The prayer of offering and the prayer of oblation

The prayer of offering and the prayer of oblation

How do the the offering of Jesus  in the temple relate to the “Prayer of offering” and the “prayer of oblation” . 

The Offering of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:22-40) relates deeply to both the prayer of offering and the prayer of oblation, as it symbolizes Christ’s total surrender to God and Mary and Joseph’s faithful act of dedicating Him according to the Law. This event prefigures Jesus’ ultimate self-offering on the Cross and invites us to reflect on our own self-giving to God.

1. The Prayer of Offering

A prayer of offering is a personal or communal prayer where we offer ourselves—our lives, actions, and intentions—to God. It is an act of love, surrender, and commitment to His will.

Example of a Prayer of Offering:

“Lord, I offer You this day: all my thoughts, words, and actions. May everything I do be for Your greater glory and serve Your divine will. Use me as Your instrument of peace and love. Amen.”

This connects to the Presentation of Jesus because, just as Mary and Joseph presented Jesus as an offering to God in the Temple, we present our daily lives and efforts to God.

2. The Prayer of Oblation

A prayer of oblation goes even deeper. It is not just an offering of actions but an offering of one’s entire being to God, often in a spirit of sacrifice. It reflects a willingness to give up personal desires and fully entrust oneself to God’s plan.

Example of a Prayer of Oblation (Inspired by St. Ignatius’ Suscipe Prayer):

“Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will. All that I have and possess, You have given me; to You, Lord, I return it. Everything is Yours; do with it what You will. Give me only Your love and Your grace, for that is enough for me. Amen.”

This prayer relates to Jesus’ offering in the Temple because His presentation foreshadows His ultimate oblation on the Cross, where He surrenders everything to the Father for our salvation.

Connection to the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

• Mary and Joseph’s obedience: They followed the Jewish law, offering Jesus to God, showing their surrender and trust.
• Simeon’s prophecy: He recognized Jesus as the Light of the nations and foretold the suffering Mary would endure, which connects to the sacrificial aspect of oblation.
• Jesus’ mission: His presentation is an early sign that His entire life is an offering to the Father, leading to the ultimate oblation and sacrifice of the Cross.

Both the prayer of offering and prayer of oblation invite us to imitate this surrender in our daily lives: offering our work, joys, and struggles, and even making a total gift of ourselves in love and trust.

Distinguishing the Prayer of Offering and Prayer of Oblation in the Catholic Mass

Exploring the Nuances of Prayer

I am reflecting on the distinctions between the “prayer of offering” and “prayer of oblation”, particularly in their usage within the context of the Catholic Mass. While both involve the act of giving something to God, their specific liturgical meanings and applications differ.

Clarifying the Differences

My focus is on distinguishing the “Prayer Over the Offerings” from the “Prayer of Oblation” within the Mass. The former occurs during the preparation of the gifts, while the latter is more closely tied to the Eucharistic sacrifice, where the Church offers Christ Himself to the Father.

Understanding the Terminology

While the terms “prayer of offering” and “prayer of oblation” are often used interchangeably to express the act of dedicating something to God, the “Prayer Over the Offerings” has a distinct place within the Catholic liturgy.

The short answer is: they are closely related but not identical. In general Christian usage, “oblation” (from the Latin oblatio) simply means an offering. Thus, a “prayer of oblation” and a “prayer of offering” both convey the idea of presenting something to God. However, in the structured context of the Roman Catholic Mass, these terms take on more specific meanings.

The Role of These Prayers in the Catholic Mass

1. The Prayer Over the Offerings (formerly Super Oblata or The Secret)
   • Occurs after the presentation of the gifts (bread and wine) on the altar.
   • The priest offers a short prayer asking God to accept these gifts.
   • In older liturgical texts, this was called Super Oblata (Latin for “over the offerings”), emphasizing the offering of these elements to God before consecration.
2. The Eucharistic Prayer (which includes the Oblation)
   • The heart of the Mass, where the consecration takes place.
   • Within this prayer, there is a specific moment of oblation, where the Church offers the consecrated elements—the Body and Blood of Christ—to the Father.
   • This marks the culmination of the Church’s offering, uniting our prayers and sacrifices with Christ’s perfect self-offering.

Bringing It All Together

• In everyday Christian language, a “prayer of offering” and a “prayer of oblation” generally mean the same thing: the act of dedicating something to God.
• In Catholic liturgical practice, the “Prayer Over the Offerings” is a specific prayer during the preparation of gifts, whereas “oblation” is more directly linked to the Eucharistic sacrifice.
• While older liturgical texts sometimes used Super Oblata to refer to the Prayer Over the Offerings, the term “oblation” today is more closely associated with the Eucharistic action of offering Christ Himself.

