Hello, this is Chris Young. Welcome to Episode 96 of Contemplating Life.
In this episode, I continue a multi-part series based on my 30 years teaching the Catholic faith in my local parish’s inquiry program.
As always, whenever I talk about religion, I’m not out to convert anyone. I’m just telling my stories.
I had hoped this would wrap up my series on Catholic traditions. However, having written the script, it’s too long. So, there will be one more episode after this one before we move on to our next topic.
Continuing with the topic of sacred tradition, this week we explore the most important tradition in the Roman Catholic Church – the celebration of Sunday liturgy, which we call the Mass. I’ve been a Catholic my entire life (off and on), and I taught adult Catholic classes for 30 years. and it never once occurred to me until I began to prepare this lesson to ask why we call it “Mass.”
I’ve done some research, and the general consensus is that it derives from the Latin phrase “Ite, missa est,” which are the concluding words of the Roman Catholic worship service. It means “go, it is dismissal.” This phrase is used not only in Roman Catholic ritual but also in the Divine Service of the Lutheran Church. Although the Lutherans don’t call their service “Mass.” They call it the “Divine Service.” See the Wikipedia links provided for more information.
I should also take a moment to define the word “liturgy.” It originates from the Greek word “leitourgia,” meaning “public work” or “work for the people.” In this context, it simply refers to any form of public prayer or worship conducted according to a particular, prescribed ritual. The celebration of the Roman Mass, Catholic sacraments, and other church ceremonies can all be described as Liturgy.
Our liturgies are celebrated in the context of a calendar year known as the Liturgical Year. The church year begins with the first Sunday of Advent, which is four Sundays before Christmas. It is a time of preparation not only for the coming of Jesus at Christmas but also in anticipation of His eventual second coming at the end of time.
Christmastide begins on Christmas Eve and continues through the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which is the first Sunday after the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6.
This is followed by Ordinary Time, which extends from Christmas until Lent. By the way, it’s not called “ordinary,” as in “nothing special,” even though there is nothing particularly special about that season. It is called ordinary because we measure it using ordinal numbers such as the first Sunday of Ordinary Time, the second Sunday of Ordinary Time, and so on.
Lent is a time of repentance and preparation for Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday, which is 46 days before Easter. You may hear people describe Lent as 40 days. This is because Sunday is considered a feast day and, technically, doesn’t count as part of Lent. So, if you subtract the Sundays from 46, you get 40 days.
Lent concludes with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday night. That is the Thursday before Easter.
That event marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum, which includes Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. The Easter celebration spans seven weeks until the Feast of Pentecost, which commemorates Jesus’ ascension to heaven and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
After Pentecost, there is an additional period of Ordinary Time, which extends back to Advent, and everything starts over again.
So, some of the details behind our liturgical planning depend upon which of these various seasons we are in.
Each week, the Mass has a theme. This is based on the liturgical season and upon the Scripture readings specified for that day. We will discuss these readings further in a moment.
My mom was the chairman of the Liturgy Committee at Saint Gabriel for many years and was responsible for planning how we would celebrate each of the liturgical seasons. She used to ask a trivia question, “When does the Mass begin?”
Old school Catholics might tell you that it begins at a portion of the Mass called the “offertory.” This is because people asked, “If I come late to Mass or if I have to leave early, what are the essential portions that I have to be there in order to fulfill my obligation to attend Sunday services?” The answer was that the offertory, consecration, and communion were the essential minimum. Therefore, people wrongly concluded that anything before the offertory was optional and unimportant. That just isn’t right. You need to be there for the whole thing.
Some people say Mass begins with the priest’s opening blessing. Others might say with the opening hymn as the priest and altar servers process into the sanctuary.
My mom said, “Mass begins in the parking lot.”
The rationale is that God is present in three different forms during the Mass. We have God present in the Word of God proclaimed in the Scripture readings. We have the Real presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, and God is present in the community. Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst f them.” (Matthew 18:20) So when we gather in the parking lot or the lobby of the church and greet one another, God is present there. That’s where it really begins.
People sometimes ask, “Why do I need to go to Mass to pray? Can’t I pray better on my own at home?” The surprising answer is, “Yes. You can play better at home on your own. You don’t go to church to pray. You go to church to worship.” Worship is a communal expression of our relationship with God. Worship requires a community, and that is a different kind of encounter with God than one-on-one prayer. So, once the community has gathered, our liturgical celebration has already begun, even if the prescribed rituals have not yet started.
