The Mass: How to Explain What We Do on Sunday to Our Children and Friends

By John Mac Mahon

For parents trying to pass on the Catholic faith to their children and to their friends, this simple book will help them how to explain what Catholics do on Sunday and why they do it.
The Mass should work at the deepest level of our being, changing us into people who share God's own life. For this to happen, we need to take part in it in a way that is inspired by the spirit of the Church's Liturgy.
In simple language the First Section of this book leads us step by step through the Mass so that we may take part in it with a deeper reverence and understanding.
Should we wish to dig more deeply, the Second Section is one into which we can dip from time to time to examine the meaning of some words associated with Sacred Scripture and the Sacrifice of the Mass.
The Third Section considers some extra spirituality dealing with the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
This book would be very suitable as an instruction text-book in Post-Primary Schools.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Feb 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491892824

John Mac Mahon

Father John is a priest of the Archdiocese of Dublin who is now retired after over fifty years in the ministry, the last twenty of which he spent as Parish Priest (Rector) of Our Lady Queen of Peace, Bray, County Wicklow. He was educated in Saint Joseph's Infant School and Christian Brothers' National School in Carlow before going to Glenstal Priory (now Abbey) School in County Limerick. From University College Dublin he obtained a B.A. degree and a Higher Diploma in Education (Hons). His training as a priest took place in Holy Cross College, Dublin, and he was ordained in 1951. For the first twenty years of his ministry, he was very involved in working for youth.

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© 2014 by John Mac Mahon. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

Texts from Vatican II are from Austin /Flannery, O.P. (editor), Vatican Council II: Constitutions, Decrees, Declaration: The Basic Sixteen Documents, Dublin, Dominican Publications. Used with permission www.dominicanpublications.com>>

The Scripture quotations contained herein (apart from the few pieces of the Psalms) are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

Extracts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, published in 1994 by Veritas, Dublin; used by permission.

Extracts from The Lamb’s Supper and Understanding the Scriptures with permission from Doctor Scott Hahn.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/28/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4918-9282-4 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Doing It My Way

A Bird Cannot Fly On One Wing

Are All Rights Alright?

Where Do We Find God?

Day Trips To Heaven

Who Says Catholics Do Not Know The Bible?

Law Helps But It Is No Ideal

Note On The Tridentine Mass

See Chapter 6 For Further Information And Discussion On

Section One

The Easy Path

Chapter 1

An Overview Of The Mass

Some Terms That Are Used In This Book

Celebrant

Concelebrant

Deacon

This Is The Mass That Was

The General Picture

Chart: Outline Plan Of The Mass

Singing

Silence

Quick Look Around

The Celebrant

Chart: A More Detailed Plan Of The Mass

Chapter 2

The Introductory Rites

Just Think A Moment

Entrance Chant

A Solemn Sign

Liturgical Greeting

Act Of Sorrow

The Gloria

Chapter 3

The Liturgy Of The Word

It Is Important To Listen

Let’s Skip The Old Testament

What Is The Responsorial Psalm?

Where Does The Second Reading Fit In?

Acclamation Before The Gospel

Gospel

Homily

Creed

Prayer Of The Faithful

Chapter 4

The Liturgy Of The Eucharist

Introduction

Procession With The Offerings

Why Water?

Incense And Washing Of The Hands

Call To Prayer

Prayer Over The Offerings

Introductory Dialogue

Preface

First Acclamation

Connecting Prayer

Epiclesis (Invocation Or Involvement Of The Holy Spirit)

Institution Narrative And Consecration

Second Acclamation

Anamnesis (Memorial Prayer)

Offering

Intercessions: (1) Of The Saints

Intercessions: (2) For The Living

Intercessions (3) For The Dead ‡

Third Acclamation

The Lord’s Prayer

Embolism (Something Added)

Rite Of Peace

The Breaking Of The Bread

Reception Of Holy Communion

Prayer After Communion

Chapter 5

Concluding Rite

Notices

Blessing

Dismissal

Final Hymn

A Few Thoughts

Section Two

The Steeper Climb

Preliminary Remarks On Section Two

Chapter 6

What’s Behind The Mass?

Origins Of The Mass

More About Music

Why A Catholic Should Go To Mass

Your Mass Or Your Life

Why Did They Do It?

Spiritual Dry-Rot

What Is The Answer?

The Greatest Of These Is Love

Faith And Reason

Faith

The Language Of Faith

What Can We Say To Others?

