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Why Do "We" Do That?
The Catholic Mass Explained
What follows is a brief explanation of each
part of the Catholic Mass.
This is a series that was included in the "Weekly Humility
Herald" starting in July of 2000.
It is presented to help answer - Why Do "We" Do That?
Gathering
We come together, we gather,
as a baptized community of faith, to celebrate the "personal - communal
religious experience." (Environment and Art in Catholic Worship [EACW] # l6
& 17). The idea here is that we are personally fed and nourished by the Word
of God and by the Body and Blood of Christ. By sharing in word, gesture, and
song, we join together to be the Word of God and the Body of Christ for each
other.
We come together to participate not only for the celebration of Mass, but for
the celebration in each other's lives. We say hello to each other in recognition
that each of us in the worship space are interconnected to each other and to the
One who calls us to the banquet table. The liturgy document EACW states,
"The assembly of believers is the most important symbol of the
liturgy." Come early and often to this family reunion. Gather as a people
of God!
Entrance Hymn
Today's topic is the Entrance Hymn. Our many voices blend together to create
one communal voice of praise. Whether we call Our Lady of Humility our home most
of the year or are visiting the area, as Catholics, we are at "home"
together in the Lord. So as we join our voice in song in this worship space,
others across town or across the planet do the same, the universal Church joins
together in giving thanks and praise to God.
The document General Instruction of the Roman Missal [GIRM] states, "the
purpose of this song is to open the celebration, intensify the unity of the
gathered people, lead their thoughts to the mystery of the season or feast, and
accompany the procession of the priest and ministers." [GIRM #25]
Please know that singing throughout the Mass is sung prayer. Whether you have a
voice like an angel or a voice like a bull-frog, sing to the Lord a joyful
noise. Remember that God gave you that voice, use it! There is no single voice
or trained choir that sounds more beautiful than an assembly singing with all
their might. Let's start shaking those rafters, folks!
Veneration Of The Altar And Greeting Of The Congregation
After the priest arrives at the sanctuary, he will reverence the altar. As a
sign of veneration, the priest, and deacon if present, will kiss the altar. At
certain times of the year, the priest may even incense the altar. The priest and
the assembly make the sign of the cross. Then the priest will extend a greeting
to the people. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and we love of God and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. We respond, and also with
you. This simple greeting and response echoes the scripture passages that
says, "where two or more of you gather in my name, I am there also."
Sprinkling Rite And The
Penitential Rite
A Sprinkling Rite may be used primarily during the Easter Season. The priest
will pray an introduction and either use holy water to sprinkle the assembly, or
will bless the water in the presence of the assembly and then proceed with the
sprinkling. When a sprinkling rite is used, the Kyrie is omitted.
The Penitential Rite begins with an invitation of the priest for the people to
recall their sins, and to repent of them in silence. One of the three forms may
be chosen. Form A beings with, I confess to almighty God, ... Form B and C
are a call and response format. In Form B, the priest will say, Lord, we have
sinned against you: Lord, have mercy. We respond, Lord, have mercy. Then
the priest will pray, Lord, show us our mercy and love. We respond, And
grant us your salvation. In Form C, the priest or deacon will make a
statement and finish with Lord, have mercy, or Christ, have mercy. We
echo back with Lord, have mercy, or Christ, have mercy.
So much of our liturgy is either a "call and response" or an
"echo" format. The liturgy is constructed in this way to make
participation easy for the assembly. Once we teach ourselves and our children
these responses, it frees us from using worship aids, and allows us to let the
liturgy flow from one prayer to the next.
We pray the Kyrie separately only if we have used Form A of the Penitential
Rite. Once again this is set up as an echo from the priest or deacon to the
people, Lord, have mercy Christ, have mercy, Lord, have mercy. Oh and by
the way, Kyrie eleison is not Latin, it's Greek.
