The Mass What is Mass? You re here at Mass, but maybe you ve been wondering what is Mass exactly? It is the time set apart for us to gather and celebrate the Eucharist. In Mass we share the very Body and Blood of Jesus that he gives to us in a meal that he himself instituted. The word itself comes from the Latin missa which means dismissal and comes from the Latin ending of the Mass. The word Mass shows us something important. What we do when we come on Sunday, when we are nourished with the Body and Blood of Christ, is meant to give us strength to go out into the world and help nourish it with our good works. The Introductory Rites This include everything from the gathering of the people and the procession, through the Sign of the Cross, the Greeting, the Penitential Act, the Gloria, and the Collect. The Introductory Rites are the part of Mass that helps us get in the right frame of mind to participate in Mass. It helps us focus on the theme of the day (listen to the Collect, it will help you know what that is) and it gives us a chance to enter into the Mass with a clean heart and soul (the Penitential Act which is normally the General Confession or the Lord have mercy ). The Liturgy of the Word This is the part of the Mass where the Word of God is proclaimed in the Scriptures. The first reading is almost always from the Old Testament (in Easter it is from the Acts of the Apostles), the Responsorial Psalm is from the ancient song book of the people of God and is a response to the first reading. The second reading is normally from one of Paul s letters and gives us insight into the early Christian communities. The Gospel is proclaimed and Christ speaks to us through it. The Homily, given by the priest or deacon helps us to understand the readings. The Profession of Faith is our response to the Word of God and the Prayer of the Faithful is our outward step praying for the world. The Profession of Faith Part of the Liturgy of the Word, we often just call this The Creed. In reality it is one of two Creeds. It can be the Nicene Creed (The statement of belief from the Council of Nicaea in 325). It can also be the Apostles Creed which we know to be a very early Baptismal Creed. Both contain core tenants of our Christian faith: That there is one God, that Jesus is the Son of God and that his mother was a virgin, the belief in the Resurrection of Christ, the belief in the Holy Spirit, the Communion of Saints, and belief in the Church. The Profession of Faith is a public statement by all the people of God that we believe what the Church teaches. The Prayer of the Faithful Part of the Liturgy of the Word, sometimes this is also called the General Intercessions or the Universal Prayer. If there is a deacon, he leads the prayers, if there is no deacon a lay person does. Here we pray for the needs of the Church and the world. Often it is informed by the Scripture readings, but they also should respond the real world needs going on outside the church doors. Here we ask God in a very deliberate way to hear and answer our prayers.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist The third part of the Mass is where we are united with Christ in his offering himself on the cross and where we receive his Body and Blood. The word itself means thanksgiving and it is a place where we give thanks to God for the working of Christ and for our salvation. In the Eucharistic Prayer we hear the story of salvation and we are told that we have a place prepared for us with Christ. It should be viewed not as the prize for making it through the Liturgy of the Word, but rather, the logical response to hearing the Word of God. The Offertory This is more than just a time for the ushers to ask us for our hard earned money. This is our chance to respond to the needs to the world and of the Church (perhaps the needs we just heard and prayed for in the Prayer of the Faithful). We offer the fruits of our labors to Christ so that we can further the mission of Jesus in the World. Also offered are the bread and wine that will become the Body and Blood of Christ. They are the symbols of the goodness of Creation and are another way we offer the best we have to God. Often a hymn with a theme of thanksgiving and offering is sung at the same time. The Eucharistic Prayer Did you know that there are four main Eucharistic Prayers that can be used for any Mass? (There are even more for special needs and concerns, like Reconciliation). While they re all a bit different in how and what they chose to emphasize, all of them represent the Church being united with Christ s sacrifice and all of them give us the ability to share in the Body and Blood of Jesus. The Prayer itself contains many parts, including the Holy, Holy, Holy (the Sanctus), the calling down of the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine (the Epiclesis) the Institution Narrative (where we recall the events of the Last Supper), Intercessions for the Church, and the Great Amen where the people give our thanks and our assent to all that has happened. The Communion Rite While we may think that all that happens here is the reception of Communion, there are other things that happen as well. We remember the words Jesus gave his disciples to pray when we pray Lord s Prayer, we share the peace of Christ with those around us at the sign of peace, the Eucharistic Bread is broken for us in a visible sign of Christ s Body and then we process to receive the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ. It is through all of this that our unity with Christ and the Church is made manifest. After we receive the Eucharist we return to our pews and perhaps offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God. The Rite ends with the Prayer After Communion. Concluding Rites This doesn t mean it is all over, it means it is just beginning. We are blessed and sent out into the world to share the Gospel, the Good News, with others through our lives. We spent Mass being nourished by the Word and Body of God and now, sustained for the days ahead, we are called to go out to the world and be of service.