Chapter 7

You May Be Lost For Words!

A Type Of Jargon (Terminology)

Liturgy

Unity Of Our Liturgy And The Heavenly Liturgy.

The Liturgical Year

Liturgy As Teacher

Problems With Some Texts

The Church Did Not Invent Liturgy.

Liturgy As The Guardian Of Scripture

Someone May Ask You…

Vestments

Quick Tour Of The Church

What Is On The Altar?

The Celebrant Is Only Human

What Difference Can The Celebrant Make Anyway?

Reverence When Celebrating The Liturgy

Rushed Liturgy Is Not Good Liturgy

Liturgy And Our Daily Prayer

Chapter 8

More Concerning The Introductory Rite

The Sign Of The Cross

The Lord Be With You

Act Of Sorrow

Plea For Mercy

The Gloria

Presidential Prayers

The Collect

Chapter 9

The Blessing Of Holy Water And The Sprinkling Of All Present

Chapter 10

More Concerning The Liturgy Of The Word

It Is Important To Listen

The Word Of God

The Lectionary

What Is God Saying To Us In The Bible?

God’s Plan Of Redemption

How Do We Know God And What He Wants Of Us?

Gospel

The Eucharist Is A Gospel Event

Tradition

Sacred Scripture

Canon Of Scripture

Inspiration

What Does The Bible Mean To Us?

Images And Concepts

Myth

Economy

Types And Typology In Scripture

Saving Justice Of God

Note On The Psalms

Did The Prophets Intend To Tell The Future?

Apocalyptic Literature

Why The Link Between Apocalypse And The Mass?

Choice Of Creed

Chapter 11

(Liturgy Of The Eucharist: §1)

Change

Sacrament And Mystery

Placing The Eucharist In Context

Prayer Over The Offerings: Some Examples

Chapter 12

(Liturgy Of The Eucharist: Section §2)

Covenant

Sacrifice

Human Need The Basis For Sacrifice

Sacrifice In The Old Testament

Sacrifice In The New Testament

Body And Blood

Mystery And Mystagogy

Memory

Sacraments And Signs

Transubstantiation

The Great Amen

Chapter 13

The Four Main Eucharistic Prayers And A Few Prefaces

Some Prefaces

Preface Of Advent 1

Preface 1 For The Dead

The Eucharistic Prayers: General Introduction

Eucharistic Prayer I (Roman Canon)

Connecting Prayer

Intercessions: (1) For The Church And The Successors Of The Apostles

Intercessions: (2) Commemoration Of The Living

Intercessions: (3) Calling On The Communion Of Saints

Intercessions: (4) For Those Present

Invocation Or Involvement Of The Holy Spirit (Epiclesis)

Institution Narrative And Consecration

Memorial Prayer (Anamnesis)

Offering

Intercessions: (1) Commemoration Of The Dead

Intercessions: (2) For Ourselves Through The Intercession Of The Saints

Doxology

Eucharistic Prayer Ii

Connecting Prayer

Invocation Or Involvement Of The Holy Spirit (Epiclesis)

Institution Narrative And Consecration

Memorial Prayer (Anamnesis)

Offering

Intercessions: (1) For The Church And The Clergy

Intercessions: (2) For The Dead

Intercessions: (3) For Those Present To Be Co-Heirs With The Saints

Doxology

Eucharistic Prayer Iii

Connecting Prayer

Invocation Or Involvement Of The Holy Spirit (Epiclesis)

Institution Narrative And Consecration

Second Acclamation

Memorial Prayer (Anamnesis)

Offering

Intercessions: (1) Of The Saints

Intercessions: (2) For The Living

Intercessions: (3) For The Dead

Doxology

Third Acclamation

Eucharistic Prayer Iv

Connecting Prayer

Invocation Or Involvement Of The Holy Spirit (Epiclesis)

Institution Narrative And Consecration

Memorial Prayer (Anamnesis)

Offering

Intercessions: (1) For Those Present

Intercessions: (2) For The Living

Intercessions: (3) For The Dead

Doxology

Chapter 14

(Liturgy Of The Eucharist: §3)

The Communion Table

Human Meal In Various Cultures

Jewish Meals

Meals In The Life Of Jesus

Passover

The Last Supper

Holy Thursday

Communion And The Community

A Closer Look At The Our Father

A Quick Look At Each Petition.

