FROM ―THE NIGHT HE WAS

BETRAYED‖ TO TODAY
A Short History of the Roman Mass

Presented by David Wallace

 Moving beyond the Gospels…
• ―When he was at table with them, he took the
bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to
them. And their eyes were opened and they
recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight.
They said to each other, ‗Did not our hearts burn
within us while he talked to us on the road, while
he opened to us the scriptures?‘ … they told what
had happened on the road, and how he was known
to them in the breaking of the bread.‖ (Luke
24:30-32, 35)

• ἐν ηῇ κλάζει ηοῦ ἄρηοσ

• fractio panis
 Moving beyond the Gospels…
―And they devoted themselves to the
apostles‘ teaching and fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and the prayers…And day
by day, attending the temple together and
breaking bread in their homes, they partook
of food with glad and generous hearts.‖ (Acts
2:42, 46)
 Moving beyond the Gospels…
―On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to
break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the
morrow; and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were
many lights in the upper chamber where we were gathered. And
a young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. He
sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer; and being
overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was
taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent over him, and
embracing him said, ‗Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.‘
And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he
conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so
departed. And they took the lad away alive, and were not a little
comforted.‖ (Acts 20:7-12)
 Moving beyond the Gospels…
―As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to
take some food, saying, ‗Today is the fourteenth day
that you have continued in suspense and without
food, having taken nothing. Therefore I urge you to
take some food; it will give you strength [γὰρ πρὸς
ηῆς ὑμεηέρας ζωηηρίας], since not a hair is to perish
from the head of any of you.‘ And when he had said
this, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the
presence of all he broke it and began to eat. Then
they all were encouraged and ate some food
themselves. (We were in all two hundred and
seventy-six persons in the ship.)‖ (Acts 27:33-37)
 Moving beyond the Gospels…
―The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not
a participation [κοινωνία] in the blood of
Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a
participation [κοινωνία] in the body of
Christ?‖ (1 Corinthians 10:16; A.D. 56)
 Moving beyond the Gospels…
―What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise
the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I
say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. For I received
from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the
night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks,
he broke it, and said, ‗This is my body which is for you. Do this in
remembrance of me.‘ In the same way also the cup, after supper,
saying, ‗This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as
you drink it, in remembrance of me.‘ For as often as you eat this bread
and drink the cup, you proclaim [καηαγγέλλεηε] the Lord‘s death until
he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the
Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and
blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread
and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without
discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is
why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged
ourselves truly, we should not be judged.‖ (1 Corinthians 11:22-31; A.D.
56)
 Moving beyond the Gospels…
―Deacons likewise must be serious, not
double-tongued, not addicted to much wine,
not greedy for gain; they must hold the
mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.‖
(1 Timothy 3:8-9; c. A.D. 62)
 Moving beyond the Gospels…
―Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God;
consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday and today and for ever. Do not be led away by
diverse and strange teachings; for it is well that the heart be
strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited their
adherents. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have
no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought
into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned
outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to
sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go forth to
him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. For here we have
no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come. Through him then
let us continually [διὰ πανηὸς] offer up a sacrifice of praise [θσζίαν
αἰνέζεως] to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.‖
(Hebrews 13:7-15; c. A.D. 68)
 ―a sacrifice of praise‖
85. Commemoration of the Living.

Remember, Lord, your servants N. and N.

The Priest joins his hands and prays briefly for those for whom
he intends to pray.
Then, with hands extended, he continues:

and all gathered here,

whose faith and devotion are known to you.
For them, we offer you this sacrifice of praise
or they offer it for themselves
and all who are dear to them:
for the redemption of their souls,
in hope of health and well-being,
and paying their homage to you,
the eternal God, living and true.
 Moving beyond the Gospels…
―But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then
through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this
creation) he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and
calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of
defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies
for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from
dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so
that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has
occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant. For
where a covenant is involved, the death of the one who made it must be attested. For a
will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is
alive. Hence even the first covenant was not ratified without blood. For when every
commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood
of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book
itself and all the people, saying, ‗This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded
you.‘ And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels
used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and
without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus it was necessary for
the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things
themselves with better sacrifices than these.‖ (Hebrews 9:11-23)
 Moving beyond the Gospels…
• ―In the earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste of that heavenly
liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem toward
which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right
hand of God, a minister of the holies and of the true tabernacle [cf.
Apoc. 21:2; Col. 3:1; Heb. 8:2]; we sing a hymn to the Lord's glory
with all the warriors of the heavenly army; venerating the memory of
the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with them; we
eagerly await the Saviour, Our Lord Jesus Christ, until He, our life,
shall appear and we too will appear with Him in glory‘ [cf. Phil.
3:20; Col. 3:4].‖ (Sacrosanctum Concilium 8)

JOSEPH RATZINGER, THE SPIRIT OF THE LITURGY:

• p. 38: ―The Apocalypse presents this sacrificed Lamb, who lives as

sacrificed, as the center of the heavenly liturgy, a liturgy that,
through Christ‘s Sacrifice, is now present in the midst of the world
and makes replacement liturgies superfluous (see Rev 5).‖
• p. 186: ―…the Apocalypse, the book of the heavenly liturgy, which is
presented to the Church as the standard for her own liturgy.‖
 Moving beyond the Gospels…
1093 In the sacramental economy the Holy Spirit fulfills what was prefigured in the Old Covenant. Since
Christ's Church was prepared in marvelous fashion in the history of the people of Israel and in the Old
Covenant, the Church's liturgy has retained certain elements of the worship of the Old Covenant as integral
and irreplaceable, adopting them as her own:

-notably, reading the Old Testament;

-praying the Psalms;
-above all, recalling the saving events and significant realities which have found their fulfillment in the
mystery of Christ (promise and covenant, Exodus and Passover, kingdom and temple, exile and return).

1096 Jewish liturgy and Christian liturgy. A better knowledge of the Jewish people‘s faith and religious life
as professed and lived even now can help our better understanding of certain aspects of Christian liturgy. For
both Jews and Christians Sacred Scripture is an essential part of their respective liturgies: in the proclamation
of the Word of God, the response to this word, prayer of praise and intercession for the living and the dead,
invocation of God's mercy. In its characteristic structure the Liturgy of the Word originates in Jewish prayer.
The Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical texts and formularies, as well as those of our most venerable
prayers, including the Lord‘s Prayer, have parallels in Jewish prayer. The Eucharistic Prayers also draw their
inspiration from the Jewish tradition. The relationship between Jewish liturgy and Christian liturgy, but also
their differences in content, are particularly evident in the great feasts of the liturgical year, such as Passover.
Christians and Jews both celebrate the Passover. For Jews, it is the Passover of history, tending toward the
future; for Christians, it is the Passover fulfilled in the death and Resurrection of Christ, though always in
expectation of its definitive consummation.
 Moving beyond the Gospels…
Council of Trent, Session 22 (September 17, 1562)
On the Doctrine of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass:
―Since such is the nature of man that he cannot easily
without external means be raised to meditation on divine
things, on that account holy mother Church has instituted
certain rites, namely, that certain things be pronounced in a
subdued tone in the Mass, and others in a louder tone; she
has likewise made use of ceremonies such as mystical
blessings, lights, incense, vestments, and many other things
of this kind in accordance with apostolic teaching and
tradition, whereby both the majesty of so great a sacrifice
might be commended, and the minds of the faithful excited
by these visible signs of religion and piety to the
contemplation of the most sublime matters which lie
hidden in this sacrifice‖ (Ch. 5).
 First Century A.D.
―Now concerning the Eucharist, thus give thanks. First, concerning the cup: ‗We thank you, our Father,
for the holy vine of David Your servant, which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to
You be the glory forever.‘ And concerning the broken bread: ‗We thank You, our Father, for the life and
knowledge which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to You be the glory forever. Even
as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let
Your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into Your kingdom; for Yours is the glory
and the power through Jesus Christ forever.‘ But let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist, but they
who have been baptized into the name of the Lord; for concerning this also the Lord has said, ‗Give not
that which is holy to the dogs‘ (Mt 7:6). But after you are filled, thus give thanks: ‗We thank You, holy
Father, for Your holy name which You caused to tabernacle in our hearts, and for the knowledge and
faith and immortality, which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to You be the glory
forever. You, Master almighty, created all things for Your name's sake; You gave food and drink to men
for enjoyment, that they might give thanks to You; but to us You freely gave spiritual food and drink
and life eternal through Your Servant. Before all things we thank You that You are mighty; to You be
the glory forever. Remember, Lord, Your Church, to deliver it from all evil and to make it perfect in
Your love, and gather it from the four winds, sanctified for Your kingdom which You have prepared for
it; for Yours is the power and the glory forever. Let grace come, and let this world pass away. Hosanna
to the God (Son) of David! If anyone is holy, let him come; if anyone is not so, let him repent. Marana
Tha. Amen.‘ But permit the prophets to make thanksgiving as much as they desire. […] Assemble on
the Lord‘s Day, and break bread and offer the Eucharist; but first make confession of your faults, so
that your sacrifice may be a pure one. Anyone who has a difference with his fellow is not to take part
with you until he has been reconciled, so as to avoid any profanation of your sacrifice [Mt 5:23-24].
For this is the offering of which the Lord has said, ‗Everywhere and always bring me a sacrifice that is
undefiled, for I am a great king, says the Lord, and my name is the wonder of nations‘ (Mal 1:11, 14).‖
(Didache, 9,1-10,7; 14, 1-3; c. A.D. 68)
 First Century A.D.
St. Clement of Rome (c. A.D. 68/96):

