The Mass: Its Essential and Ceremonial Nature

A presentation given by Father Dylan Schrader for the faculty of St Joseph Cathedral School on 12 August 2010

This presentation aims to answer some questions:

 What is the Eucharist?

 What is the Mass?

 What are the essential characteristics of the Mass of the Roman Rite?

 How can I participate at Mass?

To answer these questions well, we must use:

 God's Revelation  as carried by Tradition  as reported in Sacred Scripture  as defined and explained by the Magisterium of the Church  The writings of saints  The theories of reliable theologians

But, most of all:

 We must immerse ourselves in the Mass, not only studying it but, above all,

offering and praying the Mass

according to the mind of the Church.

 In fact,

the most important goal of catechesis on the Mass is a greater participation in the Mass itself

.

 Moreover, “the best catechesis on the Eucharist is the Eucharist itself, celebrated well” (Benedict XVI,

Sacramentum caritatis

, n. 64).

Engaging the Mystery

 To help us begin to engage the

mystery

of this Most Holy Sacrament, we will begin by reflecting on the sequence for the Solemnity of

Corpus Christi

, the chant entitled

Lauda Sion

.

 This sequence was composed by St Thomas Aquinas at the request of Pope Urban IV in the 13 th century.

 It contains beautiful and doctrinally-rich lyrics.

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

 The Eucharist can be considered

as a sacrament

and

as a sacrifice

.

 Part 1 reviews the Church's belief in the Eucharist as a sacrament; Part 2 (What is the Mass?) covers the Church's teaching on the Eucharist as a sacrifice.

 We distinguish these two aspects but do not at all wish to separate them.

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?



Institution

: The Eucharist is a true sacrament, instituted personally by Jesus Christ, and, by his command, perpetuated in the Church.

 “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' And likewise the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.'” (Lk 22:19 20. Cf. Mt 26: 26-28; Mk 14:22-24)

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

 St Paul speaks of the celebration of the Eucharist (the Mass) as a command of the Lord and a participation in his death: “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, 'This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” (1 Cor 11:23-26)

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?



Sacramental Reality

: The Eucharist is Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine.

 This belief takes true

faith

, believing in Christ's words because of his authority and not because we actually perceive any change in the bread and wine.

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

 “For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.” (Jn 6: 56-57)

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

 “Observe well those who are heterodox in respect to the grace of Jesus Christ that has come to us; see how they are opposed to the mind of God. ... They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the Flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins and which, in his goodness, the Father raised.” (St Ignatius of Antioch (d. ca. 107),

Letter to the Smyrnaeans

, 7, in O'Connor,

The Hidden Manna

, pp. 15-16)

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

 “Therefore Christ Our Lord, who by suffering offered for us that which, by being born, he had received from us, and who has been made High Priest forever, has given to us the rite of sacrificing that which you see, namely, his Body and Blood. ... Recognize in the Bread that which hung on the Cross; recognize in the chalice what flowed from his side.” (St Augustine, Sermon 228 B, in

Hidden Manna

, p. 60)

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?



How the Real Presence Comes About

: The Real Presence comes about by the total conversion of the substance of bread into the Body of Christ and the total conversion of the substance of wine into the Blood of Christ.

 The Church calls this change

transubstantiation

.

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

 “And because Christ, our Redeemer, declared that which He offered under the species of bread to be truly His own body, therefore has it ever been a firm belief in the Church of God, and this holy Synod now declares anew, that, by the consecration of the bread and of the wine, a conversion is made of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord, and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of His blood; which conversion is, by the holy Catholic Church, suitably and properly called Transubstantiation.” (Council of Trent, Session 13, Chapter 4)

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?



Transubstantiation

: A complete change of substance without a change of accidents.



Substance

(while meaning various things in philosophy and theology), in this case means “the individual thing, existing stably, of which other things are predicated.” The substance is the subject of existence.



Substance

comes from

sub

+

stare

= “to stand beneath.”  So, when an apple ripens and changes color, the color changes but it is the same apple. We say that the apple has color, not that the “color has apple.” The apple is the substance.

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

 The term

substance accident

.

also complements the term 

Accident

comes from

accidere

= “to happen”  Accidents are not individually existing things but are properties of other things. So, “greenness” is an accident of a green apple. If the apple becomes red, we say that there has been an

accidental change

, i.e., a change in the accidents of the apple.

