The Second Reading

This post is part of a series on Getting the Most Out of Mass: tips to best dispose yourself to receive graces available during Mass (this will be specifically about Sunday Mass, but some of these ideas will also apply to daily Mass). We’re in the section on the Liturgy of the Word.

What:

On Sundays and other solemn days, there will be a second reading and possibly a period of silence at the end.

Lector: “A reading from [Bible book name].”

All: “Glory to You, O Lord!”

Lector: [reads the reading, pauses, and says:] “The Word of the Lord.”

All: “Thanks be to God!”

Like the first reading, the second reading is from a book that is not a Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) nor a Psalm, but the second reading is usually from the New Testament (the part of the Bible that was written after Jesus’s earthly life), most often it is from one of the Letters of St. Paul (which comprise most of the New Testament books).

Optionally, there may be a period of silence after the reading.

Why:

Why Read Scripture?

As in the 1st Reading and the Psalm, the Church desires to feed our souls with the Word of God. Throughout our everyday lives, we are bombarded with things that distract us from God. Often in those distractions, ideas that are at odds with God’s plan for humanity are presented as “good.” Mass is a refuge from those distractions. Scripture is an anchor that keeps us from being swept up in ideologies that are opposed to God’s design. We need to be continually reading from the Bible so that the devil, the world, and the flesh don’t crowd out the Divine Word made Flesh. Every chance we get to read or listen to scripture (whether we realize it or not) slowly forms our hearts and minds to be more and more like the heart and mind of God (if we allow it). It’s medicine for our darkened intellects and weakened wills. It’s a balm that slowly heals our wayward hearts.

Also, see the First Reading to know why the readings are prescribed.

See here to know why we have periods of silence.

Why Only Have a Second Reading on Sundays and Other Solemn Days?

In Put on Your Sunday Best, I discussed the idea of “progressive solemnity.” Basically: the more special the day, the more we do to show how that day is special. Here is a prime example of that. On a normal weekday Mass, there is no second reading. On special days, we get an extra dose of Scripture.

Going Deeper:

Exteriorly

Make sure you are not allowing any distractions to interrupt your listening to the reading (to the degree you’re able–obviously if you have young children, they will be a distraction; just do your best to be a tender parent while trying to grasp the reading). Hopefully, you studied the scripture readings ahead of time, so even if there are distractions, you can still follow along. Often, it can help to follow along in a Missal/Misallette (a book with the readings). Sometimes, I focus my gaze on the reader, but sometimes, I stare at the crucifix or close my eyes to let my imagination recreate the scene, etc. Do whatever is appropriate for you (while remaining seated) and is not a distraction to other people.

Interiorly

Ask God to reveal Himself to you through the Reading. Let Him do so. The Mass is the supreme act of worship, but it is not merely us offering our worship to God. God is always drawing near to us. He always wants us to know Him better. Open your heart to receiving whatever He has for you in this reading.

As in the First Reading, immerse yourself in the passage. Again, focus your mind and heart on listening to the reading. Try as much as you can to be present to what is being said and be alert for any ways that God prompts your heart toward Himself. Whereas the first reading might usually be an Old Testament narrative or prophecy, this second reading is likely a letter from St. Paul. While the reading is being proclaimed, imagine yourself in the scene. Since the second reading is usually a letter to the early Christians, imagine you are taken back in time and the human author is proclaiming those same words to a crowd with you in it. What is the author exhorting you to do? What is God saying to you through this reading?

What do you recall from studying the scripture readings ahead of time?

Open Your Heart

We tend to build a firmness of heart to every part of the Mass because we’ve done them before. The same is true for these readings because we have heard them before (especially if they aren’t proclaimed well). We don’t let them move us; it’s like we put up a wall around our hearts preventing God from pouring His love in and moving us. (“I’m too [fill in the blank] to get interested in this and let it affect me.”). It also prevents us from raising our hearts back up to Him. Find what you can do to allow your heart to be vulnerable to God’s Word. Let it pierce between joints and marrow (Hebrews 4:12). Allow God’s Word to come in and move you, but also allow your adoration to flow out and up to Him.

I like to imagine myself with my heart exposed to God, but there’s something covering it and I have to remove that covering in order for God’s grace to come in and for my adoration to truly go up to Him. Whenever I find myself having fallen back into distraction, I imagine that pall covering my heart again, and I have to pull it off once more.

