In today’s article we will teach you the Parts of the Catholic mass. Discovering the meaning of each of them and the order in which they should be done. You will learn a little about the liturgy of the word, the Eucharist, the songs, the final festival and all the others. In addition, we will briefly indicate how the tradition of the mass arises and what its function is.
Parts of the Catholic Mass
Although the mass is a celebration that is held to commemorate the last supper of Jesus, his teachings and the sacrament of the Eucharist. It does not mean that this is done in a haphazard, disorderly and unstructured way. In fact; Over the years this ritual has been established to such an extent that the father’s way of proceeding and all the elements that must be incorporated during the celebration have been standardized. Today the mass is divided into four distinct moments:
- The initial rites.
- The liturgy of the word.
- The Eucharistic liturgy.
- The concluding rite.
In turn, each of these moments can be divided into other subparts. Below we explain in detail how each of them are structured.
Initial Rites
As the name suggests, this section consists of the rituals and songs that are performed at the beginning of the celebration of mass. During this moment, the parishioners (the name given to the people who participate in this celebration) prepare to listen to the homily or preach, and then allow the father or priest to enter. This moment of the mass is divided into:
1.1 Entry
We must stand while we observe how the priest begins the celebration with the entrance song, while inviting us to participate in said song. The culmination of this song or songs (because more than one can be performed although it is rare) means that the celebration is beginning. The objective of this first song is to encourage the union of all those who are gathering, to allow them to raise their prayers and thoughts in the celebration that is about to take place.
1.2 Greeting to the Altar and Congregated People
We still stand as the priest approaches the altar and kisses it. Once the opening song is over, the father invites us to accompany him by making the sign of the cross and then making a sign that means that we are now in the presence of the Lord. Once the greeting is over, the priest or the monitor can give an introductory speech regarding the mass that will follow, briefly addressing, for example; the day it is celebrated (in case it is a special occasion), or other aspects of interest.
Finally, the priest tells us to participate in the penitential act. Which occurs when the entire community makes its general confession.
1.3 Lord, Have Mercy
We continue standing and now we proceed to say “Lord, have mercy.” Except in those cases where it is carried out in conjunction with a penitential act. You can sing, recite or pray.
1.4 Glory
Still standing, we prepare to recite or sing the “Gloria”, which represents one of the oldest and most venerable hymns of the church. With this prayer we gather the holy spirit, we glorify God, the lamb and show him our supplications.
1.5 Collect Prayer
We stand while the father extends an invitation to pray. This moment is carried out in silence for a few minutes, then the father continues to pray the prayer that corresponds to the celebration of that day. At the end, all parishioners respond with an “amen” as a sign of participation in the prayer. During the period of silence, they usually go around all the seats receiving donations for the church.
Liturgy of the Word
This is a space dedicated to delving into the biblical texts, the word of Jesus and the Lord. It can be considered as a previous and preparatory phase for the sacrament of the Eucharist. Is composed of:
The First Reading
We sit down to listen to the word of God. Which begins with a fragment of the Old Testament, this reading will allow us to understand why? of many of the things Jesus did during his life.
Responsorial Psalm
Still seated and immediately after finishing the first reading, the responsorial psalm is performed. Which is accompanied by interlectional songs. These songs are selected from the “Lectionary.” The person in charge of singing the psalm, from the ambo or any other appropriate place, recites the stanzas so that it is heard by everyone and then responds accordingly.
Second lecture
We continue sitting, while the new testament is grabbed to read a fragment of it. Either from any of the Acts of the Apostles or from the letters that the first apostles wrote. This reading, unlike the previous one, allows us to know what the life of Christ was like, his actions and teachings, as well as the common life that the first Christians led. Through these passages we can contextualize how many of the traditions of the church emerged.
When the second reading is finished, the “Hallelujah” is sung, which can be accompanied by other liturgical songs depending on the date or liturgical time, for example if it is Easter or Christmas. The song of Hallelujah seeks to remind us of the resurrection of Jesus in a joyful way.