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

 There are also

substantial changes,

which happen all the time. If I eat the apple, my body converts it into energy and tissue. There is no longer an apple. The material that was in the apple has become a new substance.

 You will note that the accidents of the apple also go away with the substantial change of the apple: When the apple is digested, it's not green anymore.

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

 In

transubstantiation

, something totally unique happens: The substance of the bread and wine change into the substance of Christ,

but

the accidents belonging to the bread and wine remain because God prevents the corresponding accidental change by a miracle.

 If

transubstantiation

were like natural substantial changes, then after the consecration we would immediately see Christ on the altar. Instead, we see the appearances (or

species

) of bread and wine.

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

 The accidents of the bread and wine continue to exist without a proper subject.

 It is wrong to say that the bread and wine continue to exist after the consecration.

 It is true that Christ remains

locally

in Heaven according to the natural manner of existence.

  When the Host is moved, Christ is not

locally

moved, but the accidents of bread and wine are moved.

Christ does not “leave Heaven” when he becomes present substantially on the altar. (Council of Trent, Session 13, Chapter 1)

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

 “Every theological explanation which seeks some understanding of this mystery must, in order to be in accord with Catholic faith, maintain that in the reality itself, independently of our mind, the bread and wine have ceased to exist after the Consecration, so that it is the adorable body and blood of the Lord Jesus that from then on are really before us under the sacramental species of bread and wine, as the Lord willed it, in order to give Himself to us as food and to associate us with the unity of His Mystical Body.” (Paul VI,

Credo of the People of God

)

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

  The permanent validity of the language of transubstantiation: “And so the rule of language which the Church has established through the long labor of centuries, with the help of the Holy Spirit, and which she has confirmed with the authority of the Councils, and which has more than once been the watchword and banner of orthodox faith, is to be religiously preserved, and no one may presume to change it at his own pleasure or under the pretext of new knowledge. Who would ever tolerate that the dogmatic formulas used by the ecumenical councils for the mysteries of the Holy Trinity and the Incarnation be judged as no longer appropriate for men of our times, and let others be rashly substituted for them?

In the same way, it cannot be tolerated that any individual should on his own authority take something away from the formulas which were used by the Council of Trent to propose the Eucharistic Mystery for our belief.

These formulas —like the others that the Church used to propose the dogmas of faith —express concepts that are not tied to a certain specific form of human culture, or to a certain level of scientific progress, or to one or another theological school. Instead they set forth what the human mind grasps of reality through necessary and universal experience and what it expresses in apt and exact words, whether it be in ordinary or more refined language. For this reason, these formulas are adapted to all men of all times and all places.” (Paul VI,

Mysterium fidei

, n. 24)

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?



Concomitance

: “Immediately after the consecration, the veritable Body of our Lord, and His veritable Blood, together with His soul and divinity, are under the species of bread and wine; but the Body indeed under the species of bread, and the Blood under the species of wine, by the force of the words; but the body itself under the species of wine, and the blood under the species of bread, and the soul under both, by the force of that natural connexion and concomitance whereby the parts of Christ our Lord, who hath now risen from the dead, to die no more, are united together; and the divinity, furthermore, on account of the admirable hypostatic union thereof with His body and soul. Wherefore it is most true, that as much is contained under either species as under both; for Christ whole and entire is under the species of bread, and under any part whatsoever of that species; likewise the whole (Christ) is under the species of wine, and under the parts thereof.” (Council of Trent, Session 13, Chapter 3)

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

 The bread becomes the Body of Christ; the wine becomes the Blood of Christ.

 Yet, Christ is

alive

, and, in a living man, body and blood are not separated.

 Moreover, in a living man, the soul is present with the body and blood.

 Moreover, in Christ, who is truly God and man, his divine nature is present whereever his Body, Blood, and soul are present.

 Thus, every particle or drop of the Eucharist contains the Body, Blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ.

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

 How long does the Real Presence last?

 The Real Presence of Christ lasts as long as the species (appearances) of bread and wine last.

 Thus, Christ is truly present under the smallest visible particle of what appears to be bread or the smallest visible drop of what appears to be wine.

