The Mass - Part I | St. Mary's Church

June 30, 2014

by Father Matera

The Mass - Part 1

Each week we celebrate the Eucharist:

(1) so that that we may become more like Christ,
(2) so that we may become the Body of Christ, the Church,
(3) so that we will have the seed of resurrection life within us.

Having explained why we go to Mass, for the next several weeks I will be devoting this column to an explanation of the Mass.

The Mass is divided into two parts:

(1) The Liturgy of the Word and
(2) the Liturgy of the Eucharist

In the Liturgy of the Word we are fed by God?s Word, by the Scriptures we hear. In the second part of the Mass, we are fed by the Body and Blood of Christ, the Eucharist. These two parts of the Mass form a single rite that we call ?the Mass? or ?the Eucharist.? Before the Mass begins, however, there are a series of introductory rites that prepare us to hear God?s Word and receive the Eucharist. And before the Mass concludes there are concluding rites that send us forth to proclaim what we have celebrated. The overall structure of the Mass can be outlined in this way.

Introductory Rites
The Liturgy of the Word
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
Concluding Rites

THE INTRODUCTORY RITES

The introductory rites of the Mass consist of the following parts:

(1) Entrance Song
(2) Greeting
(3) Act of Penance
(4) Kyrie
(5) Gloria
(6) Collect

Their purpose is to gather us together as the People of God so that we will celebrate the Liturgy worthily.

Entrance Song: The Mass begins with an entrance chant (the Introit) or gathering hymn. The purpose of this hymn is to gather us into one community so that we can celebrate the Eucharist as one people. This hymn reminds us that we celebrate the Mass as a community of believers who form the Body of Christ, the Church. By joining in this Entrance Song we become one people, God?s People.

Greeting: As the priest enters the sanctuary he kisses the altar because it represents Christ. He then begins the Mass with the sign of the cross, which summarizes the mystery of our salvation: The mystery of the Trinity. Having made the sign of the cross, the priest then greets the people by making use of a Trinitarian formula: The grace of God our Father, the Love of His Son Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with of you.

Act of Penance: Before listening to God?s Word and receiving Christ?s Body and Blood, we acknowledge our sins and our need for God?s forgiveness. While this penitential rite is not the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation, it is a profound act of penance in which we earnestly beseech God to forgive our sins.

Kyrie: The Act of Penance includes or concludes with the cry ?Lord, Have Mercy.? This ancient acclamation was originally spoken in Greek, Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleisson: Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.

Gloria: On most Sundays, except the Sundays of Advent and Lent, the Kyrie is followed by an ancient hymn of praise inspired by the song the angels sang at Jesus? birth: Glory to God in the highest. Having received God?s forgiveness, we praise God for his great mercy.

Collect: The entrance rites conclude with an opening prayer that is called the ?collect? because it gathers together the prayers of the worshipping assembly.

While these prayers are often dense, they are theologically rich in the ways they express the mystery of our faith. Listen to them carefully. We are now ready to celebrate the Liturgy of the Word.

Father Matera