My mother’s view of the parking lot notwithstanding, the Mass really begins with an opening hymn sung by the entire congregation, led by a song leader known as a cantor and possibly accompanied by a choir. While an organ typically provides accompaniment, it is not uncommon to also have a piano, guitar, or other musical instruments.
I have provided a link to a webpage that explains in detail what goes on at Mass. It includes all the prayers that are said. So, you might want to follow along.
https://www.liturgies.net/Liturgies/Catholic/roman_missal/roman_missal_order_of_mass.htm
After the hymn, the priest offers an open blessing. This is followed by a penitential rite in which we acknowledge our sinfulness and ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness.
The congregation prays, “I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.”
The priest replies, “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.”
All reply, “Amen.”
The version of the prayers of the priest and the response of the congregation that I was most familiar with was promulgated in 1975. It was a somewhat streamlined and modernized English translation of the ancient Latin rites. In 2011, new translations were issued that more directly reflected the original Latin.
For example, in the middle of that prayer of confession, the phrase, “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault,” was not in the 1975 version but was put back in 2011. During that portion of the prayer, you are supposed to strike your chest with your fist. You may be familiar with the Latin version of that phrase, which is, “mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa.” Whenever someone takes responsibility for something they did wrong, it is often referred to as a “mea culpa,” even in a non-religious setting.
The penitential prayer is followed by a hymn called “Gloria to God” except for during Advent and Lent when we omit the prayer
This is another prayer that was revised between the 1975 version that I had memorized and a newer 2011 edition, which is a more direct translation of the ancient Latin version. In the Wikipedia article linked, the “ecumenical version” from 1975 is the one I have memorized. The new version sounds awkward to me.
For many centuries, composers have created musical settings for these words. Often, they are adapted where a cantor sings a phrase and the congregation responds. These variations all contain the same basic words.
If there is no organist or other musical accompaniment, as is typical for a weekday Mass, it is simply recited as a prayer rather than sung. However, it really should be sung. Sometimes the words are not enough. You need music to make it a complete experience.
Saint Augustine is quoted as saying, “When you sing well, you pray twice.” Both the words and music are parts of the prayer.
Some things just need to be sung. Suppose it was a special day for a friend. It doesn’t matter how sincerely I express these words; it doesn’t mean as much if I don’t sing them. For example, if I say [overly dramatic and sincere spoken word] “ Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear friend. Happy birthday to you.“ [jhuckling] That just doesn’t work. You have to sing, [singing] “Happy birthday to you…”
Similarly, you can’t recite, [spoken in a dull monotone] “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.” You have to sing, [sung] “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.”
After the introductory rite, we begin the first of the two major portions of the Mass. They are the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
The Liturgy of the Word consists primarily of three Scripture readings and a psalm. The first reading usually is from the Old Testament, or during Eastertime, a reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
This is followed by a Responsorial Psalm. Some people think it is called that because the cantor sings the verse, and the congregation sings a response. However, that is not why it is called Responsorial. Instead, it is called that because it is our response to the first Scripture reading.
The second reading is always one of the New Testament epistles.
Both of these readings are given by a lector, who may be a clergy member but is more likely to be a layperson.
This is followed by a reading from one of the four Gospels. There is a brief ceremony as the priest processes from the altar, carrying a lectionary book, and makes his way to the pulpit. This can be accompanied by music and singing, typically an alleluia. A lectionary is a large, ornately decorated book containing all of the prayers and Scripture readings used during Mass.
After the gospel reading, the priest delivers a homily. This is a type of sermon related to the Scripture readings for the day.
The Scripture readings set the tone and theme for the entire celebration. The hymns chosen by the music director are often based upon some of the Scripture readings or reflect the theme of those readings.
Scripture readings follow a three-year cycle, designated as Cycle A, B, and C. We are currently in Cycle C in the summer of 2025, which will continue until the Solemnity of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the liturgical year, immediately preceding the First Sunday of Advent. Cycle C uses gospel ratings from Luke. Cycle A uses Matthew and Cycle B uses Mark. Readings from John are used during Easter, Advent, and Lent.
This three-year cycle is specified by the Common Lectionary, which is used not only by Roman Catholics but also by other Catholic-like denominations, such as Lutheran, Methodist, Anglican, and others.
Mass is also celebrated daily, and it uses a different series of readings on a two-year cycle consisting of a mixture of the Gospels.
