“The mystery of faith,” the priest says. What could be more important than that? Meditating on the memorial acclamations gives us new insights into the mystery of the Eucharist, which is at the heart of our faith.

Before talking about the changes, however, it is worthwhile to think about this part of the Mass. First of all, what is happening? The insertion of an “anamnesis” (literally a “remembering”) of the people was a change brought in at the Second Vatican Council. It was a liturgical borrowing from one of the Oriental rites. The words are addressed by the people to Jesus. That should make us pay close attention, since in the Eucharist we almost always address the Father and not the Son. 

Why do we stop after the consecration to speak to Jesus? I suppose it is obvious. He is now present on the altar. We pause to greet him by means of the acclamation. This is not something most of us have been used to hearing. It makes for a very personal note, however, and actually emphasizes the importance of the consecration. The presence of the Lord on the altar provokes a response.

A priest once commented on this. He said that when the consecration was completed he felt happy because he was no longer the center of attention. Christ was present and so now the priest could cede him his place. I must admit that I had never thought about this until I read it in a book. It made me realize that the acclamation is part of a personal conversation with the Lord.

That is why it is natural that the acclamation that was perhaps the most popular in use has been eliminated: “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” Supposedly one of the bishops lamented, “But it is the only one everyone knows!”

The reason it has been changed is obvious, however. Those three phrases are declarations, not prayers. They are in the third person, not the second. The Latin originals are like an exclamation that speaks directly to the Lord Jesus. Two of them say, “Domine” (Lord) and one speaks to the “Salvator mundi” (Savior of the world). 

In the new translation, the response of the people has three options instead of the four that were used before. The new translations are:

• “We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection, until you come again.”
• “When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again.”
• “Save us, savior of the world, for by your cross and resurrection you have set us free.”

They also show that our memorial is not just about events from the past. Swiss priest Pascal Desthieux illustrated this by a particularly appropriate comparison. When a husband and wife celebrate their anniversary, this is not just about the past. The fact that they are celebrating the date has to do with their ongoing relationship. Although anything is possible in the absurd and anarchic way people live nowadays, it is not likely that a couple not committed to each other would memorialize the day they were joined together if it did not have a meaning in the present. The two of them remember the past but the event they celebrate has ramifications in the present and for the future.

In a similar way, the community of faith remembers the most important event in human history, the sacrificial death of Jesus the Christ, not just to look toward the past. The present action — the memorial — is about our relationship with Christ now. It refers back to the past, speaking about the death and resurrection of Jesus. Nevertheless, there is a clear reference to the future in all three acclamations.

The three acclamations are equivalent but at the same time complementary. The first offers a panorama of salvation history. It mentions proclaiming the past, specifically, the death of the Lord. Then it speaks of “professing,” which refers to the present. Finally it speaks of the future, “until you come again.” This makes explicit what the other two acclamations contain implicitly.

The second acclamation speaks directly of the Eucharist, eating the bread and drinking the cup. This is practically a citation of 1 Cor 11:26: “Every time, then, you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.” Past, present and future are found as elements but the acclamation has the unique advantage of being scriptural and referring to the Eucharistic banquet in a concrete way.

The beginning of the third acclamation, “Save us, savior of the world,” has poetic assonance and in fact the prayer can actually stand alone, independent of the Eucharistic canon. The passion of Christ is more explicitly referred to by the reference to the cross. It also contains the theological idea of “freedom” which is actually a metaphor for redemption. I find this third option the most beautiful.