Understanding the Parts

of the Mass

EXPLANING EACH PART OF THE MASS

BY
FR. FRANCIS J. HOFFMAN, JCD

I know you’ll learn something new about the Mass

and I hope that it helps to deepen your faith.
Please feel free to share these lessons with your
friends and family, and Be assured of my prayers.
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HOLY WATER
As you enter the Church, look for the Holy
Water font near the entrance. It is a pious
custom to dip your right hand in the font and
bless yourself with the Holy Water as you
quietly say, “In the Name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
This little ritual reminds us of our baptism –
that’s why the font is near the door of the
Church, because we ‘entered the Church
through baptism.’ At the same time, this
gesture is also a sacramental and can absolve
us of our venial sins. It helps remind us that
we have just entered into a sacred place for a
sacred time.

GENUFLECTION
“At the name of Jesus, every knee must bow.”
That’s what St. Paul wrote years ago. And so,
as the priest and ministers approach the altar
they make a genuflection to honor the Real
Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist in the
tabernacle. If the tabernacle is not in the
center of the sanctuary, then the priest bows
to the altar and the crucifix as a sign of
reverence. When the faithful enter the
Church, and before they enter their pew, it is
praiseworthy for them to make a genuflection
to the tabernacle. The tabernacle containing
the Most Blessed Sacrament should be clearly
visible. Look for the little vigil light burning
next to it.

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THE TARBENACLE
Benedict XVI wrote: “The Holy Eucharist is
the center of absolutely everything.” The
most important item in a Catholic Church is
the tabernacle – the noble, beautiful, and
secure safe that contains the Holy Eucharist,
which is the very Body and Blood, Soul and
Divinity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
who is really, truly, and substantially present
under the appearances of bread and wine. It
is truly the “Holy of Holies.” That’s why, in
most Churches, the tabernacle is placed in the
center of the sanctuary or on the back altar, or
at least in a place which is clearly visible and
marked by a vigil light. Pope

THE ALTAR
While the tabernacle is the most important
item in a church, the altar is no less important
during Mass. Because upon the altar the
Perfect Sacrifice is renewed and Jesus Christ
is made present and offered to the Father for
His Glory and for the expiation of our sins.
For that reason, when the priest enters and
leaves the Mass, he bows profoundly and
kisses the altar, which is a sign and
instrument of our salvation.

The altar in a Catholic Church is a direct

descendant of the Altar of Sacrifice of
Abraham on Mount Moriah, and the other
altars of sacrifice of the Old Testament. It is
typically made of stone, immovable and truly

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noble in appearance. The altar is adorned
with an altar cloth of linen, for Jesus was
wrapped in linen after He died; it is also
adorned with a crucifix and up to six candles
for feast days, or even seven candles when
the bishop is present. The candles remind us
that Christ is the Light of the World, and the
crucifix reminds us that Jesus so loved us that
He died for us on the cross to redeem us from
our sins. In solemn liturgies, the altar may be
incensed and decorated with flowers, which
can be truly abundant and spectacular in the
churches found in the Philippines, Mexico,
Spain and Latin America.

THE CRUCIFIX
Every Catholic Church has a tabernacle, an
altar, and a crucifix – which is a cross with the
figure of Christ crucified. The crucifix is in the
sanctuary near the altar and should be clearly
visible. It reminds us how much Jesus loved
us and is an invitation to love Jesus in return.
Our religion is about a person – Jesus Christ –
who is true God and true Man. Jesus loves us
and invites us to love Him in return, and that
love is expressed in prayer and worship, and
at the same time through service to our
neighbor. The first commandment is to love
God above all things, and the second is like it:
to love your neighbor as yourself. That’s
where the cross of Christ comes in.

Someone once told St. Teresa of Calcutta: “I

would not touch a leper for a million dollars!”

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To which Mother Teresa replied: “And I
would not touch a leper for TWO million
dollars! But I will touch a leper for the love of
Christ.” By gazing upon the crucifix, our love
for Christ goes deeper.

THE SACRISTY
The sacristy is a special room in the church,
usually next to or behind the sanctuary,
which many of the faithful never see. The
sacristy is where the priest vests for Mass,
and in the sacristy there are closets for
vestments, shelves for storing the various
liturgical ornaments used in the Mass
(candles, thurible, cruets, bells, bread, wine,
etc.) and a safe for the sacred vessels (chalice,
ciborium, and monstrance). Often in the
sacristy there will be a special sink for
cleansing and polishing the sacred vessels, as
well as a sacrarium. A sacrarium is a sink that
drains directly into the ground and is only
used for washing sacred vessels and the
sacred linens.

PRAYERS BEFORE MASS

You have heard the conventional wisdom,
“You get out of it, what you put into it”, and
that surely applies to the Mass. Worship
resources, including the free Relevant Radio®
App, will help you get more out of the Mass
by offering you any number of traditional
prayers to pray in the moments before Mass.
Try to call to mind the intentions you will
pray for at Mass, especially the spiritual and
material needs of loved ones, and read and
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reflect on a time-tested prayer before Mass.
This is one of my favorites:

A Prayer Before Mass (by St. Thomas

Aquinas)
Almighty and everlasting God, behold I come
to the Sacrament of Thine only-begotten Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ: I come as one infirm to
the physician of life, as one unclean to the
fountain of mercy, as one blind to the light of
everlasting brightness, as one poor and needy
to the Lord of heaven and earth. Therefore, I
implore the abundance of Thy measureless
bounty that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to heal
my infirmity, wash my uncleanness,
enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty
and clothe my nakedness, that I may receive
the Bread of Angels, the King of kings, the
Lord of lords, with such reverence and
humility, with such sorrow and devotion,
with such purity and faith, with such purpose
and intention as may be profitable to my
soul’s salvation.

