The Mass as Exchange (Part II)

← Read Part I

The second section of the Mass, after the Introductory Rites, is called the "Liturgy of the Word" in the Ordinary Form (OF) and the "Mass of the Catechumens" in the Extraordinary Form (EF). This part of the Mass consists of readings from Scripture, along with a psalm and a homily (or sermon), followed by the Creed (on certain days) and the Prayer of the Faithful.

It is customary in the Ordinary Form, according to the ancient tradition of the Church, for catechumens (those who are preparing for baptism) to be dismissed after the homily and before the Creed.

As the Liturgy of the Word begins, the exchange between God and man has come this far: we have approached God at His altar, received His mercy, and responded by glorified Him in thanksgiving. This exchange continues as we hear the Word of God spoken in the liturgy.

Readings from Scripture

The Missal used for the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass typically has two readings from Scripture: the Lesson or Epistle (depending on whether it is from the Old or New Testament) and the Gospel. Between these there is a Psalm (called a Gradual). The cycle of readings repeated each year, and the readings on weekdays are usually those of the preceding Sunday (except on certain feasts, during Lent, and at certain other times of the year).

The Second Vatican Council called for the "treasures of the bible ... to be opened up more lavishly" so that "a more representative portion of the holy scriptures will be read to the people in the course of a prescribed number of years." (SC 51) In the reforms which produced the Ordinary Form of the Mass, this directive has been applied in three ways:

1. On Sundays and certain feast days, there are three readings from Scripture: the first usually from the Old Testament (except during the Easter season when it is taken from the Acts of the Apostles), the second usually from the New Testament letters (except during the Easter season when it is taken from St. John's book of Revelation), and the third from Gospels. There is also a Psalm — called the Responsorial Psalm because it is a response to the first reading — between the first and second readings; this may be sung as a Gradual or in a responsorial style (between the cantor/choir and the congregation).
2. The Sunday cycle of readings has been extended from one year to three years. In Year A we hear Matthew's Gospel, in Year B we hear Mark's (supplemented by John's), and in Year C we hear Luke's. The first reading is usually strongly related to the Gospel reading. The second readings are arranged, generally, to go through the letters chapter by chapter.
   
3. On weekdays, a two-year cycle of readings has been introduced. This cycle is completely independent from the Sunday cycle. There are still only two readings (with a Psalm in between them), with the first reading taken from either the Old or the New Testament.
   

The First and Second Readings

In the beginning of the Mass, we have spoken to God and come to Him in prayer. Now God speaks to us, He comes to us in His Word. Sacred Scripture is proclaimed to glorify God as well as to sanctify and instruct those who hear it.

We say "Thanks be to God" ("Deo gratias") at the conclusion of the First and Second Readings. (Liturgy of the Word, OM 10, 12) Because God has spoken through prophets and apostles, and the Holy Spirit has inspired the very words they wrote, it is necessary that we respond to hearing His word with gratitude. In the Scriptures, God speaks to us in magnificent prophecies; He also reveals their fulfillment through the coming of His Son. In the words of St. Paul, "Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15)

While we thank God for the gift of His word, we must also remember that there are people in this world who haven't heard His word. That is why the mission of the Church is to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15), a gospel of "repentance and forgiveness of sins" (Luke 24:47).

The Psalm

The book of Psalms was the hymnal of the kingdom of Israel. It contains hymn-prayers of various types: penitence, worship, thanksgiving, and more. We respond to the First Reading with one of these Psalms, the words of ancient Israel; these words take on new meaning because they are fulfilled by Christ. Using these ancient prayers of Israel in the Mass reminds us that the mission of God began with His calling of Israel as a nation set apart for Himself.

Alleluia

To prepare for the proclamation of the Gospel, we sing "Alleluia", from the Hebrew phrase "Hallelu-Yah", which means "Praise the Lord!" (Liturgy of the Word, OM 13) We announce the coming of the Gospel with joy and praise for God.

During Lent, when the word "Alleluia" is not spoken, the Gospel is preceded with different words: in the Ordinary Form there there is either a verse from Scripture or an acclamation such as "Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory", while in the Extraordinary Form the Alleluia is replaced by a slow and mournful Tract (usually verses from a Psalm).