Which ever form of prayer that is used at the beginning of the liturgy,
Sprinkling Rite, or one of the forms of the Penitential Rite, it is in place so
that as a baptized community, we are reminded of our salvation through Jesus
Christ.
The Glory To God
This is a hymn of praise to God. The liturgy omits the Gloria
during Advent and Lent perhaps to focus our attention more fully on the
penitential aspects of those seasons. The Gloria is a joyful prayer, and whether
it is spoken or sung, the text is beautiful. If you attend Mass and are not sure
of the words of the Glory to God, or you are teaching a little one this prayer,
you can find it in the front section of the Glory and Praise Hymnal.
The Opening Prayer or Collect Prayer
The opening prayer is printed in the book of prayers used by the
priest called the Sacramentary. Included in the Sacramentary is the choice of
two opening prayers for the day, the prayer over the gifts, the Eucharistic
Prayer; he prayer after Communion, and the prayer over the people at dismissal.
The priest will select one of the two opening prayers. Many people don't realize
that at the moment the priest says, let us pray, we should be silently
praying, thinking of our petitions to God, until the priest voices our
collective prayers together in the opening prayer. We can then respond Amen, not
only to our prayer but, to the prayers of those around us, and to the
prayer voiced by our presider. Oh and by the way, what are we saying when we
respond Amen? Amen comes form the Hebrew word meaning, so be it.
After the Collect Prayer, we have gone through the introductory rites to the
Mass. We need this time together in prayer to step out of the normal routine of
life, and into a prayerful composure to focus our hearts and minds on the rest
of the liturgy.
Liturgy of the Word
The part of the Mass that contains the Old Testament reading, the
Psalm, the New Testament reading, the Gospel, the homily, the profession of
faith, and the prayers of the faithful, make up the Liturgy of the Word. General
Instruction of the Roman Missal #33: "In the readings, explained by the
homily, God is speaking to his people, opening up to them the mystery of
redemption and salvation, and nourishing their spirit; Christ is present to the
faithful through his own word. Through the chants the people make God's word
their own, and through the profession of faith affirm their adherence to it.
Finally, having been fed by this word, they make their petitions in the general
intercessions for the needs of the Church, and for the salvation of the whole
world."
The First Reading is from the Old Testament or the
Acts of the Apostles
The Old Testament Reading is included every week except during the Easter season
when we hear from the Acts of the Apostles in its' place. Why do we listen to
the Hebrew scriptures? Because it is important to understand our history as a
people of God in order to have faith in the one sent by God. Jesus himself tells
us, "I did not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill the
law."
The Old Testament can be divided into 5 books. The Pentateuch, which include the
first five books of the Bible, which the Jewish people refer to as the
"Torah", or the "Law" (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
Deuteronomy), also included are the books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, the
Historical Books of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith,
Esther; and the Maccabees, the Wisdom Books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs,
Ecelesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, and Sirach, the Prophetic Books of Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah,
Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
The Acts of the Apostles records the history of the young Church and it's
beginnings. It tells of the disciples reaching out to the Jews as well as the
Gentiles to continue the work that Jesus began. Luke is the composer of this
book, and he continually links the promise of salvation from the Hebrew
scriptures to the works of the Holy Spirit offering salvation to all people.
The Chant in between the Readings, The Responsorial Psalm...
The chant in between the readings is also from the Hebrew scriptures
from the Book of Psalms. We sing the Psalm in an antiphonal or a call and
response format; thus the term Responsorial Psalm is used in our liturgy. There
is a prescribed Psalm for each day, but it is permissible to use a seasonal
Psalm for an entire liturgical season.
Emotions run high in psalmody. Many are joyful and triumphant, but others are
full of lament, confusion, or sorrow. If you are ever in need of putting words
to an emotion or situation, browse through the Book of Psalms. Chances are that
someone a long time ago put in writing what you're feeling today. How wonderful
is our heritage as a people of God.
