mass series

Father Louis has shared with us a wonderful series leading us through the parts of the Mass. Each week from April 26th through August, there will be an article about a part of the Mass and its meaning...

introductory rite

the eucharist

1

From the earliest times, people have trouble believing that God loves them, and so He proved that love through a series of Covenants, first with Noah, then Abraham, Moses and with King David. Each of the Old Testament Covenants held increasingly greater promises, leading up to the coming of Christ. Jesus was our Covenant meal and rose again to become our covenant representative. In each of the Covenants we see the love and mercy of God and the unmerited favor extended to His people. What greater way can anyone demonstrate his love than to lay down his life for another?

The celebration of the Holy Eucharist has been given many names in history. The scripture refers to it as the “Breaking of Bread”, “The Lord’s Supper”, and “The Sacrifice” is also used. The term "The Holy Mass" is derived from the Latin word missa (dismissal), a word used in the concluding formula of Mass in Latin: "Ite, missa est" ("Go; it is the dismissal"). In antiquity, missa simply meant 'dismissal'. In Christian usage, however, it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word 'dismissal' has come to imply a 'mission'. These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church”. (Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum caritatis, 51)

When we enter The Holy Mass we step into a spiritual world, out of our time and into God’s time. In God, timelessness Calvary extends across history, as present today in the Mass as it was 2,000 years ago, with all its healing effects. We are present with Mary and John at the foot of the cross. The Holy Mass is a healing sacrament. Our lives as Christians involve daily sacrifice. We come to the Holy Mass primarily to sacrifice in union with the life and death of Jesus. As we sacrifice ourselves to God as a form of worship, we receive a blessing of conversion. In our repentance, our forgiveness, our renewal of the covenant, we grow in the ability to lay down our lives. Such a sacrament we need to approach as Jesus.

introductory rite

An investment

2

Before you come to the church, at home itself prepare yourself for the Mass by going through the day’s Readings and on your way set your mind and the heart on the Holy Eucharist. As you enter the church, consider the grace of God that brought you to this present moment. Jesus is infinitely patient with our slow progress of our spirituality and continues to draw us to Himself. He brings us now to this most sacred time of Eucharistic union with Him. Invest in this moment. You have made a covenant with Jesus, who loves you very much. Enter in and deepen your knowledge of this truth. Immerse yourself in the reality of God’s gift. Expect great things. That is faith. It is no longer another passing time; it is always a conversion experience. God loves you: every part of the Mass proclaims this truth. He wants your openness to His love, not just your performance. He is inviting you to participate in whatever way you can.

Come to Holy Mass early and get in tune with the Lord, like athletes, warm up before a game. Prayer is our “warm up” before Mass. If we come in ice cold and not in tune, it’s easy to become ritualistic. Ask the Lord to prepare your heart to hear His Word. Read the scriptures for the Mass ahead of time so when they are proclaimed you will hear them in your heart. Be attentive to the specific word of love Jesus will say to you during Mass. Invest in this moment. It will never pass this way again.

introductory rite

holy water

3

When we enter church, we sign ourselves with holy water, blessed by a priest to heal us. This is a powerful sacramental of the Church. The water is blessed for healing and deliverance from everything harmful, unclean and hurtful. St. Teresa of Avila and many other saints advise the use of holy water. Expect the Lord to bless you deeply when you sign yourself with holy water. That will strengthen your feeling for the presence of the Lord.

introductory rite

and with your spirit

einavr_A_surreal_motion-blurred_image_of_a_white_dove_in_a_flow_a4bd4d92-585f-4028-ab89-fe

4

God calls us to respond to His love. When we say, “And with your spirit”, let us use it as an
opportunity to step forward and get involved in the Mass. This opens us up for grace and healing.

introductory rite
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Cor. 13:13)

4

Grace is free and unmerited favor. The grace means that we are unconditionally accepted, affirmed, and loved by God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit and that we are wholly one with Him in this love. Grace is personal communion and friendship with God, personal participation in the life of God. A life rooted in grace means a life rooted in faith, hope and love. At this point we could ask for healing of any negative attitudes that may have developed through the years toward God or neighbor. God wants us to bring all our spiritual, psychological and
physical needs to him for healing.

