What We Do at Mass and Why

Aleteia ^ | November 8, 2014 | FR. HENRY VARGAS HOLGUÍN

[NYer]

The Mass is divided into Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Communion Rite and the Concluding Rites.

I. Introductory Rites
We arrive at the church and prepare ourselves to celebrate the greatest mystery of our faith. The faithful stand during these rites.

A. Entrance Hymn and Procession
We joyfully sing an appropriate hymn. The entrance hymn became a part of the Roman liturgy in the fifth century. The procession symbolizes the Pilgrim Church’s path towards the heavenly Jerusalem.

The priest arrives at the altar, kisses it, and according to the situation, may incense it. Incensing is a symbol of honor, purification and sanctification. Then, he makes the sign of the cross.

B. Greeting by the Presiding Priest
The greeting harkens back to the words with which St. Paul greeted the first Christian communities in his epistles.

C. Penitential Act
We recognize before God that we are sinners and that we are weak. It is an act of humility. We ask him to forgive our sins. (This does not replace the sacrament of confession, or reconciliation, in the case of mortal sin.)  

This act consists of four parts:

1. Inviting the faithful to examine their consciences and recognize that they are sinners, during a moment of silence. This moment of silence is important and forms an essential part of this act.

2. Asking for forgiveness, using the prayer, “I confess to almighty God...”, and striking our breast when we say, “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.” In the form of the rite before Vatican II, we struck our breast three times; now once is enough.

3. Absolution, which in this case is not a sacrament, but expresses a desire for God’s forgiveness. The priest prays, “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.”  The people respond, saying, “Amen.”

4. Singing “Lord, have mercy.”

D. Gloria
(On feast days — whether or not they are holy days of obligation — and solemnities.) The Gloria is an ancient and venerable hymn with which the Church glorifies God the Father and glorifies and prays to the Lamb. The text to this hymn cannot be changed for another. We praise God and we acknowledge in his presence how much we need him.

E. Collect Prayer (prayed only by the priest)
This is a prayer that expresses the character of the celebration. It is a prayer that the priest, in the name of all, offers to the Father. This prayer collects or brings together the needs of the whole congregation.

II. Liturgy of the Word
The faithful are seated. During the readings (which are also spiritual food), God speaks to his people, revealing to them the mysteries of redemption and salvation.

According to tradition, the service of proclaiming the readings does not fall to the presiding priest, but to ministers of the Word.

The readings at Mass vary throughout the year depending on the liturgical season (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time) and are divided into three cycles, one per year: A,B,C; therefore if every Catholic goes to Mass every day, after three years, he will have heard almost the whole Bible.

At this moment, God speaks to us and wants us to keep this daily message in our hearts, meditate on it and apply it during the day.

How are the readings proclaimed? The reader goes to the lectern and the faithful sit down. The readings are begun immediately, without first saying, “First Reading” or “Second Reading.” They end with the phrase, “The word of the Lord” (not “This is the word of the Lord”), which is not an explanation, but rather a profession of faith.

 

A. First Reading
This reading will always be taken from the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, God speaks to us through the history of the people of Israel and their prophets.

B. Responsorial Psalm
This is a response to the Word of God, related to the first reading. It is a Biblical text through which God speaks to his people. The psalms are a part of the wisdom books.

C. Second Reading
This will always be taken from the New Testament (and is used on some feast days – whether or not they are holy days of obligation – and on solemnities).

D. Alleluia (the faithful stand)
It is always sung, except during Lent.

E. Proclamation of the Gospel
(On some occasions, the book of the Gospels is incensed.)

F. The Homily (the faithful are seated) 
On Sundays and holy days of obligation, all Masses celebrated with the faithful in attendance should include a homily, which cannot be omitted without a grave cause.  On ordinary weekdays it is still recommended to have a homily. At this moment of the Mass, the priest explains the meaning of the three readings and how to apply them to our lives.

G. The Creed (the faithful stand)
The Creed is recited on certain feasts – whether or not they are holy days of obligation – and on solemnities. The goal of the Creed, Symbol or Profession of Faith, is that the people respond to the Word of God and proclaim the Creed as the rule of faith.

H. Universal Prayer or Prayer of the Faithful
Normally there will be four intentions: For the needs of the Church; for those who govern and for the salvation of the world; for those who suffer any difficulty; and for the local community. During special celebrations such as Confirmation, a wedding or a funeral, the order of the intentions may take into account the particular occasion more explicitly.