The New Testament Reading
The New Testament readings are semi-continuous readings from the
Letters of Paul, James, Peter, and John. In these letters the authors usually
begin with a greeting identifying the sender and the recipient. The opening
prayer of thanksgiving is written in such a way that it prays about the subject
that needs to be addressed by the community to which the letter was sent. The
main body of the letter, then "breaks open" the teachings of Christ,
and examples of how to resolve particular issues in the community in a Christian
way. Then the letter could talk about the writers' personal travel plans or
location. The author could then give one last bit of advice or council, and then
bid the recipients good-bye.
What does the term "break open" mean in regards to scripture? So much
of our scripture is metaphoric, and this has rubbed off on people who work in
the liturgy or Christian education field. The word break could mean to destroy,
but it does not in this case. The idea behind the phrase break open could be
more likened to opening a bottle of perfume and releasing it's fragrance for all
to enjoy. Once this fragrance is released into the air, and people have
experienced this aroma, no one can erase that memory of that fragrance. And so
it is with scripture. Once we begin to peel back the layers of meaning to the
scripture stories, we can't go back to our previous way of understanding. We
grow, we stretch, we bend, but we come away with fresh insight, and something
new to ponder until the next time someone offers a different perspective and the
process begins all over again.
The Gospel
Acclamation
The word Alleluia is the most joyous sound we can make as
disciples of Jesus. We use this word meaning, praise the Lord, throughout our
liturgical year. We refrain from using it during the Lenten season so as to
resurrect it, and sing it with renewed vigor to ring in the Easter season. This
joyous word is used to set apart the Gospel reading from the rest of the Liturgy
of the Word. Rise to your feet and sing this joyous song to greet the word of
the Lord just as if Jesus himself was standing at the ambo. For the Lord is with
us in the spoken word.
The
Proclamation of the Gospel
We have a three year cycle in the Lectionary. (The book of
scriptures used during Mass). In Cycle A, we hear primarily from the Gospel
according to Matthew, Cycle B, we hear from Mark, and Cycle C is from Luke. The
writings from John are interspersed throughout the year regardless of what cycle
we are in. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are so similar in their telling of the life,
works, teachings, passion, and resurrection of Jesus, that they are referred to
as the "synoptic" Gospels. (The word synoptic comes from the Greek
word for such a general view.) John's writings are very different in their
perspective, however; they do point to Jesus as Messiah.
The Homily
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says "the homily
is an integral part of the liturgy, and is necessary for the nurturing of the
Christian life." The homily is the time to "help people make
connections between the realities of their lives and the realities of the
Gospel." The homilist's task is to "break open" the scriptures to
the assembly. Just as the composers of the letters of the New Testament needed
to address certain attitudes or problems, today's preaching must also remind us
of the teachings of Jesus, and how we can be more Christian in our daily living.
Silence in the Liturgy
The past few weeks these articles have been speaking, listening, or singing, but
what about silence during the liturgy? There are moments when we need to take
time to let the scripture readings "sink in" so to speak. We need to
allow time for the word to enter into our ears, work through our minds, and grow
in our hearts. This cannot happen if we race through the Liturgy of the Word
without pausing for a moment or two of silence. The General Instruction of the
Roman Missal states: "at the conclusion of a reading or homily, all
meditate briefly on what has been heard." There are other moments in the
liturgy that we should observe silence. We don't need to be afraid of being
quiet. In our culture we are constantly bombarded with sound. Noise from
equipment, vehicles, television, and even the radio interfere with finding quiet
time. We should embrace silent moments in the liturgy if for nothing else than
to take a deep breath and enjoy the quiet. We can reflect on the words just
proclaimed and listen for a response from God.
The
Profession of Faith and the Prayers of the Faithful
The profession of faith comes after a moment of silence following
the homily. The Creed is usually recited. If there are special occasions in the
parish, such as a baptism or renewal of baptismal promises, an RCIA rite,
anointing of the sick, etc., it is inserted into the liturgy at this time and
replaces the Creed. This is because we are professing our faith with an action
or show of support to those entering into what we believe to be true.