Many people have an unconscious fear of God, believing if they love the Lord and get too close
to Him, He will make them suffer. Those thoughts are inconsistent with the idea of a loving Father. These hidden fears grew out of a wrong notion of suffering; therefore people tend to associate religion with suffering. Holiness involves pain. But it is a pain allowed by God having meaning and purpose. The saints suffered yet experienced a tremendous sense of closeness, warmth and love of the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

introductory rite
the sign of the cross

3

The Holy Mass begins, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The sign of the cross is a sign of hope that summarizes our faith: in the name of our loving Heavenly Father who created us; in the name of Jesus, sent to redeem and to heal; in the name of the Holy Spirit, who is continually sanctifying us. We begin Holy Mass by announcing that we have come in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. To come “In His name” means we come into His presence, linked to His nature, identified with Him, exercising His power. As Christians we come under the name and authority of the King of Kings, making the sign of the cross as our royal birthmark. Jesus died as our substitute and gave us the right to use the name given to Him. He told His disciples to go in His name - that they had His authority and His power. From earliest times the Church has taught us that in His name we are armed against the powers of evil and can perform signs and wonders. There is power in the name of Jesus. Philippians 2: 9-11 reminds us that God exalted Jesus to the highest place, and “…bestowed on Him the name above every other name, so that at Jesus’ name every knee must bend in the heaven, on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue proclaim to the glory of God the Father: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD”.

penitential rite

As we prepare to celebrate the mystery of Christ’s love, let us acknowledge our failures and ask the Lord for pardon and strength.

5

As we begin the penitential rite let’s remember that it is only by an action of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that we can say, “I believe my Heavenly Father truly forgives me for the wrongs I have done”. It is only by His grace that we can say, “Lord I receive Your forgiveness”. At this time contemplate your relationship with the Lord. Is there something in your heart that holds back the full force of His love? Are there barriers that block the flow of grace? Most of us can think of dozens of negative qualities about ourselves and others. As you confess to God your
weaknesses and failures, ask Him for insights about why you do the things you do. When we can lay our weaknesses before Him, we are wide open to receive his healing grace.

We may also be in need of forgiving ourselves for unconscious resentment towards God for hurts, pain, death of a loved one or unanswered prayers. We need ongoing forgiveness for our parents, family members, partner, children, relatives, coworkers, employers, employees, neighbors, Bishops, Priests and religious, lay leaders, doctors, lawyers, judges, teachers and friends etc. Ask the Lord to help you in all your resentments and unforgiveness and judgments against others. When we forgive we are not admitting that others are right and we are wrong. We are not saying that we weren’t hurt. We are not denying that other person’s responsibility or
accountability. As we forgive injustices we are simply deciding to obey God. We are not allowing the wrongs of another to dictate our attitudes, actions and emotions.

Something wonderful will happen as you surrender to this healing process. God is going to open your heart and empower you with new vitality, new energy and new health. As you repent and forgive, you are perhaps at that moment most completely united with Jesus. You enter into the miraculous realm of God’s love. You are truly set free. Forgiveness is love in action. Jesus from the cross says, ‘I am here on the cross to set you free. I have redeemed you. You are new people with hearts of flesh’. Let the sacrament of reconciliation be a regular part of our life. We need these gifts and graces, given by God to keep us strong and healthy and connected to Him.

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life, Amen.

penitential rite

lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy

6

We are like sponges floating on an ocean of mercy, crying “mercy”. All we need is the capacity to receive, like the sponge. When a sponge has a capacity to receive, water rushes in and the sponge is filled. As we forgive, and receive His forgiveness, then we can soak up the mercy. Mercy means love and forgiveness in action. Psalm 51:1 says: “Have mercy on me, O God, in Your goodness…” The Lord extends His arms to us and says, “receive my forgiveness, my pardon, my mercy”. As you open your heart and say, “Lord I receive”, the dry sponge that has been floating on an ocean of mercy begins to soak up all that waiting grace.

penitential rite

let us pray

7

The first part of the Mass prepares us to hear the Word of God. We have been called into His presence, our distractions are gone, and we are asked to join our hearts and minds in prayer. When the priest says, “Let us pray”, he is inviting the community to enter into the opening prayer of the Mass. As the priest prays with arms extended, he gathers or “collects” the prayers and needs of the congregation and presents them to the Lord. He vocalizes for us our needs in a prayer to the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

When the priest says, “Let us pray”, he is saying, “let us share today the overflow of our prayer life, collecting and presenting our prayers to God our Father”. There is healing power in community prayer during Mass, especially when the people have also been praying during the week. Pope Pius XII said that liturgical prayer nourishes private prayer and private prayer nourishes liturgical prayer. Let us ask for the grace to be faithful in both.

