Sts. Perpetua and Felicity are two of the saints honored to be named in the Roman
Canon. This prayer, now commonly called Eucharistic Prayer I, used to be prayed at
every Mass and formed the heart of the entire liturgical act. It is so revered by the
Church that it has hardly changed since the 6th century and is even older than that! We
should not find it surprising then, since it is sourced from the time period much removed
from our own, if it is difficult to understand and appreciate all its beauty and grace at
first. Yet, something that has lasted in the Church so long and been in such a prominent
space for that long time is certainly a treasure house of divine wisdom and a fruit of the
guidance of the Holy Spirit! We will certainly gain much from unpacking some of its
layers.
The Commemoration of the Dead
Before getting directly into the litany where Sts. Perpetua and Felicity are mentioned, it
would benefit us to take note of the context in which that litany sits. The priest has just
finished the consecration of the Eucharist and offering the Divine Victim to the Father,
asking that He
command these offerings to be borne by the hands of Thy holy Angels to
Thine altar on high, in the sight of Thy divine majesty, that as many as
shall partake of the most holy Body and Blood of Thy Son at this altar,
may be filled with every heavenly grace and blessing.
Prior to the consecration, he prayed the ‘Commemoration of the Living,’ praying for
those present at this Holy Sacrifice, “their families and friends, for the redemption of
their souls, for the health and salvation they hope for.” Now we pray for those who
‘sleep in Christ’ and are being purified in Purgatory. It is fitting that we pray for the dead
once the Eucharist has been consecrated and Christ is present among us. Since He is
the God of the living and the dead [see Lk 20:38], all those united to Christ by charity,
i.e., the whole Church, living and dead, are now present at the Mass as the priest prays
for them.
In the Company of the Saints
Being surrounded by so many holy souls and Holiness Himself, the priest is compelled
to express his and our lowliness. He says, “confiding in the multitude of Thy mercies,
vouchsafe to grant some part and fellowship with Thy holy Apostles and Martyrs […]”
He then launches into a litany of saints.
John, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas, Ignatius, Alexander, Marcellinus,
Peter, Felicitas, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia, and
with all Thy Saints
The John at the head of the litany is John the Baptist. He parallels Mary (who heads up
the other litany in the Canon) as one of the people sanctified in the womb by the Holy
Spirit. He is followed by 7 men and 7 women. In biblical numerology, the number 7 is
the number of perfection. So, the list of 7 men and 7 women symbolizes the full
company of the saints in heaven. While these saints were once greatly revered by the
early church, their devotions have since waned. We might ask why this list is not
updated to include more popular modern saints. Their preservation teaches us several
important lessons: 1) the glory of the saints in heaven does not change or fade with the
unpredictable opinions of men, 2) the prayer of the church (and therefore its doctrine) is
stable throughout the centuries, and 3) the choices of God in terms of who shall be
raised high in honor or sanctity is sometimes mysterious to us.
Ever Ancient, Ever New
We have only briefly discussed two of the many prayers of the ancient heart of the
Mass. There is much more to unpack and appreciate! I encourage you to open up a
Missal and pray through these ancient prayers. You will find that it is no coincidence
that these holy words sustained the saints through countless centuries!
