Penitential Act & Gloria

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 sounds like penance, don’t worry—it’s a good thing! During the entrance rite, we recall that we are in the presence of God. If we are truly sincere in realizing that God (who is all-holy) is in our midst, then we recognize the need for purification. We recognize that when we encounter God, we must draw near with a pure heart. So, we take a brief moment of silence to call to mind our sins and failings, and we ask the Lord to forgive and heal us. After our time of silence, the priest (or deacon) leads the community in praying one of three possible prayers (conveniently known as options A, B, and C—more on them next time).

Like nearly every part of the Holy Sacrifice, we find descriptions of the Penitential Act in early descriptions of the Mass. One of these, the Didachē (pronounced: did-uh-kay), meaning Teaching of the Apostles, gives instructions for Christians celebrating the Eucharist: “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” (A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, p. 32). As Father Guy Oury notes, “For a long time in the past this rite concerned only the celebrant and his ministers. Before going up to the altar they remained in silent prayer, lying face to the floor, as is still done in the liturgy of Good Friday” (The Mass, p. 49). So that everyone present could be more actively involved in this important part of the Mass, our current options came into use. Besides, except for some of our little ones, it would be really hard for everyone to lie down on the floor inside the pews!

This honest look inside ourselves during the Penitential Act helps us to be aware of our sin and, most importantly, our need for God to help us overcome sin. In a very practical way, this brief reflection recalls the places in our lives where we know we need Christ more. If you haven’t yet thought of an intention to join together with the priest’s offering of the Mass, this might be a great time to ask specifically for help in overcoming a particular sin or perhaps further healing from the effects of previous sins. We believe that the Mass is our most powerful prayer together because Jesus himself is truly present and we are joining together with Him in the perfect worship of God the Father. In the Mass we take part in the one perfect sacrifice of the Cross where Christ offered Himself so that our sins could be forgiven. Realizing Jesus will be present on the altar or thinking about how the Mass is a sharing in the Cross, this moment can actually be one of great hope. What a great gift!  

During this part of the Mass, as you recall your sins, you might feel unworthy of what we are about to celebrate. Although it may be uncomfortable to think about where we need healing and growth, it is actually a good sign of grace at work in our hearts. We are made out of love for love. We are made for life and communion with God and each other. Of course, sin disrupts and breaks that communion: sin moves us away from where we belong. The reason we feel frustrated or embarrassed or sad when we think of our sins is that we know deep inside that sin is contrary to the life to which God calls us. Hopefully, that discomfort will spur us to seek out the forgiveness of Christ through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

In the words of Charles Belmonte: “At the end of [the Penitential Act], the priest takes refuge with his brethren in the mercy of God: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life” (Understanding the Mass, p. 56). In the past, some people (including priests) were incorrectly told that this prayer was the equivalent of the absolution prayer the priest says in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This is certainly not the case! To make this clear, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal directly says that this prayer “lacks the efficacy of the Sacrament of Penance” (GIRM, no. 51). Elaborating, Belmonte comments, “The Penitential [Act] of the Mass is not a sacramental confession; therefore, it does not bring immediate remission of mortal sins. Forgiveness of mortal sins has to be obtained in the Sacrament of Penance. It is also important to remember that a person who has committed a mortal sin cannot go to Communion unless he goes to Confession beforehand” (Understanding the Mass, p. 57).

If we think about the actual words of the prayer, this explanation makes sense. The priest here simply asks the Lord to have mercy on us, forgive us, and bring us to heaven. This is clearly different from the words of sacramental absolution where the priest, in the person of Christ, says the words, “God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church, may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” In the Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as the Sacrament of Penance or Confession), we openly confess our sins and speak them to the priest, whereas in the Mass we review them interiorly. In the Mass, we certainly are acknowledging that we have sins and that we need the Lord’s mercy, but we are not directly bringing those sins to God for forgiveness as we do in Reconciliation.

A Song of Praise

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.” Many of us may recognize these words from St. Luke’s Gospel as the song the angels sing in praise announcing the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (Luke 2:14). Each year on Christmas Eve, I recall our family traditions from when I was young, including Christmas Eve Mass together as a family. One year, we went to bed very early so that we wouldn’t be too tired for the Mass at midnight. In my memory, I still hear very clearly my grandparents singing in the choir and the bells ringing with joy as we sang together the news of Christ’s birth. As we grew older and became altar servers, my brother and I would practice so that we could ring the bells steadily throughout the Gloria. It took a lot of endurance!

As the General Instruction of the Roman Missal indicates, “The Gloria in excelsis(Glory to God in the highest) is a most ancient and venerable hymn by which the Church, gathered in the Holy Spirit, glorifies and entreats God the Father and the Lamb” (GIRM, no. 53). The Gloria is full of phrases and titles from the Bible. Edward Sri explains, “one could describe this prayer, which goes back to early Christianity, as a mosaic of biblical titles for God and common biblical expressions of praise.” Sri goes on to list many Scripture references to these titles, such as “Lord Almighty” (Baruch 3:1; 2 Corinthians 6:18), “Lord God Almighty” (Revelation 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 19:6), and “King of Glory” (see A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, p. 43).

From the context of the Gloria, we are clearly singing the first part to God the Father and then the second part to God the Son. According to Sri: “The next part of the Gloria, in a sense, tells a story—the story of Christ. Like a three-act play, the Gloria sums up the story of Christ’s saving work moving from 1) his coming, to 2) his redeeming death, to 3) his triumphant resurrection and ascension into heaven” (p. 44). Once again, Sri highlights many references to the Scriptures, including the Divine Sonship of Christ (John 5:17-18; 10:30-38; 2 Corinthians 1:19; Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 1:1-2); the Lamb of God (John 1:29, Revelation 5:6-14; 12:11; 17:14, among many others); and Christ’s position at the right hand of the Father (Mark 16:19) (A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, pp. 45-46).

Sri continues, “Notice how the whole mission of Jesus is summed up in this section of the Gloria. We move from the Son’s Incarnation, to his Paschal Mystery, to his enthronement in heaven. We move from praising Jesus as the ‘Only Begotten Son’ of the Father who became flesh and dwelt among us; to worshiping him as the ‘Lamb of God’ who by his sacrifice takes away the sin of the world; to praising him in his triumph over sin and death as he is ‘seated at the right hand of the Father.’ Indeed, the very climax of salvation history can be summed up in the Gloria” (A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, p. 46).

Fittingly, we probably most often think of the Gloria as a hymn of praise. The Mass is our participation in the one perfect Sacrifice of Christ—the act of perfect worship of the Father. That certainly does call forth praises! The Gloria can truly be a great model of prayer for us and hopefully strengthens our readiness for the many fruits that will continue to come in the Mass. As we sing the Gloria together, it is a great lead into what comes next: The Collect, which gathers our prayers and presents our focus for the celebration of each Mass. Source: https://www.eucharisticrevival.org