Grant unto me, I pray, the grace of receiving

not only the Sacrament of our Lord’s Body
and Blood, but also the grace and power of
the Sacrament. O most gracious God, grant
me so to receive the Body of Thine only-
begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, which
He took from the Virgin Mary, as to merit to
be incorporated into His mystical Body, and
to be numbered amongst His members. O
most loving Father, give me grace to behold

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forever Thy Beloved Son with His face at last
unveiled, whom I now purpose to receive
under the sacramental veil here below. Amen.

SIGN OF THE CROSS AND GREETING

We begin the Mass – as we begin almost
every prayer and sacrament – by making the
Sign of the Cross, using the exact words that
Jesus taught us (Mt. 28:19) just before He
ascended into heaven. By signing ourselves
with the cross as we say “In the Name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen,” we call to mind two central truths of
our Faith: that God is a trinity of persons, and
that our savior Jesus Christ died for us on the
cross. No other gesture so clearly marks a
person as a Roman Catholic than the Sign of
the Cross.
Next, the celebrant greets the faithful with the
words, “The Lord be with you,” to which
they respond, “And with your spirit.” What a
wonderful greeting, what a wonderful wish!
What could possibly be better than having the
Lord with us? And what could possibly be
better than the Lord being with your spirit in
the state of grace?

Have you noticed that the more enthusiastic

and robust the response by the congregation
(“And with your spirit!!!”), the better the
homily will be minutes later?

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THE CONFITEOR
Of all the magnificent prayers at Mass, the
Confiteor is one of my favorites, and it comes
at just the right moment: the beginning of
Mass. It is deeply powerful, sincere,
searching, and human. “I confess to Almighty
God,” screams, “I am NOTHING! Help me
God! And everyone else help me too!” We
exclaim it at the beginning of Mass to prepare
ourselves for what is about to take place,
much like a humble and respectful guest
removes his dirty shoes when he enters
someone’s beautiful home.
Here is the Confiteor:

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.

MEA CULPA
Why do we repeat “mea culpa, mea culpa,
mea maxima culpa” (through my fault,
through my fault, through my most grievous
fault)? We say that three times because
important truths need to be repeated, or we
just don’t get it. Much like a mother who
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shouts, “don’t touch it!!” three times as her
little two-year-old boy runs to touch the
whistling tea pot.

KYRIE
The opening scene of the black and white
film, Lord of the Flies (1963), shows British
schoolboys marching in formation on the
beach of an island in the South Pacific as they
cheerfully sing their upbeat version of “Kyrie,
Kyrie, Kyrie eleison.” They are seemingly
oblivious to the meaning of the words, “Lord
have mercy”, and unaware that the island
where their plane just crashed may look like
paradise, but in fact is paradise lost because
they have been deprived of adult leadership,
authority, and the calm and prudent use of
reason. Soon these marooned boys will
become slaves of their passions; no more
marching in formation, no more cheerful
singing, no more working together for a
common goal. In short order many of them
begin to behave like savages. The movie is a
metaphor on the effects of original sin.
When we honestly come to grips with the
reality of our situation—fallen human nature
as a result of original sin—how can we fail to
cry out, “Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie
eleison”, (Lord, have mercy, Christ, have
mercy, Lord, have mercy)?

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GLORIA
On Sundays and feast days, but not on
Sundays during Lent or Advent, the Gloria is
sung or recited by the faithful. It is a song of
joy and praise to God and expresses the most
fundamental sentiments of the creature to his
Creator: thanksgiving, praise, worship, and
adoration.
First sung by the angels the night our Savior
was born, the Gloria has inspired composers
the world over and down through the
centuries to create stunningly beautiful
musical scores for choir and orchestra. Some
of the greatest—in my humble opinion—are
by Handel and Mozart. But the finest, most
sublime setting for the Gloria—again in my
humble opinion—is the Gloria from the Mass,
“Cum Jubilo,” a classic Gregorian chant. But
we do not know who composed it. It is
reported that Mozart once said he would
gladly let someone else take credit for all of
his musical compositions if he could only
claim credit for composing the Gloria of the
“Missa Cum Jubilo.”

On very special occasions, the bells are rung

during the Gloria: Midnight Mass on
Christmas, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper,
and Easter Vigil.

THE COLLECT
“When this hymn is concluded (the Gloria),
the Priest, with hands joined says: ‘Let us
pray.’ And all pray in silence with the Priest

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for a while.” So state the ‘rubrics’ in the
Roman Missal.
The Collect is also called the ‘Opening Prayer’
and it is the moment for all the faithful
gathered at Mass to collect their thoughts and
intentions for the Mass that has just begun.
Accordingly, we pray in silence. That is the
moment to silently tell God in our heart what
we are praying for at Mass: family, friends,
relatives, a child who is seriously ill, a new
job, for vocations, the Pope, and upcoming
elections … whatever. Since there is an
infinite amount of grace available at each
Mass, we can pray for as many persons or
intentions that we wish.