In the prayer of the faithful we pray for the needs of the Church, public
authorities, and the salvation of the world, for those who are oppressed, and
for the local community.
The priest closes the Liturgy of the Word with the collect style prayer after
the petitions. Remember that the collect style prayer is one that collects all
of our prayers together and is voiced by the priest.
The Construction
of a Collect Prayer
Last week we finished the section on the Liturgy of the Word.
Before we go into the Liturgy of the Eucharist I wanted to pass on some helpful
information. Sometimes we arrive at a meeting or a crisis happens at home, and
someone asks you to lead the group in prayer. What do you do? How do you
construct a prayer that makes sense, and you don't feel like your rambling on?
It's very easy if you can remember, you, who, do through.
You: We have to be praying to God. Almighty God * O God * God Our Father
* God Our Creator * All-Powerful and Ever-Living God * etc.
Who: What has God done for us? This is where we praise and thank God for
our many blessings.
Do: What do we need from God? What are we asking for?
Through: Each prayer should end with "We ask this through Christ Our
Lord." It can be worded in a variety of ways such as: * Through Christ Our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God
forever and ever; * Through Christ who is our Redeemer; * Through Christ who is
Lord forever and ever. * etc.
So let's say someone in your family is very ill and a prayer is in order. Ask
everyone to take a moment to pray in silence. (This is when you work through the
You, Who, Do, Through Prayer Formula.) After a moment, you would collect all of
the prayers together in a Collect Style Prayer.
(You) Caring and nurturing God.
(Who) You made us in your image and give us the love of family and friends to
share our lives.
(Do) Hear the prayers of those gathered around (the name of your loved one).
Strengthen him/her in body and spirit as he/she struggles with this illness.
Strengthen our love and faith in you as you walk together with all of us on this
difficult journey.
(Through) We ask this through the one who suffered for our salvation, Jesus,
your Son, who lives with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and
eve,: Amen.
The Liturgy Of The Eucharist
The Liturgy of the Eucharist contains the preparation of the altar and gifts,
the Eucharistic Prayer, and the Communion Rite. Today let's explore the
preparation of the altar and gifts.
During the preparation of the altar, the table is set. Usually the altar cloth
and the corporal (The corporal is a small piece of fabric used to protect the
altar cloth from spills and drips.) are already in place. The servers will bring
from the credence table, the chalice, the purificator (a liturgical napkin), and
the Sacramentary (the book of prayers). Members of the assembly are asked to
bring forward the cruets of wine and water, ciborium holding the bread, and the
basket holding the monetary collection. The priest and deacon, if present,
accept the gifts brought forward and bring them to the altar.
Giving Thanks For The Bread
The priest raises the ciborium containing the bread and says: "Blessed are you,
Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer,
which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become for us the bread
of life." To which we respond, "Blessed be God forever." (If there is a song during
this action, the priest says the "Blessed are you" prayer in an
inaudible voice.)
Giving Thanks For
The Wine
The wine and water are mixed into the chalice with the priest saying, "By the
mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ,
who humbled himself to share in our humanity," The priest takes the chalice, and
holding it raised above the altar he says, "Blessed are you, Lord, God of all
creation. Through your goodness we have this wine to offer, fruit of the vine,
and work of human hands. It will become our spiritual drink." To which we
respond, "Blessed be God forever". (Once again if there is singing, the priest's
prayer would be inaudible.) This mixing of water and wine started in the time of
the early Church. The wine was transported in condensed form, and to drink wine
that was not diluted was socially unacceptable. Later in the life of the Church,
the custom of mixing the water with wine continued with the addition of the
prayer we use today.
Giving Thanks
for the
Offering of Treasure from the Community
Why do we bring a basket of money to the altar table? The scriptures tell us
that the Church depends upon the sharing of time, talent, and treasure. What
better way to validate the hard work and sacrifice of this community, than to
collectively present a gift of treasure to the Church at the altar of our Lord?
