I. What is Liturgy?
A. What the word means: a public act of worship
B. Different kinds of Liturgy in the Church
1. The Mass, the most important kind of Liturgy, central to the life of the Church
2. The Liturgy of the Hours, monastic prayer: about sanctifying time
3. Each of the sacraments is properly its own liturgy
4. The Liturgy of the Word with the Rite of Distribution of Communion outside of Mass
C. A “rite”: the “ceremonies, prayers, and functions of any religious body”; or “the whole complex of the services of any Church or group of Churches,” as for example, the Roman Rite, the Byzantine Rite, or the various Eastern Rites (newadvent.org)
D. We are members of the Roman Rite (or Latin Rite)
E. A “rubric”: the word means “red”; in ancient times, it was the red earth used by carpenters to mark on wood before sawing; today, it signifies the written instruction for actions to be performed in the liturgy (newadvent.org)
F. Liturgy is the “action” of Christ the priest and His Body, the Church. An action is something that accomplishes something; in the Mass, for example, Christ’s suffering, death, and Resurrection are re-presented to the participants so that they can take part in it, offering their own sufferings united to the entire Church’s sufferings, and through Communion, taking God away as strength to carry on throughout the week (or day).
G. Encouragement to attend daily Mass as part of your spiritual discipline – try it during Lent, if you like.
II. What is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
A. What the Church means by “the Mass”
1. a celebration of the Paschal Mystery of Christ; that is, of his suffering, death, and Resurrection
2. A “re-presentation” of Calvary; an entering into the mystery of Christ’s passion, as if it were happening before us in the church – we are unfathomably present at the foot of the very Cross itself
3. Through the Mass we share in the suffering of Christ – this is part of “Communion” – so that we may come to share in his glory
4. We offer ourselves to the Father as Christ offered Himself; we worship God “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23), even as Christ promised that His People would
5. The Mass is the highest prayer of the Church, and it is the prayer of the whole Church: which is why the Mass is read from a sacramentary, so that it is the same everywhere
6. “Assisting” vs. “Attending” Mass
B. The institution of the Mass: The Last Supper
While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. (Mark 14:22-26). Luke adds: “Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19).
Notice that Christ, as his passion and death are beginning, is already looking forward to the New Creation. This is the proper attitude for all Christians who suffer – we look forward to the life that is to come – and indeed, is the key to happiness for everyone. We live in the moment – the “eternal now” – but look forward to the future with great happiness and hope.
C. The languages and rites of the Mass
1. English vs. Latin
2. The Rite of Paul VI
3. The Tridentine Rite
4. The Eastern Catholic Divine Liturgy
D. The Mass goes all the way back to the ancient Church; read CCC 1345 for St. Justin’s account
E. The Mass is the same the world over. Mass in Nepal: completely recognizable, even in a foreign land and language
III. Why we sing at Mass
A. St. Augustine said, “Singing is for the one who loves.”
B. Singing has been part of the worship of Israel going back as far as Moses. “Write out this song, then, for yourselves,” God said to Moses. “Teach it to the Israelites and have them recite it, so that this song may be a witness for me” (Deut. 31:19).
C. Singing in the New Testament: St. James asks, “Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praise” (James 5:13). As already shown, Jesus and His Disciples sang together after the Last Supper.
D. From “Sing to the Lord: Music in Divine Worship”:
1. God has bestowed upon his people the gift of song. God dwells within each human person, in the place where music takes its source. Indeed, God, the giver of song, is present whenever his people sing his praises.
2. A cry from deep within our being, music is a way for God to lead us to the realm of higher things.
3. The primordial song of the Liturgy is the canticle of victory over sin and death. It is the song of the saints, standing beside “the sea of glass”: “They were holding God’s harps, and they sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Rev. 15:3).
4. This common, sung expression of faith within liturgical celebrations strengthens our faith when it grows weak and draws us into the divinely inspired voice of the Church at prayer. Faith grows when it is well expressed in celebration. Good celebrations can foster and nourish faith.
IV. Opening Rites
A. Processional. The priest and those who will help him celebrate the Mass process in and reverence the altar, the table of the Lord where the holy sacrifice will take place.
B. Greeting. The priest begins with the sign of the cross and one of several possible greetings; my favorite is “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” A bishop’s greeting is, “Peace be with you.”
C. Pentitential Rite. The gathered communally confess their sins and ask for God’s mercy, and the priest gives an absolution, which forgives venial sins. Persons aware of having committed mortal sin still must attend private Confession and be absolved before receiving the Holy Eucharist.
D. The Gloria. An ancient hymn of praise and thanksgiving, through which we unite ourselves with the saints and angels in Heaven: “And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen’” (Rev. 7:11-12).
E. Collect (Opening Prayer). The collect expresses the main theme of the Mass.
V. The Liturgy of the Word
A. Readings. The assembly hears the Word of God in order to be fed, instructed, and prepared to receive the Eucharist.
1. The First Reading is usually from the Old Testament, except during Easter season, when it is out of Acts of the Apostles.
2. The response is always a Psalm, usually sung on Sundays.
3. The Second Reading, when there is one, is from the New Testament.
B. Then follows the proclamation of the Gospel. On Sundays, the Gospel is usually introduced by a sung Alleluia.
C. Homily. The homily, which is given by the bishop, priest, or deacon, can be an exhortation to goodness; it can also be an explanation of a doctrine that was suggested by the readings, or it can be an explanation of the readings as applied to current events in the life of the community.
D. The Profession of Faith. This ancient formula is a summary of what the Church believes, expressing the central truths of the faith. Its purpose here is to unite the community as one in faith before receiving the Holy Eucharist together.