He Who Comes

Preparation For Holy Communion

Thanksgiving After Holy Communion

Prayer After Communion—Some Examples

Liturgy Of The Word With Holy Communion

Eschatology

Section Three

After The Climb, What A Vista!

Chapter 15

Between Masses: The Real Presence

Spiritual Communion

Reverence On Passing A Church

Visit To The Blessed Sacrament

Benediction

Exposition And Forty Hours

Perpetual Adoration

Eucharistic Congress

Chapter 16

Mr. And Mrs. Clopas

The Dream That Is Lost

Two Broken Hearts

Two Burning Hearts

Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day

Religion Is Not A Slot Machine

Chapter 17

Epilogue

Appendix

Endnotes

In a spirit of deep gratitude I dedicate this book

to the memory of my parents

Lil and Louie Mac Mahon

who by word and example

first taught me to love the Mass

PREFACE

I wrote this book for you. I use the new translation of the Missal to help you get more out of your Mass on Sunday and on all other days when you join with Jesus in the offering of himself to the Father. While I write from an Irish background, almost all I say applies equally to those living outside Ireland.

I hope that through you I can also be of help to others of good will who may not as close to the Mass as you are. At the end of every Mass, the Church gives us the mission to go out and bring Christ and his message to others. There are many good people around who are convinced that the Mass is not all that relevant to their lives. Most of them, however, are searching for something. You can use this book as a quick reference book to answer some question raised by a friend.

Those who belong to no faith or to another Christian group, and who have decided to come home to the Catholic Church, might find it helpful as a resource book when preparing for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults¹.

How you read this book is a matter for each individual. In Section One, we travel together in a simple way through the Mass, step by step. In Section Two, we take a deeper look at the background to the Mass and try to get a fuller understanding of ideas which are barely mentioned in the first section. In Section Three, we look at some other aspects of the Eucharistic sacrament.

I wish to acknowledge my debt to many authors who have influenced me over the years. I have tried to acknowledge all sources. But many of their words may have become so much part of me that I cannot remember where I first read or heard them. If I have used anyone’s work without acknowledging the source, it is that I just do not remember where I picked up the idea or quotation, and I apologise for that. When quoting from American authors I have changed the spelling to match that used on this side of the Atlantic. Otherwise, I give quotations as they exist in the work itself and spaces indicate where I have omitted portions within it.

I thank the former Rector of the Irish College in Rome, Monsignor Liam Bergin, for permission to use his notes on the cultural role of a meal, Father Sylvester O’Flynn O.F.M Cap. for his notes on the Our Father, and Con Cunningham for help in producing some diagrams. Before publication I received much help also from several fellow-priests and lay people. They took the trouble to advise me on certain sections of the book and even read the various re-writings of the manuscript. To two lay-people I owe a special note of gratitude for their special dedication—Máire Halpin and Gavin Barrett. To them, and to all who gave me assistance, I offer my sincere thanks.

This is not intended to be a learned book. I am not a theologian or a Scripture scholar. I have been a priest for over sixty years. It was the Mass that brought me into the priesthood. It was the Mass that kept me in the priesthood

I hope these pages will help to bring interest, joy and a spirit of prayer to you as you attend Mass. By Baptism we all have some share in the priesthood of Christ, so each time we go to Mass we join in the re-presentation of Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension to his Father.²

The book started life within the walls of the Irish College in Rome where I spent a very happy Sabbatical Year on my retirement as Parish Priest. One of the priests doing post-graduate work in the Irish College was Father Ragheed Ganni from Iraq. He returned to minister in Iraq, and a few years’ later was killed by extremists after he had celebrated Mass on 2 June 2007. He died for his faith and for the Mass. I hope this book will help you to live for your faith and for the Mass as he did.

Father John.

INTRODUCTION

Where does it say that I have to go to Mass every Sunday? said my niece to me. All that matters is that I live good life, be kind to all I meet, and speak well about them. God is all around me—that’s how I serve him. I wouldn’t be a holy Joe every Sunday and then come home and gossip about everyone I knew.

This young mother would go to Mass on occasions but she would not be really a practising Catholic.

I said quietly, I’m not here to defend ‘holy-water hens’, but it is easy see only one side of the picture. Some do indeed behave that way, but I know thousands who don’t. You should go to Mass every Sunday because you don’t know what you are missing. Once you really know what the Mass is, it is indeed a most wonderful experience.