The Parish needs the financial support of its' parishioners to effectively
minister to the local community. As a baptized community, we are called to be
Christ for each other throughout our lives. Through the weekly collection, we
share in our treasure to assist those who may not be able to give at this
particular time, knowing that some day we may be the one seeking assistance.
The Washing
of the Priest's Hands
The tradition of the presider washing his hands after
receiving the gifts started with the early Church. Many people would bring all
sorts of "stuff" to the worship service. Things like clothes and
animals would be brought to the presider for distribution to the community. So
therefore, it was imperative that the presider, wash his hands prior to serving
the assembled faithful. Today, we keep the tradition of the washing of hands as
an expression of the priests' desire to be cleansed within. The priest says
inaudibly: Lord, wash away my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin.
Prayer Over The
Gifts
After the washing of the priest's hands, and the gifts of bread and wine are
ready on the altar, a short prayer is prayed over the gifts. This prayer is
found in the Sacramentary. There is a prescribed prayer for each Sunday of the
year as well as for each daily liturgy of the Eucharist. In this prayer, the
focus is that of our willingness to sacrifice for each other as well as
acknowledging the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Now we are prepared to offer our
great prayer of thanksgiving, the Eucharistic Prayer.
The Eucharistic Prayer's Opening Dialog
Imagine if you will, a tremendous banquet table where we could all gather around
to enjoy the feast beyond all feasts. That's what we have to envision when we
celebrate the Mass. At Our Lady of Humility, our altar is set on steps to enable
everyone to see what is happening. This is good in some respects, but at the
same time, it gives one a feeling of watching rather than praying along with the
priest. The Eucharistic Prayer is OUR prayer. The priest leads us in this
prayer, but you only need to listen to the text to understand that it belongs to
all of us who gather in faith. The prayer begins with an opening dialog. The
dialog begins with the priest saying to the assembly, the
Lord be with you. We respond, and also
with you. The priest then says, lift
up your hearts. And we then say, we
lift them up to the Lord. The priest asks us for one more response when he
says, let us give thanks to the Lord our God. To which we joyously call
back, it is right to give our thanks and
praise. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal reads: The
priest invites the people to lift up their hearts to the Lord in prayer and
thanks, he unites them with himself in the prayer, he addresses in their name to
the Father through Jesus Christ. The meaning of the prayer is that the entire
congregation joins itself to Christ in acknowledging the great things God has
done.
The
Eucharistic Prayer Preface
Each of the 84 prefaces in the Sacramentary begin with:
"Father, all powerful and everliving God." The preface of the
Eucharistic Prayer gives thanks and praise to God for the "whole work of
salvation or for some special aspect of it that corresponds to the day feast, or
season. (GIRM 55a). There are two prefaces for Advent, two for
Christmas, five for Lent, five for Easter, eight for ordinary time, six weekday
choices, one for each Holy day, five for Christian Death, three options for
Marriages, and even a few for civic holidays. The Sacramentary gives suggestions
as to which preface is appropriate for the Mass or the priest makes the
selection based on the scripture, feast, or season that is being celebrated. The
preface ends with the invitation for us to join the choirs of angels in their
song of joy, the "Holy" or in Latin the "Sanctus."
Our
Song Of Joy, The Sanctus Or Holy
The preface of the Eucharistic Prayer ends with the
phrase, "we praise you with all the angels in their song of joy" or
similar words. When we sing the Sanctus, we are indeed joining our voices with
those in heaven to give thanks and praise to God. Heaven and earth are united
and gathered around the altar. We sing from our pews and those in heaven are
singing right along with us. Heaven and earth are full of God's glory! Hosanna!
Praise God!
The Eucharistic Prayer Continues
After the Sanctus, it is our custom, and of most parishes, to
kneel throughout the Eucharistic Prayer, and to rise and stand for the "Our
Father". Some parishes however; may stand during the entire Eucharistic
Prayer. Some parishes stand at the Doxology, prior to singing the Amen. The
liturgy documents do give room for the adaptation of posture during the Mass.
