The ''Sursum corda'' (
Latin: "Lift up your hearts" or literally, "Upwards hearts") is the opening dialogue to the
Preface of the
Eucharistic Prayer or
Anaphora in
Christian liturgies, dating back at least to the third century and the
Anaphora of the Apostolic Tradition The Anaphora of the Apostolic Tradition, also known as the Anaphora of Hippolytus, is an ancient Christian Anaphora (also known as a Eucharistic Prayer) which is found in chapter four of the Apostolic Tradition. It should not be confused with the ...
. The dialogue is recorded in the earliest liturgies of the Catholic Church in the west and east, and is found in all ancient rites.
Definition
The Sursum Corda (
Latin: "Lift up your hearts" or literally, "Up hearts!", that is, "Hearts up!") is the opening dialogue to the
Preface of the
anaphora, also known as the "Eucharistic Prayer", in the
Christian liturgy
Christian liturgy is a pattern for Christian worship, worship used (whether recommended or prescribed) by a Christian congregation or Christian denomination, denomination on a regular basis. The term liturgy comes from Greek and means "public wor ...
, dating back at least to the 3rd century and the
Anaphora of the Apostolic Tradition The Anaphora of the Apostolic Tradition, also known as the Anaphora of Hippolytus, is an ancient Christian Anaphora (also known as a Eucharistic Prayer) which is found in chapter four of the Apostolic Tradition. It should not be confused with the ...
. The dialogue is recorded in the earliest liturgies of the Christian Church, and is found in all ancient rites.
Though the detail varies slightly from rite to rite, the dialogue's structure is generally threefold, comprising an exchange of formal greeting between priest and people; an invitation to lift the heart to God, the people responding in agreement; and an invitation to give thanks, with the people answering that it is proper to do so. The third exchange indicates the people's assent to the priest continuing to offer the remainder of the Eucharistic Prayer on their behalf, and the need of such assent accounts for the universality of the dialogue.
[A New Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship (ed. J. G. Davies), p.16. SCM Press, 1986.]
See also
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Canon of the Mass The Canon of the Mass ( la, Canon Missæ), also known as the Canon of the Roman Mass and in the Mass of Paul VI as the Roman Canon or Eucharistic Prayer I, is the oldest anaphora used in the Roman Rite of Mass. The name ''Canon Missæ'' was used in ...
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Divine Liturgy
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Holy Qurbana
The Holy Qurbana ( syr, ܩܘܼܪܒܵܢܵܐ ܩܲܕܝܫܵܐ, ''Qurbānā Qaddišā'' in Eastern Syriac or ''Qurbānā Qandišā'' in the Indian variant of Eastern Syriac, the "Holy Offering" or "Holy Sacrifice" in English), refers to the Eucharis ...
Notes
{{Lutheran Divine Service
Latin religious words and phrases
Order of Mass