The vitality of a Church is dependent to a great extent upon the prayer life of its members. Bishop Fulton Sheen said that the Church could be renewed if everyone spent twenty minutes a day in mental prayer, which includes Scripture reading and meditation time. God is calling His people to become people of prayer, not only during Mass but as a way of life. The secret of the Church’s success is deep commitment to prayer, with continuous intercessions and participation of members in small groups in weekly home meetings, in addition to the large Sunday worship service.

There are three forms of prayer. The first is community prayer, such as Mass or a prayer meeting; the second is small group prayer and the third is private prayer. Everyone should be the
intercessor in our homes. Maybe you are the only channel through which God’s healing power can flow through your family. Daily prayer for family members can work miracles. It is the experience of everyone that the people of prayer are basically happier people and are more able to cope with the ‘hard knocks’ of life than those who do not pray. Prayer makes us to be aware of God’s presence in every moment. As Catholics we need to realize the very serious obligation to become people of prayer.

penitential rite
gloria

6

“Glory to God in the high heaven, peace on earth to those on whom His favor rests” (Lk: 2:13-14). Gloria has great power to open our hearts. In the Gloria we enter into the praise of Jesus before the Father. When we praise, we are acknowledging the Lord as creator. He is the potter; we are the clay (Jer: 18:6). As we make this sacrifice of praise in all circumstances, we will become more open to healing of body, mind and spirit.

Praise is healing. In praise we are ministering to the Lord. He says, “Give, and it shall be given to you, good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into the fold of your garment. For the measure you measure with will be measured back to you” (Lk: 6:38). In giving praise, we receive healing. “… let us continuously offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips which acknowledge His name” (Heb: 13:15).

liturgy of the word

8

As the Liturgy of the Word begins, ask the Holy Spirit to speak through the Scripture verses with a word of instruction, insight, understanding and healing. Be open to receive that intimate Word. Open yourself to the work the Holy Spirit wants to accomplish that day. The Holy Spirit often leads people to pray for others with scripture. He prompts some to memorize verses. He guides all of us to continually renew our minds, replacing our thoughts by thoughts expressed in the Word of God. Scripture tells us that, “All who believe will have eternal life in Him” (Jn: 3:15). Time in scripture leads us into eternal values. We are led to reflect upon death, judgment, eternity, heaven and hell; where we have come from; where we are going; God’s plan for our lives. Time in scripture leads just to lift our eyes above the horizon for our day-by-day concerns to the very heart of human life. As we study the scriptures, the Holy Spirit will teach us the deeper truths of life.

All introductory parts contribute to a readiness to hear the Word of the Lord. We have adored and praised God, expressed sorrow for sins and asked for mercy. If we prayerfully read the scriptures ahead of time, we will have already predigested them. We will be open to the Lord so that when the lector proclaims the Word we will hear it in our hearts. Our ears are so open; our hearts are so ready, that its full effect is produced. When the lector finishes the readings and says, “This is the Word of the Lord”, we can truly say, “Thanks be to God” (which means, Yes we have heard! Yes, that’s for me. Thank you, Lord, I needed that).

The Gospel sequence of the Mass begins with the priest saying, “Almighty God, cleanse my heart and my lips that I may worthily proclaim Your Gospel”. He invokes God’s healing touch upon his heart and on his lips. The congregation responds by repeating this healing gesture as they, too, ask that the words of the Gospel be burned into their minds, upon their lips, into their hearts, into their consciousness, that they, with the celebrant, may act on the Word. If all you do is listen to it, you are deceiving yourselves” (Jas: 1:22). All are ready to listen, receptive and open to hear and be moved by the Word of God. After reading the Gospel, the priest or the Deacon says: “The Gospel of the Lord” and everyone responds: “Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ”.

The word of God as we hear it and respond to it in our hearts can be healing whenever we attend Mass. The prayers, responses, psalms and suggested songs for the Mass focus upon the Scripture readings. It is here that we find the theme that runs through the entire Mass. All prayers during the Mass support that theme. Listen for it as you attend your next Mass. God is speaking to His people in a powerful way, calling us to receive His healing love.

liturgy of the word

homily

9

By means of the homily the mysteries of the faith and the guiding principles of the Christian life are expounded from the sacred text.

