Elevation (Liturgy)
Encyclopedia
In Christian liturgy
the elevation is a ritual raising of the consecrated elements of bread
and wine
during the celebration of the Eucharist
. The term is applied especially to that by which, in the Roman Rite
of Mass
, the Host
and the Chalice are each shown to the people immediately after each is consecrated. The term may also refer to a piece of music played on the organ or sung at that point in the liturgy.
.
In the Byzantine Rite
, this elevation takes place as the last ekphonesis (audible exclamation) by the priest before communion. He raises the Lamb (Host) slightly above the diskos (paten) and exclaims: , i.e. The holy (consecrated) things (the Body and Blood of Christ) for the holy (consecrated) people. In response the people, or rather the choir, acclaim: "One is holy, one Lord, Jesus Christ in the glory of God the Father" or similar words. The phrase "The holy things for the holy people" is found in the Apostolic Constitutions, and also in the Mozarabic Rite
, but at a different point.
In the Roman Rite
of Mass
, this elevation is accompanied by the words 'Ecce Agnus Dei. Ecce qui tollit peccata mundi (Behold the Lamb of God. Behold him who takes away the sins of the world", echoing the words of John the Baptist
in .
of the Holy Mysteries occurs when communion is brought out to the faithful. The priest hands the chalice to the deacon, who raises it on high as he comes out through the Holy Doors and exclaims: "In the fear of God and with faith draw near." At this moment, everyone present makes a prostation (unless it is a Sunday or a Feast Day, in which case they simply make a bow at the waist) and the choir sings: "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; God is the Lord and hath appeared unto us."
The only other ceremonial elevation of the chalice after the consecration in the Eastern Churches occurs after the communion of the faithful. The priest lifts the chalice and makes the Sign of the Cross
with it over the antimension
as he says quietly, "Blessed is our God...". He then turns towards the faithful, raises the chalice—which still contains the consecrated Body and Blood of Christ—as and says the rest of the blessing aloud: "...Always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages." The choir responds: "Let our mouths be filled with Thy praise, O Lord, that we may chant of Thy glory. For Thou hast made us worthy to partake of Thy holy, divine, immortal, and life-giving Mysteries. Establish Thou us in Thy Holiness, that all the day long we may meditate upon Thy righteousness. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!"
In the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
, the Lamb is also elevated just before the closing of the curtains on the iconostasis
prior to Communion when the Priest declares: "The Holy Things are for the Holy" and the faithful respond: "One is Holy, one is the Lord Jesus Christ, to the Glory of God the Father, Amen." The Pre-Communion prayers are then said by the chanter(s) while the Bishop(s), Priest(s) and Deacon(s) receive communion in the sanctuary.
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The purpose of the two elevations by which, first, the Host
and, then, the Chalice are raised after the priest has pronounced the Words of Institution
is indicated in the rubrics of the Roman Missal
, which even for the Tridentine Mass
direct the priest to "show to the people" the Host and the Chalice.
The raised position is necessary for the priest, without turning around, to show the consecrated element to the people, when these are behind him. Accordingly, the Tridentine Roman Missal instructs the priest to raise the Host or Chalice as high as he comfortably can.
These elevations are a late medieval introduction into the Roman Rite. The custom began in northern Europe and was accepted in Rome only in the fourteenth century. At first, the only elevation at this point was that of the Host, with none of the Chalice. The first bishop known to have ordered the showing of the Host was Bishop Eudes de Sully of Paris (1196–1208) This custom spread rapidly, but that of showing the Chalice appeared only later and was not universal, and has never been adopted by the Carthusians. Genuflections to accompany the elevations appeared still later and became an official part of the rite only with Pope Pius V
's Roman Missal
of 1570.
The purpose of the showing of the Host to the people is that they may adore it. By the twelfth century it was for this purpose raised from the surface of the altar to the level of the priest's breast
while he said the words of consecration. For fear that people would adore the Host even before the consecration, the thirteenth century saw bishops forbidding priests to lift it to the sight of others before actually pronouncing the words. The practice of elevating the Host clearly into their sight immediately after the consecration was intended as sign that the change from bread to the Body of Christ had occurred at that stage, against the view of those who held that the change occurred only when the bread and the wine had both been consecrated.
The showing of the Host and the actual sight of it attracted immense attention. Stories of the privileges to be gained thereby became widespread: "Sudden death could not
befall him. He was secure from hunger, infection, the danger of fire, etc." "Heave it higher, Sir Priest" was the cry of those who were anxious to view the elevation, or "Hold, Sir Priest, hold". It was apparently for the purpose of enabling people to come into the church for the short time necessary to see the elevation of the Host that the ringing of a warning bell was introduced.
