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Introductory Rite
Liturgy of the Word
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Concluding Rite
Resources
Guide to the Mass
According to the Second Vatican Council,
the Eucharist “is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may
express in their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of
Christ and the real nature of the true Church” (Constitution
on the Sacred Liturgy, #2). The Eucharist “is a sacred action surpassing all others” (#7), “the
summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed” and
“the font from which all her power flows” (#10).
In order for the liturgy to produce its
full effects, the Council said, “it is necessary that the
faithful come to it with proper dispositions,” “fully aware of
what they are doing, actively engaged in the rite, and enriched
by its effects” (#11). “Fully conscious and active
participation” is both a right and a duty given to Christians
by their baptism, and pastors are required to “zealously strive
to achieve it” (#14).
This Guide
to the Mass is designed to help Catholics appreciate the
deep significance of the Church's liturgy. Although it
includes an overview of the various components of the liturgy,
the main emphasis is on the four general "movements" or parts of
the Eucharist: The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy
of the Eucharist, preceeded by the Introductory Rite
and followed by the Concluding Rite.
According to
the General Instruction on the Roman Missal, these parts
“are so closely interconnected that they form but one single act
of worship,” -- “a
sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, of propitiation and
satisfaction” which proclaims “the wondrous mystery of the
Lord’s real presence under the Eucharistic species” (GIRM, #28;
2; 3). Taken as a whole, they represent the solemn way in which
the People of God are regularly gathered to
remember, celebrate and give thanks for God's redeeming love,
expressed most perfectly in the life, death and resurrection
(the Paschal Mystery) of Jesus Christ. As his disciples
and members of his Body on earth, we re-dedicate ourselves in
the Eucharist to
live as Jesus does.
As Catholic
Christians, we believe that
the saving action of the Creator is transforming reality. These aspects of the liturgy -- the gathering, remembering,
celebrating, and the commitment to mission -- reflect the
fundamental Catholic conviction that time, space and material
reality, human beings, human relationships and human activity
are capable of embodying and reflecting God's saving love and
redeeming presence. This Catholic conviction that reality
is sacramental, communal, historical, and hopeful exists in a
certain amount of tension within a secular culture which
emphasizes what is material, scientific, individual and
self-contained.
To fully
appreciate and participate in the Eucharist, we need to be more
aware of this deeper, broader reality which is too often denied
or under-valued by conventional society.
• • •
Introductory Rite
The parts of the Mass which precede
the Liturgy of the Word are called the Introductory Rite.
According to the General Instruction on the Roman Missal
(1999), these rites “have the character of a beginning,
introduction and preparation;” they are designed “to ensure
that the faithful who come together as one establish communion”
and properly dispose themselves to celebrate the liturgy (#46).
The Introductory Rites include the
Entrance and Greeting, the Penitential Rite, Kyrie ("Lord
have mercy"), Gloria and Opening Prayer.
•
The Entrance
includes the procession of the priest, deacon and ministers,
accompanied by an Entrance Hymn or Chant. The purpose of the
hymn or chant is “to open the celebration, foster the unity of
those who have been gathered, introduce their thoughts to the
mystery of the liturgical season or festivity, and accompany the
procession of the priest and ministers” (GIRM, #47). When the
priest and ministers reach the sanctuary they reverence the
altar with a profound bow and the priest and deacon kiss the
altar.
• The
Penitential Rite
follows the Entrance and Greeting. The priest invites
the assembly to take part in the Act of Penitence by which the
community expresses its personal and communal sinfulness. The
Penitential Rite may consist of reciting the Confiteor
(“I confess”) or a series of acclamations which remind us of
God’s mercy. These acclamations conclude with the words “Lord
have mercy…,” “Christ have mercy…,” “Lord have mercy…” and may
replace the chanting of the Kyrie.
•
The
Gloria
is an “ancient and venerable hymn in which the Church, gathered
together in the Holy Spirit, glorifies and entreats God the
Father and the Lamb.” It is generally sung by the entire
assembly, or by the assembly and choir alternating, on Sundays
outside the seasons of Advent and Lent, on solemnities and
feasts, and at special celebrations.
• The
Opening Prayer
begins with a short silence, during which members of the
assembly may recall particular petitions mentally, followed
by a prayer prayed out loud by the priest. This prayer is
traditionally called the “Collect” and expresses the character
or special concern of the day’s liturgy.
The assembly generally stands for the
entire Introductory Rite.
Appreciating
the Introductory Rite
We live in a society which emphasizes the
importance of personal freedom and individual autonomy.
We admire the self-made individual who appears to be
self-sufficient. While these values are important, we also have
to remember that none of us is totally free or completely
independent.
