Commontide
The Holy Eucharist — Renewed Ancient Text
Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself; and when we had sinned against you and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent your only Son Jesus Christ into the world for our salvation. By the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary he became flesh and dwelt among us. In obedience to your will, he stretched out his arms upon the Cross and offered himself once for all, that by his suffering and death we might be saved. By his resurrection he broke the bonds of death, trampling Hell and Satan under his feet. As our great high priest, he ascended to your right hand in glory, that we might come with confidence before the throne of grace. On the night that he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take, eat; this is my Body, which is given for you: Do this in remembrance of me." Likewise, after supper, Jesus took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink this, all of you; for this is my Blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you, and for many, for the forgiveness of sins: Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me." Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, and we offer you these gifts. Sanctify them by your Word and Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Sanctify us also, that we may worthily receive this holy Sacrament, and be made one body with him, that he may dwell in us and we in him. In the fullness of time, put all things in subjection under your Christ, and bring us with all your saints into the joy of your heavenly kingdom, where we shall see our Lord face to face. All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ: By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. Amen.
Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.
This eucharistic prayer traces its lineage from an ancient anaphora (the prayer at the heart of the Eucharist) long attributed to Hippolytus of Rome, through the twentieth-century liturgical movement that reshaped nearly every major denomination's Communion rites, to the 1979 US Book of Common Prayer's Eucharistic Prayer A, composed by Episcopal priest H. Boone Porter. The ACNA's 2019 "Renewed Ancient Text" label signals that ancient aspiration, though scholars note the prayer is primarily a lightly revised form of the modern 1979 text.