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

 “After holy Communion, not only the hosts which remain and the particles of the hosts which have fallen from them that retain the species of bread, must be reverently reserved or consumed, on account of the reverence which is owed to the Eucharistic presence of Christ, but also with regard to other fragments of the hosts, what is prescribed about purifying the paten and chalice as found in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal must be observed.” (CDF, Decree of 2 May 1972, in

Notitiae

8 (1972), p. 227, translation mine)

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?



The essential requirements for transubstantiation

:   The

matter

: True wheat bread and true grape wine. (Paul V,

De defectibus

) The

form

: The words “this is my Body” and “this is the cup of my Blood” or words equivalent in their basic meaning. (Paul V,

De defectibus

)  The

minister

: Only a validly ordained priest or bishop. (CDF,

Sacerdotium ministeriale

, n. 4)  The

intention of the minister

: To consecrate this bread and this wine. (Paul V,

De defectibus

)

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?



The Worship we Owe to the Eucharist

: The Most Holy Eucharist must is owed the worship of

latria

, that is, the worship which is due to God alone.

 “If any one says that, in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, is not to be adored with the worship, even external of

latria

; and is, consequently, neither to be venerated with a special festive solemnity, nor to be solemnly borne about in processions, according to the laudable and universal rite and custom of holy church; or, is not to be proposed publicly to the people to be adored, and that the adorers thereof are idolators; let him be anathema.” (Council of Trent, Session 13, Canon 6)

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?



Some Effects of the Eucharist

:

  

Spiritual nourishment.

 

Increase of sanctifying grace.

 Closer union with Christ and the Church.

Actual graces needed to sustain the Christian life.

The forgiveness of venial sins.

Joy.

Part 1: What is the Eucharist?

• “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ ‘The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.’” (CCC, 1324)

Questions / Break

Part 2: What is the Mass?

Part 2: What is the Mass?

 The celebration of the Eucharist is not just a community meal but a Paul:

sacrifice

according to St  “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” (1 Cor 11:26)

Part 2: What is the Mass?

  “Therefore, my beloved, shun the worship of idols. I speak as to sensible men; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? ... Consider the people of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” (1 Cor 10:14-21) Note that he contrasts the Eucharist with the sacrifices offered to demons.

Part 2: What is the Mass?

 The Church teaches that the Mass is the

same sacrifice

as Christ's death on the cross.

 The primary priest is the same (Christ).

 The victim is the same (Christ).

 The recipient of the sacrifice is the same (God the Father).

 The purpose of the sacrifice is the same (the forgiveness of sins).

 Only the

manner of offering

the sacrifice is different: the cross was bloody, the Mass is unbloody.

Part 2: What is the Mass?

 “And forasmuch as, in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the mass, that same Christ is contained and immolated in an unbloody manner, who once offered Himself in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross; the holy Synod teaches, that this sacrifice is truly propitiatory and that by means thereof this is effected, that we obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid, if we draw nigh unto God, contrite and penitent, with a sincere heart and upright faith, with fear and reverence. For the Lord, appeased by the oblation thereof, and granting the grace and gift of penitence, forgives even heinous crimes and sins. For the victim is one and the same, the same now offering by the ministry of priests, who then offered Himself on the cross, the manner alone of offering being different.” (Council of Trent, Session 22, Chapter 2)

Part 2: What is the Mass?

 Two distinct species (bread and wine) are consecrated in order to accomplish the unbloody re-presentation of Christ's sacrifice.

  The visible separation of the species of bread and the species of wine signify the separation of Christ's Body and Blood in death (though, in reality, they are not separated after the Resurrection).

“Now the eucharistic species under which He is present symbolize the actual separation of His body and blood. Thus the commemorative representation of His death, which actually took place on Calvary, is repeated in every sacrifice of the altar, seeing that Jesus Christ is symbolically shown by separate symbols to be in a state of victimhood.” (Pius XII,

Mediator Dei

, n. 70)

Part 2: What is the Mass?

 The sacrifices of the Old Testament prefigured the sacrifice of the Mass, e.g.:   Abel's offering from his flock.

Abraham and Isaac: “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” (Gen 22:8)  Melchisedek's offering of bread and wine.

 The Passover Lamb.