Liturgical Colors Did you know that the Church Year is color coded? There are six liturgical seasons in the Church year and each one has its own color and tone. Advent is the start of the Church year and is purple. Christmas (which is more than just Christmas day!) is white. Ordinary Time (which is all the time not taken up by another season) is green. Lent is purple. The Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil) is white, red, and then white again. Easter is also white. Other days have specific colors as well. Feasts of the Lord and of Saints who are not martyrs are white and feasts of martyrs and of the Lord s Passion (Holy Cross Day, Palm Sunday, Good Friday) are red. If you know the colors it makes it easier to know what is happening that day at Mass. Full, Conscience, Active Participation Most of us have heard that phrase before when talking about how we should be in Mass. The phrase itself comes from the Second Vatican Council s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium (no. 14) that says the faithful should be led to that fully conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations. This does not mean that we all need to be serving in ministries during Mass. What it does mean is that we have a right and a duty to pray the Mass, to respond, to sing, and to receive Communion (if we are able). By virtue of our baptism we are part of the Body of Christ and as such we are called on to participate in the liturgical life of the Church, as lay liturgical ministers yes, but also by actively praying and engaging the Mass from our pews. The Life of Prayer Prayer isn t just something that happens on Sunday. We should make prayer a daily practice. That doesn t mean it needs to be boring or the same thing every day. It doesn t even have to start as a daily event. If you can, once a week, go to Eucharistic Adoration, even for a few minutes. Just saying hello to Jesus in the Sacrament is a wonderful addition to your prayer life. Pray before your meals, either silently or out loud, to give thanks to God for the food we can eat or for those who helped get it to us. Pray with your family, before bed, in the morning or at some other time. It could be a rosary (or part of one), a chaplet, or even just praying Grace before a family meal. Pray when you re stuck in traffic or on the subway, it will keep road rage away! If you can incorporate even one of these suggestions into your week, you ll be well on your way to deepening your life with God through prayer. Vestments-Priests and Deacons Have you ever wondered what that dress like outfit the priest wears is called? While there are many different people who serve at Mass and they may wear many different things, right now we ll focus on the priest and the deacon and the vestments they wear for Mass. The alb is a long white robe worn by both priests and deacons. It is tied around the waist by a cincture. The stole is a long narrow band worn by both the priest and deacon. It is the liturgical colour of the day. A priest wears it around his neck. A deacon wears it over his shoulder and across his chest so it comes down and is fastened on his right side. Over the stole, the main celebrant at Mass wears a chasuble, also in the colour of the day. The deacon wears a dalmatic. These are not all the vestments that can be worn at Mass, but they are the basics for priests and deacons.
The Priest-in Mass The Mass requires the ministry of a priest. While the priest might have many varied functions in a parish, when he says Mass he is fostering the union of Christ and His Church. He does this by acting as the head of the assembly, by preaching the Word of God in the homily, and by offering the Eucharistic Sacrifice of Christ. The General Instruction on the Roman Missal (no. 93) says that the priest, when celebrating the Eucharist, must serve God and the people with dignity and humility, by his bearing and the way his says the divine words he must convey to the faithful the living presence of Christ The priest is called to make the very sacrifice and person of Christ present to the people of God. For that we should all pray to God and thank Him for the gift of our priests and pray that we will be sent many more. The Eucharist-The Source and Summit of the Christian Life The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it (CCC 1324). All that we do as Catholics finds its meaning and its strength in the Eucharist and all should flow back into the celebration of the Eucharist. Our life, in all of its aspects, should be oriented toward Christ in the Eucharist. This makes sense when we understand the Eucharist as Christ giving his very self for us as a means to provide us the grace to continue his mission in the world. This is why we should never view the Eucharist as an end in itself, but rather, as a means of sustenance for the journey and mission of the Christian life. The Eucharist-The Lord s Supper There are many different ways we can refer to the Eucharist. One of them is The Lord s Supper. The Catechism teaches us the refereeing to the Eucharist in this way reminds us of the connection to the supper the Lord had with his disciples on the night before his Passion (CCC 1329). We remember this event in the Eucharistic Prayer said at every Mass and in a special way on Holy Thursday. To call it The Lord s Supper also helps us to anticipate the wedding feast of the Lamb found in the Book of Revelation (CCC 1329). Calling the Eucharist The Lord s Supper helps us to remember that the Eucharist was and is a real event, it is not just some spiritual reality. It also helps us to remember that we, as Christians, are called to participate in the best Supper that of the wedding feast of Christ Himself. The Eucharist-The Breaking of the Bread Referring to the Eucharist as The Breaking of the Bread recalls for us the very action of Jesus himself. As part of his meal with his disciples he broke the bread and gave it to them. This action, of the breaking of the bread, is how, after the Resurrection, his disciples would come to know him (Luke 24:13ff). Because of this, the earliest Christians referred to what they did when they gathered the breaking of the bread. We know that the broken bread is Christ truly present and we, through our participation in the Eucharist, become one body with Christ. Calling the Eucharist The Breaking of the Bread reminds us that Christ Himself was broken for us, and on earth we share in that brokenness. It is also a reminder to us that in the heavenly kingdom we are not broken anymore, but made whole by the broken Body of Christ.