“Then the Priest, with hands extended, says

the Collect prayer, at the end of which the
people acclaim Amen.”

Pay attention to the Collect prayer—it is

usually centered on the theme of the Mass,
whether it be a saint or a season or a
solemnity of the Lord.

LITURGY OF THE WORD – 1ST READING

After the Greeting, Penitential Rite and Gloria
are completed, the faithful may be seated and
are invited to listen attentively to the Word of
God.
As a teacher, I have found the most effective
way to communicate a message is with audio
and visual aids. For that reason, the faithful
are encouraged to read the readings for

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themselves even before Mass. You can find
the daily readings on the Relevant
Radio® App, or many other places. You may
also find it helpful to follow the readings in
your missalette as the reader is proclaiming
the Word of God.
On weekdays, we have three readings: the
first, the Responsorial Psalm, and the Gospel.
On Sundays and Holy Days we have four
readings: typically one from the Old
Testament, the Responsorial Psalm, one from
the New Testament, and then the Gospel.

When we read the Sacred Scriptures we

should ask the Holy Spirit for help to
understand the meaning as it applies to us
today, here, and now.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
With the reform of the Liturgy of the Second
Vatican Council, the Psalms now have a more
prominent place in the cycle of readings.
Every day, we have a psalm during the
readings at Mass. Because the congregation
participates in the singing or chanting of the
Psalm by repeating a selected phrase, we call
this a ‘response’ – hence, the ‘Responsorial
Psalm’.
The Psalms can be recited or sung; they can
be sung in plainchant or with musical
instrument accompaniment.

King David composed many of the Psalms,

and there are 150 in all. They express various

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themes, emotions, and needs of the human
creature with respect to his Creator and
fellow human beings.

It is remarkable that even though these

Psalms were composed thousands of years
ago, we see that human nature has not
changed during the course of time. The
creature hungers for his Creator, repents of
his sins, longs for protection and the
goodness of the Lord.

ALLELUIA
Following the Responsorial Psalm or the
Second Reading, as the case may be, the
people stand and sing “the Alleluia or
another chant laid down by the rubrics, as the
liturgical time requires.”

I’ll never forget when a thousand voices and

musicians sang Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus
at the Canonization of St. Josemaria in 2002.
Talk about magnificent and inspiring praise!

Simply put, we are to sing the Alleluia before

the Gospel except in Lent, when another
acclamation is used. On weekdays, if not
sung, the Alleluia may be omitted.

I find it fascinating that Jesus would have

sung the Alleluia (it’s a Hebrew word, after
all) in the Synagogue in Nazareth on the
Sabbath when he was a youngster. It literally
means “Praise Yahweh”.
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GOSPEL
Did you ever wonder what the deacon asks
the priest before he proclaims the Gospel? He
says: “Your blessing, Father.” And then the
priest says, in a barely audible voice: “May
the Lord be in your heart and on your lips,
that you may proclaim the Gospel worthily
and well; In the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

If no deacon is present, the priest bows to the

altar and quietly says: “Cleanse my heart and
lips Almighty God, that I may worthily
proclaim your Holy Gospel.”

The deacon or priest proclaims the Gospel

loudly and clearly and in such a manner that
the faithful can understand it. All stand for
the Gospel as a sign of respect.

The Gospel readings for weekdays follow a

two year cycle, and for Sundays follow a
three year cycle. The Gospels are according to
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The four
Gospels we use today are the same used by
the early Christians. In fact, the New
Testament as we know it, 27 books in all, has
been the same since at least 170 AD.

HOMILY
“Speak concisely. Say much in few words.”

Read what Pope Francis wrote about the

homily in The Joy of the Gospel:
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158. Paul VI said that “the faithful… expect
much from preaching, and will greatly
benefit from it, provided that it is simple,
clear, direct, well-adapted”.[125]
Simplicity has to do with the language we
use. It must be one that people understand,
lest we risk speaking to a void. Preachers
often use words learned during their
studies and in specialized settings which
are not part of the ordinary language of
their hearers. These are words that are
suitable in theology or catechesis, but
whose meaning is incomprehensible to the
majority of Christians. The greatest risk for
a preacher is that he becomes so
accustomed to his own language that he
thinks that everyone else naturally
understands and uses it. If we wish to
adapt to people’s language and to reach
them with God’s word, we need to share in
their lives and pay loving attention to
them. Simplicity and clarity are two
different things. Our language may be
simple but our preaching not very clear. It
can end up being incomprehensible
because it is disorganized, lacks logical
progression or tries to deal with too many
things at one time. We need to ensure,
then, that the homily has thematic unity,
clear order and correlation between
sentences, so that people can follow the
preacher easily and grasp his line of
argument.
159. Another feature of a good homily is
that it is positive. It is not so much
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 concerned with pointing out what
shouldn’t be done, but with suggesting
what we can do better. In any case, if it
does draw attention to something
negative, it will also attempt to point to a
positive and attractive value, lest it remain
mired in complaints, laments, criticisms
and reproaches. Positive preaching always
offers hope, points to the future, does not
leave us trapped in negativity. How good
it is when priests, deacons and the laity
gather periodically to discover resources
which can make preaching more attractive!
On Sundays, holy days of obligation, and
solemnities, the people stand after the homily
and make the Profession of Faith. This is also
known as the Creed because the first word is
Credo, which means “I believe” in Latin.