 The Mass completes and surpasses all these, which were shadows of it. (Heb 10:1)

Part 2: What is the Mass?

 What

kind

of sacrifice is the Mass?

     A sacrifice of praise.

A sacrifice of thanksgiving.

A sacrifice of impetration (petition).

 God is moved to grant graces he would otherwise not have granted.

A sacrifice of propitiation (atonement, satisfaction).

 God's wrath is turned away and his mercy gained.

“If any one says that the sacrifice of the mass is only a sacrifice of praise and of thanksgiving; or, that it is a bare commemoration of the sacrifice consummated on the cross, but not a propitiatory sacrifice; or, that it profits him only who receives; and that it ought not to be offered for the living and the dead for sins, pains, satisfactions, and other necessities; let him be anathema.” (Council of Trent, Session 22, Canon 3)

Part 2: What is the Mass?

 The Mass is not

another

sacrifice in addition to Christ's death on the cross. It is

the same

sacrifice as his death on the cross.

   Christ does not die again in the Mass.

Rather, the Mass is the re-presentation, the making-present of his death in various times and places.

This re-presentation of Christ's perfect sacrifice was foretold in the Old Testament: “For

from the rising of the sun, even to its setting

, my name is great among the nations; And everywhere

they bring sacrifice to my name, and a pure offering

; For great is my name among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.” (Mal 1:11)  This is a prophecy from Malachi. The prophet reports that the gentile nations will continually make a pure offering to the true God.

Part 2: What is the Mass?

 “I wish to add something that is clearly awe-inspiring, but do not be surprised or upset. What is this? It is the same offering, no matter who offers it, be it Peter or Paul. It is the same one that Christ gave to His disciples and the same one that priests now perform: the latter is in no way inferior to the former, for it is not men who sanctify the latter, but He who sanctified the former. For just as the words which God spoke are the same as those that the priest now pronounces, so too the offering is the same.” (St John Chrysostom (b. ca. 347), Homily on the Second Epistle to Timothy 2.4)

Part 2: What is the Mass?

• The Mass is the perfect worship of God, since it is the perfect worship of God the Son (true God and true man) offered to his heavenly Father.

• The Mass is a foretaste of the heavenly wedding feast.

• The Mass is the true Passover meal.

• The Mass is the foundation of the Christian life.

• The Mass is the culmination of the Christian life on earth.

Part 2: What is the Mass?

• “The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.” (CCC, 2181)

Questions / Break

Part 3: The Roman Mass

The Roman Rite of Mass

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• Some characteristic ceremonial elements: • The Latin language.

• Sacred music (e.g., Gregorian chant and polyphony) • Silence • Worship

ad orientem

(at least in spirit).

• Hierarchical (Each person carries out his proper function).

• “Noble simplicity.” • To the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.

• Chiastic structures and symmetry.

• Triplets.

• Intentional, Goal-oriented movement (not self-enclosed).

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• The Latin Language: • “The Church has ever held the literary evidences of this wisdom in the highest esteem. She values especially the Greek and Latin languages in which wisdom itself is cloaked, as it were, in a vesture of gold. She has likewise welcomed the use of other venerable languages, which flourished in the East. For these too have had no little influence on the progress of humanity and civilization. By their use in sacred liturgies and in versions of Holy Scripture, they have remained in force in certain regions even to the present day, bearing constant witness to the living voice of antiquity. But amid this variety of languages a primary place must surely be given to that language which had its origins in

Latium

, and later proved so admirable a means for the spreading of Christianity throughout the West.” (John XXIII,

Veterum sapientia

(1962)).

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• The Latin Language: • “Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites.” (Vatican II,

Sacrosanctum Concilium

, n. 36) • “Mass is celebrated either in Latin or in another language, provided that liturgical texts are used which have been approved according to the norm of law. Except in the case of celebrations of the Mass that are scheduled by the ecclesiastical authorities to take place in the language of the people, Priests are always and everywhere permitted to celebrate Mass in Latin.” (CDWDS,

Redemptionis Sacramentum

(2004), n. 112)

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• The Latin Language: • “I ask that future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the preparation needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chant; nor should we forget that the faithful can be taught to recite the more common prayers in Latin, and also to sing parts of the liturgy to Gregorian chant.” (Benedict XVI,

Sacramentum caritatis

(2007), n. 62)

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• The Latin Language: • “The Roman Church has special obligations towards Latin, the splendid language of ancient Rome, and she must manifest them whenever the occasion presents itself.” (John Paul II,

Dominicae cenae

(1980), n. 10)

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• The Latin Language. Why?