The Eucharist-The Holy Sacrifice The Catechism teaches that we can call the Eucharist The Holy Sacrifice because it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ the Savior and includes the Church's offering. The terms holy sacrifice of the Mass, "sacrifice of praise," spiritual sacrifice, pure and holy sacrifice are also used, since it completes and surpasses all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. (CCC 1330). In calling the Eucharist The Holy Sacrifice we remember what it is Christ did and does for us in the Eucharist, he offers himself as the one true Sacrifice. We are also reminded that we are called to sacrifice ourselves daily for Christ and to bring our sacrifice to the Altar and offer it, with the bread and wine, to God, to be transformed and renewed in Christ. The Liturgical Year The Church has its own calendar which starts on the First Sunday of Advent (late November or early December). Every Sunday the Church celebrates the Lord s Day, the day where we commemorate the Resurrection of the Lord. Throughout the course of the year the Church unfolds the whole of the mystery of Christ and Salvation. It also, over the year, remembers the various Saints and events in the life of the Church. Some of these days have different liturgical colours and different prayers in the liturgy, but they all serve to help us enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ and His Church. The Communion Fast The practice of fasting before receiving the Eucharist is an ancient practice of the Church. It was and is viewed as a way of spiritual preparation and reverence for the Eucharist. The current practice of the Church (as seen in Canon 919) is that those who are to receive the Holy Eucharist abstain for at least one hour before receiving the Eucharist. Excluded from the fast is water and medicine. It is also important to remember that the elderly, the infirm, and those who care for them can receive the Most Holy Eucharist even if they have eaten something within the preceding hour (Canon 919 paragraph 3). As you are able then, you are called to fast but it must always be done in the spirit of reverence and preparation. Postures-Standing The liturgy is meant to engage the whole person. Our posture then is a means a prayer and a means to foster unity within the community (we all sit, stand, and kneel at the same time). We stand for the Introductory Rites, the Gospel procession and proclamation, the Creed, the Prayer of the Faithful, the preparation of the gifts, the parts of the Eucharistic Prayer that are not consecration, and the Prayer after Communion. Standing is a way we show reverence and thanksgiving which is why we stand for the Gospel and the Eucharistic Prayer (in parts). It is also a posture of offering, which is why we stand for the presentation of the gifts. Most importantly perhaps it is also a posture of openness to Jesus and to the community. Postures-Sitting We might not think of sitting as an important posture, but it is. It is the posture that we take when we listen to the Word of God being proclaimed in the readings and the psalm. We also sit to hear and reflect on the homily. We also might sit during the presentation of the gifts and after receiving Communion. It is important to remember that when we sit we are not just mindlessly sitting in Mass, we are still called to be attentive, prayerful, and mindful of the fact that our posture in Mass helps shape our inward disposition. In other words, if we slouch and sit carelessly, it might be harder to participate most fully in the liturgy. Even sitting then we should be mindful of keeping our hearts and minds turned toward God.
Postures-Kneeling As a rule we kneel for Consecration (unless for a reasonable cause when the people can stand). By kneeling we show reverence and awe. We also kneel as a sign of humility and repentance, for example on Good Friday. Outside of the Easter season and Sundays we also kneel for the Litany of Saints. While the posture of kneeling allows us to show important aspects of our devotion, it is not always possible for people to kneel. In those cases sitting or standing are appropriate actions depending on local custom and context. Postures-Genuflecting We genuflect to acknowledge the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal proscribes three places where genuflections happen. The priest genuflects during the Institution Narrative to show faith, humility, and devotion and before the invitation to Communion. It is appropriate for all people to genuflect to Christ in the tabernacle as a sign of faith and devotion. Genuflection is also the appropriate gesture to the Cross from Holy Friday to the beginning of the Easter Vigil. At its core, genuflecting is the way we show respect for Christ. Because of that, we only genuflect to Christ, never to relics or other living people. What does Amen mean? There are some words we say a lot during the Liturgy but may never stop to really think what they mean. For some people, Amen is one of those words. For most of us, it is a word that we say but don t give much thought to. Nevertheless, it is a very important word. It is an acclaim of affirmation, something like so be it! or it is so! When we say Amen in Mass, or in any other place, what we are saying is that we agree with what just happened or that what is being asked for is something that we want. When we say Amen after we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we are affirming that we, in fact, do believe that we received the Body and Blood of Christ. So the next time you say Amen, say it with all the faith and confidence you have. The Pope on why the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is important The Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is at the heart of the Church s life. We Christians go to Sunday Mass to encounter the Rise Lord, or better still to allow ourselves to be encountered by him, to hear his