PROFESSION OF FAITH
Typically we recite the Nicene-
Constantinopolitan Creed, which capsulizes
the dogmatic formulations of the Council of
Nicea (325 AD) and those of Constantinople
(381). It is simply called the Nicene Creed.
When confirmation students are present at
Mass, the people can recite the shorter and
more ancient creed known as the Apostles’
Creed. The Apostles’ Creed has 12 articles of
faith.

We stand for the Creed to show respect and

attention for what we believe and also to
honor all martyrs who died for these beliefs.

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If you are ever confused about what you
believe as a Catholic, or if anyone ever asks
you what you believe, you can simply recite
the Nicene Creed for them:

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the
Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the
Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius
Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
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.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver
of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
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who with the Father and the Son is adored
and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic
Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of
sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the
dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL

There are four ‘ends’ of the Mass, just as there
are four ‘ends’ of prayer: Petition, Adoration,
Reparation, and Thanksgiving. Pope Benedict
XVI observed that we are “at our most
attentive in prayer of petition and prayer of
thanksgiving.” When I read that observation,
I thought about my own experience in prayer,
and realized that it’s true.

The Prayers of the Faithful follow the homily,

and while they are not mandatory at every
Mass, I don’t know why you would omit
them since we have such a wonderful
opportunity to win God’s mercy by asking for
His help.

The priest introduces and closes the Prayers

of the Faithful, while the reader announces
the various intentions and invites the
congregation to pray by saying, “We pray to
the Lord”, and the people respond, “Lord,
hear our prayer.” There is an order to the

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petitions, starting with universal needs of the
Church and moving down to local needs,
often mentioning by name the sick and
recently deceased in the parish.

I always make a point of praying for the Holy

Father and the Bishops, as well as for peace in
the world and the special protection of
Christians persecuted around the world. I
also remember to pray for mothers and the
safety of unborn children and an increase in
vocations … and the list could go on and on
because there is an infinite amount of grace
available at each Mass, so ‘why leave money
sitting on the table?’

THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

(OFFERTORY)
After the Prayers of the Faithful (Universal
Prayer), the Mass enters into a new and
profound phase: the ritual of offering and
sacrifice. Pay attention, because a lot is going
on.

“The ministers place the corporal, the

purificator, the chalice, the pall, and the
Missal on the altar.” If this were a meal, the
table is now set. But this is not a meal; it is a
sacrifice, and the sacrifice is ready to begin.

Members of the faithful can offer their

sacrifice. Typically on Sundays, a collection is
taken up. That monetary sacrifice is real, but
also symbolic of what we hope is a deeper
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reality: the readiness to sacrifice (sacrum
facere—literally, ‘to set aside’) our hearts,
minds, souls and bodies for the love of God.

Frequently members of the faithful come

forward bringing gifts of wine, water, and
unleavened bread, which will be consecrated
for the Eucharist. In some countries, such as
the highlands of Mexico where I ministered
for fifteen summers, the faithful also bring
gifts for the celebrant for his own use: milk,
cheese, eggs, etc. It is all very moving.

The priest offers the bread and the wine to

God, so that it might be sanctified, and the
people respond, “Blessed be God forever.”

And what can we who are poor offer to God?

All the work that we will do that day. And
that offering allows us to put our heart into
our work, especially the ordinary housework
that makes life pleasant for those we live
with. Offering our daily work allows us to
extend the Mass through the day. In this way
we discover that nothing is trivial, nothing is
wasted: all can be offered and connected to
God who awaits us in the hum-drum
activities of daily life.

After the Prayers of the Faithful (Universal

Prayer), the Mass enters into a new and
profound phase: the ritual of offering and
sacrifice. Pay attention, because a lot is going
on.
20
“The ministers place the corporal, the
purificator, the chalice, the pall, and the
Missal on the altar.” If this were a meal, the
table is now set. But this is not a meal; it is a
sacrifice, and the sacrifice is ready to begin.

Members of the faithful can offer their

sacrifice. Typically on Sundays, a collection is
taken up. That monetary sacrifice is real, but
also symbolic of what we hope is a deeper
reality: the readiness to sacrifice (sacrum
facere—literally, ‘to set aside’) our hearts,
minds, souls and bodies for the love of God.

Frequently members of the faithful come

forward bringing gifts of wine, water, and
unleavened bread, which will be consecrated
for the Eucharist. In some countries, such as
the highlands of Mexico where I ministered
for fifteen summers, the faithful also bring
gifts for the celebrant for his own use: milk,
cheese, eggs, etc. It is all very moving.

The priest offers the bread and the wine to

God, so that it might be sanctified, and the
people respond, “Blessed be God forever.”

And what can we who are poor offer to God?

All the work that we will do that day. And
that offering allows us to put our heart into
our work, especially the ordinary housework
that makes life pleasant for those we live
with. Offering our daily work allows us to
extend the Mass through the day. In this way
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we discover that nothing is trivial, nothing is
wasted: all can be offered and connected to
God who awaits us in the hum-drum
activities of daily life.

THE ‘SECRET’ PRAYERS (OFFERTORY)

If you watch very closely, you’ll notice that
the priest is moving his lips and praying
some prayers very, very quietly during the
preparation of the Gifts. The rubrics indicate
that the priest should pray them ‘sub secreto’,
which is translated as ‘inaudibly’ or ‘secret.’

