul II, in his 1980 letter to bishops on Eucharistic worship, interpreted this expression as revealing the sacrificial solidarity of priest and faithful:
“This sacrificial value is expressed earlier in every celebration by the words with which the priest concludes the presentation of the gifts, asking the faithful to pray ‘that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.’ These words are binding, since they express the character of the entire Eucharistic Liturgy and the fullness of its divine and ecclesial content. All who participate with faith in the Eucharist become aware that it is a ‘sacrifice,’ that is to say, a ‘consecrated Offering.’ For the bread and wine presented at the altar and accompanied by the devotion and the spiritual sacrifices of the participants are finally consecrated, so as to become truly, really and substantially Christ's own body that is given up and His blood that is shed. Thus, by virtue of the consecration, the species of bread and wine re-present in a sacramental, unbloody manner the bloody propitiatory sacrifice offered by Him on the cross to His Father for the salvation of the world. Indeed, He alone, giving Himself as a propitiatory Victim in an act of supreme surrender and immolation, has reconciled humanity with the Father, solely through His sacrifice, ‘having cancelled the bond which stood against us.’
“To this sacrifice, which is renewed in a sacramental form on the altar, the offerings of bread and wine, united with the devotion of the faithful, nevertheless bring their unique contribution, since by means of the consecration by the priest they become sacred species. This is made clear by the way in which the priest acts during the Eucharistic Prayer, especially at the consecration, and when the celebration of the holy Sacrifice and participation in it are accompanied by awareness that ‘the Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ This call of the Lord to us through His Sacrifice opens our hearts, so that, purified in the mystery of our Redemption, they may be united to Him in Eucharistic Communion, which confers upon participation at Mass a value that is mature, complete and binding on human life: ‘The Church's intention is that the faithful not only offer the spotless victim but also learn to offer themselves and daily to be drawn into ever more perfect union, through Christ the Mediator, with the Father and with each other, so that at last God may be all in all.’”
With respect to the second question, it is probable that the Roman Canon, or Eucharistic Prayer I, which was the only Eucharistic anaphora in use in the Roman liturgy for about 1,600 years, has influenced and determined the composition or compilation of the other Eucharistic prayers now in use.
Hence, given that it mentions the Father at the beginning and subsequently usually refers to the Father as "Lord" (Dominus) probably led to this practice being continued, especially in Eucharistic Prayers II and III. Eucharistic Prayer IV, however, is different, and addresses the Father several times. The reason it does this could also help us to grasp the thought of the Roman Canon.
It is important to remember that, in the context of the Eucharistic Prayer all prayer is addressed to the Father, whether the word used is Father or Lord. The Son or the Holy Spirit are never directly invoked in the Eucharistic Prayer. This obeys a trinitarian principle which was first proclaimed in the Synod or Council of Carthage in 397: "Cum ad altari adsistitur, semper ad Patrem dirigatur oratio" (At the altar prayer is always directed toward the Father).
This principle is also articulated in Lumen Gentium, No. 7, which declares:
"Christ indeed always associates the Church with Himself in this great work wherein God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified. The Church is His beloved Bride who calls to her Lord, and through Him offers worship to the Eternal Father.
"Rightly, then, the liturgy is considered as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. In the liturgy the sanctification of the man is signified by signs perceptible to the senses, and is effected in a way which corresponds with each of these signs; in the liturgy the whole public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and His members."
Returning to the Eucharistic Prayer we can see that the Father is addressed at the beginning of the canon:
"To you, therefore, most merciful Father,
we make humble prayer and petition
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord:
that you accept
and bless † these gifts, these offerings,
these holy and unblemished sacrifices …."
The Father is also mentioned just before the consecration:
"On the day before he was to suffer, he took bread in his holy and venerable hands,
and with eyes raised to heaven to you, O God, his almighty Father ...."
In all other instances the Father is addressed as "Lord" except once when he is addressed as "God" immediately before the consecration.
It would appear that the explicit mention of the Father, which generally is very rare in the Roman liturgy, is necessary at these points of the Canon because there is a reference to the Son that necessitates this distinction. As Joseph Jungmann comments: "[H]ere it is plainly a supplement to the ‘humble prayer and petition’; we carry our petitions before God's throne through our advocate and mediator Jesus Christ."
Likewise, in Eucharistic Prayer IV, where we find more mentions of the Father, it is also in the context of the Father's sending of the Son and the Holy Spirit. All the mentions of the Father occur before the consecration. In other cases, where God is addressed, or a petition is made, he is most often referred to as "Lord."
Thus in the preface:
“It is truly right to give you thanks, truly just to give you glory, Father, most holy, for you are the one God living and true, existing before all ages and abiding for all eternity, dwelling in unapproachable light ....”
After the Sanctus and before the consecration:
“We give you praise, Father most holy, for you are great, and you have fashioned all your works in wisdom and in love. You formed man in your own image and entrusted the whole world to his care, so that in serving you alone, the Creator, he might have dominion over all creatures ....
“And you so loved the world, Father most holy, that in the fullness of time you sent your Only Begotten Son to be our Savior. Made incarnate by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, he shared our human nature in all things but sin. To the poor he proclaimed the good news of salvation, to prisoners, freedom, and to the sorrowful of heart, joy.
“To accomplish your plan, he gave himself up to death, and, rising from the dead, he destroyed death and restored life. And that we might live no longer for ourselves but for him who died and rose again for us, he sent the Holy Spirit from you, Father, as the first fruits for those who believe, so that, bringing to perfection his work in the world, he might sanctify creation to the full.”
One could probably derive much profit from meditating on these subtle but important distinctions that throw light on the great awe and wonder that can be found in the Eucharistic celebration.
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