Word, to nourish ourselves at his table,and thus to become the Church, that is, his mystical living Body in the world. From the first hour, Jesus disciples understood this; they celebrated the Eucharistic encounter with the Lord on the day of the week that the Hebrews called the first day of the week and the Romans called the day of the sun, because on that day Jesus rose for the dead and appeared to his disciples, speaking with them, eating with them, giving them the Holy Spirit The great outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost also happened on a Sunday, the 50 th day after Jesus Resurrection. For these reasons, Sunday is a holy day for us, sanctified by the Eucharistic celebration, the living presence of the Lord among us and for us. Thus, it is the Mass that makes Sunday Christian. The Christian Sunday revolves around the Mass. (General Audience, December 13, 2017)
The Pope on getting to Mass early Once the people are gathered, the celebration opens with the Introductory Rites, including the Entrance of the celebrants or the celebrant, the Greeting the Act of Penitence...the Gloria Hymn and the Collect Prayer: it is called the collect prayer, not because the collection of offerings takes place then: it is the Collect of the prayer intentions of all peoples; and the Collect of the peoples intention rises to heaven as a prayer It is not a good habit to look at your watch and say: I am on time; I arrive after the sermon and this way I fulfil the precept. Mass begins with the sing of the Cross, with these Introductory Rites, because there we begin to adore God as a community. And for this reason it is important to make sure that you do not arrive late, but rather early, in order to prepare the heart for this rite, for this community celebration. (General Audience, December 20, 2017) The Pope on the Sign of the Cross [At the start of Mass] [T]here is the sign of the Cross. The presiding priest traces the sign on himself and all the members of the assembly do likewise, knowing that the liturgical act is performed in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And here I will mention another tiny subject. Have you seen how children make the sign of the Cross? They do not know what they are doing: sometimes the make a design, which is not the sign of the Cross. Please, mom and dad grandparents, teach the children, from the beginning.to make the sign of the Cross properly. And explain to them that it is having Jesus Cross as protection. The Mass begins with the sing of the Cross. The whole prayer moves, so to speak, within the space of the Holy Trinity- In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit -, which is the space of infinite communion; it has as its beginning and end the love of the Triune God, made manifest and given to us in the Cross of Christ. In fact his Paschal Mystery is the gift of the Trinity, and the Eucharist flows ever from his pierced Heart. When we make the sign of the Cross, therefore, we not only commemorate our Baptism, but affirm that the liturgical prayer is encounter with God in Jesus Christ, who became flesh, died on the Cross and rose in glory for us. (General Audience, December 20, 2017). The Pope on the importance of the Penitential Act In its [the Penitential Act] sobriety, it favours the attitude with which we are prepared to worthily celebrate the holy mysteries, that is, by acknowledging our sins before God and our brothers and sisters, acknowledging that we are sinners. In fact the priest s invitation is addressed to the whole community in prayer, because we are all sinners. What can the Lord give to one whose heart is already filled with self-importance, with one s own success? Nothing, because a presumptuous person is incapable of receiving forgiveness, as he is satisfied by his presumed righteousness. Let us consider the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, where only the latter-the tax collector-returns home justified, that is, forgiven. One who is aware of his own wretchedness and lowers hi gaze with humility feels God s merciful gaze set upon him. We know through experience that only one who is able to acknowledge his mistakes and apologize receives the understanding and forgiveness of others. (General Audience, January 3, 2018)
The Pope on Scriptural examples and the Penitential Act Sacred Scripture offers us luminous examples of penitent figures who, coming back into themselves after having committed sin, find the courage to take off the mask and open themselves to the grace that renews the heart. Let us think of King David and the words attributed to him in the Psalm: Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love according to thy abundant mercy blot out my iniquity. Let us consider the prodigal son who returns to the father: God, be merciful to me a sinner. Let us also think of Saint Peter, of Zacchaeus, of the Samaritan woman. Measuring ourselves with the fragility of the clay which we are molded is an experience that strengthens us: as it makes us take account of our weakness, it opens our heart to invoke the divine mercy which transforms and converts. And this is what we do in the Penitential Act at the beginning of Mass. (General Audience, January 3, 2018) The Pope on the importance and role of silence The silence is not confined to the absence of words but rather to preparing oneself to listen to other voices: the one in our heart and, about all, the voice of the Holy Spirit. In the Liturgy, the nature of sacred silence depends on the moment in which it takes place: within the Act of Penitence and again after the invitation to pray, all recollect themselves; but at the conclusion of a reading or homily, all meditate briefly on what they have heard; then after Communion, they praise and pray to God in their hearts (GIRM no. 43). Thus, before the opening prayer, silence helps us to recollect ourselves and to contemplate why we are there. This, then, is the importance of listening to our heart, so as to then open it to the Lord. Perhaps we have experienced days of toil, of joy, of pain, and we want to tell the Lord about it, to invoke his help, to ask that he be at our side; we may have relatives and friends who are ill or who are undergoing difficult trials; we may wish to entrust to God the future of the Church and the world Without this silence, we run the risk of neglecting the recollection of the soul (General Audience, January 10, 2018) The Pope on Liturgy Prayers in the Roman Rite are concise but rich in meaning. One can have beautiful meditations on these prayers. Very beautiful. Returning to mediate on these texts, even outside the Mass, can help us understand how to address God, what to ask and which words to use. May the Liturgy become for all of us a true school of prayer. (General Audience, January 10, 2018)
