The Catholic Mass is the same all over the world. This means that the order of the Mass and prayers are all identical, apart from the language in which they are said. It has been the main act of worship in the Catholic Church for 2000 years. It has also been said that the Mass is the holiest thing that we have here on earth. The Mass is a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Jesus Christ offers himself as the sacrificial Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. We thank God for his sacrifice.
The Mass is split into four main parts:
– includes the Opening Prayer, Penitential Rite and the Gloria.
We begin the Mass by making the sign of the cross; ‘In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.’
This is to remind everyone that the One God is in three persons, and that our actions are done in God’s name.
Then the congregation are asked to reflect upon the things they have done or not done and are invited to repent of their sins and say sorry to God. God is the fountain of mercy and wants to forgive us. We then praise God in the words of the Gloria. A very ancient prayer.
First there will be a passage from the Old Testament.
Then a psalm is read or could be sung.
The second reading comes from the New Testament, usually from the letters of one of the apostles.
Then the priest or deacon will proclaim the Gospel. (The Sunday readings follow a 3 year cycle. The Gospel of Matthew is read in year A, Mark in year B and Luke in year C, and the Gospel of John is interspersed at different times.)
When the priest says “A reading from the Gospel of” we all use one thumb to make a cross on our forehead, lips and heart whilst saying silently “may the words of the Gospel be in my mind, on my lips and in my heart”.
Following the readings we are asked to sit and listen to the homily, (or sermon) given by the priest or deacon.
To complete this part of the Mass, on Sundays, everyone recites the Creed, which is the statement of faith in God.
This is followed by the “Prayers of the Faithful” which are prepared for our own parish.
A hymn is sometimes sung when the collection is taken up. Our offerings of bread and wine, plus the collection, are then taken to the priest on the altar.
We now kneel to remember the Last Supper when Jesus and the Apostles were meeting in Jerusalem in what was Jesus’ final meal before his crucifixion. During the meal Jesus took bread, broke it, gave it to the Apostles and said, “This is my body which will be given for you.” Afterwards Jesus took a cup filled with wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.” “Do this in memory of me”.
There are several different Eucharistic Prayers but each contains the consecration during which the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. A bell is rung to indicate when the priest lifts our Lords body and blood to be worshipped by the congregation.
After the Eucharistic Prayers are concluded we stand to recite the Lord’s Prayer after which we exchange a sign of peace with the people nearby. The Kyrie Eielson (Lamb of God) is then sung or said following which we kneel.
A bell is rung when the priest drinks from the chalice. This indicates that he is ready to distribute Holy Communion to the congregation. Everyone is invited to participate but people who are not Catholics may only receive a blessing. (They indicate this by crossing their arms over their chest.).
As a memorial of the Last Supper, the Mass is also a sacred banquet, in which the faithful participate both through their presence and their role in the liturgy and through the reception of Holy Communion, the Body, and Blood of Christ.
This part of Mass is quite short. After a little time to reflect on the Holy Communion we may have the Parish Notices.
After those everyone stands and the priest says a final prayer, thanking God or asking for assistance to help us in our daily lives. He then asks God to bless everyone in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit After the dismissal everyone says “Thanks be to God.’