E. The Prayers of the Faithful. These prayers come from the community and serve to remind the faithful that they are united with the whole Church around the table of the Word and Eucharist.
VI. The Liturgy of the Eucharist
A. The Preparation of the Gifts: the beginning of the sacrificial offering
1. “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.” “Blessed be God for ever.”
2. “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.”
3. “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.” “Blessed be God for ever.”
4. The produce of the Earth, changed through the “work of human hands,” will be changed further when it becomes the Body and Blood of Christ. In the Mass, the Earth and her creatures, humanity, and all of Heaven become united.
5. “Lord God, we ask you to receive us and be pleased with the sacrifice we offer you with humble and contrite hearts.”
6. “Lord, wash away my iniquity; cleanse me from my sin.”
7. The people conclude the Preparation of the Gifts with the following exchange: “Pray, brethren, that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.” “May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and the glory of his name, for our good, and the good of all his Church.”
8. Notice that everything is “we” or “our”: the priest does not offer his prayers on his own; even when he is speaking inaudibly, he is praying on behalf of the whole congregation, all of whom participate. This is why active participation at Mass, a difficult gift to cultivate, is so important: we the people really are a part of what is going on.
VII. The Eucharistic Prayer or “Canon of the Mass”
A. The central prayer of the entire Eucharistic celebration
B. There are four different Eucharistic prayers in common use, but they have common elements and all accomplish the same thing: the consecration (“confection”) of the host and wine.
1. Preface Dialogue
2. Preface
3. Holy, Holy. A prayer of praise and thanksgiving to the Father. We join with the saints and angels, much as we did for the Gloria.
4. Epiclesis. The calling down of the Holy Spirit upon the gifts to change them into the Body and Blood of Christ.
5. Institution Narrative. “Take this, all of you, and eat it…” The elevation of the Host and Chalice is the moment of consecration. The entire prayer should be viewed as one action, not as a series of steps. If the priest has a heart attack and dies in the middle of the Eucharistic Prayer, another priest has to be called in to finish the Mass-precisely because the whole narrative constitutes one action.
6. Memorial Acclamation. We proclaim our common faith in Christ’s real presence and express our gratitude to Christ for the gift of salvation.
7. Amamnesis (a “calling to mind” of the Passion, resurrection, and return of Christ), Offering, and Intercessions
8. Doxology (“Through him, with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.”) and Great Amen
C. This is the central prayer of the Church and the most important moment in the life of the Church
D. Next time you’re at Mass, listen to the Eucharistic Prayer (the part that begins after everyone says the “Holy, Holy”). First of all, the prayer is offered to the Father, not to Jesus: “Father, you are holy indeed…”; “Father, we bring you these gifts…”; “Father, we ask you…”
1. The priest is praying “in the person of Christ” (in persona Christi) on behalf of the whole gathering; but the prayer remains a prayer of the whole gathering, not just the priest. You can hear that when the priest prays “we bring you these gifts”; “we ask you…”; “we offer.”
2. The priest prays that, “We who are nourished by His Body and Blood may be filled with the Holy Spirit and become one body, one spirit in Christ…”
3. The priest is offering Christ, but we the congregation, all the baptized who are present, are also offering ourselves, asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is entirely fitting to bring an intention with you to Mass, to offer to God; you can even spiritually put your intention in the Cup to be transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ.
4. In other words, the Eucharistic Prayer is prayed by the entire assembly united with Christ (the priest, acting in persona Christi) at its head. This is how the Church will be presented to the Father on the Last Day.
5. I also encourage people to begin to learn the Eucharistic prayers by heart – you can then say them to yourselves with the priest, a beautiful form of devotion. You can obtain the text of the prayers on the Web or in the Roman Missal.
E. The Lord’s Prayer: Implores God for nourishment and forgiveness of sin
F. The Sign of Peace
G. The Lamb of God: Reminds the faithful that what they are about to receive is truly the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world
H. Communion: The faithful receive the Body and Blood of Christ, the greatest gift conceivable, for it is the gift of divine life itself. The Eucharist makes us holy — and it is the goal of the Christian life to become so holy that that holiness overflows and spills into the world around us, into our relationships, our work, into everything we do and love.
VIII. The Concluding Rite
A. The priest’s blessing and dismissal
B. “Ite, misse est”: “Go, you are sent.” (It does not mean “The Mass is ended.”)
IX. Going home
A. For Catholics, Sunday Mass is the highlight of the entire week. At Mass we receive the graces that we need in order to live our daily lives.
B. But we also bring something with ourselves to Mass — the needs, the prayers of all of the people with whom we come in contact in our daily lives. We are the People of God, and we have “access” through the Holy Eucharist in a way that others don’t.
C. We should bring with us to Mass the intentions of everyone in our lives, especially non-Catholics, non-practicing Catholics, and even great sinners who will have no other opportunity to obtain the mercy of God.
1. Hugh Hefner, Timothy McVeigh, Saddam Hussein, the Ayatollah Khomenei
D. We should also dispose ourselves properly to come to Mass, by going to Confession if necessary, and by placing ourselves in an attitude of reverence toward God. This is why many people kneel to pray before Mass begins, and there are often special prayers, such as the Rosary or the Liturgy of the Hours, before Mass begins.
E. The parish is the “Church inserted into the neighborhoods of humanity,” (Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation on the Laity, 1988). Our pastor is responsible for every single soul in his parish, whether Catholic or not – and therefore, by extension, we share in that responsibility. Attendance at Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation is a duty, and a right – one that we as the People of God accept for the sake of our neighbors whom we love.