But there’s really no secret, because the

prayers are printed in the Roman Missal or
other worship resources for the whole world
to see. And even though the rubrics indicate
that the priest is to pray these prayers, there is
absolutely no reason why you can’t do that
too!

As the priest pours wine and a little water

into the chalice, he prays quietly: “By the
mystery of this water and wine may we come
to share in the divinity of Christ, who
humbled himself to share in our humanity.”

Then the priest bows profoundly and says

quietly: “With humble spirit and contrite
heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord,
and may our sacrifice in your sight this day
be pleasing to you, Lord God.”

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Finally, as he washes his hands he prays,
“Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquity, and
cleanse me from my sin.”

THE ‘ORATE FRATRES’

The gifts having been prepared, the priest
invites everyone to pray: “Pray brethren
(brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and
yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty
Father.”

Standing, the people reply: “May the Lord

accept the sacrifice at your hands for the
praise and glory of His name, for our good
and the good of all His holy Church.”

‘My sacrifice and yours.’ Just what does

THAT mean? Many things, but especially that
the Mass is a sacrifice, not just a meal, and it
is the representation of Christ’s sacrifice on
the cross, but in an unbloody manner.
Everyone who participates in the Mass is
asked to make a sacrifice, because making a
sacrifice is a proof of love. And our religion
demands that we love God.

Sometimes the sacrifice we make is simply

the time and effort that we have made to get
to Mass. For some folks in the world, that’s
easy because the local Church is just next-
door. For others, it is very difficult because it
is far away. And for others, going to Mass
might even be dangerous, especially in areas

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of the world where Christians are persecuted
and martyred for their faith.

PRAYERS OVER THE GIFTS

There are three prayers that are unique for
each daily Mass: the Opening Prayer, the
Prayer Over the Gifts, and the Prayer After
Communion. If the Mass is in honor of the
Blessed Mother, those three prayers will be
related to her. If the Mass is in honor of a
martyr, the three prayers will be related to
that martyr.

When the priest prays the Opening Prayer

and the Prayer After Communion, he invites
everyone present to pray by saying, “Let us
pray.” But he does not make this invitation
for the Prayer Over the Gifts, because the
people just stood to pray the “Orate Fratres”
and they are already in a disposition of
prayer.

The rubrics state: “With hands extended, the

priest sings or prays the prayers over the
gifts, at the end of which the people respond
‘Amen.’”

Why does the priest extend his hands? Once

again it is ‘body language’ that shows that he
and the entire congregation are ‘open’ to the
gifts that God wants to give them.

PREFACE

24
Now the great event of the Mass is about to
take place: the miracle of the
transubstantiation. As the Eucharistic Prayer
begins, everyone is standing. The priest
invites the people to pray with him and a
dialog takes places between the priest and the
people.

“The Lord be with you.” R./ “And with your

spirit.”

“Lift up your hearts.” R./ “We have lifted

them up to the Lord.”

“Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.” R./

“It is right and just.”

If the people respond with energy and

enthusiasm, it is a clear signal that they have
faith and that they want to be there.

And now begins the Preface to the Eucharistic

prayer; it is prayed by the priest alone. It is
the second longest prayer in the Mass after
the Eucharistic Prayer and changes daily and
by the season depending on the theme of the
Mass. For instance, there are several different
prefaces for the Advent season, Christmas
season, Lenten season, Easter season, saints,
martyrs, virgins, pastors, etc.

To follow the prayer more closely and derive

greater benefit from the prayer, you can

25
follow the prayer in your printed worship
resource.

THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER (1)

I will spend the next seven lessons on the
Eucharistic Prayer, and it would really help if
you had a copy of the Eucharistic Prayers
from your missalette, Daily Roman Missal,
Magnificat, or mobile App so you can follow
along.

At this point of the Mass, everyone is invited

to kneel. Well, at least in the United States. (In
other countries – Spain, Italy, France, Mexico
– the faithful stand until the consecration.)
We kneel because something holy and
miraculous is about to happen: the bread and
wine will be changed into the Body and
Blood of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

There are four standard Eucharistic Prayers

for daily Mass, plus several others for Masses
of Reconciliation and in some countries,
Eucharistic Prayers for Masses with children.
For these lessons, I will focus on Eucharistic
Prayer I, also known as the ‘Roman Canon.’
The word “canon” in the liturgy means that
the prayer is “fixed,” and is the same day in
and day out with limited exceptions for
Christmas and Easter time.

The first Eucharistic Prayer – the Roman

Canon – is the prayer that your parents,
grandparents, and great-great-great-
26
grandparents all the way back to 1570, would
have followed in Latin at Mass. It was the
same from the Council of Trent until the
reform of the Liturgy of the Second Vatican
Council.

The Roman Canon is still basically the same

except we now pray it in the vernacular
(English) and we’ve added the name of St.
Joseph to the Saints we commemorate at
Mass.

THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER (2)

MEMENTO
After directing our prayers of offering to God
the Father through Jesus Christ, the priest
prays for the Church, the Pope, the local
bishop and all “who holding to the truth,
hand on the catholic and apostolic faith.” And
then the priest says the “Memento” which is
Latin for “Remember.”

“Remember, Lord, your servants, N. and N.”

