Once the gifts are prepared, the priest prays the Prayer over the Offerings. This prayer does not consecrate the gifts; rather, it formally offers them to God and asks Him to receive and sanctify what has been placed on the altar. This reflects a basic rule of biblical worship: offerings are never simply placed before God—they are named, offered, and prayed over.

In the Temple worship, the priest did not improvise a new meaning for the gifts; he asked God to accept what He Himself had commanded. The Church does the same. The Prayer over the Offerings acknowledges that what lies on the altar is about to be taken up into Christ’s one sacrifice.

Historically, such a prayer has always been part of the Mass. In the Roman tradition it was called the Oratio super oblata (“the prayer over the things offered”). While the wording and number of offertory prayers have developed over time, the act of praying over the offerings has never disappeared—because sacrifice always demands prayerful offering.

Immediately after the Prayer over the Offerings, the priest begins the Preface Dialogue: “The Lord be with you. (And with your spirit.) Lift up your hearts. (We lift them up to the Lord.) Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. (It is right and just.)” In this dialogue, we are preparing to take part in the Eucharistic sacrifice by calling upon the Lord’s presence, lifting our hearts above earthly concerns, and giving thanks to God for what He has given us. I’ve mentioned this before, but the Greek word eucharistia means “thanksgiving”. We give thanks by entering into the thanksgiving sacrifice Jesus has commanded.

Next comes the Preface, which is a solemn, public act of thanksgiving directed to God prior to entering into the Eucharistic Prayer. There are several Prefaces in the Roman Missal, some specifically for each season of the liturgical year, others for particular categories of saints, and still more for other various categories. If you listen to the words of the Preface, you’ll notice that there is a basic structure to each one. It begins with properly acknowledging that we owe our gratitude to God as an obligation of duty (“our duty and our salvation…”). Next, there is some attribute or reason given for why He is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. Finally, we acknowledge that we are joining with all of the saints in heaven in giving thanks and adoration to Him. (More on this final stage next week.)