And the prayer itself says, "We thank you for counting us worthy to stand
in your presence and serve you." Whatever our posture, we need to
participate in this prayer with our hearts and minds.
The priest will raise his arms with hands outstretched, to call to mind the Lord
in his passion. He will then begin with, "Father, you are holy indeed, and
all creation rightly gives you praise." As he says, "And so, Father,
we bring you these gifts. We ask you to make them holy by the power of your
Spirit," he brings his hands over the offerings. As he continues,
"that they may become the body and blood of your Son," he makes the
sign of the cross over both the bread and chalice. This part of the Eucharistic
Prayer is called the Epiclesis.
Epiclesis:
In special invocations the Church calls on God's power and asks that the gifts
offered by human hands be consecrated, that is, become Christ's body and blood,
and that the victim to be received in communion be the source of salvation for
those who will partake.
The Eucharistic Prayer Continues With The
Institution Narrative And Consecration
"On the night he was betrayed"
the priest takes the bread in his hands and raises it. "He took bread and
gave you thanks and praise. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and
said: Take this all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up
for you." The priest shows the consecrated host to the people, places it
back in the ciboria, and genuflects or bows in adoration. "When
supper was ended, he took the cup." The priest raises the chalice,
"again he gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to his disciples, and
said: Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the
blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you, and for all
so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me."
When Jesus asked his disciples to "Do this in memory of me," what kind
of remembering did he mean? Today in our lives, we can remember a doctor's
appointment. We can remember what day it is. This indeed is remembering, but
Jesus wants us to do a little more than that. The kind of remembering that Jesus
is talking about is like remembering what your childhood home looked like, and who lived there with you. Do you remember,
as a child, the way the kitchen smelled on Thanksgiving Day while dinner was
being prepared? Can you remember sitting at the dinner table with family
members, who have since gone to their rest? Remembering with your senses, your
heart, even your very soul. That is what Jesus is asking us to call to mind by
remembering his life, his passion, and death, his resurrection as if we were
there with him.
The
Part Of the Eucharistic Prayer Called The Anamnesis
Anamnesis: In
fulfillment of the command received from Christ through the apostles, the Church
keeps his memorial by recalling especially his passion, resurrection, and
ascension (GIRM 55e). The priest sings, "Let us proclaim the mystery of
faith." The priest is referring to the paschal mystery, our Lord's passion,
resurrection, and ascension. We sing in response "Christ has died, Christ
is risen, Christ will come again." There are also a few other acclamations
that are acceptable responses like, "dying you destroyed our death, rising
you restored our life, Lord Jesus, come in glory." Whatever the acclamation
wording, the paschal mystery is the focus of our response.
The
Part Of The Eucharistic Prayer Called The Offering
The Church and the particular Church, here and now assembled, offers the
spotless victim to the Father in the Holy Spirit. The Church's intention is that
the faithful not only offer this victim, but also learn to offer themselves by
surrendering themselves, through Christ the Mediator, to a complete union with
God and each other; so that God may be all in all.
(GIRM
55f) The priest says, "Father, calling to mind the death your Son endured
for our salvation, his glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven, and
ready to greet Him when He comes again, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy
and living sacrifice." We, the assembled body of Christ, are the holy and
living sacrifice. We need to be willing to die ourselves in order to benefit the
entire assembly. We are entering into communion with each other; and with all
those who have gone before us. We are one with each other and with Christ. We
are the body of Christ!