After the homily, the congregation recites a Profession of Faith, typically the Nicene Creed. This is a creed first established by the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. It was then revised by other church councils over the centuries. In some churches, the Apostles Creed is substituted in various liturgical seasons, but I’ve never heard the Apostles Creed prayed at Mass. The current 2011 version, which sounds a bit strange to my ears. See the linked article for the new version. Here’s my version from the 70s.
“We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father, through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he was born of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day, he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.”
A couple of notes about the prayer… Where it says that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son,” that is quite controversial. In 1054, a schism occurred between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. One of the major theological arguments centered on the phrase “and the son,” which was added to the prayer sometime in the sixth century. The Eastern Orthodox Church objected, and this remains a major sticking point between them and the Roman Catholic Church to this day.
The revised 2011 version, in my opinion, is more awkward and complicated. For example, instead of saying “one in being with the Father,” The new version says, “consubstantial with the Father.” Yeah… What the heck does that mean? Of course, any attempt to clearly understand the concept of the Trinity is a challenging endeavor. I don’t think the use of a bizarre word like “consubstantial” helps matters. Also, instead of “born of the Virgin Mary,” it now says “incarnate of the Virgin Mary.” Okay… Maybe that is technically correct, but we don’t celebrate Christmas as Jesus’ incarnation day. We celebrate his birthday.
As a side note, when I was drifting away from the church in my late teens, I felt hypocritical about attending mass when I didn’t believe. So, I would simply drop out during certain sentences of the creed. Eventually, I wasn’t sure I should be praying it at all, and that’s when I left. Of course, I came back. That has been chronicled in earlier episodes of this podcast.
The Liturgy of the Word concludes with prayers of petition. They are introduced by the priest, and then the prayers are read by a cantor or other layperson. Each petition is concluded with, “Let us pray to the Lord.” The congregation responds, “Lord, hear our prayer.” These petitions are prepared in advance by the priest or perhaps a pastoral associate.
The first petition is typically for the church in general, followed by prayers for the Pope, Bishop, and clergy. If there are specific community needs, they are mentioned, such as recovery from a natural disaster or other turmoil. Other petitions might include prayers for peace, especially if there are ongoing conflicts in the world, such as Gaza or Ukraine. Typically, we conclude with prayers for the sick and mention by name parishioners who have asked for prayers. We also mention any parishioners or family of parishioners who have died recently.
There is a tradition that you can have a Mass dedicated to some intention. Most often, it is prayers for a sick person or a deceased relative. You pay a stipend of about $5 to the priest. You get a card suitable to send to the sick person or grieving person, saying that a Mass has been said in their memory. Sometimes, a mass is dedicated to an anniversary or other special occasion.
This concludes the Liturgy of the Word.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist begins with the Preparation of the Gifts. When I was growing up, this portion was called the offertory. It was that first mandatory piece. Typically, there is a hymn as the priest prepares the altar. Members of the congregation carry the bread and wine in procession up the aisle and give them to the priest. At Saint Gabriel, we would schedule a family to bring up the bread and wine for every mass. For a while, my grandmother was the volunteer in charge of calling people and asking them when they typically attended Mass and asking them if they would be the offertory family. If no one has been scheduled, the ushers or lay Eucharistic ministers might do it.
Typically, during this process, the ushers also take up the monetary collections from parishioners. Sometimes, a second collection is taken up for missionary work or other special causes.
As the offertory hymn continues, the priest prepares the bread and wine as a symbolic sacrificial offering. He washes his hands in a ritual fashion. There are prayers that you will say quietly if the hymn is all going or if the hymn has concluded, or at Mass, when there is no music, the priest will pray these prayers out loud. You can see those prayers in the page I mentioned that covers the order of the Mass.
The priest then begins the Eucharistic Prayer, which is the central ritual of the Mass. There are four different versions of this prayer, varying in length and detail. The priest decides which one he will use, although I believe that process is informed by the liturgical season and the theme of the mass. Eucharistic Prayer II is the most commonly used.
The prayer begins with a dialogue between a priest and a congregation in which she says, “The Lord be with you.”
The congregation responds, “and with your spirit.”
“Let us lift up our hearts.”
“We lift them up to the Lord.”
“Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.”
The congregation says, “It is right and just.”
The priest continues, “It is truly right and just, our duty and salvation, always and everywhere to give thanks to you…” and the priest continues with the remainder of the Eucharistic prayer.
There are common elements to the four versions of the prayer. After giving thanks, the priest leads the congregation in a hymn called the Sanctus, which is Latin for Holy. The prayer is, “Holy, holy, holy Lord. God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.” Again, if there is no musical accompaniment, it is simply recited rather than sung, but it should be sung.
