Q: In Eucharistic Prayer I, # 85, the “Commemoration of the Living,” the text has the priest praying for people by name. Given the title of the section, I presume that the priest should only be for people who are living. The rubric call for a pause where the priest prays for those people named. The next text, the priest prays for “and all gathered here, whose faith and devotion are known to you” (“et omnium circumstantium, quorum tibi fides cognita est”). This begs two questions:
1) can the priest omit the names of living faithful people and after the words “your servants” (“famulorum famularumque tuarum”), directly move to pray silently for whomever the Spirit moves him to pray for?
2) Do the people prayed for by name need to be present? Can the people prayed for by name be present or must they be people not present? The follow-up phrase “and all gathered here” throws me off.
Thanks, God bless.
==
A: This is one of the most bewildering parts of the revised translation. I give a commentary on this and all the four main Eucharistic prayers in my book, At the Supper of the Lamb.
In brief, and cutting way too many corners, I stand with those who say that the “N.” in the prayers for the living is the name of the one(s) who gave the stipend for the priest to celebrate this Mass for the “N.” in the prayers for the dead later in the same prayer.
Two options follow the first “N.” depending on whether or not the person who gave the stipend is present. Instead of the word “For”, a better translation is therefore “On behalf of.” So, I think of it this way:
“(On behalf of) N. (who’s not here), we (who are here) offer you this sacrifice of praise or (because N. is here) they offer it (on behalf of themselves) and (for) all who are dear to them.”
To your questions:
1) Yes, and in fact that is how I do it. I do not plug a name in there, even if I know who donated the stipend. I just pause for a moment.
2) See my explanation above