Those, who watched on television the Mass at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, saw, from time to time, the large cross placed on the altar, between the Pope and the assembly. It is Benedict's effort to introduce a spiritual "ad orientem" posture to the eucharistic liturgy.Yesterday, at the request of a group of Boston College students, I celebrated Mass with them in the lower church of the parish where I reside. For the first time since I was ordained, I prayed the eucharistic prayer of the ordinary form of the Roman rite facing in the same direction as the congregation, with a standing cross in front of the altar.When I asked the students afterwards what they had experienced by this new (both for them and for me) posture, they concurred with one student's description. They were helped to experience being offered together with Christ to the Father.Twice this past year I have attended the extraordinary form of the Roman rite; and, although I was moved by it, I felt the lack of an audible praying of the eucharistic prayer to be a limitation.I will need to ponder last evening's experience further, and would welcome thoughts of others who have experienced a similar liturgical celebration.