The Lord’s Prayer   Why does the priest say in the invitation, “we dare to say”? As Charles Belmonte notes, “This invitation is a very touching and most ancient formula (one alluded to as early as the fourth century by St. Jerome). It states that we should not dare (audemus) to utter what we are about to say—were it not for the express command of our Lord. He taught us to approach God as a son talks to his father” (Understanding the Mass, p. 169). According to the Diocese of

Communion   As Fr. Joseph McGloin teaches, “The word ‘communion’ is almost self-explanatory. Literally, it means ‘union with.’ It suggests a sharing, a mutual participation. Holy Communion, is, then, an intimate sharing in the life of Christ” (How to Get More Out of the Mass, p. 128). That is exactly what takes place in Holy Communion. We receive the Precious Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ into our bodies, and he unites us with himself. Unlike regular food which

Epiclesis   What is the “Epiclesis”? How do we even pronounce it? (A common pronunciation is Epp-eh-clee-sis.) Charles Belmonte teaches, “In the Epiclesis, the priest requests God the Father to send the Holy Spirit so that the bread and wine offered may become Christ’s Body and Blood and so we may be able to celebrate the Eucharistic mystery, and to make all the effects of the sacrament operative in us. At the same time, the priest extends his hands, palms downward, over the

Eucharistic Prayer   After the Prayer over the Offerings, we now come to the Eucharistic Prayer. According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, “Now the center and high point of the entire celebration begins, namely, the Eucharistic Prayer itself, that is, the prayer of thanksgiving and sanctification. The priest calls upon the people to lift up their hearts to the Lord in prayer and thanksgiving; he associates the people with himself in the Prayer that he addresse

Presentation of the Gifts The practical details of this part of the Mass have looked different at various points in history. In earlier times, the gifts would typically be things that people brought from their homes. People would bring all sorts of food, along with bread and wine, and gifts for the poor (money or otherwise). These gifts would all be brought up and then sorted. The bread and wine were used for the Mass, some food and money were given to the priest to provide

The Creed According to the glossary of our Catechism , a creed is “a brief, normative summary statement or profession of Christian faith, e.g., the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed. The word ‘Creed’ comes from the Latin Credo , meaning ‘I believe,’ with which the Creed begins” ( CCC , Glossary, s.v. “Creed”). As we will see, a creed is a collection of core truths in which we believe. As the Catechism teaches, there have been many professions of faith that have come from Chu

Allelulia Alleluia! With this familiar word (generally sung) of the Gospel Acclamation, we all stand for the Gospel. Where does that word come from? According to the Catechism , “Alleluia” is a word that means, “Praise the Lord!” ( CCC , no. 2589).  As the General Instruction of the Roman Missal reminds us, this sung acclamation is a rite “by which the gathering of the faithful welcomes and greets the Lord who is about to speak to them in the Gospel and profess their faith

Responsorial Psalm Sing a joyful song unto the Lord! As the General Instruction of the Roman Missal states, “After the First Reading follows the Responsorial Psalm , which is an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word and which has great liturgical and pastoral importance, since it fosters meditation on the Word of God” ( General Instruction of the Roman Missal , no. 61). (The “P” in the word “Psalms” is silent, so it sounds like “Salms.”) According to the Glossary in the Ca

A Prayer in Four Parts “Let us pray…” After the Gloria , the priest sings or says this invitation to pray. As the General Instruction of the Roman Missal describes, “Next the Priest calls upon the people to pray and everybody, together with the Priest, observes a brief silence so that they may become aware of being in God’s presence and may call to mind their intentions. Then the priest pronounces the prayer usually called the ‘Collect’ and through which the character of the

After the priest’s greeting and people’s response at the beginning of the Mass, we next share in the Penitential Act . If you think that...

Let us pray    Why do we sing? Looking back in our history and to the Jewish roots of our liturgy, we see that music and singing is an...

The Mass is our participation in the one perfect Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. • The Mass is our participation in true communion with...