The
Intercessory Part Of The Eucharistic Prayer
The intercessions make it clear that the Eucharist is celebrated in communion
with the entire Church of heaven and earth, and that the offering is made for
the Church and all its ' members, living and dead, who are called to share in
the salvation and redemption purchased by Christ's body and blood. (GIRM
55g) The priest says, "Look with favor on your Church's offering, and see
the Victim whose death has reconciled us to yourself. Grant that we, who are
nourished by his body and blood, may be filled with his Holy Spirit, and become
one body, one spirit in Christ. May he make us an everlasting gift to you, and
enable us to share in the inheritance of your saints, with Mary, with the
apostles, the martyrs, and all your saints, on whose constant intercession we
rely for help."
The
Part Of The Eucharistic Prayer Known As The Final Doxology And The Great Amen
This is what finishes the Eucharistic Prayer. Webster describes the word
doxology as "a hymn or form of giving glory to God". As we end the
Eucharistic Prayer, the priest voices "Through
him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is
yours, almighty Father, forever and ever:" To which we respond with a
rousing "Amen". Music in
Catholic Worship states, "The
worshippers assent to the Eucharistic Prayer; and make it their own in the Great
Amen." Sing this acclamation loud and strong so that all may hear our
response to the great prayer of thanksgiving, the high point of the liturgy, the
Eucharistic Prayer.
The Communion
Rite
The Lord's prayer; the rite of peace, the breaking of bread, the Agnus Dei or
Lamb of God, the commingling of the host into the chalice, the reception of the
body and blood by the priest and the faithful, moment of silence, and prayer
after communion are all contained in the Communion Rite. Today let's talk about
the Lord's prayer. This is a petition of both for daily food, which for Christians means
also the Eucharistic bread, and for the forgiveness of sin, so that what is holy
may be given to those who are holy. The priest will give the assembled
faithful an introduction to which we will speak or sing the prayer that Jesus
taught us (Matthew 6:9-13). Some discussion has been brought up about the
posture of the faithful during this prayer. Several years ago there was a grass
roots movement to join hands during this prayer. Some people feel very
comfortable doing this. Some people outstretch their arms with palms facing up
to symbolize their openness to do the Lord's will. Some people will simply fold
their own hands and pray this prayer or read it from the hymnal. Whether you
stand and clasp your own hands, someone else's, or raise your hands in
preparation to do the will of God, the prayer that is voiced is what is
important.
The Sign Of
Peace
Before they share in the same bread, the faithful implore peace and unity for
the Church, and for the whole human family and offer some sign of their love for
one another. (GIRM 56b) Peace. The word that Jesus spoke to his disciples
after resurrection. In this country, we embrace with a kiss of peace to family
and friends, or a handshake to those around us whether we know them or not. The
point here is not just to share with family and friends, but to extend ourselves
to those we have not gotten acquainted with as yet. We are symbolizing our unity
in Christ by offering peace to each other as Jesus did so long ago. We have
greeted each other before Mass began, we have listened to the stories passed on
from generation to generation, we have prayed together, listened to each other
raise our voice in song and acclamation, and now we are ready to break bread
together. Before we gather around the Lord's supper table, we offer each other
the healing power of these simple little words, "Peace Be with
You."
The
Breaking of the Bread, The Agnus Dei or Lamb of God, and The Commingling
In apostolic times this gesture of Christ at the last supper gave the entire
Eucharistic action its' name, "the Breaking of the Bread." This rite
is a sign that in sharing in the one bread of life, which is Christ, we who are
many are made one body. With our great prayer of thanksgiving said, our
reconciling offering of peace given, it is time to share in the banquet. The
bread now body of Christ is broken, ripped, or torn apart for distribution. The
wine now blood of Christ is poured into chalices for all to drink. While the
priest is breaking the bread, we all say or sing the Lamb of God. The priest
will now take a small piece of the host, and place it into his chalice and say,
"May this mingling of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring
eternal life to us who receive it." The priest will then personally prepare
himself to receive the body and blood of Christ. He will say inaudibly:
"Lord Jesus Christ, with faith in your love and mercy I eat your body and
drink your blood. Let it not bring me condemnation, but health in mind and
body." The faithful should also prepare themselves with a moment of silent
prayer.
