Following the Great Amen, which concludes the Eucharistic Prayer portion of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we now move into the Communion Rite. Gathered around the table of the Lord whereupon Christ is truly present in the Eucharistic elements, we stand and join our voices (sung or spoken) in the prayer that Jesus himself taught us, the Our Father. This prayer has been part of the Mass since around the 4th century. It serves as an appropriate preparation to receive the Eucharist since the Our Father includes a petition to give us “our daily bread” which can be understood in part to be a reference to the Bread of Life, the Body of Christ we are preparing to receive. Click the title to read more.
Despite the fact that there are 13 different Eucharistic Prayers (anaphora), there is a similar pattern to all of them. Each prayer begins with an address to God the Father followed by the petition to send the Holy Spirit to make the gifts of bread and wine holy that they may be worthy elements to be transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. This is known as the “epiclesis” and is accompanied by the gesture of the priest extending both hands over the bread and wine.
The newest Roman Missal (Third Edition) includes a variety of Eucharistic Prayers or “anaphoras” as they are more specifically called. Since the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the Church has been using four main Eucharistic Prayers: Eucharistic Prayer I is the traditional Roman Canon and is the lengthiest and most formal of the Prayers. If we recall the Mass prior to Vatican II, it would have been the only Eucharistic Prayer in use since the Council of Trent in the 16th Century. Click the title to read more.
Every Preface concludes with similar words that connect our celebration of Mass with the heavenly liturgy where, with the saints and angels, “we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim…” This leads us into the ancient hymn of praise called the “Sanctus” or “Holy, Holy”. The text refers back to two passages in the Scriptures. First, in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah has a vision of God’s throne surrounded by the seraphim (a class of angels). “One cried out to the other: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!’” (Is. 6:3). Click the title to read more.
We tend to think that the Eucharistic Prayer consists only of that part of the Mass we kneel during as the priest consecrates for us the Body and Blood of Jesus (which is technically known as the “anaphora”). The Eucharistic Prayer actually begins immediately after the Prayer over the Offerings with what is called the “Preface Dialogue” between the presiding Priest and the People: “The Lord be with you. And with your spirit. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right and just.” The priest then continues with the proper Preface for the given occasion, which as the name suggests “prefaces” the anaphora with the particular theme for the Mass we are celebrating. Click the title to read more.
Following the invitation to the assembly to “Pray that my sacrifice and yours be acceptable…” we stand for the Prayer over the Offerings. Once again our standing posture indicates this prayer is from the entire assembly, even though only the priest is actually praying the words. The general sentiments of these Prayers over the Offerings ask God to accept the gifts of bread and wine we have just prepared on the altar, and to transform them into the Body and Blood of His Son. Click the title to read more.
Every Preface concludes with similar words that connect our celebration of Mass with the heavenly liturgy where, with the saints and angels, “we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim…” This leads us into the ancient hymn of praise called the “Sanctus” or “Holy, Holy”. The text refers back to two passages in the Scriptures. First, in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah has a vision of God’s throne surrounded by the seraphim (a class of angels). “One cried out to the other: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!’” (Is. 6:3). Click the title to read more.
We now turn our focus to the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the second major part of the Mass, beginning with the Preparation of the Gifts. During this time, gifts are collected from the assembly to support the ministry of the parish and its outreach to the poor. Adults offer their financial contributions and children bring in food for the food pantry to be distributed to families in need. These are collected and presented along with the bread and wine to be offered up to God as our sacrifice – a gift of our very selves to the Lord. Click the title to read more.
The homily that follows the readings, given by either a priest or deacon, is meant to apply the meaning of these ancient texts to our present age and life circumstances. Paragraphs 65 and 66 of The General Instruction on the Roman Missal give these directives regarding the homily: that it should be an explanation of some aspect of the readings from Sacred Scripture or of another text from the Mass of the day, “taking into account both the mystery being celebrated and the particular needs of the listeners.” Click the title to read more.
The Liturgy of the Word is comprised of several readings from Scripture, a homily to unpack the meaning of these scriptures, a recommitment to our core beliefs through our recitation of the Creed and general prayers for the needs of our world. The Scriptures which are read on any given Sunday are proscribed by a Lectionary which was developed in the wake of the Second Vatican Council to provide “a richer fare for the faithful at the table of God’s word,” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 51). Click the title to read more.
Once we have completed the Opening Rites of Mass, we sit for the beginning of the Liturgy of the Word, which may lead us to ask, “Why do we do all this standing, sitting and kneeling during the Mass?” The various postures at Mass are all very meaningful. Sitting is a posture of receiving. We sit to watch a movie or a sporting event. We sit in class to absorb a teacher’s lecture. And so we sit to listen or receive God’s Word.
