Preface of the Solemnity of Christ the King based on Mysterium (Mystery), Tremendum (Tremendous) and Fascinans (Fascinating).
The Eucharistic Prayer in the Mass is more than just a prayer. It is the verbal element in the central action of the Mass. One of the important or principle part or element of the Eucharistic Prayer is the Preface. The General Instruction on the Roman Missal No.55 states that:-
The chief elements of the Eucharistic prayer are these:
Thanksgiving (expressed especially in the preface): in the name of the entire people of God, the priest praises the Father and gives him thanks for the work of salvation or for some special aspect of it in keeping with the day, feast, or season. (GIRM, Introduction – Chapter II).
The word preface here does not mean introduction. It refers rather to the fact that this prayer is spoken out loud (prae-fari), and it is likely that the word was once applied to the entire canon. The intention of this section of the prayer is not just thanksgiving for this and that, rather it celebrates the solemn entry of the people into the divine presence (Eucharist). It expresses that fact that here and now our congregation is one assembly with all those in heaven who worship the divine majesty with all the awe and splendor (Raymond Moloney, SJ, The Eucharistic Prayers: in worship, preaching and study). Keeping this in mind, I would like to present the Preface of the Solemnity of Christ the King based on my understanding of Mysterium (Mystery), Tremendum (Tremendous) and Fascinans (Fascinating).
The preface of Christ the King:
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,
we do well always and everywhere to give You thanks.
You anointed Jesus Christ, Your only Son,
with the oil of gladness,
as the eternal priest and universal king.
As priest He offered His life on the altar of the cross
and redeemed the human race by this one perfect sacrifice of peace.
As king He claims dominion over all creation,
that He may present to You, His almighty Father,
an eternal and universal kingdom:
a kingdom of truth and life,
a kingdom of holiness and grace,
a kingdom of justice, love, and peace.
And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven
we proclaim Your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise.
Mysterium would first mean a secret or a mystery that which is unknown (alien) to us and cannot be comprehended and explained. In the religious sense, that which is mysterious is quite beyond the usual, the intelligible and the familiar. That which is mysterium falls outside the limits of the worldly wise, filling the mind with wonder and astonishment. Truly this preface speaks about the tremendous, fascinating mystery of our salvation history. In the area of mysterium we see the element of Anthropomorphism i.e. God anointing His only Son to be the Eternal Priest and Universal King, and offering His life to all people. And as King, He is to gain His kingdom and to present it to His Father a pure and holy kingdom. The elements stated in paragraph 4 of the preface such as truth, life, holiness, grace, justice, love and peace are elements of a kingdom ‘set-apart’ i.e. a pure and holy kingdom.
As for the element of tremendum; it is reflected in the mind in term of feelings. It can be recognized through the effort of imaginative intuition at the lives of those around us. It can also be recognized in the fixed and ordered solemnities of rites and liturgies and at atmosphere that clings to old religious monuments and buildings. An appropriate expression of mysterium tremendum is the mystery inexpressible. It is this feeling that will spread throughout the mind with a calm mood of deepest worship. From tremendum we see the elements of ‘Awefulness’, ‘Overpoweringness’ and Energy or Urgency. In the preface above we see the presence of the divine; the redeemer. This is the element of ‘Awefulness’ for we can recognize goodness, gentleness, love and a kind of intimacy of God towards humankind in the preface. As for ‘Overpoweringness’ we can note the feelings of religious humility that is the creature consciousness where it recognizes its littleness and limitation in the presence of the Creator, the King. The preface too speaks about the absolute supremacy of the King over His subjects. This is the element of Energy or Urgencyl it indicates the presence of the divine.
The element of fascination tells us of the spiritual experience or the numinous experience (divine feelings). It is mysterious because of its ‘Awefulness’ and wonderfulness (the majestic) that one comes to the fascinating and attractive religious experience. It is right to see this element of fascination in the last paragraph; where the earthly beings joining the heavenly beings, coming to agreement in proclaiming the King’s glory, majesty and praising Him.
With all these elements of Mysterium (Mystery), Tremendum (Tremendous) and Fascinans (Fascinating); it is beautiful to see the ‘church’ with the words of the preface coming into the divine presence and finds an identity with one of the high points of this mystical experience in the Bible (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8).
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