Catholics
believe that human
beings are essentially social beings. We are all members
of the human community and God’s family. We are by
nature inter-connected and inter-dependent. We
are
responsible to and for one another and for the common good.
No human person is an island, entirely independent
and self-sufficient.
As we prepare
to celebrate the Eucharist, the Introductory Rite invites us
to deliberately and intentionally "re-focus" on our membership
in the community we call the People of God, the Body of Christ.
We pause to remember our
connected-ness and our inter-dependence.
We acknowledge this common-unity, even as we confess that
it is imperfect because we are all imperfect and sinful
persons.
Suggestions for Reflection and Discussion
•
Think about the
ways have you experienced a tension between individual freedom
and community responsibilities in your own life.
•
Remember the occasions or circumstances in which you have
experienced the value -- and the challenge -- of living in a
community or family.
•
Imagine how might you enter more fully into an awareness of belonging to
the community which gathers to celebrate the Eucharist.
• • •
The Liturgy of the Word
The Liturgy of the Word consists of
readings from Sacred Scripture the chants or responses which
occur between the readings, the homily, Profession of Faith, and
Prayer of the Faithful.
• The
Scripture Readings. Through
the
readings, “God speaks to his people,
opening up to them the mystery of redemption and salvation” (GIRM #55).
The readings should "promote meditation,” and may include brief periods of silence so
that “at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, the word of God may
be grasped by the heart” (GIRM #56). The readings include:
-- First Reading, which is usually taken from the Old
Testament;
-- Responsorial Psalm which is sung or chanted by the
assembly and
choir, led by the cantor;
-- Second Reading (on
Sundays, feast days and solemnities), which
taken from the Acts of the Apostles or
one of the New Testament
Letters;
-- Acclamation, led by the cantor and sung or changed by
the choir and
assembly;
-- Gospel.
The first and second readings are normally proclaimed by a lector; the Gospel
is proclaimed by a deacon or the presiding priest.
The Lectionary, which contains the designated
readings, is divided into three cycles for Sunday Masses and two
cycles for weekday Masses. This insures that over the
course of the Lectionary cycles, Catholics hear most of
the four Gospels, a selection from the other New Testament books, and
significant parts of the Old Testament.
•
The
Homily
follows the readings and is intended to explain some aspect of
the readings or in a way which considers “both the mystery being
celebrated and the particular needs of the listeners” (GIRM
#55). The homily is ordinarily given by the presiding priest,
but may be given by the deacon, a visiting priest or bishop.
If catechumens (unbaptized
persons) participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation of
Adults are present at the Mass, they are dismissed followed
the homily.
•
The
Profession of Faith
or Creed is sung or proclaimed by the presiding
priest and the entire assembly following the readings and homily
on Sundays and feasts or solemnities. It gives the assembly an
opportunity to “respond to the word of God proclaimed in the
readings” and “confess the great mysteries of the
faith…celebrated in the Eucharist” (GIRM #67).
•
The Prayer of the Faithful
is the community’s response to the word of God. Having been
nourished by the Word, the Assembly prays for the needs of the
Church, for the world, for individuals and groups burdened by
special difficulties, and for the needs of the local community.
The intentions are announced by the deacon, the cantor, lector,
or another member of the assembly.
The Assembly customarily sits for the
readings and the homily, but stands for the proclamation of the
Gospel, the Creed and the Prayer of the Faithful.
Appreciating
the Liturgy of the Word
There is a tendency in our society to devalue history, to
forget the past, and to over-emphasize individual autonomy
and self-determination. We teach our children that they can do anything they want to do
and be anyone they want to be -- a worthy vision which is in
some ways an unrealistic dream.
No person or
community exists entirely disconnected from history.
We are all shaped to some degree by our past and
limited to some extent by the circumstances in which we live --
that's a normal condition of being human persons confined by
time and space. More importantly, who we are and how we
lived are shaped by our vision of the way things could be, our
vision of the future.
The Liturgy of the Word reminds us that we have a past and a
future as God's people, the Body of Christ. If we take that
seriously, we are not absolutely free to do or be whatever we
wish. Our concrete choices as individuals and as a community must be consistent with a deeper truth,
revealed over time, about who we are, where
we have come from, and where we are going as children of God.
Suggestions for Reflection and Discussion
•
Think about some of the ways in which you have experienced
limitations or restrictions on your desire or ability to be the
person you want to be. Were
these limitations positive or negative?
•
Recall where, when or how have you experienced the value of history –
of belonging to a family or community whose identity and behavior is
shaped to some degree by its past and its future.