The Gospel

The gospels hold a special place among the Scriptures, because they recount the life of our Lord. When they are read in the Mass, we hear not only the word of God, but we hear that word from the Word-made-flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The priest or deacon asks for a blessing that they may worthily proclaim the Gospel. The priest blesses the deacon saying, "May the Lord be in your heart and on your lips..."; the priest himself prays similar words: "Cleanse my heart and my lips, Almighty God..." (Liturgy of the Word, OM 14; cf. Isaiah 6:6-7) As the Gospel begins, we sign our foreheads, our lips, and our hearts with the Sign of the Cross: this action is accompanied by a silent prayer that the Lord might keep the Gospel in our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts. This should be our prayer as we go out to fulfill the mission of the Church.

We also respond "Glory to you, O Lord" ("Gloria tibi, Domine"), and when the Gospel reading has ended, we say "Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ" ("Laus tibi, Christe"), more expressions of gratitude. (Liturgy of the Word, OM 15-16) The priest or deacon kisses the pages of the Gospel and prays silently "Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away", again acknowledging the power of the Gospel. (Liturgy of the Word, OM 16)

How can we preach the word of God to the world if we do not know it? It is through these readings of Scripture that we receive the second gift of the Mass, God's word. This word, the Gospel, testifies to the Word, the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Homily or Sermon

In the readings, God has given to us His Word, including the message of the Gospel which we are to preach to the ends of the earth. But we need to understand it and know how to apply it our lives and to the world in which we live. In the homily or sermon, the priest or deacon explains the Scriptures to us, instructs us in the faith, and exhorts us to live according to the Gospel. Having received God's word, we now know what to do with it.

The Creed

In the Ordinary Form, after the Gospel, any catechumens who are present are dismissed from the Mass. This was an ancient custom of the Church: the profession of the Creed (which follows the homily) was something which a catechumen was not yet able to profess, and something which he would first profess at his baptism. The Creed is the "doorway" between the first and second halves of the Mass.

In the Creed, which takes its name from the Latin word credo which means "I believe" (the first words of the Creed), we solemnly profess our faith in God and His Church. We can only profess this faith because we ourselves have received it through the instruction of our parents, pastors, and friends. We have been baptized into the faith of the Church because someone before us committed themselves to following the Lord's Great Commission.

The Prayer of the Faithful

After the Creed, in the Ordinary Form of the Mass, comes the Prayer of the Faithful. This consists of a series of intercessory prayers. This is the first liturgical act after the Creed, which means that it is the first liturgical act that a catechumen will perform after having been baptized: it is their first opportunity "as members of the faithful to exercise their [baptismal] priesthood" (PS 91) by interceding for others, speaking to God on their behalf.

Summary

The Liturgy of the Word is primarily a time of listening to God speak to us, and responding with thanksgiving, giving Him praise and glory, confessing our faith in Him, and praying to Him for His Church and the whole world. The exchange has continued: we have received from God His word, the Gospel we are to bring into the world.

In the next installment, we will look at the Liturgy of the Eucharist (or the "Mass of the Faithful" as it is known in the EF) where the exchange is brought to a deeper level in the sacrifice of the Eucharist.

May the Lord bless us +, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

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Sources:

• OM - Ordo Missae I (English Translation) [USCCB]
• PS - Paschale Solemnitatis (Concerning the preparation and celebration of the Easter feasts) [CDWDS]
  

The Mass as Exchange (Part I)

← Read Previous Series, "The Mass as Mission"

In the Mass, the Church offers proper worship to Holy Trinity through Her prayers, and supremely through the offering of the Eucharist, the sacrifice of the Son to the Father through the Holy Spirit. But we receive something through the Mass as well, and our offering is not simply the Eucharist. At Mass, there is an exchange between heaven and earth, between God and man, and this exchange gives to us the graces necessary to carry out the Church's mission on earth. Through weekly (or even daily) experiences of Pentecost in our own lives, we can be filled with the Holy Spirit.

In this series, we will look at the Mass in detail — in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms — to understand who is coming near to whom, what is being exchanged, and how it is we are equipped for this most important mission: the salvation of souls.

[Note: the "Ordinary Form" (OF) of the Mass is the missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969 and most recently revised by Pope John Paul II in 2002. The "Extraordinary Form" (EF) of the Mass is the missal promulgated by Blessed Pope John XXIII in 1962, which was a revision of the missal of Pope Pius V from 1570, the so-called "Tridentine" Mass.]