The Liturgy of the Word provides the opportunity for the assembly to hear the Word of God proclaimed. The Second Vatican Council tells us that Christ is present in his word, “since it is he himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church,” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, par. 7). Therefore when the readings are proclaimed at Mass, Christ becomes truly present in this spoken word. The scriptures are no longer words on a page, but come alive for us in their proclamation! Click title to read more.
When we gather for a special meal that includes extended family such as at Thanksgiving or Christmas, we typically share family stories from the past, including those family members who have died. We reminisce about the good old days and the people who helped shape our family. In the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word creates a similar environment for us. Reading from both the Old and New Testaments, we share the collective memories of our past, stories of our spiritual ancestors and faith heroes, most especially Jesus. Click the title to read more.
Following the Penitential Act we say or more properly sing the Glory to God. This text recalls the song of the angels who appeared to the shepherds after Christ’s birth in Luke’s Infancy Narrative. The angel announces news of great joy for the people: “And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests,’” (Luke 2:13-14). Click the title to read more.
Our Mass is organized into two main sections, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, bookended by the Introductory Rites and the Concluding Rites. The Introductory Rites consist of the Sign of the Cross, Greeting, Penitential Act, Gloria (except during Lent and Advent) and the Collect or Opening Prayer. As soon as we begin Mass with the Sign of the Cross, we are already expressing our faith in the Trinity – God who is Father, Son and Spirit – reminding ourselves once again of our baptism when we were bathed in those transforming waters in the name of the Trinity. Click the title to read more.
At times I receive the well-intentioned suggestion from a parishioner that perhaps we need not sing every verse of a song at Mass – it makes the Mass too long. Perhaps this comment arises from a misunderstanding of why we sing at Mass at all. First, we sing not just to accompany some action (such as a procession) but also for a bigger purpose. Last week I wrote about the Opening Song at Mass. The intention of that song is to gather us from our disparate lives, having been apart from each other for a week, and bring us back into one community.
Now that we’ve come to Mass as fully prepared as possible, we are invited to stand (if we are able) and to join in singing our Opening Hymn. Our participation in this Opening Song, also sometimes called the “Gathering Song,” is extremely important. We have been apart from one another for a week. Now we assemble together again and we need something to bring us back together in spirit. At sports games we sing the National Anthem, at a wedding reception we might begin by toasting the couple and praying grace before the meal, in school we begin the day reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. These actions gather us together and unite us for the common activity we are about to undertake.
All of us know the need to prepare well for things we are asked to participate in. If we’re playing on a sports team, we prepare through practice, getting enough rest in advance and eating well. If we are performing in a theatrical production, we need to learn our lines, practice our stage directions and again approach our performance well-rested. Have a business presentation to give? This too takes preparation by making notes, preparing our powerpoint and even rehearsing our delivery. If we serve on a committee, we’re expected to prepare for meetings having done our previous tasks, reviewed minutes and agendas, and given some thought to what we might contribute to the discussion. Any activity involving our participation is always better when we are prepared! The same is true of our participation in the Sacred Liturgy, whether on Sundays or even weekdays. Click the title to read more.
Having celebrated the special Solemnities of the Most Holy Trinity and the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ these past two weekends, this Sunday we return to the Ordinary Time Sundays for the remainder of our Church’s Liturgical Year, which ends on November 20th with the celebration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. “Ordinary Time” gets its name both from the fact that there are no special or particular liturgical celebrations or seasons for the remainder of the year, and because we count these weeks with “ordinal” numbers. Our liturgical color for our vestments is green – a color that dominates our landscape through summer into fall. Click the title for more.
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (also known by its Latin name: Corpus Christi). This feast was introduced into the Church in the Thirteenth Century during a time when the legitimacy of the doctrine of the Real Presence (that Jesus is truly present, body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist) was being questioned. A priest traveling from Prague on a pilgrimage to had stopped in the town of Bolsena, Italy to celebrate Mass. As he was elevating the host during the consecration, the host suddenly appeared in a visible way as true flesh, sprinkled with red blood. This Eucharistic miracle inspired Pope Urban IV, who investigated and approved its legitimacy, to institute the Feast of Corpus Christi in 1264, commissioning Thomas Aquinas to compose prayers and music to celebrate the feast. The hymns, Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris that we use even today for Eucharistic Adoration, are among the fruits of Aquinas’ work in response to the Pope’s request. Click the title to read more.