Liturgical Seasons Liturgical Colors Did you know that the Church Year is color coded? There are six liturgical seasons in the Church year and each one has its own color and tone. Advent is the start of the Church year and is purple. Christmas (which is more than just Christmas day!) is white. Ordinary Time (which is all the time not taken up by another season) is green. Lent is purple. The Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil) is white, red, and then white again. Easter is also white. Other days have specific colors as well. Feasts of the Lord and of Saints who are not martyrs are white and feasts of martyrs and of the Lord s Passion (Holy Cross Day, Palm Sunday, Good Friday) are red. If you know the colors it makes it easier to know what is happening that day at Mass. Advent Did you know that the Church year doesn t start on January 1 st, but rather on the First Sunday of Advent? It has four Sundays but the actual length of the season is determined by what day of the week Christmas falls on. Advent is the season where we wait for the coming of the Lord. This means preparing for Christmas but it also means preparing for the Second Coming. This is why we hear readings about the end of the time and staying awake during Advent. The color for the season is purple and we do not sing the Gloria during Advent. This helps us remember that Advent is a season of penance and preparation. Christmas Christmas in the Church is more than just December 25. The Season of Christmas runs from Christmas Eve all the way to the Baptism of the Lord. Christmas also has what is called an Octave (which means 8). That means that the first 8 days of Christmas (through the Feast of the Holy Family) are really celebrated like Christmas Day. During the Christmas Season we celebrate the birth of Christ, his Holy Family, his manifestation to the gentiles (the Epiphany), and his Baptism. Also during the Christmas season we remember a number of saints including the first martyr, Saint Stephen, and the Holy Innocents. In general though, Christmas is a time to reflect on the Incarnation, Christ becoming man, and how we can and should celebrate and participate in Christ s earthly mission. Lent Lent starts the great 40 days of preparation for Easter in the Church. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday. The tone of Lent is one of penance. To reflect this the color is purple, flowers are forbidden in the area around the altar, musically instruments are only used to support singing, and the Gloria and Alleluia are not sung (in fact, during Lent we don t say Alleluia at all). The readings focus on conversion and salvation history. Lent is also the time when the final rites for RCIA are conducted, allowing the people to prepare for their Easter Sacraments. While the focus is so often on getting to Easter, spending time sitting in and with Lent is often spiritually beneficial.
Triduum Over Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil we participate in the highest point of the Church s liturgical year. We celebrate the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ. The word means three in recognition of the three liturgies. It is really one liturgical day though. There is no dismissal on Holy Thursday or Good Friday and no Greeting on Good Friday or the Easter Vigil to show that really these three events are one liturgical day-we just get to go home between them. If it is possible, try and attend all three liturgies because it is through all three that we see the whole story of our salvation being told. They re also three of the most unique liturgies in the Church s liturgical tradition. Easter Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Today is the day we celebrate the triumph of Christ over the cross and death. The first eight days of Easter are known as the Octave and are celebrated just like Easter Sunday. The Octave ends with Divine Mercy Sunday. The Easter Season however is 50 days and includes the Ascension of Jesus (40 days after Easter) and ends with the Feast of Pentecost (50 days after Easter). The color of the season is white and the church is normally beautifully decorated and we can again sing the Gloria and Alleluia. Other than Ordinary Time, Easter is the longest season of the Church year. The Church wants to make sure we have plenty of time to celebrate this great feast. Ordinary Time This is the time that is not taken up by any other season in the Church year. It is the time between the end of the Christmas Season and the start of Lent and the end of the Easter Season to the start of Advent. It allows us time to reflect on the ministry and mission of Christ on earth and how we might participate in it. It is a time for us to catch our breath from Christmas or Easter and get busy just being Christians in the world. The color for the season is normally Green, but there are feast days that fall within Ordinary Time that will cause the color to change. On a whole though, this is a season of growth and rest, of learning about and walking with Christ in his daily life and mission.