•
Consider
the benefits and the challenges of belonging to the People of
God, a community whose behavior is shaped by its past and by its
destiny.
• • •
Liturgy of the Eucharist
The Liturgy of the Eucharist corresponds to the words and
actions of Christ at the Last Supper: the priest receives the
gifts of bread and wine, consecrates them, and then distributes
them so that all may share in the Paschal Sacrifice.
•
The Preparation and Prayer Over the Gifts. In
preparation for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the altar is
prepared and the bread and wine are presented to the priest, who
places them on the altar. Whenever possible, the gifts are
presented by members of the assembly while the assembly and
choir sing a hymn
or chant. The priest then invites the assembly to pray with him
over the gifts which will become the body and blood of Christ.
• The Eucharistic Prayer begins with the priest’s
invitation, “Lift up your hearts….” This prayer “of thanksgiving
and sanctification” is “the center and summit” of the entire
Eucharist. Through this prayer “the entire congregation of the
faithful [joins] itself with Christ in confessing the great
deeds of God and in the offering of Sacrifice” (GIRM, #78).
The
Eucharist Prayer includes:
-- Thanksgiving, expressed in the Preface, which gives thanks to
God the
Father for the whole work of salvation;
--
Acclamation,
expressed in the "Holy, Holy, Holy" which is said or sung
by the entire assembly;
--
Epiclesis, which
invokes the power of the Holy Spirit
over the gifts;
--
Institution narrative and consecration, which repeats the
words and
actions of Christ at the Last Supper: "Take, all of you
and eat... this is
my body... this is my blood."
--
Anamnesis: in which the assembly remembers
the saving power of
Christ’s passion, resurrection
and ascension;
--
Offering:
in which the Church offers the
Holy Spirit as the spotless
Victim to the Father. At the same time, the Church
intends "that the
faithful...learn to offer themselves, and so
day by day...be
consummated through Christ the Mediator into
unity with God and with
each other" (GIRM #79).
--
Intercessions:
which we pray for the whole Church, both the living and
the dead, in heaven and on earth.
--
Final doxology: which declares our intention to offer the Eucharist in,
through and with Jesus
Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
The assembly responds to the
Eucharistic Prayer with the acclamation “Amen.”
•
The Communion Rite. This rite is the part of the
Liturgy of the Eucharist in which the whole assembly prepares
for and receives Holy Communion, the body and blood of the
Lord. The Communion Rite consists of:
-- The Lord’s Prayer, which is prayed
out loud (or sung) by the assembly.
In the Catholic Mass, the
priest adds the embolism, an extension to the
last petition of
the Prayer, to which the assembly adds a doxology: “for
thine is
the kingdom, the power and the glory….”
--
The Rite of Peace, the Church’s prayer for peace and unity --
communion -- which is symbolically
expressed within the assembly by
a handshake or another gesture
recommended by the national
Conference of Bishops.
--
The Fraction, in which the priest (or the assisting
deacon) breaks a
piece of the Eucharistic bread to symbolize
“that the many faithful are
made one body (1 Cor 10:17) by
receiving Communion from the one
Bread of Life which is Christ,
who died and rose for the salvation of the
world." The priest then breaks off a piece of the Bread and
puts it into
the chalice “to signify the unity of the Body and
Blood of the Lord in the
work of salvation, namely, of the
living and glorious Body of Jesus
Christ” (GIRM #83). The assembly and choir sing the Agnus Dei during
the fraction
rite.
-- Communion, during which the body of
blood are received first by the
presiding priest and then by the
assembly. According to the General
Instruction, “It is
most desirable that the faithful, just as the priest
himself is
bound to do, receive the Lord’s Body from hosts consecrated
at
the same Mass and that, in the instances when it is permitted,
they
partake of the chalice so that even by means of the signs
Communion
will stand out more clearly as a participation in the
sacrifice actually
being celebrated” (GIRM #85).
--
Prayer After Communion, read out loud by the priest, which brings the
Communion Rite and the Liturgy of the Eucharist to a conclusion.
The assembly sits during the
Preparation of the Gifts, kneels (or in some cases stands)
during most of the Eucharistic Prayer and the Communion Rite,
and stands during the Preface, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Rite
of Peace.
The assembly and choir sing or chant a Communion song
during Communion “to express the communicants’ union in spirit,...to show joy of heart, and
to highlight more clearly the ‘communitarian’ nature of the
procession to receive Communion” (GIRM #86). When Communion is
finished the priest and faithful may spend some time praying
privately or a hymn may be sung by the congregation.