• John XXIII (in

Veterum sapientia

) points out three aspects of the Latin language that make it most suited for the Roman Church. Latin is: • Universal • It is not the language of one nation or race but of the Catholic Church, which is for all people. What did you expect, Esperanto?

• Immutable • The clear meaning of the Church’s prayers and expressions will not change over time.

• Non-vernacular • The Church is not a merely human society, and it is, therefore, fitting that she should worship God not in a common language but in a sacred one.

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• Pius X wrote an excellent letter on sacred music. He said: • “Sacred music should consequently possess, in the highest degree, the qualities proper to the liturgy, and in particular

sanctity and goodness of form

, which will spontaneously produce the final quality of universality. It must be

holy

, and must, therefore,

exclude all profanity

not only in itself, but in the manner in which it is presented by those who execute it. It must be

true art

, for otherwise it will be impossible for it to exercise on the minds of those who listen to it that efficacy which the Church aims at obtaining in admitting into her liturgy the art of musical sounds. But it must, at the same time, be

universal

in the sense that while every nation is permitted to admit into its ecclesiastical compositions those special forms which may be said to constitute its native music, still these forms must be subordinated in such a manner to the general characteristics of sacred music that nobody of any nation may receive an impression other than good on hearing them.” (Pius X,

Tra le sollecitudini

(1903))

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• After laying down criteria for what sort of music is

sacred

music, Pius X said: • “These qualities are to be found, in the highest degree, in Gregorian Chant, which is, consequently the Chant proper to the Roman Church, the only chant she has inherited from the ancient fathers, which she has jealously guarded for centuries in her liturgical codices, which she directly proposes to the faithful as her own, which she prescribes exclusively for some parts of the liturgy, and which the most recent studies have so happily restored to their integrity and purity.

• On these grounds Gregorian Chant has always been regarded as the suprememodel for sacred music, so that it is fully legitimate to lay down thefollowing rule: the more closely a composition for church approaches in its movement, inspiration and savor the Gregorian form, the more sacred and liturgical it becomes; and the more out of harmony it is with that supreme model, the less worthy it is of the temple.

• The ancient traditional Gregorian Chant must, therefore, in a large measure be restored to the functions of public worship, and the fact must be accepted by all that an ecclesiastical function loses none of its solemnity when accompanied by this music alone.

• Special efforts are to be made to restore the use of the Gregorian Chant by the people, so that the faithful may again take a more active part in the ecclesiastical offices, as was the case in ancient times.” (Pius X,

Tra le sollecitudini

)

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• Sacred music: • “The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.” (Vatican II,

Sacrosanctum Concilium

, n. 116) • “Steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them.” (Vatican II,

Sacrosanctum Concilium

, n. 54)

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• Sacred music: • “The reform effected by Saint Pius X had specifically in view the purification of Church music from the contamination of profane theatrical music, which in many countries had polluted liturgical music repertoire and praxis. This is also to be considered attentively in our times, as I have placed in evidence in the Encyclical

Ecclesia de Eucharistia

: that not all expressions of the figurative arts and of music are capable "of adequately expressing the Mystery worshipped in the fullness of the Church's faith". As a consequence, not all musical forms can be considered suitable for liturgical celebrations.” (John Paul II,

Chirograph on Sacred Music

(2003), n. 4)

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• Sacred music: • “Among musical expressions that best respond to the quality required by the notion of sacred music, especially liturgical, a particular place is occupied by Gregorian chant. The Second Vatican Council recognizes it as "the song proper to the Roman Liturgy" to which it is necessary to reserve, all things being equal, first place in sung liturgical actions celebrated in the Latin language. Saint Pius X observes how the Church has "inherited" it "from the ancient Fathers", has "guarded" it "jealously over the centuries in her liturgical codices" and still "proposes" it "to the faithful" as her own, considering it "as the supreme model of sacred music". Gregorian chant, therefore, continues even today to be an element of unity in the Roman Liturgy...” (John Paul II,