Social Justice Corporal Works of Mercy We are not called just to pray, we are called to be in the world, to be the hands and feet of Christ. One of the ways the Church gives us to that is the Corporal Works of Mercy. Based off of Matthew 25:34-40, these works of mercy demand sacrifice and generosity on our part, and will help us and others draw closer to Christ. They are: to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, cloth the naked, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, give drink to the thirsty, and to bury the dead. While we may not be able to do all of these ourselves, we are called to participate how we can these works of mercy. Spiritual Works of Mercy The Church gives us the Spiritual Works of Mercy to help us draw closer to our Lord and to those who need to his love and compassion the most. While these do not involve going on long mission trips or even necessarily contributing to the cause of missions in the world, they nevertheless help to grow the Kingdom of God and help us to show the mercy and love of God. The Spiritual Works of Mercy are: to convert sinners, to instruct the ignorant, to advise the doubtful, to comfort the sorrowful, to bear wrongs patiently, to forgive injuries, and to pray for the living and the dead.
The Sacraments The Sacraments There are seven Sacraments in the Church that can be broken down into the role they play in the life of the faithful. The Sacraments of Christian Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation,), The Sacraments of Healing (Penance, and Anointing of the Sick), and the Sacraments of Service (Holy Orders and Matrimony). These seven sacraments have a visible and invisible reality. The visible is their outward expression and the invisible is the grace of God. The seven Sacraments are a means by which God s grace is shown to and given to His people. We are then called to live out the Sacraments, to live out that grace, in the world as the people of God. Baptism Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission (CCC 1213). Baptism is the first of the Sacraments of Initiation. It is through baptism that we are welcomed into the Church of God. The main symbol for baptism is water. It is through water that God saved the people of Israel, it is in water that Jesus was baptized and inaugurated his public ministry, water gushed out of the side of Jesus on the cross, and it is through water that we are cleansed from sin and made new in Christ. Confirmation by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed (CCC 1285). Confirmation is when we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and our faith is deepened and our call to the mission of the Church strengthened. It is the final of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation). Penance We often know this by another name-confession. Penance is one of the Sacraments of Healing (along with the Anointing of the Sick). In the Sacrament of Penance we are not only freed from sin, but we are called to amend our lives and to show the same compassion we were shown to others. In the Sacrament of Penance we are restored to right relationship not just with God, but with the Church. That is because sin does not just break our relationship with God, it breaks our relationship with others. The priest, in the Sacrament of Penance, acts as means of God s Grace in restoring both of those relationships. It has been said that going to confession is a lot like getting your car washed, you never really know how dirty it is, how weighed down by sin you are, until you have been cleaned. Anointing of the Sick For a long time many of us thought that this was the Sacrament you received when you were near death. To be fair, it is important to receive what has been called Last Rites, but there is much more to this Sacrament. Through the priest, in the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, Jesus comes and heals the sick. While this could be a physical healing, it is also always a spiritual healing, a freeing from sin and a being made open to the grace and mercy of God. The sick, through the Sacrament, are given the gifts of peace and courage to face whatever illness they may have.
Holy Orders Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate. (CCC 1536). In the Sacrament of Holy Orders a bishop lays hands on a man and prays for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into the life of the man called to Holy Orders. It is this anointing with the Holy Spirit, just as Christ himself was, that sets a man apart as a deacon, priest, or bishop. This is one of the Sacraments of Service and a man is ordained to serve the people of God in various ways in and through the Church. Matrimony The Scriptures are bookended by marriages. Genesis has at its start the account of Adam and Eve. Revelation ends with the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. The image of marriage is pervasive in the Church and in Holy Scripture. It is understood as a union between man and woman who are called to grow together more deeply in their love of God. Their love and union is understood to be a reflection of the love Christ has for His Church. In the Latin Church, the couple are the ministers of the Sacrament and the Sacramental sign is the giving of consent. It because of this that we can speak of marriage as covenant, as a permanent, binding relationship between a husband and wife who promise to seek and serve the good in the other. The Eucharist-The Source and Summit of the Christian Life The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it (CCC 1324). All that we do as Catholics finds its meaning and its strength in the Eucharist and all should flow back into the celebration of the Eucharist. Our life, in all of its aspects, should be oriented toward Christ in the Eucharist. This makes sense when we understand the Eucharist as Christ giving his very self for us as a means to provide us the grace to continue his mission in the world. This is why we should never view the Eucharist as an end in itself, but rather, as a means of sustenance for the journey and mission of the Christian life. The Eucharist-The Lord s Supper There are many different ways we can refer to the Eucharist. One of them is The Lord s Supper. The Catechism teaches us the refereeing to the Eucharist in this way reminds us of the connection to the supper the Lord had with his disciples on the night before his Passion (CCC 1329). We remember this event in the Eucharistic Prayer said at every Mass and in a special way on Holy Thursday. To call it The Lord s Supper also helps us to anticipate the wedding feast of the Lamb found in the Book of Revelation (CCC 1329). Calling the Eucharist The Lord s Supper helps us to remember that the Eucharist was and is a real event, it is not just some spiritual reality. It also helps us to remember that we, as Christians, are called to participate in the best Supper that of the wedding feast of Christ Himself.