―Our sin will not be small if we eject from the episcopate those who blamelessly and holily have
offered its sacrifices. Blessed are those presbyters who have already finished their course, and
who have obtained a fruitful and perfect release‖ (Letter to the Corinthians 44:4–5;).

St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. A.D. 110):

―I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God,
which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire his blood,
which is love incorruptible‖ (Letter to the Romans 7:3).

―Take note of those who hold heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to
us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God. . . . They abstain from the
Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our
Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness,
raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes‖ (Letter to the
Smyrnaeans 6:2-7:1).

―Make certain, therefore, that you all observe one common Eucharist; for there is but one Body of
our Lord Jesus Christ, and but one cup of union with his Blood, and one single altar of sacrifice—
even as there is also but one bishop, with his clergy and my own fellow servitors, the deacons.
This will ensure that all your doings are in full accord with the will of God‖ (Letter to the
Philadelphians 4).
 First Century A.D.
―The centurion then, seeing the strife excited by the Jews,
placed the body in the midst of the fire, and consumed it.
Accordingly, we afterwards took up his bones, as being
more precious than the most exquisite jewels, and more
purified than gold, and deposited them in a fitting place,
whither, being gathered together, as opportunity is allowed
us, with joy and rejoicing, the Lord shall grant us to
celebrate the anniversary of his martyrdom, both in
memory of those who have already finished their course,
and for the exercising and preparation of those yet to walk
in their steps.‖ (Martyrdom of Polycarp, c. A.D. 155)
 Second Century A.D.
St. Justin the Martyr, First Apology (A.D. 148-155):
―And this food is called among us the Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who
believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the
remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread
and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Savior, having been made flesh
by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food
which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are
nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. For the apostles, in the memoirs composed
by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them; that Jesus took
bread, and when He had given thanks, said, ‗This do in remembrance of Me, this is My body‘; and that, after
the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, ‗This is My blood‘; and gave it to them
alone.