Cultivate a Sense of Awe

Jesus (God incarnate) walked the face of this earth centuries ago. He established a Church and entrusted the initial spread of it to a few of his immediate followers. After careful and prayerful discernment, some of the stories of what they did to spread the Church and some of the letters they wrote about Jesus and the Faith were recognized as inspired by God. As you listen to the Second Reading, marvel at how God has preserved these writings via His Church through the ages (as the New Testament books of the Bible) so that you may hear those words He has for you right now. The God of all the universe has planned this moment for you to hear these words and He has preserved these words intact through many centuries (and many trials).

What About You?

• What do you do exteriorly and/or interiorly to participate more fully in the Second Reading at Mass?
• How has participating more fully in the Second Reading helped dispose you to receive more graces at Mass?
• Do you have any stories to share about participating more fully in the Second Reading?

The Responsorial Psalm

This post is part of a series on Getting the Most Out of Mass: tips to best dispose yourself to receive graces available during Mass (this will be specifically about Sunday Mass, but some of these ideas will also apply to daily Mass). We’re in the section on the Liturgy of the Word.

What:

Usually, a psalmist will sing the verses to a psalm¹ and the congregation will sing the response.

After the Psalm, there may optionally be a brief pause.

Why:

Historical Usage

The Psalms are an inspired series of prayers that were written by God’s people in the Old Testament. The principal authorship is ascribed to King David.

The psalms were gradually collected into the five books of the Psalter (or “Praises”), the masterwork of prayer in the Old Testament.

Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 2585

As part of our Old Testament Heritage, Jesus and the Apostles would have grown up praying the Psalms, and they retained their use in the Christian Church.

…authoritative citations of other psalms appear in His discourses and those of His Apostles (cf. Luke, xx, 42; xxiv, 44; Acts, i, 20)

The Apostles used the Psalms in worship (cf. Acts, xvi, 25; James, v, 13; I Cor., xiv, 26).

Whether their tones are those of praise or blame, of sorrow or of joy, of humiliation or of exaltation, of deep meditation or of didactic dogmatism, ever and everywhere the writers of the Psalms are dignified and grand, true to the ideals of Jahweh’s chosen folk, spiritual and devotional. The range of thought is immense. It takes in Jahweh, His temple, cult, priests, creation; man, friend and foe; beasts, birds; all nature, animate and inanimate. The range of emotions is complete; every emotion of man that is pure and noble has been set to words in the Psalms…

…The theological ideas of the Psalms are comprehensive; the existence and attributes of God, the soul’s yearning for immortality, the economy of grace and the virtues, death, judgment, heaven, hell, hope of resurrection and of glory, fear of punishment—all the main dogmatic truths of Israel’s faith appear again and again in her Psalter. These truths are set down not in dogmatic form, but now in the simple and childlike lyric yearning of the ingenuous soul, again in the loftiest and most vehement outbursts of which man’s nature is capable. The Psalms are at once most human and most super-human; they sink to the lowest depths of the human heart and soar to the topmost heights of Divine contemplation.

Catholic Encyclopedia, Psalms

Lessons in Prayer

Throughout the Psalms, we see a wide range of sentiments expressed: joy, hope, fear, sadness… but all of them are anchored in the praise of God–the verbal recognition of His greatness: the greatness of what He has done, what He is doing, what He plans to do, and above all the greatness of God in Himself.

The prayer of the psalms is always sustained by praise; that is why the title of this collection as handed down to us is so fitting: “The Praises.” Collected for the assembly’s worship, the Psalter both sounds the call to prayer and sings the response to that call: Hallelu-Yah! (“Alleluia”), “Praise the Lord!”

Catechism of the Catholic Church 2589

By praising God in all circumstances, we develop an even greater trust in and reliance on God as the source of all good. When we praise Him in easier times, we learn to be greatful for the blessings He has given us. When we praise him in harder times, we learn to trust that He will sustain us with what we need. In all these, we are drawn to see beyond these temporal “easier”and “harder” times to an ever deepening certainty and trust that what is really important is being with Him in His Kingdom forever. This is how St. Paul can honestly state “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and be glad.
O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!

Psalm 34:1-3

The Psalms are traditionally used as a book of songs. In sincerely singing our prayers to God, something deeper in our soul is stirred and our expression of prayer rises to a new level.