The Eucharist-The Breaking of the Bread Referring to the Eucharist as The Breaking of the Bread recalls for us the very action of Jesus himself. As part of his meal with his disciples he broke the bread and gave it to them. This action, of the breaking of the bread, is how, after the Resurrection, his disciples would come to know him (Luke 24:13ff). Because of this, the earliest Christians referred to what they did when they gathered the breaking of the bread. We know that the broken bread is Christ truly present and we, through our participation in the Eucharist, become one body with Christ. Calling the Eucharist The Breaking of the Bread reminds us that Christ Himself was broken for us, and on earth we share in that brokenness. It is also a reminder to us that in the heavenly kingdom we are not broken anymore, but made whole by the broken Body of Christ. The Eucharist-The Holy Sacrifice The Catechism teaches that we can call the Eucharist The Holy Sacrifice because it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ the Savior and includes the Church's offering. The terms holy sacrifice of the Mass, "sacrifice of praise," spiritual sacrifice, pure and holy sacrifice are also used, since it completes and surpasses all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. (CCC 1330). In calling the Eucharist The Holy Sacrifice we remember what it is Christ did and does for us in the Eucharist, he offers himself as the one true Sacrifice. We are also reminded that we are called to sacrifice ourselves daily for Christ and to bring our sacrifice to the Altar and offer it, with the bread and wine, to God, to be transformed and renewed in Christ. The Communion Fast The practice of fasting before receiving the Eucharist is an ancient practice of the Church. It was and is viewed as a way of spiritual preparation and reverence for the Eucharist. The current practice of the Church (as seen in Canon 919) is that those who are to receive the Holy Eucharist abstain for at least one hour before receiving the Eucharist. Excluded from the fast is water and medicine. It is also important to remember that the elderly, the infirm, and those who care for them can receive the Most Holy Eucharist even if they have eaten something within the preceding hour (Canon 919 paragraph 3). As you are able then, you are called to fast but it must always be done in the spirit of reverence and preparation The Pope on the Eucharist-It is the Lord! The Eucharist is a wondrous event in which Jesus Christ, our life, makes himself present.the Lord is there with us, present. So often do we go there, look at things, talk amongst ourselves wile the priest is celebrating the Eucharist and we do not celebrate close to Him. But it is the Lord! If today some very important world personage [were to come], it is certain that we would all be close to him, that we would want to greet him. But think: when you go to Mass, the Lord is there! And you get distracted.do not forget it. Participating in Mass is living again the redemptive passion and death of Our Lord. (General Audience, November 8, 2017). The Pope on the Sacraments-Touching Christ It is really important to return to the basics, to rediscover what is essential, through what we touch and see in the celebration of the Sacraments. The question of the Apostle Saint Thomas, seeking to see and touch the nail wounds in Jesus body, and the desire to be able in some way to touch God in order to believe in him. What Saint Thomas asks of the Lord what we all need: to see him, to touch him so that we may be able to know him. The Sacraments meet this human need. The Sacraments, the Eucharistic celebration in a particular way, are signs of God s love, the privileged ways for us to encounter him. (General Audience, November 8, 2017)
The Pope on the Eucharist-The victory of the Risen One Every celebration of the Eucharist is a ray of that never setting sun that is the Risen Jesus. Taking part in Mass, particularly on Sunday, means entering the victory of the Risen One, being illuminated by his light, warmed by his compassion. Through the Eucharistic celebration the Holy Spirit makes us participants in the divine life that is able to transfigure our whole mortal being. In his passage from death to life, from time to eternity, the Lord Jesus also draws us with him to experience the Passover. In the Mass we celebrate Passover. We, during Mass, are with Jesus, who died and is Rise, and draws us forth to eternal life. In the Mass we unite with him. Rather, Christ lives in us and we live in him (General Audience, November 22, 2017)
The Eucharist The Eucharist-The Source and Summit of the Christian Life The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it (CCC 1324). All that we do as Catholics finds its meaning and its strength in the Eucharist and all should flow back into the celebration of the Eucharist. Our life, in all of its aspects, should be oriented toward Christ in the Eucharist. This makes sense when we understand the Eucharist as Christ giving his very self for us as a means to provide us the grace to continue his mission in the world. This is why we should never view the Eucharist as an end in itself, but rather, as a means of sustenance for the journey and mission of the Christian life. The Eucharist-The Lord s Supper There are many different ways we can refer to the Eucharist. One of them is The Lord s Supper. The Catechism teaches us the refereeing to the Eucharist in this way reminds us of the connection to the supper the Lord had with his disciples on the night before his Passion (CCC 1329). We remember this event