―And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the
memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the
reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we
all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are
brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the
people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks
have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do,
and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the
orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in
bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is
the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a
change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from
the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn,
which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which
we have submitted to you also for your consideration.‖
 Second Century A.D.
St. Justin the Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho the Jews (c. A.D. 155):
―And the offering of fine flour, sirs, which was prescribed to be presented on behalf of
those purified from leprosy, was a type of the bread of the Eucharist, the celebration of
which our Lord Jesus Christ prescribed, in remembrance of the suffering which He
endured on behalf of those who are purified in soul from all iniquity, in order that we
may at the same time thank God for having created the world, with all things therein, for
the sake of man, and for delivering us from the evil in which we were, and for utterly
overthrowing principalities and powers by Him who suffered according to His will. Hence
God speaks by the mouth of Malachi, one of the twelve [prophets], as I said before, about
the sacrifices at that time presented by you: ‗I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord; and
I will not accept your sacrifices at your hands: for, from the rising of the sun unto the
going down of the same, My name has been glorified among the Gentiles, and in every
place incense is offered to My name, and a pure offering: for My name is great among the
Gentiles, says the Lord: but you profane it‘ (Mal 1:10-12). [So] He then speaks of those
Gentiles, namely us, who in every place offer sacrifices to Him, i.e., the bread of the
Eucharist, and also the cup of the Eucharist, affirming both that we glorify His name, and
that you profane [it]. The command of circumcision, again, bidding [them] always
circumcise the children on the eighth day, was a type of the true circumcision, by which
we are circumcised from deceit and iniquity through Him who rose from the dead on the
first day after the Sabbath, [namely through] our Lord Jesus Christ. For the first day after
the Sabbath, remaining the first of all the days, is called, however, the eighth, according
to the number of all the days of the cycle, and [yet] remains the first.‖
 Second Century A.D.
St. Justin the Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho the Jews (c. A.D. 155):

―Accordingly, God, anticipating all the sacrifices

which we offer through this name, and which Jesus
the Christ enjoined us to offer, i.e., in the Eucharist
of the bread and the cup, and which are presented by
Christians in all places throughout the world, bears
witness that they are well-pleasing to Him. But He
utterly rejects those presented by you and by those
priests of yours, saying, ‗And I will not accept your
sacrifices at your hands; for from the rising of the
sun to its setting my name is glorified among the
Gentiles (He says); but you profane it‘ (Mal 1:10-12).‖
 Second Century A.D.

St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies; (A.D. 189):

―He took from among creation that which is bread, and gave thanks,
saying, ‗This is my body.‘ The cup likewise, which is from among the
creation to which we belong, he confessed to be his blood. He taught
the new sacrifice of the new covenant, of which Malachi, one of the
twelve [minor] prophets, had signified beforehand: ‗You do not do my
will, says the Lord Almighty, and I will not accept a sacrifice at your
hands. For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is glorified
among the Gentiles, and in every place incense is offered to my name,
and a pure sacrifice; for great is my name among the Gentiles, says the
Lord Almighty‘ (Mal 1:10-11). By these words he makes it plain that the
former people will cease to make offerings to God; but that in every
place sacrifice will be offered to him, and indeed, a pure one, for his
name is glorified among the Gentiles.‖
 Third Century A.D.

St. Cyprian of Carthage, Letter 63 (A.D. 253):

―If Christ Jesus, our Lord and God, is

himself the high priest of God the Father;
and if he offered himself as a sacrifice to the
Father; and if he commanded that this be
done in commemoration of himself, then
certainly the priest, who imitates that which
Christ did, truly functions in place of Christ.‖
 Fourth Century A.D.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures (A.D. 350):

―Then, having sanctified ourselves by these spiritual hymns, we beseech

the merciful God to send forth his Holy Spirit upon the gifts lying
before him, that he may make the bread the Body of Christ and the
wine the Blood of Christ, for whatsoever the Holy Spirit has touched is
surely sanctified and changed. Then, upon the completion of the
spiritual sacrifice, the bloodless worship, over that propitiatory victim
we call upon God for the common peace of the churches, for the welfare
of the world, for kings, for soldiers and allies, for the sick, for the
afflicted; and in summary, we all pray and offer this sacrifice for all who
are in need.‖

