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?
Introductory Rites
Liturgy of the Word
Liturgy of the Eucharist
The Eucharistic Prayer Continues
The Communion Rite
Concluding Rite
Catholic Traditions, Symbolisms and Practices
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.