A more ancient elevation of Host and Chalice occurs in the Mass of the Roman Rite while the priest speaks the concluding doxology
of the Eucharistic Prayer: Per ipsum et cum ipso et in ipso est tibi Deo Patri omnipotenti in unitate Spiritus Sancti omnis honor et gloria per omnia saecula saeculorum (Through him, and with him, and in him, to you, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, is all honour and glory, for ever and ever).
The presence in the Roman Rite of this elevation can be traced back at least to the ninth century.
In the Tridentine Mass form, the Host and Chalice are raised only slightly, and is very briefly, for the duration of only four short words, omnis honor et gloria. In the post-1970 form, the elevation lasts for the whole of the final doxology and indeed also during the Amen with which the people respond to the Eucharistic Prayer, and the height to which the Host and Chalice are elevated is not limited by the rubrics.
In the present form of the rite, while the priest elevates the Host, the deacon, if there is one, raises the Chalice. If there is no deacon, then in a concelebrated Mass one of the concelebrants takes the place of the deacon. Otherwise the celebrating priest raises both Host and Chalice together.
The later form of the Roman Missal avoids the use of similar prayers of offering in anticipation of the Eucharistic Prayer and even gestures that could be interpreted as gestures of offering mere bread and wine. When saying the prayers that accompany the placing on the altar of the paten with the bread and the chalice with the wine, the priest is told to hold them only "slightly raised".
himself sometimes defended the practice of the elevation and sometimes treated it as an adiaphoron, Lutheran practice is by no means uniform. After the Protestant Reformation
, Lutherans largely dispensed with the elevation, putting the Eucharist in the category of beneficium rather than sacrificium, that is, as a gift from God to us rather than from us to God. However, a renewed interest in liturgy has brought the practice back to Lutheran congregations.
In the many Lutheran churches where it is practiced, the elevation may take place both immediately after the consecration of the elements or during the pax
. This elevation gives opportunity to adore
the real presence of Christ by either bowing deeply at the waist or genuflecting. The elements may also be elevated following the chanting of the Lord's Prayer
, by which the celebrant may use the elements to make the sign of the cross
over the congregation.
The precise practice of the elevation in the Lutheran communion is somewhat less uniform than in the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox communions. Therefore a variety of specific practices exist within the Lutheran communion for the elevation and adoration of the actual elements.
File:Simone Martini 044 bright.jpg|Elevation of the Host in a 1322-1326 fresco by Simone Martini
File:Mis1.jpg|Priest elevating the Host (action incomplete)
File:Mass at Lourdes.jpg|Elevation of the Chalice at a Mass in Lourdes
File:Rite versaillais 2.jpg|Elevation of the Host in the Rite of Versailles
File:Rite versaillais.jpg|Elevation of the Chalice in the Rite of Versailles
Christian liturgy
A liturgy is a set form of ceremony or pattern of worship. Christian liturgy is a pattern for worship used by a Christian congregation or denomination on a regular basis....
the elevation is a ritual raising of the consecrated elements of bread
Body of Christ
In Christian theology, the term Body of Christ has two separate connotations: it may refer to Jesus's statement about the Eucharist at the Last Supper that "This is my body" in , or the explicit usage of the term by the Apostle Paul in to refer to the Christian Church.Although in general usage the...
and wine
Blood of Christ
The Blood of Christ in Christian theology refers to the physical blood actually shed by Jesus Christ on the Cross, and the salvation which Christianity teaches was accomplished thereby; and the sacramental blood present in the Eucharist, which is considered by Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and...
during the celebration of the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
. The term is applied especially to that by which, in the Roman Rite
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
of Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
, the Host
Sacramental bread
Sacramental bread, sometimes called the lamb, altar bread, host or simply Communion bread, is the bread which is used in the Christian ritual of the Eucharist.-Eastern Catholic and Orthodox:...
and the Chalice are each shown to the people immediately after each is consecrated. The term may also refer to a piece of music played on the organ or sung at that point in the liturgy.
All liturgies
All liturgies have an elevation of the Blessed Sacrament, just before the communion, showing the people, as an act of reverence, what they are about to receive.This elevation was already in use at the time of the Apostolic ConstitutionsApostolic Constitutions
The Apostolic Constitutions is a Christian collection of eight treatises which belongs to genre of the Church Orders. The work can be dated from 375 to 380 AD. The provenience is usually regarded as Syria, probably Antioch...
.