At this point the priest and all the people

pause to pray in silence for a few moments.
What do they pray for? Actually, the question
is “who” do they pray for? They pray for “N.
and N.”, with the “N” signifying the first
letter of the latin word “nomen” which means
“name.” The moment has arrived to pray for
people and for their needs, because the Mass
is first of all an opportunity for prayer of
petition.
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Who do you pray for? The priest is obligated
on Sundays to pray for his parishioners, but
for most priests — as times goes on — their
list grows more and more. One of my favorite
authors, a priest himself, Fr. Leo Trese offered
this reflection on the Memento in his book
“Vessels of Clay”:

“I just can’t bring forward enough intentions

… for the time is so short. … All I can say is
‘For all the intentions, Lord, which I
mentioned to You in my morning prayers.’ It
is a long list, whose established pattern
undergoes daily additions and
modifications.”

THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER (3) THE

CONSECRATION
At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Do this in
memory of me.” And that’s exactly what we
do at Mass each day. The priest takes
unleavened wheat bread and grape wine –
just as Jesus did – and says the words that
Jesus said, “This is my body. This is my
blood,” and the great miracle of the
transubstantiation takes place.

The ‘substance’ of the bread and the

‘substance’ of the wine is changed into the
‘substance’ of the Body and Blood of Christ.
So the Church teaches that in the Eucharist,
Jesus is really, truly, and substantially
present, with His Body, Blood, Soul, and
Divinity.

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After pronouncing those words, the priest
shows the Eucharist to the people. In some
countries the faithful keep absolute
reverential silence at this sacred moment; in
other countries the faithful quietly proclaim
the words of St. Thomas the Apostle, “My
Lord and my God!”

The server rings the bells and everyone

knows that a great miracle has just taken
place.

THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER (4) BELLS

I love bells, don’t you? Bells are permitted at
Mass, but not mandatory. Still, I think they
add something beautiful to the experience.

When I was chaplain at Northridge Prep

school for boys, the 6th and 7th graders
always wanted to serve and always wanted
something active to do, like ringing the bells.
If it were up to them, they’d ring the bells all
Mass long. But no, only three times: once at
the ‘epiclesis’ when the priest puts his hands
over the gifts and invokes the blessing of the
Holy Spirit, again for the second time when
the priest elevates and shows the host to the
people, and third time is when the priest
elevates the chalice and shows the Blood of
Christ to the people.
So what’s up with the bells? We ring bells to
get people’s attention and let them know
something important is going on and
something has changed; school bells tell us

29
something has changed, for instance that
period 3 is now over and now we begin
period 4. Fire bells in the village alert
everyone to take action and come and help.
And bells at Mass tell us that a miracle has
just happened: the transubstantiation.

THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER (5)

MEMENTO OF THE DEAD
At every Mass, the Church prays for the
living and the dead. Just because a person has
died does not mean he is no longer part of the
Church. And the Church always remembers
the souls of the faithful departed. The body
dies, but the soul lives forever. At the end of
the world, the souls will be reunited with
their bodies.

So why do we pray for the ‘faithful

departed’? Because if they are still in
purgatory, they need our prayers. They can
not pray for themselves, but we can pray for
them and we can apply the grace and fruits of
the Mass to their souls for their purification.

It is very helpful to pray for the dead by

name. For that reason, the rubrics state: “For
N. and N.” Who should we pray for? Family
and friends who have died, and then
especially for all those who have died
anywhere or at anytime who have no one to
pray for them.

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THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER (6)
EUCHARISTIC DOXOLOGY
No matter which Eucharistic Prayer we use,
(1,2,3,4 or the various EPs for Reconciliation
or for Masses for Children) they all end the
same with the “Eucharistic Doxology.” A
“doxology” is the English translation of a
Greek word which means a short hymn of
praise to God.

The priest proclaims: “Through Him, with

Him, in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours almighty Father,
forever and ever,” as he raises the Eucharistic
Lord in the consecrated host and in the
Precious Blood in the sacred chalice for the
entire congregation to see and ponder.

Who is the “Him” in this hymn of praise?

Jesus Christ, of course. So, this short prayer is
a Trinitarian formula of praise to God the
Father through Christ, with Christ, and in
Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit.

The Mass is clearly a prayer of praise to the

Father, by the Son, through the Holy Spirit.

There’s a lot going on at each Mass, isn’t

there?

No matter which Eucharistic Prayer we use,

(1,2,3,4 or the various EPs for Reconciliation
or for Masses for Children) they all end the
same with the “Eucharistic Doxology.” A
31
“doxology” is the English translation of a
Greek word which means a short hymn of
praise to God.

The priest proclaims: “Through Him, with

Him, in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours almighty Father,
forever and ever,” as he raises the Eucharistic
Lord in the consecrated host and in the
Precious Blood in the sacred chalice for the
entire congregation to see and ponder.

Who is the “Him” in this hymn of praise?

Jesus Christ, of course. So, this short prayer is
a Trinitarian formula of praise to God the
Father through Christ, with Christ, and in
Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit.

THE EUCHARISTIC PRAYER (7) AMEN

It is such a simple word: Amen. And it seems
to be exactly the same in English, German,
French, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Aramaic and
Hebrew. That’s because it came from the
Hebrew language and followed the path of
Christian Evangelization throughout the
world.

So what does it mean? It means that we give

assent to what has just been said and we
claim that it is true.

Amen = I believe it. So be it. It is true.

