St. Mary Church

Parts of the Mass, Part 1

Gathering & Liturgy of the Word

Compare Mass to your family’s Thanksgiving meal. People gather, stories are shared, a beautiful table and meal prepared, then it is time to leave. Do you see the similarities to mass?

The Mass has four parts: Introductory Rites, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, and Concluding Rites. In each part, many of those words will not change, but some will. In this article, we will focus on the Introductory Rites and Liturgy of the Word.

At Mass, the priest welcomes all by saying, “The Lord be with you.” Our new response is, “And with your spirit.” This new response is a closer translation to the Latin Et cum spiritu tuo, and it matches the response that already exists in most other major languages.

We have all had to say, “I’m sorry.” The Penitential Rite (Lord, have mercy) and the Confiteor (“I confess to almighty God…”) is the time when the priest invites us to look at times during the week when we may have messed up. We are to tell God we are sorry as we prepare to receive the Eucharist.

What do you do when you have a success story? You share it with others! Your response is “Congratulations” or “Great Job.” At Mass, when we sing the Gloria, we are saying to God the same thing – “good job for what he has done!” - but in a much bigger way!

Remember the many stories you share and hear at Thanksgiving dinner. During the Liturgy of the Word, the Church tells her story. We hear readings from the Bible. A reading from the Old Testament. A song from the book of Psalms. A reading from the New Testament letters. A reading from one of the four Gospels. The new translation will not affect the scripture readings.

The Profession of Faith or the Creed – You will notice right away the Creed begins with “I” instead of “We.” The Creed is still the faith of the entire Church, but each of us proclaims it to assert our personal faith together with other believers. “I believe” is a literal translation of the Latin word Credo, and it is consistent with the translation used in many other countries around the world since the Second Vatican Council.

After the Creed, the Liturgy of the Word concludes with the Prayers of the Faithful. The Prayers of the Faithful may be freely composed in your local community. The petitions cover four considerations: the needs of the Church, public authorities and the salvation of the whole world, those burdened by any kind of difficulty, and the local community.

 

What is changing in our Masses???

Some of the words we say & hear at every Mass are about to change on Nov. 26/27, 2011.  Mass will remain the same, but the sounds will be different. Most of these words are English translations of texts first composed in Latin. The changes will not affect the order of the Mass, scripture readings, Prayers of the Faithful or your favorite songs. The new translation pertains to the words we speak or sing at every Mass, & to the prayers the priest recites alone from The Sacramentary. Changes in the way we worship are inevitable, & the changes we are currently preparing for will not be the final changes for all time.

Parts of the Mass, Part 2

Liturgy of the Eucharist & Concluding Rites

We continue Mass with the Preparation of Gifts. At mass, we ‘set the table.’ People carry up the bread and wine. Our altar has a beautiful cloth and candles near it. Monetary gifts are brought forward, collected from the community, and used for the parish and those in need. The priest takes these gifts, as well as the sacrifices and prayers, and offers it all to God in a prayer similar to what Jesus prayed at the Last Supper.

The Eucharistic Prayer is the center and summit of the entire Mass. It is a prayer of thanksgiving and sanctification. When the priest finishes the prayer, the meal is nearly ready. But first, all together we say the Lord’s Prayer and give each other a sign of peace. Then it’s time for the long awaited meal! We gather as one, as friends and family of Jesus and the meal we experience is Jesus himself. Not only is the bread and wine changed into the body and blood of Jesus but, when we receive him in the Eucharist, we are also changed.

Just before communion, the priest says: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lord.” The people will respond, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

At the end of Mass, the priest or deacon says words similar to these, “Go forth, the Mass is ended.” Hopefully, you have heard something new in the readings or the homily, which you can think and pray about this week. Remember, you received Jesus in the Eucharist and that changes you. Jesus wants you to take that great love he has just shared with you and take it out into your world – your school, your family, your neighborhood-to everyone you meet. So when they meet you, they meet the Jesus within you – ‘Go in peace, glorify the Lord by your life.’

Each week, this liturgy corner will have info on the upcoming Roman Missal changes. If you have questions, contact Jenny Hulme 352-2493 or smc.lit@q.com  Miss a week, check out the parish website for all articles.



 If you have questions, please contact Jenny Hulme at #319-352-2493 x14 or  EMAIL