Of course, my niece was correct when she pointed out that merely going to Mass was not the be-all and end-all of life. Attendance at Mass should be the weekly expression of something real and personal, the tip of the iceberg so to speak, rather than the only thing we do which is ‘religious’³. Away back in the seventh century B.C. the prophet Amos⁴ made the same point to those who claimed to be good because they took an active part in worship.

It is a very common idea that one can be spiritual without any real link with Church. I know my niece believes in the existence of God and in Jesus Christ his only Son who came to save us, and who was once asked by Jewish teacher what he needed to do get eternal life. Christ knew the man was testing him and put the question back to him and got the correct answer—to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind and strength and to love one’s neighbour as oneself.⁵ My niece had latched on to the truth Jesus wished to teach in the parable of the Good Samaritan, but though she did mention God, was he really part of her life?

Doing it my way

Some people say that they are worshipping God in their own way, and they may well be. That’s fine as far as it goes. However, it is worth remembering that while worship may at times be a purely personal affair, it cannot be something solely personal. Members of the human race do not live in isolation: they live in community. So worship has to have a community aspect. The writer of Hebrews states plainly that we should not neglect to meet together as some were, unfortunately, in the habit of doing.⁶

Others might say that we should make up our own minds about going to Mass because Church has no right to tell us what to do. On the other hand, it is from Christ, that the Church does have the right to lay down certain rules and obligations for her members, just as any organisation or club can do for its members. As it says in Matthew’s Gospel:

Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ (Mathew 28: 18-20)

We may know people who are good at heart but who have fallen victim to mistaken attitudes they can easily pick up in the hurly-burly of our world. With kindness we may be able to help them see that we are God’s children whom he loves desperately. Conversion can take a great deal of time: ‘you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink’. Example and encouragement will pass on a love of the Mass to children. After all, for them the Mass can be a long adult form of worship. If they are not well prepared, they can object to going out to it every Sunday. However, as long as they live in your house, they should expect that the house rules apply to all members of the household.

From the nature of things the young need training, but it should be a training given with love and understanding. Because they find it hard at times to understand a pathway through the Mass, this book (especially Section 1) may be of some help in explaining to young people since they sometimes get a little lost at the Sunday parish Mass. Such a Mass has the difficult task of addressing the needs of all age-groups, people with vastly different roles in society, those who are really interested and those would prefer to be anywhere else, those who want to be better and those who are not all that pushed. No other activity has to cater for such a varied audience as the Sunday congregation. Where it is possible, it is good on occasions to have a special Mass for children and another for teenagers. It is not that it would be a different Mass, but every effort is made to gear it to their needs, especially allowing them to do something active rather than being confined to the pew or seat. Some liturgists would regard this as a form of consumerism, and hold that the early Church was very careful not to separate or deprive the Body of Christ of any members of the one community. There is no suggestion that Masses be celebrated exclusively for any group, but surely pastoral considerations must be taken into account. All this shouldn’t be left to the priest alone. The parish community, especially parents, can be actively involved—practising the music, training the readers, preparing the church building, and suggesting to the priest topics of interest to the specialised group for which the Mass is intended.

A bird cannot fly on one wing

Being present at Mass on a Sunday or Holyday is important. Some may think that merely fulfilling an obligation is all the Church expects of them. Mere physical presence alone avoids mortal sin, but that is a very legalistic way of looking at the Mass. No bird ever flew on one wing: it needs two to stay aloft. To benefit from the Mass, we need the gift of faith. We need to have what faith gives us as a real vision about the Mass, and to accept personally the Mystery that is taking place.

•   Mass is not a solo effort: we offer it as members of the Christian Community. This means that we need to be conscious of our community commitments and put them into practice so far as we are able.

•   None of us can get through life properly relying only on the knowledge we picked up in school. In civil life we need constant renewals of our skills by undertaking further education or attending seminars. It is the same with our religion. It is impossible to go through adult life with a childish sense of faith. Many practising Catholics have a problem in saying what their faith is, and even more difficulty in saying what it is not. No matter how learned we may be, our faith needs a constant rational development. One mistake that is often made is that Christianity is all about morality. Morality certainly flows from our faith, but knowledge of Christ and his teaching is more important.

•   As shall be said frequently in this book, we need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not enough to know of him or to know about him; we need to know him as a real Person.

•   This does not mean that we have to go it alone. It is God living within us who does all the advances of loving. All we have to do is to respond to his love in prayer and doing what we know is pleasing to him. Jesus tells us that he always did what was pleasing to his Father.⁷ Once we know the Father, which as John tells us in his first letter means keeping his commandments⁸, then how we behave (Morality) becomes clear to us.