St. Gregory Nazianzen, Letter to Amphilochius (A.D. 383):

―Cease not to pray and plead for me when you draw down the Word by
your word, when in an unbloody cutting you cut the Body and Blood of
the Lord, using your voice for a sword.‖
 Fifth Century A.D.
St. John Chrysostom:
―When you see the Lord immolated and lying upon the altar, and the priest bent over that sacrifice praying,
and all the people empurpled by that precious blood, can you think that you are still among men and on earth?
Or are you not lifted up to heaven?‖ (The Priesthood 3:4:177 [A.D. 387]).
―Reverence, therefore, reverence this table, of which we are all communicants! Christ, slain for us, the
sacrificial victim who is placed thereon!‖ (Homilies on Romans 8:8 [A.D. 391]).
―‗The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not communion of the blood of Christ?‘ Very trustworthy and
awesomely does he [Paul] say it. For what he is saying is this: What is in the cup is that which flowed from his
side, and we partake of it. He called it a cup of blessing because when we hold it in our hands that is how we
praise him in song, wondering and astonished at his indescribable gift, blessing him because of his having
poured out this very gift so that we might not remain in error; and not only for his having poured it out, but
also for his sharing it with all of us. ‗If therefore you desire blood,‘ he [the Lord] says, ‗do not redden the
platform of idols with the slaughter of dumb beasts, but my altar of sacrifice with my blood.‘ What is more
awesome than this? What, pray tell, more tenderly loving?‖ (Homilies on First Corinthians 24:1(3) [A.D.
392]).
―In ancient times, because men were very imperfect, God did not scorn to receive the blood which they were
offering . . . to draw them away from those idols; and this very thing again was because of his indescribable,
tender affection. But now he has transferred the priestly action to what is most awesome and magnificent. He
has changed the sacrifice itself, and instead of the butchering of dumb beasts, he commands the offering up of
himself‖ (ibid., 24:2).
―What then? Do we not offer daily? Yes, we offer, but making remembrance of his death; and this
remembrance is one and not many. How is it one and not many? Because this sacrifice is offered once, like that
in the Holy of Holies. This sacrifice is a type of that, and this remembrance a type of that. We offer always the
same, not one sheep now and another tomorrow, but the same thing always. Thus there is one sacrifice. By this
reasoning, since the sacrifice is offered everywhere, are there, then, a multiplicity of Christs? By no means!
Christ is one everywhere. He is complete here, complete there, one body. And just as he is one body and not
many though offered everywhere, so too is there one sacrifice‖ (Homilies on Hebrews 17:3(6) [A.D. 403]).
 Constantinian Period
• Euchologion of St. Serapion of Thmuis
• Liturgy of St. James
• Disciplina arcani
• Constantinian basilicas, altars, ciboria, etc.
• Prayer ad orientem
• Liturgical language: Greek to Latin
 Liturgical Branches

Jerusalem

Gaul Rome Alexandria Antioch

 The Mass Since Gregory the Great
• Pope St. Gregory the Great (A.D. 590-604)
• Spread of the Roman Rite
• Gallican Influence
• Different Kinds of Mass (High vs. Low)
• Medieval commentators & attitudes
• Medieval derived rites
• Reform of Pope St. Pius V (1570)
• Second Vatican Council (1962-65) & Beyond
Ambrosian (Milanese) Rite
Medieval Derived Rites
A.D. 1382 English Elevation Prayer

Ihesu Lord, welcome thow be,

In form of bred as I the se;
Ihesu! for thy holy name,
Schelde me to day fro synne & schame.
Schryfte & howsele, Lord, thou grawnte me bo,
Er that I shale hennes go,
And verre contrycyone of my synne,
That I Lord never dye there-Inne;
And as thow were of a may I-bore,
Sufere me never to be for-lore,
But whennes that I schale hennes wende,
Grawnte me the blysse wyth-owten ende. Amen.