III. The Liturgy of the Eucharist
(The faithful sit down.)

A. Offertory Hymn

B. Offertory Procession

C. Presentaton of the Bread, Wine and Water and the Offering of Alms of the Faithful 
During this part of the Mass, the offering, the bread and the wine are taken to the altar and the priest presents them to God, offering them so that they may become the Body and Blood of Christ.

We should take advantage of this moment to offer God our life, our resolutions and intentions, our love, and our talents, so that he may sanctify them for the service and good of the Church.  It is the moment to offer him internally a new effort to achieve our spiritual and human goals.

It is appropriate to temporarily pause the collection of the people’s offering if it overlaps the moment of the consecration.
The priest takes the patten with the host in his hands and, lifting it a little, prays a blessing. He does the same with the chalice.

Before presenting the wine, a few drops of water are added to it. What does this mixture of water and wine symbolize?  It has three meanings: the union of the faithful (the water) with Christ (the wine), the union of Christ’s human nature with his divine nature, and above all, it symbolizes the water and wine that flowed from the side of Christ when his side was pierced by the lance.  According to the circumstances, the altar, the priest and the congregation may be incensed.

D. The Hand Washing 
The priest washes his hands on one side of the altar. This rite expresses the desire for interior purification. (The faithful stand up.)

E. Invitation to Prayer
"Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours...”

F. Prayer over the Gifts

G. Eucharistic Prayer

1. Preface
The preface is a prayer of thanksgiving in which the priest, in the name of all the holy people of God, glorifies God the Father and gives him thanks for all his work of salvation.

 

2. Acclamation 
The whole congregation, joining the heavenly choirs, sing the Holy, Holy, Holy. This acclamation is proclaimed by all of the people in the congregation together with the priest.

Following this acclamation, the faithful kneel. Those who cannot kneel should bow their heads profoundly at the moments when the priest genuflects.

3. Epiclesis 
The invocation of the Holy Spirit to consecrate the Eucharistic bread and wine.

4. Narration of the Institution and Consecration  
According to the circumstances the body and blood of Christ may be incensed when the priest elevates them.

5. Acclamation
The priest proclaims, “The mystery of faith.” The people respond, “We proclaim your death...”

6. Anamnesis
The Church performs Christ’s memorial, bringing to mind particularly his blessed Passion, Death and Resurrection and his Ascension into heaven. The priest says, “Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial...”

7. Oblation
The offering of the bread of life and the cup of salvation. The Church offers the spotless Victim to the Father in the Holy Spirit.

8. Prayers of Intercession
These express that the Eucharist is celebrated in communion with the whole Church, both in heaven and on earth.  The priest says, “Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world...”

9. Doxology
The priest (alone) says, “Through him, and with him, and in him...”  This exclamation glorifies God, and concludes with the people saying, “Amen.” (After the doxology, the people stand.)

IV. Communion Rite

A. The Lord's Prayer
This is prayed by the priest and the people together. As a pious practice, if you usually lift up your hands or hold the hands of your family members to pray the Our Father, do not force others to follow your personal practice; some people might end up being bothered and paying more attention to being in physical contact with you than to the prayer itself.

B. The Embolism  
(This is prayed by the priest alone.) It elaborates on the last petition of the Lord’s Prayer, asking for deliverance from the power of evil, on behalf of the whole community of the faithful.  The people conclude with the doxology: “For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever.”

C. The Sign of Peace
This is a moment which is often abused and the cause of disorder; maintain an atmosphere of recollection and silence. The members of the faithful shake hands only with those who are next to them, as it is only a sign of peace. At the moment of offering the sign of peace, it is necessary to AVOID actions such as:

1. Introducing a “song for peace,” which is not a part of the Roman Rite.

2. The faithful walking around to give each other the sign of peace.

3. The priest leaving the altar to give the sign of peace to some of the faithful.

4. The rite of offering the sign of peace turning into an occasion for congratulations or condolences among those present.

(Letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, regarding the Sign of Peace, paragraph 6):
If you need to be reconciled with someone (although that person may be absent), do it before Mass, fulfilling the Lord’s command: “So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)  Therefore, the rite of the Sign of Peace is not the time for superhuman feats of arm stretching, long-distance greetings, turning around completely or leaving one’s place.

