During the Mass, after the prayer over the gifts and before the singing of the "Sanctus" ("Holy, Holy, Holy"), a short dialogue takes place. It is called the “Preface Dialogue” and it calls us to lift our hearts and focus on the heavenly banquet that is about to take place.
The current preface dialogue reads:
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.
On the front of the bulletin, you will find the new changes in the preface dialogue that will take place on November 27. These new changes reflect the Latin text with greater accuracy, inviting us to join the angels and the saints in the great hymn of joy in the "Sanctus."
The Latin preface, and now the new preface, reads:
Dominus vobiscum (The Lord be with you.)
Et cum spiritu tuo (And with your spirit.)
Sursum corda (Lift up your hearts.)
Habemus ad Dominum (We lift them up to the Lord.)
Gratias agamus, Domino Deo nostro. (Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.)
Dignum et justum est (It is right and just.)
Because we are raised to new life in Christ, we are invited by Christ in the person of the priest to enter the heavenly liturgy and join in the banquet. Just imagine eating at a banquet table with saints and angels... with that thought in mind, can we ever take this dialogue for granted again?
I am guessing this will be a tough change for most of us. Why? It is a rote response, and like Pavlov’s dog, who had been conditioned to expect a meal at the ringing of a bell, we have been conditioned to respond to these prayers with an automatic reply. With time, patience, and some practice, we will eventually get it right. In this holy liturgy, we, like the saints have been sent an invitation that is like none other - whether or not we "R.S.V.P." with enthusiasm is up to us. Sursum corda!
