Issue of Nov. 15, 2007
Issue of Nov. 15, 2007
The Mass Part 2 of 7
Entrance rites: getting ready to meet God
Last week I mentioned a few concepts that help us appreciate the Mass,
such as symbolic objects, words and actions, timelessness, active participation
and changed lives. Now let’s look more closely at the beginning
of Mass.
Of course, we don’t think that in the Upper Room one of the apostles
fired up an organ, Jesus put on a stole and chasuble, got in line behind
the altar servers carrying incense and candles, and they sang “Gather
Us In” before beginning the Last Supper.
Around the year 155, St. Justin explained to a pagan emperor how Christians
did it: “On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in
the city or country gather in the same place. The memoirs of the apostles
and the writings of the prophets are read” (Catechism of the Catholic
Church, No. 1345).
The rest of St. Justin’s liturgy looks remarkably familiar, and
it is reassuring that the early Church celebrated Mass pretty much the
same way we still do. But notice that St. Justin says nothing about the
entrance rites. These developed gradually over several hundred years.
Altar
One of the earliest things to develop is the symbolism of the altar itself.
At the start of Mass, when everyone reaches the sanctuary, we bow to
the altar, even if the tabernacle is in a different chapel. And bishops,
priests and deacons kiss the altar. Why?
That’s because according to St. Ambrose (late 300s) the altar is
a symbol of Christ. The liturgy calls Jesus Christ priest, victim and
altar — as high priest, He makes the offering (Heb 5:1-10); as
victim, He is the one being sacrificed, the Lamb who was slain (Rv 13:8).
But why altar? St. Paul says we “offer our bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God, our spiritual worship” (Rom 12:1). Since
we know the Father accepts Christ’s sacrifice, we place our lives
on Christ Himself; He is the one through whom we sacrifice our lives.
Reverencing the altar is reverencing Christ Himself.
Greeting
The celebrant greets the assembly with the Sign of the Cross and a Scriptural
text such as, “The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ be with you” (Ti 1:4).
This is much richer than merely saying, “Good morning.” No
matter how much the priest and people like one another, something more
is happening. The priest is wishing God upon the people, and the people
respond not just to the man, but to Jesus Christ Himself.
That’s why the literal translation of the people’s response
is, “And with your spirit.” Christ greets His bride, the
Church, and the bride greets the spirit of Christ present in the priest.
Penitential rite
Are you ready to meet Jesus, who really comes to us in the Eucharist?
Sometimes, neither am I. That’s why we usually ask for mercy next.
This can take several forms. The most ancient predates even the use of
Latin in Mass: We cry out “Kyrie eleison,” Greek for “Lord
have mercy.”
The Confiteor (“I confess”) first shows up around the eighth
century. And sometimes, such as at Easter and Masses with baptism, we
renew our baptismal promises and replace the penitential rite with a
sprinkling with water.
Gloria
The Gloria comes from the song the angels sang at Jesus’ birth
(Lk 2:4) and originally was used only during the Christmas season. It
found its way into Mass during the sixth century. Christ is born anew
in each Mass we celebrate, and we sing His praises with the angels and
saints who are continually praising Him. Each time we celebrate Mass,
we join with the liturgy already going on in heaven (CCC, 1090).
Opening prayer
The opening prayer is also called the “collect.” The priest
intones, “Let us pray,” and then a brief silence follows.
The silence is not just waiting for the server to bring the book; each
of us is supposed to be praying silently during that time, and after
a short while the priest “collects” all those silent prayers
into the opening prayer. When the priest ends, we all acclaim “Amen” signaling
our agreement with the prayer, and we are ready for God to speak to us.
Fr. Margevicius is instructor of liturgical theology at St. Paul Seminary
School of Divinity in St. Paul, Minn.
To donate
Collection boxes are located in both the school and church foyer, St.
Bernadette Church, 7600 Old Keene Mill Rd., Springfield. 703/451-8696.
A woman dressed in traditional hanbok roasts chestnuts for Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde (right) and Fr. Thaddeus Kim, former pastor of St. Paul Chung Parish in Fairfax, during their tour last month of a traditional Korean folk village in South Korea. (FR. RICHARD MULLINS | COURTESY PHOTO)