D. Singing the "Lamb of God" and the Breaking of the Bread 

 

 The priest takes the consecrated bread, breaks it over the paten, and lets a piece of the bread fall into the chalice (commixture or immixture), saying a prayer under his breath, to signify the unity of the Body and Blood of the Lord, which is to say, the living and glorious Body of Jesus Christ, in the work of Redemption. (After singing or praying the “Lamb of God”, the people kneel.)

E. Rite of Distribution of Communion and the Communion Hymn
It is very desirable that, when the faithful receive the Body of the Lord, they receive hosts consecrated in the same Mass, and when planned, receive the Precious Blood from the chalice. Full of joy, we draw near to receive Jesus, the Bread of Life.

The priest genuflects, takes the consecrated bread and, holding it over the paten, he shows it to the people, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” The faithful respond, “Lord, I am not worthy...," using the words of the centurion from Capernaum when he recognized that he was unworthy to receive Jesus into his house.

Jesus is called the Lamb in reference to the lambs who were sacrificed in the Temple, but with an important difference: the lambs of the Temple did not take away the sin of the world, whereas the “Lamb of God” does.
(After this response, the people stand.)

The Communion hymn then begins. All should participate (standing) whether or not they receive Communion. The hymn should not end until the last member of the faithful receives Holy Communion.

The tradition in the United States is for Holy Communion to be received while standing, either directly in the mouth or in the hand. (Nonetheless, communion may not be denied to those who chose to kneel.) Before receiving Communion, we should make an act of humility and faith, such as genuflecting or bowing our heads.

Communion is a gift which the Lord offers the faithful through an authorized minister, in imitation of the Lord’s gesture: “He gave it to them, saying...’”  This is why the Church does not permit the faithful to take the consecrated bread and sacred chalice on their own; nor do they pass it from one to another.

F. Ample Time of Silence 
After the last person receives Holy Communion and the priest reserves what is left in the tabernacle, the faithful sit or kneel and pray in private.

G. Prayer After Communion
(All stand.) This prayer asks God to grant the faithful the fruits of the mystery that has been celebrated, to conclude the prayers of the people of God and to conclude the entire Communion rite.

H. The Time for Possible Parish Announcement

V. Concluding Rites

1. The people receive the blessing, making the sign of the cross in silence and responding, “Amen.”

2. Closing Hymn: (After the closing hymn, the faithful may leave the church.) The moment of leaving the church is an extension of the sacred time of the Mass. Some people will still be praying, desiring to extend their personal moment of intimacy with God. Be attentive to their particular needs and devotions, cooperating by keeping silence.

VI. Appendix

The Private Prayers of the Priest
During different moments of the Mass, the priest prays under his breath or in silence: during the penitential rite, before proclaiming the Gospel, after the Gospel, while he washes his hands, during the commixture, after the Lamb of God, before receiving Communion, etc.

Moments of Silence During Mass 
There should also be moments of silence at the proper times. The purpose of that silence varies according to the moment of the Mass. During the penitential rite and after the invitation to pray, each person recollects their thoughts, whereas after the readings or the homily, all meditate briefly on what they have heard. After Communion, the silence is used to praise God within our hearts and pray.

[NYer]

Biblical Background of Liturgical Texts:

The words spoken by the priests and the people during the Catholic Mass and other Christian liturgies are not only based loosely on the Bible; many of them are direct quotations from particular biblical texts:

Introductory Rites:

• Sign of the Cross:
  • "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." (Matt 28:19;  cf. John 14:13-14;  Acts 2:21)
• Liturgical Greeting:
  1. "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Cor 13:14)
  2. "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:2; Eph 1:2)
  3. "The Lord be with you." (2 Tim 4:22; cf. Matt 1:23; 28:20)
• People's Response:
  • "And with your spirit" (cf. Gal 6:18; 2 Tim 4:22)
• Rite of Blessing and Sprinkling Holy Water (see Ezek 36:25; cf. Num 8:7a)
• Penitential Act:
  • Intro: "Let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries." (cf. Ps 51:5)
  1. "I confess to almighty God..." (cf. Lev 5:5; Neh 1:5-9; Dan 9:3-19; James 5:16)
  2. "Have mercy on us, O Lord. / For we have sinned against you. / Show us, O Lord, your mercy. / And grant us your salvation." (Ps 41:4)
  3. "Lord, Have Mercy" (Matt 15:22;  17:15;  20:30-31; cf. Ps 123:3)