Chirograph on Sacred Music

(2003), n. 7)

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• Sacred music: • “With regard to liturgical music compositions, I make my own the "general law" that Saint Pius X formulated in these terms: "A composition for Church is sacred and liturgical insofar as it approaches Gregorian melody in flow, in inspiration, and in flavor, and so much less is it worthy of the temple insomuch as it is recognized as departing from that supreme model". Evidently, this does not mean copying Gregorian chant, but rather seeing to it that new compositions be pervaded by the same spirit that gave rise to and so molded that chant. Only an artist profoundly immersed in the

sensus Ecclesiae

may try to perceive and translate into melody the truth of the Mystery that is celebrated in the Liturgy.”(John Paul II,

Chirograph on Sacred Music

(2003), n. 12)

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• Sacred music: • Remember, the ideal is to sing the text of the Mass itself: • Antiphons (Entrance, Offertory, Communion) drawn from the text of Sacred Scripture and given by the Church for each Mass.

• Prayers • Readings • Dialogues • Everything that is out loud (in the ordinary form) can be sung!

• Are we just inserting singing into the Mass, or are we singing the Mass?

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• Silence: • “Sacred silence also, as part of the celebration, is to be observed at the designated times. Its purpose, however, depends on the time it occurs in each part of the celebration. Thus within the Act of Penitence and again after the invitation to pray, all recollect themselves; but at the conclusion of a reading or the homily, all meditate briefly on what they have heard; then after Communion, they praise and pray to God in their hearts.” • “Even before the celebration itself, it is commendable that silence to be observed in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room, and in adjacent areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred action in a devout and fitting manner.” (GIRM, n. 45)

Part 3: The Roman Mass

•

Ad orientem

worship: • This is worship “facing East” (at least in spirit, if not actual East).

• This is a very ancient direction of prayer for Jews and Christians.

• The rising sun is a natural, cosmological symbol of Christ “rising sun who shines on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death” (Lk 1:79);

in his birth

as the •

and in his second coming

in glory: “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man.” (Mt 24:27) • A common direction of prayer for the priest and congregation: • Shows that all are praying to God together.

• Shows that the priest mediates between the Church and God.

• Shows that Christ, the Head of the Body, is praying to God the Father.

• Shows that the Church on earth is on a pilgrimage toward Heaven.

• Shows that the Church eagerly awaits Christ’s second coming in glory.

Part 3: The Roman Mass

“However, whatever may be the position of the celebrating priest, it is clear that the Eucharistic Sacrifice is offered to the one and triune God, and that the principal, eternal, and high priest is Jesus Christ, who acts through the ministry of the priest who visibly presides as His instrument. The liturgical assembly participates in the celebration in virtue of the common priesthood of the faithful which requires the ministry of the ordained priest to be exercised in the Eucharistic Synaxis. The physical position, especially with respect to the communication among the various members of the assembly, must be distinguished from the interior spiritual orientation of all. It would be a grave error to imagine that the principal orientation of the sacrificial action is [toward] the community. If the priest celebrates

versus populum,

which is a legitimate and often advisable, his spiritual attitude ought always to be

versus Deum per Jesus Christum

[toward God through Jesus Christ], as representative of the entire Church. The Church as well, which takes concrete form in the assembly which participates, is entirely turned

versus Deum

[towards God] as its first spiritual movement.

It appears that the ancient tradition, though not without exception, was that the celebrant and the praying community were turned

versus orientem versus orientem

during public prayer.

[toward the East], the direction from which the Light which is Christ comes. It is not unusual for ancient churches to be "oriented" so that the priest and the people were turned It may be that when there were problems of space, or of some other kind, the apse represented the East symbolically. Today the expression

versus orientem

often means

versus apsidem

, and in speaking of

versus populum

it is not the west but rather the community present that is meant.

