The Catholic Mass

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The Catholic Mass
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Mass is Based On Jesus Last Supper
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IMPORTANT VOCABULARY!

• Priest An ordained minister in the Catholic
  Church who has the authority to oversee the
  celebration of certain sacraments (including the
  Eucharist)
• Rite A religious ritual
• Congregation A group of people who are assembled
  for religious worship
• Liturgy The official ritual worship of the Church

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Parts of the Mass

• There are two main parts of the Mass
• The Liturgy of the Word
• The part of the Mass when we read Scripture
• The Liturgy of the Eucharist
• The part of the Mass when we receive the body and
  blood of Christ.

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Parts of the Mass

• These two main parts are framed by two other
  rites
• The Gathering Rites
• The Concluding Rite

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Parts of the Mass

• Which means that there are 4 parts altogether

Liturgy of the Word
Liturgy of the Eucharist
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Gathering Rites
Concluding Rite
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The GATHERING Rites

• Entrance Procession The priest enters the Church
  from the back, reverencing the altar (everyone
  bows the priest kisses the altar). The
  Congregation stands and remains standing
  throughout the gathering rites.
• Greeting (the priest says a few words)
• Penitential Rite
• Sometimes we say the Confiteor (I confess to
  Almighty God)
• We always say the Kyrie (Lord, have mercy)

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• After the Gloria (which is a hymn of praise to
  God) the Priest leads the congregation in an
  Opening Prayer by saying, Let us pray
• This is followed by a brief period of silence,
  followed by an Opening Prayer recited by the
  Priest (this prayer is different at every Mass).
• After the Opening Prayer, everybody sits.
• The Opening Prayer leads us directly into the
  first MAJOR part of the Massthe Liturgy of the
  Word.

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IMPORTANT VOCABULARY!

• Old Testament Also called the Hebrew
  Scriptures. The stories of the Jewish people
  (remember, Jesus was Jewish, and so these stories
  are very important for Christians as well).
• Psalms Poetic prayers that are part of the Old
  Testament.
• New Testament The Christian Scriptures,
  including stories about Jesus life, the letters
  of St. Paul, etc.
• Gospel The stories about Jesus life, death and
  resurrection that are part of the New Testament.

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Liturgy of the Word

• During a typical Sunday Mass there are 3
  readings.
• The first reading comes from the Old Testament.
• Reflects the continuity between Israel and Jesus,
  who came to fulfill the promises made by God to
  Israel.
• Following the first reading, there is a
  Responsorial Psalm, typically set to music.

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Liturgy of the Word

• The second reading is from the New Testament.
• Usually from one of the epistles (letters) in the
  New Testament.
• Response to both the first and second readings
  Thanks be to God
• After the second reading, we STAND and sing
  Alleluia! It heralds (or welcomes) the Gospel
  reading, which comes next.

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Alleluia!

• Alleluia means Praise the Lord!
• During the Alleluia, the Priest raises the
  Gospel. This introduces the most important part
  of the Liturgy of the Word.
• During Lent, we never say Alleluia, because it
  is an exclamation of praise to the Risen Lord.

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The Gospel Reading

• PRIEST The Lord be with you
• RESPONSE And also with you.
• PRIEST A reading from the Holy Gospel according
  to
• RESPONSE (While making the sign of the cross on
  your forehead, lips and heart) Glory to you, Oh
  Lord
• READING by the PRIEST
• PRIEST The Gospel of the Lord
• RESPONSE Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

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Profession of Faith

• Following the Homily, the congregation stands and
  recites the Nicene Creed.
• We believe in one God
• The Nicene Creed summarizes everything that the
  Church has taught for the past 2,000 years.

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General Intercessions

• From the chair, the priest invites the people to
  pray.
• LECTOR let us pray to the Lord.
• RESPONSE Lord, hear our prayer.
• Repeated after each prayer petition.

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IMPORTANT VOCABULARY!

• Altar The place of sacrifice, as well as the
  table from which Christians are fed. It is the
  central focus of the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

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Liturgy of the Eucharist

• The second major part of the Mass.
• The Liturgy of the Word focuses on Scripture, but
  the Liturgy of the Eucharist focuses on the altar.

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Preparation of the Altar

• The gifts of bread and wine are placed at the
  back of the church before the service.
• Collection basket is passed around sign of
  support for the ministry of the church.
• In procession, people bring the gifts (bread and
  wine) forward to the priest. This is called the
  offertory procession.
• This act echoes offerings of early church, when
  people would bring the bread and wine (and other
  stuff) they made in preparation for the Lords
  Supper.