• Gloria:
  • "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will" (Luke 2:14; cf. Rev 4:11; 5:11-14)
  • "We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you..." (Cf. Ps 148:13)
  • "Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son" (cf. Ps 2:7; John 1:14)
  • "Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world..." (cf. John 1:29)
  • etc.
• Prayers concluded by "Amen" (Neh 8:6;  Ps 41:13; Rom 16:27;  Heb 13:20-21; Rev 7:16)

Liturgy of the Word:

• Introductory/Concluding Dialogues:
  • "A reading from the book/letter of..."
  • "The Word of the Lord" (1 Peter 1:25) - "Thanks be to God" (Rom 6:17; 2 Cor 9:15)
  • "A reading from the holy Gospel according to..." - "Glory to you, O Lord"
  • "The Gospel of the Lord" (Rom 16:25; Mark 1:1) - "Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ"
• Acclamations before the Gospel:
  • "Alleluia" (many Psalms, esp. Ps 146-150;  Rev 19:1-6)
  • "Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!" (cf. Ps 24:7-10; 1 Thess 2:12; 2 Tim 4:18)
  • "Praise and honor to you, Lord Jesus Christ!" (cf. Dan 4:34, 37; 1 Peter 1:7)
  • "Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!" (cf. Phil 1:11)
• Profession of Faith:
  • "I believe..." (Mark 9:24; John 11:27; cf. John 14:1; 1 John 5:10)
• General Intercessions:
  • "We pray to the Lord" (Exod 8:29-30; 10:17-18; Jer 42:2-4; Acts 8:22-24)
  • "Lord, hear our prayer" (2 Kings 20:2-5; Isa 38:2-5)

Liturgy of the Eucharist:

• Preparation of the Gifts:
  • "Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation..." (cf. 1 Chron 29:10; Ps 72:18-19; 119:10; Luke 1:68)
  • "Blessed be God forever. " (cf. Gen 14:20; Ps 66:20; 68:35)
• Eucharistic Acclamations:
  • "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts..." (Isa 6:3;  Rev 4:8)
  • "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." (Ps 118:26; Mark 11:9; Matt 21:9; Luke 19:38; John 12:13)
  • "Hosanna in the highest" (Mark 11:10; Matt 21:9; cf. Luke 19:38)
• Words of Institution: (see Mark 14:22-24; Matt 26:26-28; cf. Luke 22:17-20; 1 Cor 11:23-25)
  • "Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you" (a combination of Mark 14:22; Matt 26:26; Luke 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24)
  • "Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins." (a combination of Mark 14:24; Matt 26:27b-28; cf. Luke 22:17, 20; 1 Cor 11:25)
  • "Do this in remembrance of me" (only Luke 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24a, 25b)
• Memorial Acclamations:
  1. "We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again." (cf. 1 Cor 16:22)
  2. "When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again." (cf. 1 Cor 11:26)
  3. "Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free." (cf. Matt 8:25; Luke 4:42; Rom 8:21)
• Lord's Prayer:
  • "Our Father in heaven..." (Matt 6:9-13; cf. Luke 11:2-4;  Mark 14:36; Gal 4:6)
  • Embolism: "Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil... as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13)
  • Doxology: "For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours..."
    (found only in some biblical manuscripts after Matt 6:13; cf. Rev 4:11; 11:15; 1 Chron 29:11)
• Greeting of Peace:
  • "Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles, 'I leave you peace, my peace I give you'" (John 14:27)
  • "The peace of the Lord be with you always." (cf. John 16:33; 20:19, 21, 26)
• Breaking of the Bread:
  • "Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world..." (cf. John 1:29, 36; Rev 5:6-13; 22:1-3)
• Preparation before Communion:
  • "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb." (John 1:29, 36; Rev 19:9)
  • "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." (Matt 8:8; cf. Luke 7:1-10)

Concluding Rite:

• Final Blessing (cf. Gen 28:3; Deut 14:29; Num 6:23-27; Ps 29:11)
• Dismissal:
  1. "Go forth, the Mass is ended."
  2. "Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord." (cf. Mark 16:15)
  3. "Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life." (cf. Ps 115:1; 1 Cor 10:31; 2 Thess 1:12)
  4. "Go in peace." (cf. Exod 4:18; Deut 10:11-13; Judg 18:6; 1 Sam 1:17; Mark 5:34; Luke 7:50; 8:48)

[NYer]

Ping!

[Salvation]

Fantastic post!

[Salvation]

A Biblical Walk Through the Mass by Edward Sri (Book Review) [Ecumenical]

[Ann Archy]

And ALL this GLORY and HOLINESS only lasts an HOUR!!!

