What follows the Preface Dialogue is what we call the Preface. Each time the priest prays the Preface, he will be expanding on what was just said in the Preface Dialogue. The Preface will explain why it is truly right and just to give God thanks on this particular occasion. During each of the liturgical seasons, or when celebrating a day in honor of a saint, the Preface recalls something pertinent about God’s wonderful deeds. Other Prefaces are more generic, but they always give a specific reason why we give God thanks on that day. Remember, the word Eucharist means thanksgiving. Thus, the Preface Dialogue and the Preface are tied together in this way: In the Preface Dialogue the priest invites you to give thanks, you declare it is right and just to do so, and then the Preface proclaims why it is right and just today to give thanks to God.

Let’s walk through the Holy, Holy a little bit. The first line is almost word for word from Isaiah 6:3 where Isaiah has a vision of angels singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!” We find a very similar line in the Book of Revelation 4:8 where four living creatures in heaven exclaim, “Holy, holy, holy.” So the first line comes from Sacred Scripture and gives us insight into how God is acclaimed in heaven. Mass has always been a little bit of heaven on earth, so it is fitting that we praise God in a heavenly way. We say as much in the next phrase when we proclaim, “Heaven and earth are full of your glory.” This makes even more sense when we recall that each Preface ends with an invitation to join the angels in their triumphant song of praise. After that invitation to join the angels, we sing Holy, Holy, Holy just like the angels in heaven.

The remainder of the Holy, Holy comes from Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. In the Gospel of Matthew 21:9 we find this: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.” Why is that acclamation in the Holy, Holy? In a few minutes Jesus is going to come to us in the Eucharist when the words of the consecration are prayed during the Eucharistic Prayer. Jesus entered Jerusalem to that acclamation, and we sing the same thing in preparation of Jesus coming to us in the Eucharist.

Isn’t it amazing how the Preface Dialogue, Preface, and Holy, Holy flow from one into the other? Let’s review that. The Preface Dialogue, the Preface, and the Sanctus are tied together in this way: In the Preface Dialogue the priest invites you to give thanks, you declare it is right and just to do so, and then the Preface proclaims why it is right and just today to give thanks to God. At the end of each Preface is an acclamation to join the choirs of angels in heaven in their unending hymn. We then sing the Holy, Holy, which, according to Sacred Scripture, is one way the angels give praise to God. The second half of the Holy, Holy is from Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. That prepares us for his entrance among us a few minutes later as he becomes really present in the consecrated bread and wine during the Eucharistic Prayer. With that explanation, I hope this part of mass makes more sense.

Images