Appreciating the
Liturgy of the Eucharist
We live in a
"disenchanted" secular society which is uncomfortable
with mysteries of any kind, especially sacred mysteries, or
truths which cannot be “proven” by human reason or science
alone. We tend to expect that there ought to be a
"perfectly reasonable" (which is to say, a totally
understandable) explanation for everything that happens. We demand
concrete, "objective," material proof.
While human knowledge and science are important,
Christians believe that there is more to reality than "meets the
eye." We believe that there is another, deeper,
transcendent dimension to reality which is not entirely subject
to perfectly reasonable or concrete proof. We believe that God is
present in time and space, first through the mystery of
Creation, and even more fully through the mystery of the
Incarnation. For us, material reality points to this
sacred mystery and reveals this sacred presence, even though we
cannot "prove" it scientifically or explain it by human reason
alone. This is what we call the principle of sacramentality.
The ultimate expression of our belief in the sacramentality of material things is our
belief in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
As Catholics, we believe that the bread and wine become the
real, sacramental body and blood of Christ, even though it is
difficult to explain how this happens; we believe that by
receiving the body and blood of Christ we too are transformed into
the living Body of Christ, a reality which is more likely to be
experienced than explained.
Suggestions for Reflection and Discussion
•
Think about times when
you have experienced the tension that exists between the
mysteries of life and factual knowledge revealed to us by human
reason or science.
•
Recall examples of where,
when or how have you experienced God’s presence in nature, in
other people, in the sacraments or in the Eucharist.
•
Consider why it is important to you
that the bread and wine -- and the assembly -- are transformed
into the Body of Christ on earth.
• • •
Concluding Rites
The concluding rites consist of the
following components:
-- Brief announcements, if they are
necessary;
-- Greeting and blessing, which on
certain days and special occasions
may expressed in an extended
prayer over the People or another more
solemn formula;
-- Dismissal of the people by the
deacon or the priest, using the ancient
formula from which the
term “Mass” was derived: “Ita missa est – Go,
the Mass is
ended.”
-- Closing Procession, by which the
priest, deacon and other ministers
leave the sanctuary as the
choir and assembly sing a closing hymn.
The assembly stands during the
Concluding Rites.
Appreciating the Concluding Rites
We
live
in a society which
promises equal opportunity to all, but often empowers only a few
exceptional people and under-values the contributions of many
others. Even theologically, there are voices which
under-value the role of human activity in the world, or
theologies which believe that only a chosen few are saved. As a
result, many people feel useless,
discouraged and powerless in a society where their only purpose
is consuming goods and services other people produce; and the
chosen few are preoccupied protecting their privileges and
hard-earned "success."
Catholic
Christians, however, are people of mission and hope. We believe that what
human beings do in this world makes a difference and that every
human being has both the responsibility and the right to
contribute in some way to God’s saving work in the world.
We believe that the human race is saved by faith expressed in works
of the human body, mind and spirit.
The Dismissal Rite reminds
us that we all share in Jesus' mission
to proclaim the Good News and transform the world. God's
continuing effort in history to create a world which anticipates the
Kingdom relies on our cooperation and our effort, even if it
does not ultimately depend on us. This conviction gives a
sense of purpose and value to every human life; it is a source
of both hope and gratitude.
Suggestions for Reflection and Discussion
•
Think about some of the
concrete
circumstances in which you have felt under-valued, discouraged or powerless as
an individual or as a family member in our society.
•
Recall examples of where, when or how you
have experienced a sense of purpose, meaning and hope about your life?
•
Consider the difference it makes to individuals and to society
if each human life is considered to have a purpose and meaning.
• • •
Guide to the Mass
Resources Online
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy/Sacrosanctum Concilium
(1963)
Eucharist in the Church/Ecclesia de Eucharistia
(2003)
General Instruction on the Roman Missal
(2003)
Real
Presence of Jesus in the Sacrament of the Eucharist
(2001)
Resources About the Revised Roman
Missal
A Walk Through the Mass (Catholic Update, 1989)
Changes in the Mass (Catholic Update, 2003)
Eucharist--What Has Happened to My Devotion
(Catholic Update, 1992)
The Eucharist--Understanding Christ's Body (Catholic
Update, 1999)
How to Participate More Actively in the Mass
(Catholic Update, 1982)
Participating Fully at Sunday Mass (Catholic Update,
1998)
The Real Presence (Catholic Update, 2001)
Why I Go to Mass (Catholic Update, 2002)
_________________
Written by Dave Cushing
• • •
For More
Information Contact:
Director of Adult Faith Formation
•
320 Mulberry Street,
Waterloo IA 50703.
Phone:
319-234-9912 • Email:
DBQ208s3@arch.pvt.k12.ia.us
Posted
06.16.11
•
Last Update
06.16.11
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