In this first installment, we will look at the Introductory Rites (from the Entrance Procession through to the Collect).

The Sign of the Cross

The Mass begins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as we trace the Sign of Cross over our own bodies. Christ was once placed upon the cross; today we willingly place a sign of that cross upon ourselves. The Lord said to his Apostles, "he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:38), and then to the crowds who followed him, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:29-30)

This is the first exchange that takes place in the Mass, and it brings us back some 2000 years. We accept the gentle yoke of Christ and take up our own crosses, all the while proclaiming Christ crucified, as Paul reminded the Church in Corinth. (1 Corinthians 1:23)

Introibo ad altare Dei

Before the Sign of the Cross, however, the priest and other ministers process to the sanctuary. The EF of the Mass uses Psalm 43 (numbered 42 in the Latin Vulgate and the Douay-Rheims), Judica me, to express the spiritual disposition of the priest as he stands at the foot of the altar. The fourth verse of this psalm is used as its antiphon ("anchoring" the psalm at its beginning and end); in Latin, the verse begins : Et introibo ad altare Dei, "And I will go in to the altar of God".

This procession (one of three) is an important part of the liturgy. It reminds us that the Church on earth is a pilgrim on its way to heaven. (GIRM 318) The Mass begins with us approaching the living God: we speak to God, we come to God in prayer.

Penitential Rite and Kyrie

In the EF of the Mass, the Penitential Rite consists of the Confiteor ("I confess to Almighty God...") and a short dialogue. After this comes the Kyrie, which is a triple invocation in Greek: Kyrie eleison means "Lord have mercy" and Christe eleison is "Christ have mercy".

In the OF, this Rite has three forms: 1) the Confiteor, 2) a dialogue based on the one found in the EF, or 3) a set of three invocations combined with the Kyrie. If forms 1 or 2 are used, the Kyrie then follows.

This rite is a necessary prerequisite for offering our prayer and sacrifice of praise to God. (CCC 2631) Of this need for a penitent heart, King David wrote, "The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." (Psalm 51:17) As the priest in the OF introduces the Rite, he reminds us that we must "acknowledge our sins, that we may prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries". (Introductory Rites, OM 4)

The Gospel we are to preach contains a message of repentance; St. Mark says that Jesus began his preaching with this message: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15) God welcomes us back us the father welcomed back his prodigal son. (Luke 15) Here we receive the first gift of the Mass: the mercy of God. We receive forgiveness for our venial sins, although we still need a sacramental confession to be absolved of mortal sins. This exchange is made possible because of we have accepted the cross of Christ and bear it upon our bodies, as we attest to at the beginning of Mass.

In the words of St. Peter, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness." (1 Peter 2:24) St. Paul says the same: "Our Lord Jesus Christ ... gave himself for our sins" (Galatians 1:3-4); and again: "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3)

Scripture clearly links the crucifixion of Christ to our being forgiven of our sins. By identifying ourselves with Christ through baptism, we are given access to a new life where we can be freed from the slavery of sin (see Romans 6).

Gloria

In response to God's gratuitous forgiveness, we glorify Him with the song of the angels and the ancient hymn of the Church, the Gloria. In return for mercy, we give glory. (Psalm 115:1)

Collect

At the conclusion of the Introductory Rites (and crowning the entrance procession) is the Collect. This prayer (one in the OF, potentially more in the EF) "collects" the intentions of the Mass as well as the private prayers of the faithful; it directs and focuses them on the reason for the celebration of the Mass that day, such as honoring a saint or remembering a particular mystery of the life of Christ.

Summary

In the Introductory Rites, we remind ourselves of Christ's crucifixion, which gives us access to God's mercy and the forgiveness of our sins, the first grace received in the Mass. This mercy is not just a grace for us, but it is part of the gospel we are charged with preaching by the Lord. We are pilgrims on our way to the God who meets us in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Father who welcomes back His wayward children: we are told to share this indescribable gift and hope with all the world.

In the next installment, we will look at the Liturgy of the Word (the "Mass of the Catechumens" as it is known in the EF) to continue examining the exchange between God and man, and to see how God responds to our approaching Him.

May the Lord bless us +, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

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Sources:

• GIRM - General Instruction of the Roman Missal [USCCB]
• CCC - Catechism of the Catholic Church [The Cross Reference]
  
• OM - Ordo Missae I (English Translation) [USCCB]