32
Can I get an “Amen” for that?

At really special Masses, such as the

canonization of a saint in St. Peter’s Square,
the choir and the people sing the super-duper
“triple Amen” in four part harmony
accompanied with brass, tympani, strings,
and voices. It is truly magnificent and
glorious and a fitting way to conclude the
Eucharistic Prayer in which the extraordinary
miracle of the Transubstantiation just took
place.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

The pace is picking up as we conclude the
Eucharistic Prayer with the Great Amen. We
are all focused at this point on the Holy
Eucharist and we begin our final preparations
for receiving the Lord in Holy Communion.
What better way to prepare than to pray in
unison with “the words Our Savior taught
us”?

And so, standing, we all pray the “Lord’s

Prayer”, also known as the Our Father. There
are seven petitions in the Our Father, as the
Catechism states:

“2803 After we have placed ourselves in the

presence of God our Father to adore and to
love and to bless him, the Spirit of adoption
stirs up in our hearts seven petitions, seven
blessings. The first three, more theological,
draw us toward the glory of the Father; the
33
last four, as ways toward him, commend our
wretchedness to his grace.”

I could list the seven petitions, but that would

be too easy. Can you figure out what they
are? If you cannot, go find your copy of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church and read
paragraphs 2803-2854.

I will leave you with one last consideration

about the Lord’s Prayer during the Mass.
Pope Benedict XVI points out in his
commentary on the Lord’s Prayer that “we
are at our most attentive in prayer when it is
prayer of thanksgiving or prayer of petition.”

Ask God for good things, because God is our

good Father.

THE SIGN OF PEACE

There is a lot going on during the
“Communion Rite” at this point in the Mass,
but since there are only “40 Lessons on the
Mass in Lent” I am unable to comment on all
of them. I invite you to get a copy of the Daily
Roman Missal or any other worship resource
that has the prayers, the secret prayers, and
the rubrics for your study. You will learn a lot
and your hunger for the Eucharist will grow.

So let me comment on the “Sign of Peace”,

which the reform of the Liturgy of the Second
Vatican Council recovered and inserted into
this part of the Mass. Some think we should
34
have the “sign of peace” at the beginning of
the Mass so we can be more focused at this
point on receiving Holy Communion.

As it turns out, the ‘rubrics’ state that the

priest says “The peace of the Lord be with
you always” and the people respond, “And
with your spirit.” But then the rubrics point
out: “Then, if appropriate, the Deacon or the
Priest, adds: ‘Let us offer each other a sign of
peace.”

So, it is not mandatory to have the sign of

peace, and sometimes it is omitted at
weekday Masses. For funerals and weddings
and other very special occasions it is not
uncommon that the exchange of a sign of
peace takes longer and is more involved as
the circumstances warrant. The sign of peace
that we exchange should be in keeping “with
local custom … to express peace, communion,
and charity.” Here in the USA the custom is a
handshake. In other countries it is a smile,
and in still other countries a hug.

But the ‘sign of peace’ remains only a sign if

there is not a deeper commitment to charity,
love, and forgiveness of our neighbor.

THE AGNUS DEI

Next follows the ‘Agnus Dei’ (Lamb of God)
calling to mind that electric moment when
John the Baptist pointed to Jesus at the Jordan
and told the Apostles John (brother of James)
35
and Andrew (brother of Peter) “Behold the
Lamb of God!” (John 1:37). Immediately, John
and Andrew began to follow Jesus who,
turning around, surprised them by asking,
“What is it you seek?”

(That is a deep, deep question that Jesus asks

each of us. But more on that later…)

“Lamb of God” may sound a bit strange to us

in contemporary English, but back then — to
that audience and in that language — it had a
profound meaning and triggered a reflection
on Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac and God’s
promise to save His people.

When Isaac asked his father, “Where is the

sacrificial animal,” Abraham replied, “God
himself will provide the sacrifice.” And so he
did, thousands of years later in the person of
Jesus.

Jesus is the “sacrificial lamb” who takes away

the sins of the world, fulfilling the prophetic
meaning of the sacrifice of Abraham and the
Passover event which set the Israelites free
from bondage in Egypt.

We say, “Lamb of God who takes away the

sins of the world, have mercy on us … have
mercy on us … grant us peace” because that
is what the heart and soul seek: peace and
repose from all worry, anxiety, and remorse
for our own sinfulness.
36
It is a beautiful way for us to prepare for the
moment of Holy Communion.

THE BEST ‘SECRET’ PRAYER

After the faithful sing or recite the “Lamb of
God, Grant us Peace”, pay close attention to
what the priest celebrant is doing. He bows
his head, folds his hands, and prays what I
consider the most magnificent of the ‘secret’
prayers, in order to prepare himself to receive
Holy Communion worthily and fruitfully.
Here it is:

Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,

who by the will of the Father
and the work of the Holy Spirit,
through your Death gave life to the world,
free me by this, your most Holy Body and
Blood,
from all my sins and from every evil;
keep me always faithful to your
commandments,
and never let me be parted from you.
“And never let ME be parted from YOU.”
That just about sums it up, doesn’t it? There’s
nothing more important than being united to
Jesus Christ.

Now we are ready for Holy Communion. The

rubrics state: “The Priest genuflects, takes the
host and, holding it slightly raised above the
paten or above the chalice, while facing the
people, says aloud:

37
BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD
“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
Lamb.”

And together with the people he adds once:

“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter

under my roof, but only say the word and my
soul shall be healed.”

LORD, I AM NOT WORTHY. These are some

of the most famous words ever spoken and
they are repeated daily by tens of millions of
Catholics at Mass right before Holy
Communion.

