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“Where
two or three come together in my name, there I am in their midst.”
Those very words of Jesus (Mt 18:20), tells us of the power of being
united in prayer in the presence of God, as we are every time we attend
Mass. Attending Mass, undoubtedly is the most significant thing we could
do on any given day. The purpose of this article is to explain the
elements of the Mass, plus deepen our understanding and celebration of
the liturgy.
The Introductory Rite
The
first part of the Mass, the Introductory Rite, is to bring us together
as a community of faith, to assist us in listening to God’s word and
make us worthy to celebrate the Eucharist. Our worship of God is the
most important part of our week. It is the time that we alone, and as
members of the larger community known as the Church, give praise and
thanks to our Lord and Savior. As members of the Church we share a
spiritual kinship or feeling of community that gives us a sense of
belonging and comfort. This is evident in real life crisis as we share
our responsibilities and comfort one another as members of the Body of
Christ.
Upon
reaching the altar the priest bows and kisses the altar in an act of
adoration to God, then leads us in the Sign of the Cross and extends a
greeting to all assembled. The Penitential Rite or Act of Penitence is a
time for reflection on ourselves and set aside anything in our lives
that would separate us from God. After the Penitential Rite the priest
will say, “let us pray.” This is the appropriate time for us to call
to mind the intentions for which we wish to pray during the
Mass.
At Sunday Mass, except during Advent and Lent, The Gloria is a familiar part of the Introductory Rite for giving
praise and glory to God.
When
the priest prays aloud the opening prayer from the Sacramentary (the
book used by the presider at the altar for prayers of the Mass) it is
referred to as the “collect” because he is bringing together the
culmination of all of our silent prayers of intention. The Introductory
Rites of the Mass happen rather quickly. In fact, if people arrive late,
they often will miss this key part of the Mass that is designed to
properly prepare us to celebrate this Holy Mystery.
The Liturgy of
the Word
 The
Liturgy of the Word starts with the first reading (usually from the Old
Testament), the responsorial psalm, and the second reading. The reading
of the Gospel is the central point of the Liturgy of the Word. At some
Masses the ordained minister holding The Book of Gospels will process to
the pulpit or ambo with altar servers holding candles and incense as a
special honor guard prior to the reading. The assembly will stand for an
acclamation and the reading of the gospel as a symbol of respect and
importance for this is the Word of God. The reader of the Gospel will
make the sign of the cross on his forehead, lips and over his heart
reminding us we should keep this word of God in our minds, on our lips
and in our heart. The church warns against haste in the reciting of the
proclamations and readings. The church fathers suggest a moment of
silence after the first reading, after the second reading, after the
Gospel and after the homily to let the message register in our minds as
we prepare for our profession of faith. The homily, given by the priest
or deacon, is a message on the word just read. It is a challenge on how
to transform the word into our daily lives and to experience God in our
lives. Following the moment of silence after the homily we recite the
Creed or profess our faith. In reciting the Creed we renew our
commitment to make God’s reign present in our lives and the world. The
Nicean Creed has been a common profession of faith by all Catholics
since the year 325AD. Another time for silent personal prayer during the
Mass is when the priest or lector reads the general intercessions. The
priest invites the community to pray and concludes with a “collect.”
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
What Jesus did
at the Last Supper, “take,” “bless,” “break” and “give”
characterizes the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The pinnacle of our
liturgical celebration is the transformation of bread and wine into the
body and blood of Jesus.
The
celebrant takes the bread and wine from representatives of the
congregation. This is also the time for appropriate monetary or material
gifts to be brought to the altar. The blessing takes place in the form
of the Eucharistic Prayer or Consecration, which unite all present to
give thanks and praise to God. The Eucharistic Prayer is comprised of
three preferably sung acclamations, the Holy,
Holy, Holy, the Eucharistic acclamation and Amen.” This is the
moment in the Mass that those assembled affirm God’s action of
changing the bread and wine into the Real Presence of Christ.
The
next part of the Eucharistic Prayer is the epiclesis, a Greek word for
calling down the Holy Spirit on the gifts as the priest extends his
hands over the bread and wine. Next the priest recites the institution
narrative, followed by the anamnesis, another Greek word that means
remember. In this prayer we enter with Christ into his passion, death,
resurrection and ascension. The whole Eucharistic Prayer ends with the
priest praying, “through him, with him, in him,” and the assembly
responding with conviction, the great Amen.
 The
next part is the symbolic act of the priest breaking the bread, or large
host. This symbolizes we share one bread. Of course today, to facilitate
distribution of Holy Communion individual hosts are used. As a symbol of
our unity, we recite aloud the Lord’s Prayer and exchange the sign of
peace in a dignified manner to those near us.
The action of distributing or the assembly
receiving communion hosts consecrated at the Mass is another exhortation
of community unity. The time when we each receive the body and blood of
Christ into our own bodies is the time for utmost reverence.
Non-Catholics and those unable to receive Holy Communion may come
forward to the priest and receive a blessing. They may indicate their
wish by crossing their arms in front of their chest. After Communion,
church father’s call for a time of silence or a hymn of praise may be
sung. The Liturgy of the Eucharist concludes with prayer.
The
Concluding Rites
Church
rules allow for brief announcements at the end of
Mass.
These normally are very important items that missed the Sunday Bulletin
time deadline. After the announcements, there is the presider’s
greeting and blessing. In a way this is a commissioning for the assembly
to go forth and do God’s work and live with Christ in our daily lives.
The Sacramentary offers the option of three wordings for the Mass
dismissal, “Go in the peace of Christ,” “The Mass is ended, go in
peace,” or “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”
In
closing, as in the beginning, the priest goes to the altar and kisses it
as an act of reverence to Christ While not prescribed in the
Sacramentary, a recessional or closing hymn is usually sung. This
facilitates the priest getting to the church door to greet the assembly.
In
1570, the Council of Trent issued instructions for a universal format
for the celebration of
Mass.
The rules were published in what became known as General Instructions of
The Roman Missal and lasted centuries until changed by a decree of
Vatican II and approved by Pope Paul VI in 1969. The “new Roman
Missal” was revised in 1975, a new edition published in 2002 and
approved by Pope John Paul II. In 2003 this edition was printed in
English, approved by Rome
and the US Council of Catholic Bishops who left some options to local
bishops.
Sources:
United States Council Catholic Bishops;
The New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia;
Rev. Msgr.
James P. Kelly, Rector Emeritus, St. Agnes Cathedral
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