The
Showing Of The Eucharistic Bread For Communion To The Faithful
The priest genuflects and raises the host, faces the people, and says:
"This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are
those who are called to His supper." We respond, "Lord, I am not
worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed." At
this time, the priest consumes the body and blood of Christ, and the communion
procession song begins. Why do we sing during Communion? We are in communion
with our Creator, the Son, the Spirit, the angels, the saints, those who have
gone before us, as well as those present in the pews around us. We sing to
foster a sense of unity. The hymn should be easy for the assembly to sing. It
also works well for the choir or cantor to sing the verses while the assembly is
responsible for a simple refrain. God created each of us differently, and gave
us all different voices for speech and song. However your voice may sound to
you, it is music to God's ear. Sing with all your might! We will have time for
quiet prayer after the Communion Hymn is finished.
Reception
Of Communion - How Do I Receive The Body Of Christ?
It is acceptable to receive the host on your tongue or in your hand. The
Communion Minister will say to you, "The Body of Christ." We respond,
"Amen." If you would like to receive on the tongue, simply walk
forward and keep your hands clasped in front of you at waist level. This is a
sign to the Communion Minister that you would like to receive the host on the
tongue. If you would like to receive the host in your hand, as you approach the
Minister of Communion, place one hand on top of the other with palms facing up.
Raise and extend your cupped hands to about your chest level. The Communion
Minister will place the host into your top hand. You should then, immediately,
pick-up the host with what was the hand on the bottom, and consume the host.
These are the acceptable ways to receive the Body of Christ from the Priest,
Deacons, or Ministers of Communion. Please do not take the host out of the
minister's hand, carry the host back to your pew, or dip the host into the
chalice of precious blood.
Moment
Of Silence After Communion
After all the faithful have received the Body and Blood of Christ, the communion
hymn ends and there is a moment of silence. This silence is used as a personal
time of prayer in a communal setting. Moments earlier we were all engaged in a
community hymn of prayer, but now it is time for all of us to take a short pause
in which to give our personal thanks and praise to God.
Concluding
Rite
The Concluding Rite consists of announcements, the priest's greeting and
blessing, and the dismissal of the assembly. After any announcements, the priest
will say, "the Lord be with you", and we respond, "and
also with you." The priest or deacon, if present, asks us to bow our
heads and pray for God's blessing. There are several options that the presider
could use. There is a simple blessing, which is: "May almighty God bless
you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit," and we say "Amen."
A solemn blessing could also be used. This is a longer blessing to which we
respond "Amen" to each verse of the blessing. There is also the option
of a prayer over the people and blessing combination, and again we use the
response of "Amen."
Dismissal
Of The Assembly
The dismissal of the assembly sends us out to the world to be Christ for one
another. We have been fed and nourished by the word of God and Body and Blood of
Christ. The Holy Spirit now guides us in our daily living to do good works, and
give thanks and praise to God by living our lives like Christ. The priest or
deacon, if present, says this or similar words, "Mass is ended, let us go
forth to serve God and one another." We respond "Thanks be to
God." Now Mass is over, not after Communion. Please don't receive the Body
and Blood of Christ and leave before the dismissal and sending. We need to be
reminded that we are on a mission to build up the kingdom of God. We need to be
sent out to the world with the blessing of the priest. We can't miss that simple
but effective blessing that helps us through life until we all gather together
again.
Closing Hymn
The closing song is not part of the Mass. Remember, the priest or deacon have
already said, "that the Mass is ended and we give thanks and praise to
God." It has, however, become customary in many churches, including ours,
to have a closing hymn. Music in Catholic Worship says "that the
recessional song has never been an official part of the rite; hence musicians
are free to plan music which provides an appropriate closing to the
liturgy." There may be times when the musicians simply play an instrumental
piece or even, on occasion, close a liturgy with silent prayer. Be assured that
any musical decisions are made with prayerful consideration to uphold the
integrity of the liturgy.
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