The Eucharistic Prayer itself begins with the Preface dialogue. The first change is another instance of “And with your spirit.” This is the third time the exchange appears during the Mass, and it is a particularly profound moment. The Priest, by the spirit given him at ordination, is about to act in the person of Christ to consecrate the bread and wine into the Holy Eucharist.
The second change lies in the phrase, “It is right and just.” This is a simple rendering of the Latin, “Dignum et iustum est,” emphasizing the fact that it is fitting and appropriate, or fair (“just”), to “give thanks to the Lord our God,” because He is both our Creator and Redeemer.
This dialogue is followed by the Preface, a more lengthy prayer that can vary depending on the liturgical occasion. Most Prefaces in the new translation expand upon the words of the preceding dialogue by beginning, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks.”