THE MASS

Robert Henry

Hopkins SC

PRAYER BEFORE MASS

Lord Jesus Christ, cleanse my heart and mind of all distractions, as I prepare to attend and participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at your altar. Make me truly aware of your Real Presence among us in your Body and your Blood. Holy Mary, Mother of God, stand with us today as you stood with the faithful disciples of Jesus at the foot of His cross on Calvary. Intercede for us with God our Father and ask Him to look with favor on the intentions for which this Mass is offered. AMEN

RCIA TEACHING ON THE MASS

PURPOSE :

To define and discuss the elements and structure of the Catholic faith’s celebration of the Lord’s supper commonly known as the Mass. Secondly, to identify the biblical roots for the various elements of the Mass.

INTRODUCTION :

· We assemble as did our ancestors in this faith on the day of the Lord’s Resurrection to remember and renew just as He told us to. To read our Sacred Scriptures and learn from them, to celebrate His life, death and Resurrection and to share in the oneness of His body and His blood. And it is precisely in the Sunday celebration in our parish that we come to honor God in this highest form of prayer called the Mass .

· It is a serious responsibility before God to gather every week before God on the Lord’s day at Mass. We need this regular worship to survive spiritually just as we need Holy Communion (the Eucharist) to maintain spiritual life in us because it really is spiritual food for the journey we are all on.

· The Mass is an ancient ceremony that has been repeated over and over again by the Church of Jesus Christ in response to His command “Do this in remembrance of Me”. What happens in our Catholic churches today would have been familiar in all essentials to countless Christians for almost 20 centuries since Christ first took bread and broke it in the Upper room in Jerusalem.

· This is the best form of worship we have to offer to God, because it is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as well as ourselves in union with Him.

HOW TO PROPERLY PREPARE FOR MASS :

· Read the Scriptures for the Mass prior to attending Mass so that you will be more attentive and open to hearing God’s Word in the Readings.

· Arrive about 10 minutes before Mass and pray, so that you can settle and calm yourself from all the distractions of this earthly life.

· While passing the holy water font, dip in your fingers and make the sign of the cross as this is a reminder to you of your baptism where you entered the new life in Christ.

· If the Blessed Sacrament (Eucharistic species) is present in the Church (signified by the presence of the tabernacle candle/light), then genuflect before entering the pew as a sign of respect and acknowledgment of the Lord’s presence. As you genuflect say a prayer of adoration.

GENERAL STRUCTURE OF THE EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION OF THE MASS :

The Mass is essentially made up of the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Eucharist. These 2 parts are so closely connected that they form one act of worship. In addition to these 2 main elements of the Mass, the Mass contains Introductory Rites and Closing Rites. The outline for the Mass is as follows:

Introductory Rites :

· Entrance Song or Antiphon

· Greeting

· Penitential Rite

· Kyrie

· Gloria

· Opening Prayer or Collect

Liturgy of the Word :

· First Reading

· Responsorial Psalm

· Second Reading

· Alleluia or Gospel Acclamation

· Gospel

· Homily or sermon

· Profession of Faith

· General Intercessions

Liturgy of the Eucharist :

· Preparation of the Gifts or Offertory

· Eucharistic prayer or Consecration -

· Thanksgiving

· Acclamation

· Epiclesis

· Narrative or Consecration

· Anamnesis

· Offering

· Intercessions

· Final Doxology

· Communion Rite -

· Lord’s prayer

· Rite of peace

· Breaking of Bread

· Commingling

· Agnus Dei or Lamb of God

· Reception of the Eucharist by the priest and the congregation

· Communion Song or Antiphon

· Prayer after Holy Communion

Concluding Rites :

· Priest’s greeting and blessing

· Dismissal

SOME OTHER GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE MASS :

· Singing – St. Paul urged the Colossian community to “Sing psalms, hymns and inspired songs (see Colossians 3:16). Thus, if we sing at Mass, we are in obedience to the Biblical command. Singing should be widely done during the Mass and it is not just for the choir but for all the faithful attending the Mass.

· Actions and Postures – are outward signs of our inner intent. Therefore we should bow, kneel, stand and sit reverently during the appropriate times of the Mass. Kneeling is the preferred body position during the consecration unless prevented by lack of space, large numbers, or a physical problem. Kneeling best expresses surrender to God and reverence for His awesome holiness.

· The Mass is both a sacrifice and a celebration.

· When we attend and participate in the Mass properly and with devotion, we will be transformed to be more like Christ, and then empowered to go out and live a healthy, happy and holy Christian life.