in the Eucharistic Prayer said at every Mass and in a special way on Holy Thursday. To call it The Lord s Supper also helps us to anticipate the wedding feast of the Lamb found in the Book of Revelation (CCC 1329). Calling the Eucharist The Lord s Supper helps us to remember that the Eucharist was and is a real event, it is not just some spiritual reality. It also helps us to remember that we, as Christians, are called to participate in the best Supper that of the wedding feast of Christ Himself. The Eucharist-The Breaking of the Bread Referring to the Eucharist as The Breaking of the Bread recalls for us the very action of Jesus himself. As part of his meal with his disciples he broke the bread and gave it to them. This action, of the breaking of the bread, is how, after the Resurrection, his disciples would come to know him (Luke 24:13ff). Because of this, the earliest Christians referred to what they did when they gathered the breaking of the bread. We know that the broken bread is Christ truly present and we, through our participation in the Eucharist, become one body with Christ. Calling the Eucharist The Breaking of the Bread reminds us that Christ Himself was broken for us, and on earth we share in that brokenness. It is also a reminder to us that in the heavenly kingdom we are not broken anymore, but made whole by the broken Body of Christ. The Eucharist-The Holy Sacrifice The Catechism teaches that we can call the Eucharist The Holy Sacrifice because it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ the Savior and includes the Church's offering. The terms holy sacrifice of the Mass, "sacrifice of praise," spiritual sacrifice, pure and holy sacrifice are also used, since it completes and surpasses all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. (CCC 1330). In calling the Eucharist The Holy Sacrifice we remember what it is Christ did and does for us in the Eucharist, he offers himself as the one true Sacrifice. We are also reminded that we are called to sacrifice ourselves daily for Christ and to bring our sacrifice to the Altar and offer it, with the bread and wine, to God, to be transformed and renewed in Christ.
The Communion Fast The practice of fasting before receiving the Eucharist is an ancient practice of the Church. It was and is viewed as a way of spiritual preparation and reverence for the Eucharist. The current practice of the Church (as seen in Canon 919) is that those who are to receive the Holy Eucharist abstain for at least one hour before receiving the Eucharist. Excluded from the fast is water and medicine. It is also important to remember that the elderly, the infirm, and those who care for them can receive the Most Holy Eucharist even if they have eaten something within the preceding hour (Canon 919 paragraph 3). As you are able then, you are called to fast but it must always be done in the spirit of reverence and preparation. The Pope on the Eucharist-It is the Lord! The Eucharist is a wondrous event in which Jesus Christ, our life, makes himself present.the Lord is there with us, present. So often do we go there, look at things, talk amongst ourselves wile the priest is celebrating the Eucharist and we do not celebrate close to Him. But it is the Lord! If today some very important world personage [were to come], it is certain that we would all be close to him, that we would want to greet him. But think: when you go to Mass, the Lord is there! And you get distracted.do not forget it. Participating in Mass is living again the redemptive passion and death of Our Lord. (General Audience, November 8, 2017). The Pope on the Eucharist-The victory of the Risen One Every celebration of the Eucharist is a ray of that never setting sun that is the Risen Jesus. Taking part in Mass, particularly on Sunday, means entering the victory of the Risen One, being illuminated by his light, warmed by his compassion. Through the Eucharistic celebration the Holy Spirit makes us participants in the divine life that is able to transfigure our whole mortal being. In his passage from death to life, from time to eternity, the Lord Jesus also draws us with him to experience the Passover. In the Mass we celebrate Passover. We, during Mass, are with Jesus, who died and is Rise, and draws us forth to eternal life. In the Mass we unite with him. Rather, Christ lives in us and we live in him (General Audience, November 22, 2017) The Pope on why the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is important The Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is at the heart of the Church s life. We Christians go to Sunday Mass to encounter the Rise Lord, or better still to allow ourselves to be encountered by him, to hear his Word, to nourish ourselves at his table,and thus to become the Church, that is, his mystical living Body in the world. From the first hour, Jesus disciples understood this; they celebrated the Eucharistic encounter with the Lord on the day of the week that the Hebrews called the first day of the week and the Romans called the day of the sun, because on that day Jesus rose for the dead and appeared to his disciples, speaking with them, eating with them, giving them the Holy Spirit The great outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost also happened on a Sunday, the 50 th day after Jesus Resurrection. For these reasons, Sunday is a holy day for us, sanctified by the Eucharistic celebration, the living presence of the Lord among us and for us. Thus, it is the Mass that makes Sunday Christian. The Christian Sunday revolves around the Mass. (General Audience, December 13, 2017)