And the person who first spoke them? He

was a Roman Centurion whose servant was
deathly ill. Jesus told him he would come for
a visit, but the Roman soldier — an honest
and humble man — shook his head and said,
“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter
under my roof. Just say the word, and my
servant will be healed.”

Jesus was so moved by this man’s humility,

that he worked the miraculous cure
immediately and on the spot and marveled at
this man’s faith and humility.

Humility is an elusive, but necessary virtue.

Saint Josemaria once wrote: “You are not
38
humble when you humble yourself, but when
others humble you and you accept it for
Christ.”

HOW TO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION

When the Blessed Mother appeared to Adele
Brise at Champion, Wisconsin on October 8,
1859, her message was simple, clear, and
direct.

“Teach the children what they need to know

for their salvation. . . Teach them their
catechism, how to sign themselves with the
Sign of the Cross, and how to approach the
sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go
and fear nothing. I will help you.”

And just how are we to approach the

sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at Mass? The
Church instructs us that we need to be in a
state of grace to receive Holy Communion,
that is we should not be conscious of any
unconfessed mortal sin at the time of Holy
Communion. Moreover, we should keep to
the one hour fast from food and beverage
before Communion. For the rest, in the USA,
the faithful are free to receive Holy
Communion standing or kneeling, on the
tongue or in the hand.

But we should try to receive Our Lord with

piety, devotion, hunger, and desire.

You get out of it, what you put into it.

39
THANKSGIVING AFTER COMMUNION
Have you noticed? Pope Francis often sits in
the back of the Church after morning Mass to
make his time of thanksgiving, some ten
minutes or so. This is an ancient and
venerable custom based on the fact that the
sacramental reality of the Eucharistic
presence of Jesus Christ remains in us for ten
to fifteen minutes after we receive Him. In
effect we are like living Tabernacles for that
time period.

There are many beautiful prayers of

thanksgiving for after Communion, some
composed by saints like Thomas Aquinas or
Bonaventure. What follows is the Universal
Prayer attributed to Pope Clement XI. This
just about sums it up:

Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith.

I trust in you: strengthen my trust.
I love you: let me love you more and more.
I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.
I worship you as my first beginning,
I long for you as my last end,
I praise you as my constant helper,
And call on you as my loving protector.
Guide me by your wisdom,
Correct me with your justice,
Comfort me with your mercy,
Protect me with your power.
I offer you, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on
you;
My words: to have you for their theme;

40
My actions: to reflect my love for you;
My sufferings: to be endured for your greater
glory.
I want to do what you ask of me:
In the way you ask,
For as long as you ask,
Because you ask it.
Lord, enlighten my understanding,
Strengthen my will,
Purify my heart,
and make me holy.
Help me to repent of my past sins
And to resist temptation in the future.
Help me to rise above my human weaknesses
And to grow stronger as a Christian.
Let me love you, my Lord and my God,
And see myself as I really am:
A pilgrim in this world,
A Christian called to respect and love
All whose lives I touch,
Those under my authority,
My friends and my enemies.
Help me to conquer anger with gentleness,
Greed by generosity,
Apathy by fervor.
Help me to forget myself
And reach out toward others.
Make me prudent in planning,
Courageous in taking risks.
Make me patient in suffering, unassuming in
prosperity.
Keep me, Lord, attentive at prayer,
Temperate in food and drink,
Diligent in my work,
Firm in my good intentions.
41
Let my conscience be clear,
My conduct without fault,
My speech blameless,
My life well-ordered.
Put me on guard against my human
weaknesses.
Let me cherish your love for me,
Keep your law,
And come at last to your salvation.
Teach me to realize that this world is passing,
That my true future is the happiness of
heaven,
That life on earth is short,
And the life to come eternal.
Help me to prepare for death
With a proper fear of judgment,
But a greater trust in your goodness.
Lead me safely through death
To the endless joy of heaven.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE MASS IS ENDED

And now what do we do? Having received
Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist,
we go out into the world to bring Christ to all
we meet, through our words and deeds.

At the end of World War II, the Catholic

faithful in a small town in Germany set to
work to rebuild their parish Church, which
had been demolished in the war. Little by
little, brick by brick, with great love and faith,
they rebuilt their beloved Church. But when
it came to restoring the marble statue of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus, the hands of the Lord
42
on the statue of Jesus never looked quite
right. So the restoration committee decided to
leave the statue without hands, but placed a
bronze plaque next to it stating: “Jesus has no
hands, except our hands.”

Go in peace.

The Mass is clearly a prayer of praise to the

Father, by the Son, through the Holy Spirit.

There’s a lot going on at each Mass, isn’t

there?

https://relevantradio.com
Copied with personal permission from Fr. Francis
(also known as Fr. Rocky)

43
What is Holy Mass?
It is our way of showing Jesus that we love
Him. God, through the Church He founded on
St Peter, asks us to obey the 3rd
Commandment by attending Mass. Heb 10:25
says: 'Don't neglect to meet together, as has
become the habit of some.' The basic format
of the Mass has not altered since the
beginning of the Church's 2,000 year-old
history (CCC 1345). Mass is a SACRIFICE, a
SACRAMENT and a COMMUNION where
Jesus, our Lord, is present in His Word, in His
priest, in the gathering of His people, and most
especially in the Eucharistic species.

44