[jafojeffsurf]

Thanks makes a quick basic one stop shop to send to friends with questions...

[grimalkin]

G. The Creed (the faithful stand)

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

[FamiliarFace]

Thank you, NYer. This is great information that I can share with family and friends.

[Resettozero]

Sounds like a very good worship service. Certainly does have appeal as a very proper religious ceremony and worthy of respect.

This part gave me a little hesitation:

7. Oblation
The offering of the bread of life and the cup of salvation. The Church offers the spotless Victim to the Father in the Holy Spirit.

Jesus of Nazareth willingly laid down his life in obedience to the will of His Father.

No vicitmization was going on at the Cross, except perhaps for the devil and his imps who were unknowingly in the process of total defeat.

[silverleaf]

saving this one

[cloudmountain]

Very thorough, NYer.

I lost my Missal recently but find that I can SAY almost the entire the Mass to myself, after so many decades of participating...and much of that in the old Latin.

Pax vobiscum!

[FamiliarFace]

I may well be wrong about this, but my understanding is that Jesus offered Himself as the true Lamb of God, as a true and complete sacrifice. In regards to the spotless Victim, please recall that only a pure spotless lamb was considered a worthy sacrifice. At the time of the Exodus from Egypt, the believers homes were covered by the blood of the spotless lamb. This ensured that they were saved from the punishments of the plagues, and this is what Jesus sacrificed for us, to gain our entry into the “Promised Land” of Heaven. This is how I understand it. I’m not a theologian however, and I realize I may be mistaken. So forgive me for any errors on my part.

[lulu16]

To be reviewed often. Thank-you and God Bless you.

[Straight Vermonter]

Mr Sri spoke at our diocesan teacher’s conference last month. A very funny and thoughtful guy.

[Salvation]

He would be a great speaker I am sure. His book is an easy read in layman’s terms.

[SaraJohnson]

If Francis opens the door to homo perverts and the madams that served up boys to them again, families with children may have to stay at home and create a Mass. Print this out just in case. I printed it for my sisters.

People like my sisters gave them the benefit of the doubt after the last round of homo rapes were exposed. They did that because it seemed like they were repenting and protecting children from the ravages of the wolves. If Francis undoes this, they will be up the children’s’ butts quickly because they are homo pride sickos.

I don’t know what my sisters will do. It would be devastating for them. The youngest sister called me crying last week and I told her to just wait and see what he does. I hope this guy is not evil...just stupid or something and comes to his senses.

He can’t even open the door a crack for the pervs to get out. He can’t afford to keep closing churches to pay another round of damages. He also can’t afford the rage that will come against the church if it happens again. I find myself actually praying for a Pope for the sake of my sisters and their children. Now that is weird...SaraJohnson praying for a Pope. : )

[GBA]

Thank you for posting this.

As an outsider looking in, there is much I don't understand about supremely important things.

Mass and the Rosary are two of them.

[NYer]

As an outsider looking in, there is much I don't understand about supremely important things. Mass and the Rosary are two of them.

Was this article helpful in understanding the Mass?

The prayer of the Rosary is a memorial of the life of Jesus. Each mystery of the Rosary is a mystery of remembrance of what God has done for His people. Pondering the life of Jesus Christ helps to renew our minds and hearts by drawing us closer to what is true, good and beautiful. Essentially, the Rosary is a compendium of the Gospel.

The Rosary is a Scripture-based prayer. It begins with the Apostles' Creed, which summarizes the great mysteries of the Catholic faith. The Our Father, which introduces each mystery, is from the Gospels. The first part of the Hail Mary is the angel's words announcing Christ's birth and Elizabeth's greeting to Mary. St. Pius V officially added the second part of the Hail Mary. The Mysteries of the Rosary center on the events of Christ's life. There are four sets of Mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and––added by Pope John Paul II in 2002––the Luminous.

Is this helpful?

[Heart-Rest]

Another really great book along those lines is this one:

   

"What Happens at Mass - Revised Edition" by Jeremy Driscoll, OSB.

(It is available at lots of other places too, but make sure you get the "Revised Edition", not the older version currently offered at "Amazon".)

[CrimsonTidegirl]

Thanks for posting. I am Protestant but I find Catholicism to be very beautiful. I have even prayed the Rosary many times & have a Rosary app on my phone. I find it funny when people criticize the Rosary as wrong because the Rosary actually makes me feel closer to God. God Bless.