Thus, while both prayers involve offering, they operate at different moments and levels within the Mass. The Prayer Over the Offerings is the act of presenting the bread and wine, while the prayer of oblation reaches its fullest expression in the Eucharistic Prayer, where the Church unites itself with Christ’s supreme offering to the Father.

Connections of the prayers to the Jewish Passover rituals

The offering of Jesus in the Temple and the prayers of offering and oblation in the Catholic Mass have profound connections to Jewish Passover rituals, particularly in their themes of sacrifice, dedication, and divine covenant. To fully understand this relationship, let’s explore how these elements interconnect.

1. The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and the Passover

• According to Luke 2:22-40, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple to offer Him to God, following the Jewish law in Exodus 13:2, 12-15, which required every firstborn male to be consecrated to the Lord.
• This act was rooted in the memory of the Passover in Egypt (Exodus 12), where the firstborn of Israel were spared because of the blood of the lambon their doorposts.
• In thanksgiving for their deliverance, Jewish families had to redeem (buy back) their firstborn sons by offering a sacrifice: typically a lamb or, for the poor, two turtledoves (as Mary and Joseph did).

How This Relates to Jesus and the Mass:

• Jesus, as the firstborn Son of God, was symbolically offered in the Temple, foreshadowing His future role as the true Passover Lamb.
• His sacrifice on the Cross fulfilled the meaning of the Passover lamb’s blood, which brought freedom from sin and death.
• The Mass, especially the prayers of offering and oblation, connects directly to this idea by making Christ’s sacrifice present for the faithful.

2. The Prayer Over the Offerings and the Jewish Passover

• In the Catholic Mass, the “Prayer Over the Offerings” occurs when the priest prepares the bread and wine, asking God to accept these gifts.
• In the Jewish Passover meal (Seder), the head of the household also prays over the unleavened bread (matzah) and the wine, offering them to God before they are consumed.
• The Seder meal, which commemorates the Exodus, includes specific prayers that resemble the structure of the Catholic Offertory:
  • Blessing over the bread (HaMotzi): “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”
  • Blessing over the wine (Kiddush): “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.”
• Similarly, in the Mass, the priest prays:
  • “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you…”
  • “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you…”

How This Relates to the Mass:

• The bread and wine of the Eucharist take on a new meaning in light of Jesus’ words at the Last Supper: “This is my Body… This is my Blood.”
• The Passover meal foreshadowed the Eucharistic sacrifice, where Jesus Himself becomes the new Passover Lamb.

3. The Eucharistic Oblation and the Passover Sacrifice

• The prayer of oblation in the Eucharistic Prayer refers to the moment when the Church offers the consecrated Body and Blood of Christ to the Father.
• In Jewish tradition, the Passover lamb was offered in the Temple as a sacrificial oblation to God.
• According to Exodus 12, the blood of the lamb had to be sprinkled as a sign of deliverance, just as Jesus’ blood was shed for the salvation of the world.
• The Jewish Passover also included the Todah (Thanksgiving) sacrifice, in which a person who had been saved from death offered bread and wine in gratitude—a strong parallel to the Eucharistic offering.

How This Relates to the Mass:

• The Eucharistic Prayer, where the Church offers Christ’s Body and Blood, mirrors the Temple offering of the Passover lamb.
• The Last Supper was a Passover meal where Jesus transformed the traditional elements (bread and wine) into His Body and Blood.
• Just as the Israelites participated in the Passover by eating the lamb, Catholics partake in the Eucharist, consuming the true Lamb of God.

4. The Deeper Theological Connection

Conclusion: The Fulfillment of the Passover in the Mass

• The offering of Jesus in the Temple is a preview of His ultimate self-offering on the Cross, just as the Passover lamb was offered in the Temple before being eaten.
• The Prayer Over the Offerings in the Mass reflects the Jewish tradition of blessing bread and wine before they are given to God.
• The Eucharistic Prayer of Oblation fulfills the deepest meaning of the Passover sacrifice—offering not just bread and wine, but the true Lamb of God.

Just as the Passover celebrated Israel’s freedom from slavery, the Eucharist is the new Passover, celebrating our redemption from sin through Christ’s perfect offering. The prayers of offering and oblation in the Mass allow us to unite our own sacrifices to the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, the true Passover Lamb.

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

Time to learnSee the options

Make your own website & learn affiliate marketing

Options