In the Byzantine Rite
Byzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
, this elevation takes place as the last ekphonesis (audible exclamation) by the priest before communion. He raises the Lamb (Host) slightly above the diskos (paten) and exclaims: , i.e. The holy (consecrated) things (the Body and Blood of Christ) for the holy (consecrated) people. In response the people, or rather the choir, acclaim: "One is holy, one Lord, Jesus Christ in the glory of God the Father" or similar words. The phrase "The holy things for the holy people" is found in the Apostolic Constitutions, and also in the Mozarabic Rite
Mozarabic Rite
The Mozarabic, Visigothic, or Hispanic Rite is a form of Catholic worship within the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, and in the Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church . Its beginning dates to the 7th century, and is localized in the Iberian Peninsula...
, but at a different point.
In the Roman Rite
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
of Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
, this elevation is accompanied by the words 'Ecce Agnus Dei. Ecce qui tollit peccata mundi (Behold the Lamb of God. Behold him who takes away the sins of the world", echoing the words of John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
in .
Byzantine Rite
A similar adorationAdoration
Adoration is love given with deep affection. The term comes from the Latin adōrātiō, meaning "to give homage or worship to someone or something."-Ancient Middle East:...
of the Holy Mysteries occurs when communion is brought out to the faithful. The priest hands the chalice to the deacon, who raises it on high as he comes out through the Holy Doors and exclaims: "In the fear of God and with faith draw near." At this moment, everyone present makes a prostation (unless it is a Sunday or a Feast Day, in which case they simply make a bow at the waist) and the choir sings: "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; God is the Lord and hath appeared unto us."
The only other ceremonial elevation of the chalice after the consecration in the Eastern Churches occurs after the communion of the faithful. The priest lifts the chalice and makes the Sign of the Cross
Sign of the cross
The Sign of the Cross , or crossing oneself, is a ritual hand motion made by members of many branches of Christianity, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of a trinitarian formula....
with it over the antimension
Antimension
The Antimins, , is one of the most important furnishings of the altar in many Eastern Christian liturgical traditions. It is a rectangular piece of cloth, either linen or silk, typically decorated with representations of the Descent of Christ from the Cross, the four Evangelists, and inscriptions...
as he says quietly, "Blessed is our God...". He then turns towards the faithful, raises the chalice—which still contains the consecrated Body and Blood of Christ—as and says the rest of the blessing aloud: "...Always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages." The choir responds: "Let our mouths be filled with Thy praise, O Lord, that we may chant of Thy glory. For Thou hast made us worthy to partake of Thy holy, divine, immortal, and life-giving Mysteries. Establish Thou us in Thy Holiness, that all the day long we may meditate upon Thy righteousness. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!"
In the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom may refer to:* Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the primary worship service in the Byzantine Rite.It may refer also to choral compositions that sets the liturgical text:...
, the Lamb is also elevated just before the closing of the curtains on the iconostasis
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
prior to Communion when the Priest declares: "The Holy Things are for the Holy" and the faithful respond: "One is Holy, one is the Lord Jesus Christ, to the Glory of God the Father, Amen." The Pre-Communion prayers are then said by the chanter(s) while the Bishop(s), Priest(s) and Deacon(s) receive communion in the sanctuary.
Post-consecration elevations
Sacramental bread
Sacramental bread, sometimes called the lamb, altar bread, host or simply Communion bread, is the bread which is used in the Christian ritual of the Eucharist.-Eastern Catholic and Orthodox:...
and, then, the Chalice are raised after the priest has pronounced the Words of Institution
Words of Institution
The Words of Institution are words echoing those of Jesus himself at his Last Supper that, when consecrating bread and wine, Christian Eucharistic liturgies include in a narrative of that event...
is indicated in the rubrics of the Roman Missal
Roman Missal
The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.-Situation before the Council of Trent:...
, which even for the Tridentine Mass
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
direct the priest to "show to the people" the Host and the Chalice.
The raised position is necessary for the priest, without turning around, to show the consecrated element to the people, when these are behind him. Accordingly, the Tridentine Roman Missal instructs the priest to raise the Host or Chalice as high as he comfortably can.
These elevations are a late medieval introduction into the Roman Rite. The custom began in northern Europe and was accepted in Rome only in the fourteenth century. At first, the only elevation at this point was that of the Host, with none of the Chalice. The first bishop known to have ordered the showing of the Host was Bishop Eudes de Sully of Paris (1196–1208) This custom spread rapidly, but that of showing the Chalice appeared only later and was not universal, and has never been adopted by the Carthusians. Genuflections to accompany the elevations appeared still later and became an official part of the rite only with Pope Pius V
Pope Pius V
Pope Saint Pius V , born Antonio Ghislieri , was Pope from 1566 to 1572 and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He is chiefly notable for his role in the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman liturgy within the Latin Church...
's Roman Missal
Roman Missal
The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.-Situation before the Council of Trent:...
of 1570.
