| Liturgy of the Word | Liturgy of Eucharist | Rite of Sending |
Beth Berger, liturgy coordinator for St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center at Purdue, has prepared the following overview and commentary as an aid for those attending the Eucharist at St. Tom's. . The quotes are from the General Instruction for the Roman Missal 2003 edition.
The Gathering Rite
The
members of St. Thomas Aquinas begin Mass by saying “Hello” to
those in the worship space to begin to get acquainted with each other and
to acknowledge the presence of Christ in each other.
An Opening Song is announced and all join in singing to give thanks and praise
to God.
The priest asks us to continue our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. All
bless themselves in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen
The priest now extends a greeting to the assembly, to which the assembly
responds, “and
also with you.”
It is now time for the assembly to call to mind the need for God’s
mercy in their lives and remember the promise of salvation through baptism
in either
the Penitential Rite or Sprinkling Rite.
After we ask for mercy, everyone joins in singing the same praises as the
Christmas angels, long ago, the Glory to God. Occasionally this hymn of glory
is omitted.
Once the Gloria is finished, the priest asks the assembly to pray. He then
collects all of the assembly’s individual silent prayers and voices
the prescribed opening prayer for the day. The
assembly’s response is “Amen.”-
please be seated
The first reading is usually read from the Hebrew Scriptures. The exception
to this is during the Easter season when Catholics listen to the stories
of the early church in the Acts of the Apostles. The lector will finish
the reading saying: The “Word of the Lord,” to which Catholics
respond, “Thanks be to God.”
The psalm is taken from the Hebrew Scriptures, the Book of Psalms.
The psalm is sung in a call and response format and is therefore called
the
Responsorial Psalm.
The next or second reading is from the Christian Scriptures. The lector
will finish the reading saying: The “Word of the Lord,” to
which Catholics respond, “Thanks be to God.”
The Gospel Acclamation – please stand
The priest now extends a greeting, “the Lord be with you” to
which Catholics respond, “and also with you.” The priest
will now tell the assembly from which gospel he will be reading to which the
assembly responds, “Glory to you, oh Lord” as Catholics make
another sign of the cross. This time, Catholics trace small crosses over
their foreheads, lips and hearts to symbolize that the word of God be on
their mind, in their speaking and in their hearts so as to be faithful
witnesses to the gospel. At the end of the proclamation, the priest says, “the
Gospel of the Lord” and the response is, “Praise to you, Lord,
Jesus Christ.” – please be seated
The homily is given by the priest to help the assembly better understand
their relationship with God and one another in their lives.
After the homily, a moment of silence is observed to let the word of
God and the homily settle into the hearts of all present.
Next Catholics stand together and recite “the
Creed” our profession
of faith. On various occasions this recitation of the creed may be omitted
due to other ways in which Catholics express their common faith.
The prayers of the faithful or general intercessions are the prayers
voiced for the Church, world leaders, those who are poor or oppressed,
local community,
for the sick and the deceased. Each of these prayers end with these or similar
words, “we pray to the Lord” to which the response is, “Lord,
hear our prayer.” After the last intercession, the priest will gather
all the prayers spoken and silent and voice one closing prayer for the entire
liturgy of the word. He asks that these prayers be answered by God through “Jesus
Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you (God), in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever” to which the assembly responds, “Amen.”
–
please be seated
A collection is taken up to support the needs of the parish and outreach
efforts.
Then from the community, the gifts of bread and wine are brought forward
to the priest. These gifts will be prayed over and made holy by God,
through the power of the Holy Spirit, called forth by the intentions
of the ordained
priest and of the gathered faithful around the table. This is the prayer
that Catholics call the Eucharistic Prayer. It is our great prayer of
praise and thanksgiving. Through these prayers and acclamations the
priest and
assembly speak and sing, Catholics believe that what once was bread is
now the Body of Christ and that what once was wine is now the Blood of
Christ.
Before Catholics partake of this very special meal, they extend to one
another a sign of Christ’s peace. This is usually a handshake or
an embrace.
Fraction Rite and Communion
Once the sign of peace is extended, the priest will begin to break apart
the Body of Christ and divide it into smaller vessels for distribution.
The Blood of Christ is now poured into several chalices. This moment
is called the fraction rite or the breaking of the bread. The priest
and Extraordinary
ministers of Communion (those who are trained to assist with the distribution
of the Body and Blood of Christ) then go to positions around the worship
space in order to distribute Holy Communion to the assembly. It is
the belief of all Catholics that this meal is the Body and Blood of
Christ.
While all are welcome to give thanks and praise to God with this Catholic
community, receiving Holy Communion is a sign of a personal relationship
with the Lord, as well as membership to a particular Christian denomination.
For this reason, we invite only active Catholics to the Communion table.
If you are not a Catholic but would like a blessing, you may approach
an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion or the priest with your
arms crossed
and folded over your chest. This tells the minister or the priest that
you would like to receive a blessing.
After the distribution of the Body and Blood of Christ, the assembly,
once again, shares a moment of silence. After the silence, the priest
prays
the prayer after communion and the assembly’s response is, “Amen.”
The Final Blessing and Dismissal
The priest will say, “The Lord be with you.”
The Catholics will respond, “and also with you.”
The priest will then give the assembly a blessing
followed by tracing
the sign of the cross over the assembly as members of the assembly sign
themselves,
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Then the priest will dismiss the assembly and give Catholics the mission to go forth to love and serve the Lord and one another. The assembly
then responds, “Thanks be to God.”
The Closing Song is announced and the assembly sings their way out of
the worship space.
I hope this helps in your understanding of why we do, what we do. Please remember that this is only the beginning of what is the inexhaustible subject of the Catholic Mass. If you would like to do any further study of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, please contact me. I have books that may interest you and I would be happy to let you borrow them.
Your Sister in Christ,