The central part of the Eucharistic Prayer is the consecration of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. We previously spoke of these words in Scripture in the last episode, but here are the words used at Mass.
“On the night he was betrayed, he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you.
“In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the cup and, once more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples, saying: Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the cup of my blood. The blood of the new and eternal covenant which will be poured out for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.”
When I was very, very young, and the Mass was still celebrated in Latin, the altar servers would ring a bell when the priest says, “This is my body,” or “This is my blood.” This was to call the attention of the congregation to this moment because many of them didn’t speak Latin. Although I am glad that the mass is in English since Vatican II, I kind of miss the ringing of those bills. It made it extra special.
The priest then says, “Let us proclaim the mystery of our faith.” There are a variety of possible responses from the congregation. One of the most common is, “When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, oh Lord until you come in glory.”
After an additional portion of the Eucharistic prayer, it concludes with the priest holding the bread and wine high above his head and proclaiming, “Through him, with him, and in him, in unity with the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, Almighty Father, forever and ever.”
The congregation responds, “Amen.” This is sometimes called “the great amen.” If it is sung, it is usually quite elaborate.
Next the priest invites us to pray as Jesus taught us. Lord’s prayer as we already outlined in detail last episode, complete with the embolism and the extra doxology which Protestants accuse us of leaving off.
A prayer for peace follows, and the priest concludes, “Let us offer each other a sign of peace.”
The congregation then turns to the people around them and shakes hands, saying, “Peace be with you.” Or if it is a family member, it might include a hug.
After additional prayers, the priest again holds up the bread and wine, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to his supper.”
We respond, “Lord, I’m not worthy that you should enter under my roof. But only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.” This is a paraphrasing of a line from Matthew 8:8, when a Roman centurion came to Jesus and asked that his servant be healed. Jesus offers to go to the man’s house, but he refuses, saying, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
The priest, with the assistance of several lay Eucharistic ministers, then distributes the bread and wine to the congregation. Typically, a hymn accompanies this. The ushers lead people up the aisles, pew by pew, to receive communion.
Traditionally, one would kneel, tilt one’s head back, open one’s mouth, and the priest would place the consecrated host on one’s tongue. After Vatican II, the standard practice is to remain standing and holding your hands out, palms up, cupped together. With your right hand underneath. The priest or Eucharistic minister places the consecrated host in your left hand and says, “Body of Christ.” To which you respond, “Amen.” You then pick up the host with your right hand and eat it, or if you are left-handed, reverse the process.
You then step over to a different Eucharistic minister and optionally take the wine. They say, “Blood of Christ.” You respond, “Amen,” and take a sip of the wine. The Eucharistic minister then wipes the lip of the cup with a cloth. You return to your seat for a moment of silent reflection.
Because receiving the Eucharist is a symbol of our unity, we ask that non-Catholics not participate by receiving the bread and wine. Non-Catholics are invited to participate by coming forward and folding their hands across their chest as they approach the priest or Eucharistic minister. This indicates that you are not Catholic, and they will give you a blessing. Children who are not yet old enough for their First Communion can also receive such a blessing.
After the distribution of communion, there is a moment of silent reflection. Then the priest stands and offers a blessing. “May Almighty God bless you, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” He gestures in a cross shape, and you make the sign of the cross. You respond, “Amen.”
In Roman Catholic tradition, you make the sign of the cross with your right hand. You touch your forehead, saying, “In the name of the father.” Then you touch your chest, saying, “and the Son.” Then you touch your left shoulder and your right shoulder, saying “and the Holy Spirit.” Some denominations, particularly Eastern Orthodox Christians, make the sign of the cross right to left instead of left to right.
Sometimes announcements about pairs events are made before the final dismissal.. Then the priest dismisses the congregation by saying, “The Mass is ended. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” We respond, “Thanks be to God.”
There is a closing hymn as the priest and servers process to the back of the church. The priest typically stands by the door and greets the congregation as they exit.
Note that I described his assistants as altar servers and not altar boys. Both boys and girls can serve in that capacity.
That’s going to wrap up our overview of the Mass. In the next episode, I will provide more details about what you will find in a Catholic Church. We will discuss the utensils that the priest uses throughout Mass and discuss the symbolism of his priestly vestments. We were also wrap up a few more Catholic traditions.
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I will see you next time as we continue contemplating life. Until then, fly safe.