The purpose of the showing of the Host to the people is that they may adore it. By the twelfth century it was for this purpose raised from the surface of the altar to the level of the priest's breast
while he said the words of consecration. For fear that people would adore the Host even before the consecration, the thirteenth century saw bishops forbidding priests to lift it to the sight of others before actually pronouncing the words. The practice of elevating the Host clearly into their sight immediately after the consecration was intended as sign that the change from bread to the Body of Christ had occurred at that stage, against the view of those who held that the change occurred only when the bread and the wine had both been consecrated.
The showing of the Host and the actual sight of it attracted immense attention. Stories of the privileges to be gained thereby became widespread: "Sudden death could not
befall him. He was secure from hunger, infection, the danger of fire, etc." "Heave it higher, Sir Priest" was the cry of those who were anxious to view the elevation, or "Hold, Sir Priest, hold". It was apparently for the purpose of enabling people to come into the church for the short time necessary to see the elevation of the Host that the ringing of a warning bell was introduced.
Per ipsum ... omnis honor et gloria
Doxology
A doxology is a short hymn of praises to God in various Christian worship services, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns...
of the Eucharistic Prayer: Per ipsum et cum ipso et in ipso est tibi Deo Patri omnipotenti in unitate Spiritus Sancti omnis honor et gloria per omnia saecula saeculorum (Through him, and with him, and in him, to you, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, is all honour and glory, for ever and ever).
The presence in the Roman Rite of this elevation can be traced back at least to the ninth century.
In the Tridentine Mass form, the Host and Chalice are raised only slightly, and is very briefly, for the duration of only four short words, omnis honor et gloria. In the post-1970 form, the elevation lasts for the whole of the final doxology and indeed also during the Amen with which the people respond to the Eucharistic Prayer, and the height to which the Host and Chalice are elevated is not limited by the rubrics.
In the present form of the rite, while the priest elevates the Host, the deacon, if there is one, raises the Chalice. If there is no deacon, then in a concelebrated Mass one of the concelebrants takes the place of the deacon. Otherwise the celebrating priest raises both Host and Chalice together.
Offertory of the Tridentine Mass
In the offertory of the Tridentine Mass the priest elevates the paten and the chalice (to breast level in the case of the paten, while the height to which the chalice is to be raised is not specified), while saying prayers of offering "this immaculate victim" and "the chalice of salvation".The later form of the Roman Missal avoids the use of similar prayers of offering in anticipation of the Eucharistic Prayer and even gestures that could be interpreted as gestures of offering mere bread and wine. When saying the prayers that accompany the placing on the altar of the paten with the bread and the chalice with the wine, the priest is told to hold them only "slightly raised".
Lutheran practice
While Martin LutherMartin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
himself sometimes defended the practice of the elevation and sometimes treated it as an adiaphoron, Lutheran practice is by no means uniform. After the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, Lutherans largely dispensed with the elevation, putting the Eucharist in the category of beneficium rather than sacrificium, that is, as a gift from God to us rather than from us to God. However, a renewed interest in liturgy has brought the practice back to Lutheran congregations.
In the many Lutheran churches where it is practiced, the elevation may take place both immediately after the consecration of the elements or during the pax
Pax (liturgy)
Pax vobis , or pax vobiscum , are salutations in the Catholic Mass and the Lutheran Divine Service.-Origins:Like the other liturgical salutations Pax vobis (peace to you), or pax vobiscum (peace with you), are salutations in the Catholic Mass and the Lutheran Divine Service.-Origins:Like the...
. This elevation gives opportunity to adore
Eucharistic adoration
Eucharistic adoration is a practice in the Roman Catholic Church, and in a few Anglican and Lutheran churches, in which the Blessed Sacrament is exposed to and adored by the faithful....
the real presence of Christ by either bowing deeply at the waist or genuflecting. The elements may also be elevated following the chanting of the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
, by which the celebrant may use the elements to make the sign of the cross
Sign of the cross
The Sign of the Cross , or crossing oneself, is a ritual hand motion made by members of many branches of Christianity, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of a trinitarian formula....
over the congregation.
The precise practice of the elevation in the Lutheran communion is somewhat less uniform than in the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox communions. Therefore a variety of specific practices exist within the Lutheran communion for the elevation and adoration of the actual elements.
Gallery
File:Simone Martini 044 bright.jpg|Elevation of the Host in a 1322-1326 fresco by Simone Martini
File:Mis1.jpg|Priest elevating the Host (action incomplete)
File:Mass at Lourdes.jpg|Elevation of the Chalice at a Mass in Lourdes
File:Rite versaillais 2.jpg|Elevation of the Host in the Rite of Versailles
File:Rite versaillais.jpg|Elevation of the Chalice in the Rite of Versailles