The homily has great potential to open our hearts. As with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, our eyes are opened to see the healing presence of Jesus in scripture (Lk: 24:13-32). The Lord will speak to us and provide help for our circumstances in life. The homily is one of His means of communication. Before the homily begins, say to the Lord, “I believe you will speak to me through the homily today. The words I hear will penetrate my mind, sink into my
heart, produce change and bring healing”. We grow in faith as we deeply reflect upon God’s word and allow it to take root and produce change in our hearts. Lk: 2:19: “Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart”. When an idea captures your attention during Mass, don’t let it get away. Write it down, post it in a visible place and allow the Lord to unfold its meaning in the coming days. Is: 55:1: “so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the work for which I sent it”.

Act on this word. If all you do is listen to it, you are deceiving yourselves. A man who listens to God’s word but does not put it into practice is like a man who looks into himself and then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. How are you going to respond to the word you heard in the homily? Acting upon God’s word produces healing. He loves us. He speaks to us, and He invites us to open our hearts to the healing He offers. Let’s expect Him to speak, reflect upon the words He does speak, and respond to His message of healing for our lives.

Often the Lord will anoint the priest to speak the words. He would have him speak and anoint the people to hear what He wants them to hear. Both are anointed because the church is a sacred place where the anointed word brings healing.

introductory rite

holy water

3

When we enter church, we sign ourselves with holy water, blessed by a priest to heal us. This is a powerful sacramental of the Church. The water is blessed for healing and deliverance from everything harmful, unclean and hurtful. St. Teresa of Avila and many other saints advise the use of holy water. Expect the Lord to bless you deeply when you sign yourself with holy water. That will strengthen your feeling for the presence of the Lord.

introductory rite

and with your spirit

4

God calls us to respond to His love. When we say, “And with your spirit”, let us use it as an
opportunity to step forward and get involved in the Mass. This opens us up for grace and healing.

introductory rite
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Cor. 13:13)

4

Grace is free and unmerited favor. The grace means that we are unconditionally accepted, affirmed, and loved by God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit and that we are wholly one with Him in this love. Grace is personal communion and friendship with God, personal participation in the life of God. A life rooted in grace means a life rooted in faith, hope and love. At this point we could ask for healing of any negative attitudes that may have developed through the years toward God or neighbor. God wants us to bring all our spiritual, psychological and
physical needs to him for healing.

Many people have an unconscious fear of God, believing if they love the Lord and get too close
to Him, He will make them suffer. Those thoughts are inconsistent with the idea of a loving Father. These hidden fears grew out of a wrong notion of suffering; therefore people tend to associate religion with suffering. Holiness involves pain. But it is a pain allowed by God having meaning and purpose. The saints suffered yet experienced a tremendous sense of closeness, warmth and love of the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

introductory rite
the sign of the cross

3

The Holy Mass begins, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The sign of the cross is a sign of hope that summarizes our faith: in the name of our loving Heavenly Father who created us; in the name of Jesus, sent to redeem and to heal; in the name of the Holy Spirit, who is continually sanctifying us. We begin Holy Mass by announcing that we have come in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. To come “In His name” means we come into His presence, linked to His nature, identified with Him, exercising His power. As Christians we come under the name and authority of the King of Kings, making the sign of the cross as our royal birthmark. Jesus died as our substitute and gave us the right to use the name given to Him. He told His disciples to go in His name - that they had His authority and His power. From earliest times the Church has taught us that in His name we are armed against the powers of evil and can perform signs and wonders. There is power in the name of Jesus. Philippians 2: 9-11 reminds us that God exalted Jesus to the highest place, and “…bestowed on Him the name above every other name, so that at Jesus’ name every knee must bend in the heaven, on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue proclaim to the glory of God the Father: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD”.

mass series

introductory rite

1

2

3

4

introductory rite The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Cor. 13:13)

4

introductory rite the sign of the cross

3

penitential rite

5

6

7

penitential rite gloria

6

liturgy of the word

8

9

3

4

introductory rite The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Cor. 13:13)

4

introductory rite the sign of the cross

3

introductory rite
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Cor. 13:13)

introductory rite
the sign of the cross

penitential rite
gloria

introductory rite
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Cor. 13:13)

introductory rite
the sign of the cross