Gospel
We proceed to stand and one of the four gospels is selected, according to the liturgical cycle in which we find ourselves. Afterwards, a brief narration of the life of Jesus or some of his teachings is made. This space allows us to know what Jesus was really like, what his thoughts and feelings were, how he lived and what messages he sought to convey to us. All this from the vision of Jesus Christ himself. This reading corresponds to the priest or, in any case, to the deacon.
Homily
We sit down and listen carefully to the priest’s explanation of the reading, delving into the obvious message contained in the reading and the multiple interpretations we can make of the word of God. During this space, the father can also talk about any of the previous readings or the liturgical reason for the day. It is usually a flexible space for the father to develop the teachings as he deems appropriate, but as long as he addresses the mystery being celebrated. It can also vary a little based on the needs of the parishioners.
Profession of faith
Now we stop and proceed to perform the creed, which functions as an affirmation and response to the word of God that has just been proclaimed through the readings and the homily. In turn, it serves to remember Jesus before beginning the Eucharist.
Universal Prayer
We remain standing and perform the universal prayer or prayer to the faithful as it is also known. Through this space of prayer, the faithful together with the priest pray for all those things that are of interest at that moment: for the pope, the church, the family, the state, the needs, the friends, for some tragedy, illness or calamity, etc. Then the supplication is expressed with a common invocation or through a silent prayer, which is said after each request that is made.
Eucharistic Liturgy
This is the moment where we proceed to make the sacramental communion of the Eucharist. Central point of the celebration of the mass which allows us to be one with the body and blood of Christ for the removal of our sins. It is made up of the following elements:
Preparation of the Gifts
We sit while the Eucharistic liturgy begins. This begins with the delivery on the altar of the gifts that after being consecrated will become the body and blood of Christ. That is to say: wine and bread. Those who present it are expected to be faithful. While this occurs, offertory songs are usually performed to accompany the procession. These songs continue until the gifts are placed on the altar.
Eucharistic Prayer
We must get up from our seats to pray together. The purpose of this prayer is to give thanks to the Lord and for the consecration that is about to occur. It is sought that all be one with Christ in the recognition of God’s omnipotence and in the offering of sacrifice. It is important to know that this Eucharistic prayer has the following elements:
- The thanksgiving that must be done standing up and that the preface indicates.
- The song of “Holy is the Lord”, which is used for all the faithful to acclaim praise to God.
- Now we must proceed to kneel for the epiclesis. This is the moment in which the priest requests the divine power of God to consecrate the gifts that were given by the faithful. This means, transforming the wine and bread into the body and blood of Christ. All this so that those who decide to take communion can achieve salvation and purification from their sins.
- The narration of the institution and the consecration is carried out while we continue to be on our knees. In other words, the priest recites the words that Jesus Christ used during the Last Supper to consecrate the food that would later be consumed by the disciples. For this reason, this moment can be considered one of the most important and solemn moments of the mass. Since it is here where the real transformation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ takes place. God is present in front of us, so we must be totally respectful and surrender with total devotion and faith to this moment that we must use to show our love and adoration for Jesus.
- Being on our knees we now move on to the anamnesis. Which implies a memorial of Christ made by the priest to remember above all his blessed passion, glorious resurrection and ascension of him to heaven.
- From this moment, the priest positions himself in a suitable place to invite all the faithful who wish to take communion. Those who want to participate in the Eucharist must stand and go to where the father is to receive the body and blood of Christ. It should be noted that in some cases, mainly in those celebrations where there are too many faithful, the priest can request the help of other priests or deacon to help him deliver the wine and bread among the faithful.
- Intercessions: means that the Eucharist takes place in communion with the entire church, including those who did not participate in communion.
- We stop to witness the final doxology, where the glorification of the Lord is expressed and is concluded and reaffirmed with the amen of the people.
Communion Rite
Receiving the host and wine is only part of this Eucharistic ceremony. Since it is understood as an Easter treat. This means that the faithful who took communion are receiving the body and blood of Christ duly prepared, as spiritual food in “common union.” That is to say, the sacrament of the Eucharist has both an individual component that involves the encounter of each believer with God. Along with a group component where everyone in the church comes together to receive Jesus full of love and joy united…