In the ancient architecture of churches, the place of the Bishop or the celebrating priest was in the center of the apse where, seated and turned toward the community, the proclamation of the readings was listened to. Now this presidential place was not ascribed to the human person of the bishop or the priest, nor to his intellectual gifts and not even to his personal holiness, but to his role as an instrument of the invisible Pontiff, who is the Lord Jesus.” (CDWDS, Response (2000), Prot. n. 2036/00/L)

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• Roman worship is

hierarchical

, that is, it has a “holy order” to it: • “In liturgical celebrations each person, minister or layman, who has an office to perform, should do all of, but only, those parts which pertain to his office by the nature of the rite and the principles of liturgy.” (Vatican II,

Sacrosanctum Concilium

, n. 28) • Each person has his own proper role to exercise.

• The hierarchical structure of the Mass (properly understood) is visible in its ceremonies when the Mass is celebrated

ad orientem

.

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• “The rites should be distinguished by a noble simplicity; they should be short, clear, and unencumbered by useless repetitions; they should be within the people's powers of comprehension, and normally should not require much explanation.” (Vatican II,

Sacrosanctum Concilium

, n. 34)

Part 3: The Roman Mass

Per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso, est tibi Deo Patri omnipoténti, in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, omnis honor et glória per ómnia sæcula sæculorum.

Through him, and with him, and in him, to you, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, is all honor and glory, for ever and ever.

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• The Mass is a sacrifice offered to God the Father by Jesus Christ (God the Son) in the Holy Spirit, who is the bond of love between them.

• Therefore, the Church, the Body of Christ, offers the Mass to God the Father, through Jesus Christ the Son, in the Holy Spirit.

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• Chiastic structures and symmetry.

• If you examine closely the ceremonies and texts of the Mass, you will notice many

chiastic structures

(A B B A patterns) and symmetry.

• Some of these patterns have disappeared in the ordinary form (2002 Missal) but are present in the extraordinary form (1962 Missal).

• For example, to look at the beginning and end of the Mass: Sign of the Cross: Greeting … Greeting: Sign of the Cross (as blessing).

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• Triplets: • Many of the texts of the Mass have

triplets

, part of both our Jewish and Roman heritage.

• Our current English translation steamrolls a lot of these, but the new translation is more careful to preserve them.

• Examples: The

Gloria

and the Canon.

Part 3: The Roman Mass

Quóniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dóminus, tu solus Altíssimus…

“For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High...”

Part 3: The Roman Mass

…

et benedícas hæc dona, hæc múnera, hæc sancta sacrifícia illibáta

… “…and bless these gifts, these offerings, these holy and unblemished sacrifices…”

Part 3: The Roman Mass

…offérimus præcláræ maiestáti tuæ de tuis donis ac datis

hóstiam puram, hóstiam sanctam, hóstiam

immaculátam, sanctum vitæ ætérnæ et Cálicem salútis perpétuæ . Panem

“…we, your servants and your holy people, offer to your glorious majesty from the gifts that you have given us ,

this pure victim, this holy victim, this spotless victim

, the holy Bread of eternal life and the Chalice of everlasting salvation .”

Part 3: The Roman Mass

• The Roman Mass is

intentional

and

goal oriented

, not a closed-in community-centered celebration.

• The Mass involves a movement from the earthly realm to the heavenly realm.

• This is reflected in the ceremonies, especially the procession into the sanctuary and the presentation of the gifts by the faithful.

Questions / Break

Part 4: Participation at Mass

How can I participate at Mass?

Part 4: Participation at Mass

• • Through

baptism

, we have the power of participating in the sacrifice of Christ as a member of his Body.

• “Nor is it to be wondered at, that the faithful should be raised to this dignity. By the waters of baptism, as by common right, Christians are made members of the Mystical Body of Christ the Priest, and by the "character" which is imprinted on their souls, they are appointed to give worship to God. Thus they participate, according to their condition, in the priesthood of Christ.” (Pius XII,

Mediator Dei

, n. 88) Our participation is: • •

External

(attending, singing, responding, etc.)

Internal

(praying)

Part 4: Participation at Mass

• • •

Internal participation

is more important.

External participation is meant to facilitate and to correspond to internal participation.

Internal participation is primarily: • • • • Offering oneself in union with Christ, including offering the sacrifices of one's own life in union with the perfect sacrifice.

Thanking God for the gift of his Son.

Asking God for what we need.