We will now briefly discuss each of the elements and subelements of the Mass given in the previous outline:

INTRODUCTORY RITES:

their purpose is to unify the community and prepare the assembled believers to listen to God’s word and then to celebrate the Eucharist

· Entrance Song or Antiphon – opens the celebration and accompanies the procession.

· Greeting - the ministers greet the altar by kissing the altar as a sign of veneration, and then make the sign of the cross with the whole Christian community. The priest then greets the assembled with words expressing that we are about to celebrate the Christian mysteries.

· Penitential Rite – The priest and the entire assembly make a general confession of their sins (typically by reciting the Confiteor), and this is concluded by the priest’s absolution. In the Book of James 5: 16, Scripture tells us “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed”.

· Kyrie – is a Greek word that means Lord (Kyrie eleison means Lord have mercy). The priest and the assembly recite this prayer to implore the mercy of God

· Gloria – is an ancient hymn whose opening phrase comes from Scripture (Luke 2: 14). The Gloria is only said on Sundays (except during Advent and Lent), and on Solemnities and special feasts.

· Opening Prayer or Collect – The priest recites a prayer that expresses the theme of the liturgy of the day, and then petitions the Father through the mediation of the Son (Jesus Christ) and in the Holy Spirit. The people make the prayer their own by saying AMEN (so be it. or yes I agree).

LITURGY OF THE WORD:

this part of the Mass is found in a separate book called the Lectionary which the lector may carry in the procession. The Lectionary has 3 cycles called A, B and C. Each cycle contains all the Scriptures used at Sunday Mass for a year.

· First Reading – this reading is almost always from the Old Testament except between Easter and Pentecost when the reading comes from the Book of Acts. The readings selected for a particular service are chosen to illustrate some common link or parallel with the selected Gospel reading. These readings over a 3 year period acquaint us with the 46 books of the Old Testament.

· Responsorial Psalm – which obviously is from the Book of Psalms, expresses many of the emotions and troubles of human existence as the author cries out to God, and then trusts in His deliverance.

· Second Reading – typically this reading is from one of the Letters or Epistles from St. Paul, St. Peter, St. James, or St. John. Thus, this reading acquaints Catholics with the New Testament.

· Gospel or “Good News” - this Scripture reading is introduced by a chant. Typically this is an “Alleluia” chant except during Lent when the chant is typically “Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ”. The priest and the faithful also sign their forehead, their lips and their heart to signify that God’s Word is transforming their minds, their speech and their hearts. The faithful are instructed to stand to hear the Gospel. This is an old Catholic practice that indicates a special significance for the Gospel, since it is the part of Scripture that contains the words and sayings of Jesus Himself. This practice may have been adopted from our Jewish brother via the book of Nehemiah.

· Homily or sermon - here the priests explains the three Scripture readings and gives insight into their meaning. Often the priest will relate spiritual messages and points from the readings that are very relevant to our life, and the local circumstances that we live in. During the homily, we should be quietly listening and learning and may also be silently praying for the Holy Spirit to speak through the priest to our hearts.

· Profession of Faith - this is typically only done on Sunday celebrations of the Mass. The profession of faith is the Nicene Creed which is a statement of our Catholic Christian beliefs that has not changed since the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople in the 4^th century. This profession of faith always keeps Catholics knowledgeable as to what the church teaches now, and has consistently taught throughout the centuries. By reciting the Creed, the faithful are acknowledging their consent and agreement with the three previous Scriptures that were read.

· General Intercessions or Prayers of the Faithful – this prayer is generally read by the priest or the lector, and the congregation responds in antiphonal manner. As a rule the sequence of petitions are as follows:

1. For the needs of the Church

2. For public authorities and the salvation of the world

3. For those oppressed by any need (such as the sick members of our parish)

4. For the local community

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST:

At the Last Supper Jesus Christ instituted the paschal sacrifice and meal. In this meal the sacrifice of the cross is continually made present in the Church when the priest, representing Christ, carries out what the Lord did, and commissioned his disciples to do in His memory.

Presentation of the Gifts or Offertory – here the gifts of bread and wine are brought to the altar. During this part of the Mass, the priest washes his hands as an expression of his desire for inward purification. This custom most likely came from our Jewish roots where the Old Testament priests would purify themselves with several ritual washings prior to offering the Old Testament sacrifices.