Are all rights alright?

Today people are very conscious of sin against others. Human rights are on the top of the agenda. If society were something that is meant to be individualistic, then its great virtue would be tolerance. We would respect another’s point of view—a good thing in itself—even if it were damaging to the human race at large. However, such a society would be based on a shaky foundation. We are social animals. Deep down in human nature there is the need to live in community. That is why Christ gave us love as the dominant virtue—love is a community virtue. We cannot separate love of neighbour from love of God: they are the two sides of the same coin. However there are others who sincerely think they can. Even if it were possible to treat others properly all the time without special help from God, such an idea would be lopsided. Relying solely on our own powers, it is not possible to behave properly all the time. God himself must get a look-in somehow. Jesus was not joking when he said that apart from him we can do nothing.⁹

Where do we find God?

A small boy once watched a stranger take a long drink of water from a well. His thirst satisfied, he then looked for some time down into the well. The boy’s curiosity was aroused, and timidly he approached the stranger.

Who lives in the well? he asked.

God.

Can I see him?

The stranger lifted the boy and held him in over the well. The boy looked hard and then saw his own reflection on the surface of the water below.

But that’s me, he protested.

The stranger put the boy down on the ground and said, That’s right, because God lives in you. You can always find him in your own heart.

But someone might say, If God is in me all the time, why need I go to Mass? However, without special help from God no one could ever maintain his presence in them by grace. We need to love him by doing his will and keeping his commandments if we are to receive that help. For a person baptized in the Catholic Church, one of those commandments is to keep regulations laid down by Christ’s Church.

Indeed, God is present to us in very many different ways. God has different forms of living within us. One very special way is when we meet him through, with and in Christ at Mass and he gives us Jesus to be the food and drink of our souls. Of all the forms of his living in us, this is the most intimate.

Day trips to heaven

If only we knew the gift of God! The Mass is really so wonderful—once we get on to the right wavelength. It is something we would not want to miss. Just try to realize it! During those minutes we are in direct contact with our loving God. In fact we enter heaven when we are at Mass. This is not something some pious person thought up. It is what our faith tells us. It is not that we are physically transported up to heaven, but that we are joining the angels and saints in their worship before the throne of God. We do not have to imagine it. We do not have to feel it. All we have to do is to know it—like knowing that 2+2=4. Faith is a form of knowledge. So when our faith tells us that that such is the case, then all thought of obligation vanishes, and we are just delighted to be there. Scott Hahn, a professor of Biblical Theology and a convert to the Catholic Church, puts this much better than I could ever do:

"You may reply that your weekly experience of Mass is anything but heavenly. In fact, it’s an uncomfortable hour, punctuated by babies screaming, bland hymns sung off-key, meandering, pointless homilies, and neighbours dressed as if they were going to a ball game, the beach, or a picnic.

Yet I insist that we do go to heaven when we go to Mass, and this is true of every Mass we attend, regardless of the quality of the music or the fervour of the preaching. This is not a matter of learning to look on the bright side of sloppy liturgies. This is not about developing a more charitable attitude toward tone-deaf cantors. This is all about something that’s objectively true, something as real as the heart that beats within you. The Mass—and I mean every single Mass—is heaven on earth.

I assure you that this is not my idea; it is the Church’s. Neither is it a new idea; it’s been around since the day John had his apocalyptic vision. Yet it’s an idea that hasn’t caught on with Catholics in recent centuries—and I can’t figure out why. Most of us will admit that we want to get more out of the Mass. Well, we can’t get any more than heaven itself."¹⁰

If this is our vision of the Mass, what a difference it could make to our Sunday worship?

Who says Catholics do not know the Bible?

As a young priest I remember a boy asking me if it were alright to read the Bible. There are historical reasons which explain why some Irish Catholics got an idea that it wasn’t. Catholics usually know a great deal about the content of the Bible. They may not be trained in indicating chapter and verse, but especially those who go to daily Mass can recognize texts with speed. Not only do they hear sections of the Bible read at every Mass, but the ordinary prayers of the Mass, as we shall see, are a mosaic of Scripture texts that are repeated so often that they have become part of us, even if we do not realise it. As we go through this book our attention will be drawn to parts of this mosaic.

