Eucharist: Prayer of Praise

The Berrakah is a distinctively Jewish form of prayer that became very popular and dear to them during their exile. While they were in exile, they had no Temple, no altar or sacrifice, no priest or prophet – in short, no way of maintaining contact with God. So, they devised this form of prayer called the Berrakah.

Format: [1] Invitation – Come praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord …Bless the Lord, O my soul; let all that is within me bless his holy name.
[2] Reasons – O give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his great love endures forever …
[3] The praise itself …
[4] Concluding burst of praise : Blessed be God, forever.

When/Why: A devout Jew is expected to make 100 berrakoth each day. It is obvious, therefore, that he would never find 100 positive events each day for which to bless God … he had to learn to bless God for even what seems unpleasant …The reasoning behind this practice is:

The Exodus Experience: When God chooses to bless us, no one can stop him … might postpone or delay, but never prevent God from carrying out his designs … In the end God always wins.

The Covenant Experience: From among all the peoples of the earth, God chose to enter into this special covenantal relationship only with Israel. In Covenant, “I shall be your God and you shall be my people!” During their desert journey, they discovered the absolute fidelity of God … also that God does not take pleasure in the death of a sinner, but desires that he lives … God does not create something in order to destroy it! His designs are always positive, life-giving and life-oriented.

For a Christian who believes in the Resurrection, there is a third reason: The Jesus Experience. “Do not be afraid, I have overcome the world … Do not be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased the Father to grant you the kingdom.”

Universalized: After the exile, they continued using berrakoth, and inserted them into all their traditional prayers. Thus, the Passover service too is full of berrakoth. So, at Last Supper Jesus would have instituted the Eucharist in the context of praise and thanks. “He took… said the blessing…” Do this …

In Eucharist: The Eucharistic Prayer … the Intro. Dialogue of the Preface is the invitation… reasons/praise (biggest reason to praise is what Jesus did – the story of this is told in the Institution Narrative … Final burst: Amen: “I will make it to be so.”

Test/Results: Joyful people [Alleluia/Easter people] … Positive orientation towards life …Grateful and appreciative …In constant union with God … Ready to share … Whole, integrated: right relationship with God, others, Nature and self … Peaceful and contented (See Ps. 131)

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