Eucharistic prayer - is a hymn of thanksgiving for the whole work of salvation: the offerings become the Body and Blood of Christ. There are four standard Eucharistic prayers with the second one being the oldest and the shortest. These Eucharistic prayers are in the large book that rests on the altar called the Sacramentary. The sub-elements of the Eucharistic prayer are as follows:

1. Thanksgiving - in this first part of the Eucharistic prayer, the priest invites the people to lift their hearts to God in prayer and in thanks. The priest praises the Father and gives thanks for the work of salvation

2. Acclamation - united with the angels the congregation sings or recites “Holy, Holy, Holy ……..” (see Isaiah 6:3). In the days of the Latin Mass this was called the Sanctus.

3. Epiclesis – in this part of the Eucharistic prayer, the priest calls on God’s power and asks that the gifts offered by men may be consecrated to become the Body and Blood of Christ, and that this Victim become a source of salvation for those who share in communion.

4. Narrative or Consecration - in this part of the Eucharistic prayer the words of Jesus at the Last Supper are said “This is my Body ………” and “This is my Blood……….”. These words are found in Matthew 26: 26-28, Mark 14: 22-24, Luke 22: 19-20 and 1^st Corinthians 11: 23-25. (Overwhelming Biblical evidence).

5. Anamnesis – is the fulfillment of the command from Christ through the apostles to keep a memorial of the Last Supper (“Do this in remembrance of Me”).

6. Offering – here the Church offers the spotless sacrificial victim (Jesus Christ) to the Father and in the Holy Spirit.

7. Intercessions – in this part of the Eucharistic prayer the priest states that the offering made above is for the whole Church and all of its members, both living and dead.

8. Final Doxology or Great Amen – “Through Him with Him and in Him in the unity of the Holy Spirit all glory and praise are yours Almighty Father forever and ever.” The congregation should express their agreement by a vocal but reverent “Amen”.

Communion Rite – since the Eucharistic celebration is the paschal meal, in accord with Jesus command, the Body and Blood of the Lord should be received as spiritual food by the faithful who are properly disposed. The sub-elements of the Communion Rite are as follows:

1. The Lord’s Prayer – which comes from Matt 6: 9-13 or Luke 11: 2-4, is recited or sung by the congregation and the priest together. The priest ends this special prayer that Jesus taught us with an embolism requesting deliverance and peace, and stating our joyful hope in the Second coming of Christ.

2. Rite of Peace – before we share in the One bread which is the Lord, we express our love for each other and beg for peace and unity among the members of the Body of Christ. We generally display some outward sign of this to those near us.

3. Breaking of the Bread – this gesture of Christ at the last supper gave the entire Eucharistic action its name in apostolic times. (Emmaus walk in Luke 24: 30)

4. Commingling – the priest drops part of the host into the chalice

5. Agnus Dei or Lamb of God - these words come from John 1: 29. The host is broken during the reciting of the Lamb of God

6. Reception of the Jesus by the priest – the priest shows the Eucharist to the congregation as the faithful recite “Lord I am not worthy to receive You but only say the Word and I shall be healed”. This prayer comes from Matt 8: 8. During this part of the liturgy it is a wonderful time to ask the Lord for healing (Spiritual, psychological, relational and physical)

7. Reception of Jesus by the faithful - the faithful process to the front of the church to receive Jesus in His Body and His Blood. This is a most intimate time as God Himself touches us flesh to flesh. When the priest offers you Jesus in the Eucharist he says “Body of Christ” and the proper response is a firm but very reverent Amen or Yes. (This is a Catholic’s altar call).

8. Communion Song or Antiphon – expresses the spiritual union of the community as we shared in the One Bread who is the One Lord of us all.

9. Prayer after Holy Communion - it is desirable after receiving Holy Communion that the priest and the congregation spend some time in silent prayer as this is meant to be a most intimate time for communing with the Lord in our body, mind and spirit. This period of silence is ended by the priest saying the Prayer after Communion from the Sacramentary.

CONCLUDING RITE:

This consists of the following:

· Priests Blessing – the priest blesses the congregation in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

· Dismissal – the priest or deacon sends each member of the congregation out into the world to do good works to bring glory and praise to our God. The word Mass comes from the Latin word for dismissal.

PRAYER AFTER MASS

Lord Jesus Christ, make us truly thankful for the great gift of your Body and Blood which we have just received in the Eucharist. You gave yourself up to death in order to redeem us; grant us the grace to offer our lives every day in service to your Holy Will. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us at our Father’s throne in Heaven, that He will find all our thoughts, words and actions pleasing in His sight. AMEN.