97-99 give the rubrics and brief text on Benediction. We’ll catch the following suggestion for the hymn of eucharistic song in a later post.
97. Toward the end of the exposition the priest or deacon goes to the altar, genuflects, and kneels. Then a hymn or other eucharistic song is sung, (see HCWEOM 192-199) Meanwhile the minister, while kneeling, incenses the sacrament if the exposition has taken place with the monstrance.
98. Afterward the minister rises and sings or says:
Let us pray.
After a brief period of silence, the minister continues:
Lord Jesus Christ,
you gave us the eucharist
as the memorial of your suffering and death.
May our worship of this sacrament of your body and blood
help us to experience the salvation you won for us
and the peace of the kingdom
where you live with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
All respond:
Amen.
Other prayers, nos. 224-229, may be chosen.
We won’t cover all those prayers in future posts; I think the hymns will be of more interest. #226 is instructive, as it provides the imagery of food, balancing as it were, the complementary aspects of the Eucharist as meal and sacrifice. Here’s #226:
Lord our God,
you have given us the true bread from heaven.
In the strength of this food
may we live always by your life
and rise in glory on the last day.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
The end of Benediction:
99. After the prayer the priest or deacon puts on the huÂmeral veil, genuflects, and takes the monstrance or ciborium. He makes the sign of the cross over the people with the monstrance or ciborium, in silence.
And the reposition which concludes the liturgy:
100. After the blessing the priest or deacon who gave the blessing, or another priest or deacon, replaces the blessed sacrament in the tabernacle and genuflects. Meanwhile the people may sing or say an acclamation, and the minister then leaves.
Note the call for an acclamation rather than a hymn or song here. More often I see the litany, Divine Praises, used plus the hymn, Holy God. Not to say that innovation doesn’t work, but that’s not the rubrical prescription given in the HCWEOM.
Any comments?
I would characterize the Divine Praises as an acclamation. It’s really not a litany in the classic Roman form, which is petitionary.
Despite this being the rubric, most priests I know around here lead the divine praises prior to the reposition of the Blessed Sacrament. It seems out-of-place to have the Divine Praises with the Subject of them returned to the tabernacle. I haven’t been able to find an order of service for the pre-V2 Adoration: would be curious to see if these praises were conducted before or after reposition.
I begin the Divine Praises immediately after taking the Blessed Sacrament out of the Monstrance. By the time the Divine Praises are over, the Blessed Sacrament is back in the tabernacle and it’s time to take off the humoral veil. I don’t do the song after the Divine Praises. It works pretty well for me. I just wish the people wouldn’t rush the Divine Praises so much.