Worshiping Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

Part 4: Participation at Mass

• “The Second Vatican Council rightly emphasized the active, full and fruitful participation of the entire People of God in the eucharistic celebration. Certainly, the renewal carried out in these past decades has made considerable progress towards fulfilling the wishes of the Council Fathers. Yet we must not overlook the fact that some misunderstanding has occasionally arisen concerning the precise meaning of this participation. It should be made clear that the word "participation" does not refer to mere external activity during the celebration. In fact, the active participation called for by the Council must be understood in more substantial terms, on the basis of a greater awareness of the mystery being celebrated and its relationship to daily life. The conciliar Constitution

Sacrosanctum Concilium

encouraged the faithful to take part in the eucharistic liturgy not "as strangers or silent spectators," but as participants "in the sacred action, conscious of what they are doing, actively and devoutly". This exhortation has lost none of its force. The Council went on to say that the faithful "should be instructed by God's word, and nourished at the table of the Lord's Body. They should give thanks to God. Offering the immaculate Victim, not only through the hands of the priest but also together with him, they should learn to make an offering of themselves. Through Christ, the Mediator, they should be drawn day by day into ever more perfect union with God and each other" (Benedict XVI,

Sacramentum caritatis

, n. 52)

Part 4: Participation at Mass

 Participation at Mass culminates with the reception of Holy Communion.

 What is the moral requirement for receiving Holy Communion?

– – The state of grace: • “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord.” (1 Cor 11:27) Anyone conscious of a grave sin that has not yet been forgiven in confession should not receive Holy Communion.

Part 4: Participation at Mass

 What are the requirements for receiving Holy Communion?

– – Except for a few exceptions, one must be Catholic.

Also: Can. 915 Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.

Can. 916 A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible.

Can. 917 A person who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist can receive it a second time on the same day only within the eucharistic celebration in which the person participates, without prejudice to the prescript of can. 921, §2.

Can. 919 §1. A person who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before holy communion from any food and drink, except for only water and medicine.

§2. A priest who celebrates the Most Holy Eucharist two or three times on the same day can take something before the second or third celebration even if there is less than one hour between them.

§3. The elderly, the infirm, and those who care for them can receive the Most Holy Eucharist even if they have eaten something within the preceding hour.

Part 4: Participation at Mass

 What is the appropriate manner of receiving Holy Communion?

  Holy Communion is normatively received kneeling and on the tongue.

 Everyone always has the right to receive in this manner. (CDW, Responses in

Notitiae

38 (2002), pp. 582-585; Cf.

Redemptionis Sacramentum

, n. 91) In the United States, Communion may be received standing, and, by special dispensation (indult), Communion may be received in the hand.

• The document which first allowed the distribution of Holy Communion in the hand in some places was

Memoriale Domini

(1969). It is well worth reading.

Part 4: Participation at Mass

  If you choose to receive Holy Communion in the hand, remember that every visible particle of the Host must be consumed.

“In approaching therefore, come not with your wrists extended, or your fingers spread; but make your left hand a throne for the right, as for that which is to receive a King. And having hollowed your palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it, Amen. So then after having carefully hallowed your eyes by the touch of the Holy Body, partake of it; giving heed lest you lose any portion thereof ; for whatever you lose, is evidently a loss to you as it were from one of your own members. For tell me, if any one gave you grains of gold, would you not hold them with all carefulness, being on your guard against losing any of them, and suffering loss? Will you not then much more carefully keep watch, that not a crumb fall from you of what is more precious than gold and precious stones?” (St Cyril of Jerusalem,

Mystagogical Catechesis

, V)

Part 4: Participation at Mass

• Participation at Mass is aided by: • Preparation for Mass by: • Showing up early to pray (hopefully in silence) for a few minutes.

• Reflecting on the readings and/or prayers beforehand.

• Attentativeness during Mass aided by: • The use of a hand Missal if this is helpful.

• Turning distractions into opportunities for prayer. (E.g., our cares and concerns can be offered to God rather than simply pushed out of our minds) • Thanksgiving and prayer after Mass: • Staying a few minutes after Mass to thank God and to pray (hopefully in silence).

Part 4: Participation at Mass

• “To the offering of Christ are united not only the members still here on earth, but also those already

in the glory of heaven

. In communion with and commemorating the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, the Church offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. In the Eucharist the Church is as it were at the foot of the cross with Mary, united with the offering and intercession of Christ.” (CCC, 1370)

Questions?