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1. TAKEN
Priest accepting the gifts of the community that
are brought forth
2. BLESSED
3. BROKEN
4. GIVEN
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IMPORTANT VOCABULARY!

• Paten A small plate, usually made out of silver
  or gold, used to hold Body of Christ (the
  consecrated bread).
• Chalice A standing cup, usually made out of
  silver or gold, used to hold the Blood of Christ
  (the consecrated wine).

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Preparation of the Gifts

• Priest pours the wine into the chalice, and adds
  a few drops of water, symbolizing the union of
  the humanity and divinity of Christ.
• When he receives the gifts, the priest recites
  prayers based on those used during the Jewish
  Passover meal.
• The priest lifts the paten of bread above the
  altar.
• PRIEST Blessed are you, Lord God of all
  creation, through your goodness
• The priest does the same thing with the chalice
  of wine.

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Eucharistic Prayer

• After washing his hands the priest invites the
  community to prepare for the Eucharist with him.
• The Preface Dialogue (Lift up your hearts)
• The Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy) The community
  prays the prayer to Christ from the Book of
  Revelation
• The priest then chooses one of several
  Eucharistic Prayers to recount the story of the
  Last Supper

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The Consecration

• During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the priest
  is acting in persona Christi (as the person of
  Christ).
• At the moment of the consecration, the priest is
  Jesus.
• The priest takes the paten and says, This is my
  body
• Then he elevates the host for the congregation to
  see, and genuflects in front of the altar.
• He takes the chalice and says, This is the cup
  of My Blood

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Eucharist as the presence of God

• When the bread and wine are consecrated by the
  priest, they are transformed into Jesus body and
  blood.
• Therefore, this is THE MOST SACRED part of the
  Mass.
• This transformation is called Transubstantiation.
• The Eucharist is the most personal encounter with
  God.

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1. TAKEN
Priest accepting the gifts of the community that
are brought forth
2. BLESSED
The consecration of the bread and wine during the
Eucharistic Prayer
3. BROKEN
4. GIVEN
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After the Consecration

• The community recites together the Memorial
  Acclamation (Christ has died is the most
  common)
• Prayers for the entire Church, now joined
  together as one through the Eucharist, are
  spoken.
• The Eucharistic Prayer ends with a Doxology
  (Through him, with him, in him)
• Community responds with a Great Amen (I
  believe!)

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Communion Rite

• The Communion Rite opens in the model of Jesus
  with the Lords Prayer.
• While holding hands, we either sing or recite the
  Lords Prayer (Our Father).
• The Lords Prayer is followed by the Sign of
  Peace.
• Sign of peace was once used to resolve conflicts
  with a neighbor before receiving the Eucharist

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Breaking of the Bread

• The priest breaks the bread and prepares the
  Eucharist for the Communion procession.
• Congregation recites the Agnus Dei or Lamb of
  God, recalling the Passover sacrifice of a lamb
  to save the life of Gods people
• Priest holds up consecrated bread and wine to the
  congregation, who publically declares its
  unworthiness to receive it (Lord, I am not
  worthy)

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1. TAKEN
Priest accepting the gifts of the community that
are brought forth
2. BLESSED
The consecration of the bread and wine during the
Eucharistic Prayer
3. BROKEN
The breaking of the bread by the priest,
following the sign of peace
4. GIVEN
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The Communion Procession

• Priest or Extraordinary Minister The Body of
  Christ
• RESPONSE Amen
• Saying Amen is another way of saying Yes, I
  believe that this is truly the Body of Christ.
• After receiving Holy Communion, we go back to the
  pew, kneel (or sit) and pray silently for a few
  minutes, or sing the Communion song

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1. TAKEN
Priest accepting the gifts of the community that
are brought forth
2. BLESSED
The consecration of the bread and wine during the
Eucharistic Prayer
3. BROKEN
The breaking of the bread by the priest,
following the sign of peace
The Communion Procession
4. GIVEN
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Who May Receive Communion?

• Who should not receive Communion?
• Non-Catholics
• Catholics who have not fasted prior to Communion
• Catholics who havent made their First Confession
  and First Communion.

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Bread and Wine

• Bread and Wine are the two species of Eucharist
• Usually everyone takes the bread
• The wine is optional
• Wine was once reserved for those celebrating and
  helping
• Wine is sometimes not offered for practical
  reasons
• Some parishes allow you to dip host in wine

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Concluding Rite and Dismissal

• After a closing prayer, the priest blesses and
  dismisses the people
• The name Mass comes from the Latin Ite, missa
  est (roughly translated as Go, you are sent
  forth), the priests final words
• Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord and one
  another
• The Community united by Eucharist is called to be
  a community OUTSIDE of the Mass.