Law helps but it is no ideal

Where does it say that I must go to Mass every Sunday? If anyone wants to know, it is in the Code of Canon Law which contains the laws binding all members of the Catholic Church. However, the purpose of law is to set minimum standards, not to give us a lofty ideal at which to aim. Moreover, the Church is not alone in setting standards for us. In the Scriptures God has placed many obligations on us. Belonging to the human race of itself places duties on us. The State then comes along and adds certain laws that bind us even when we find them inconvenient. Yet, there is only one positive obligation imposed on all Catholics by the Church and that is to assist at Mass every Sunday and Holyday. Sunday Mass is the distinguishing mark of a Catholic.¹¹

Sunday is the first of all days, the Lord’s Day, the day when Christ our Saviour rose from the dead. Christians in our countries need to work together to make this day special to the Lord, but it is above all the celebration of the Eucharist, Sunday after Sunday, which keeps it holy… . The very act of coming to Mass on Sunday is a proclamation of our faith and commitment, and a witness to the world.¹²

So it is not just a case of law, and even if it were, law strictly speaking can control only outward actions. Human law cannot legislate for what takes place in the mind. When Canon Law says we should be physically present at Mass every Sunday, the Church also means to imply that we be there both mentally and spiritually as well. She also expects that we leave the church better and kinder persons. She gives us no permission to go out and selfishly hurt others.

Note on the Tridentine Mass

While it is open to those who wish to do so to celebrate Mass according to the Tridentine rite, consideration of this rite is outside our direct interest. The Mass as revived after the Second Vatican Council is the subject of this book.

See chapter 6 for further information and discussion on

1.   Why a Catholic should go to Mass.

2.   Faith and Reason

3.   Being in heaven at Mass

See chapters 3 & 10 for Sacred Scripture

SECTION ONE

The Easy Path

CHAPTER 1

An Overview of the Mass

Some terms that are used in this book

Throughout this book we try to use these terms in the meaning assigned here.

Celebrant

He is the priest in full vestments. If there are more than one priest in full vestments, around the altar, the Celebrant is the one who acts as President (or chairman) of the assembled community.

Concelebrant

Any priest in alb and stole, or even in full vestments who celebrates Mass along with the Celebrant.

Deacon

One who is not a priest but who has received the first sharing in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. He assists the Celebrant in various ways during the celebration of Mass, but he cannot actually celebrate Mass. He can do many things a priest can do, such as baptisms and preaching, but he cannot administer the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

This sign means that during the words preceding and following it, the sign of the Cross is made either on one’s self or over offerings.

This is the Mass that was

Saint Justin was born about 120 AD in Samaria, not far from Jacob’s well. He was a wandering philosopher who became a Christian some time around 150 AD. By writing publicly in defence of the Christians to the then persecuting Emperor he did himself no favours. He was martyred about the year 165 AD. Just see how he described the Mass that was celebrated about 150 AD.

"On the day which is called the Sun’s Day, there is an assembly of all who live in the towns, or the country; and the memoirs of the Apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as much as time permits. When the reader has finished, the president gives a discourse, admonishing us and exhorting us to imitate these excellent examples. Then we all rise together and offer prayers: and as I said above, on the conclusion of our prayer, bread is brought, and wine and water; and the president similarly offers up prayers and thanksgivings to the best of his power, and the people assent with Amen. Then follows the distribution of the Eucharistic gifts and the partaking of them by all; and they are sent to the absent by the hands of the deacons. The well-to-do who wish to give, give of their own free choice and each decides the amount of his contribution. This collection is deposited with the president, who gives aid to the orphans and widows and all who are in want through sickness or any other cause: he is also the protector of those in prison, of strangers from abroad, in fact, of all in need of assistance."¹³

For all intents and purposes, this is a description of the Mass we have today.

The General Picture

A huge number of actions take place in the Mass, but there is only one offering. This is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in which we join him in remembering the New and Eternal Covenant. There are several ways of viewing the general structure of the Mass as it is today. First of all, there is the one that is set out in the Roman Missal. The Mass is a single action made up of two main sections, the Table of God’s Word and the Table of the Eucharist. They are called the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. There are also two minor sections, the Introductory Rite which comes before the Liturgy of the Word, and the Concluding Rite at the end of the Liturgy of the Eucharist.¹⁴

In the Introductory Rite we speak to God. In the Liturgy of the Word, God speaks to us. In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, with Christ we offer Jesus to the Father, and in doing so we come to the liturgical climax of the