In each of the psalms we can find the sensitive and extraordinarily sincere soul of a man who prays by singing because he feels that is the best way to praise God.

Antonio Fuentes, The Book of Psalms

The Psalms also help us to delve deeper into the other readings in the Liturgy of the word.

The Responsorial Psalm… fosters meditation on the Word of God.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 61

Going Deeper:

To get the most out of the Psalms, we need to pray them from the heart–we need to internalize them and sing them to God, chanting the words as our own.

Exteriorly

On a simple, practical level, during the Responsorial Psalm, I like to focus on Jesus in the Tabernacle and sing the Psalm to Him. If I don’t have a good view of the Tabernacle, I might opt for the crucifix. There’s something extra helpful in having that visual focus to direct our words to God.

It’s also helpful to have a missal or something else with the word of the Psalm on it that you can read. I often have a hard time understanding cantors as they sing the Psalms–many times the notes sound great, but I can’t quite distinguish every word. Of course, the more you pray these Psalms, the more you’ll start to memorize them, so even if the cantor can’t clearly chant a canticle, you can still know what they’re supposed to be singing.

If you would like to pray the Psalms more regularly, try praying the Liturgy of the Hours (prayers throughout the day that cycle through many of the Psalms). They are collected into a book (or split into four) called the Breviary. The more you familiarize yourself with these words, the more naturally they pour out of your heart both at Mass, in the Liturgy of the Hours, and throughout your day.

• I find it easy to use iBreviary.com for the liturgy of the hours [especially for beginners, or those who don’t have a Breviary on them] on a computer. (They also have corresponding apps for Apple and Android).

Interiorly

Interiorly, I like to think of myself as the Psalmist, praising God with those words. I sometimes imagine seeing through the tabernacle and seeing through the veil that prevents my eyes from viewing Jesus in the Eucharist, singing these words directly to Him.

Cultivate a sense of awe: Marvel at the fact that God has inspired the author of this Psalm to imagine these ideas and fashion them into words. He has protected these specific words to be handed down through the Israelite generations and eventually to Jesus–Jesus sang this Psalm, too! Jesus established the Catholic Church and inspired Her to not only cultivate a love for Scripture but include a specific spot for a Psalm in every Mass and to eventually codify which Psalms the entire Universal (“Catholic”) Church would sing every day. Now marvel at the fact that when God inspired the Psalmist to have the ideas to write those words, he knew you would be singing this translation of those words on this exact day at this exact time, lifting up praise as you participate in the greater “Sacrifice of Praise”² – the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

What About You?

• What do you do to participate more fully in the Responsorial Psalm at Mass?
• How has participating more fully in the Responsorial Psalm helped dispose you to receive more graces at Mass?
• Do you have any stories to share about participating more fully in the Responsorial Psalm?

Footnotes:

1. Psalms are songs from the Book of Psalms, however very occasionally a canticle (a song from a different book in the Bible) is scheduled. On the 3rd Sunday of Advent, in years B and C, there is a canticle from Luke and Isaiah, respectively.
2. “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God…” Hebrews 13:15

The First Reading

This post is part of a series on Getting the Most Out of Mass: tips to best dispose yourself to receive graces available during Mass (this will be specifically about Sunday Mass, but some of these ideas will also apply to daily Mass). We’re in the section on the Liturgy of the Word.

What:

The reader approaches the ambo, announces: “A reading from the book of…,” and continues to proclaim the prescribed reading while the congregation listens. After finishing the Bible passage, the reader briefly pauses and then says: “The Word of the Lord.”

The congregation responds: “Thanks be to God!”¹

After the First Reading, there may optionally be a pause for silent reflection.

The first reading is ordered so that it often correlates to the Gospel reading in some way. The 1^st reading is from any book other than the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) or Psalms. It is often an Old Testament Reading (especially on Sunday).

The readings are on a prescribed schedule that rotates through a 3-year cycle on Sundays (a 2-year cycle on weekdays).

Why:

Why Scripture?

The Bible (scripture) is the Word of God written in the words of men. St. Jerome famously said, “ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ.” The Church wants us to be very familiar with scripture. She steeps us in the Word of God every chance She gets: the readings, many of the words and actions of the Mass, prayers outside of Mass, Bible studies, etc.

Why are the readings prescribed?

The readings at Mass are like the world’s largest Bible study — every Catholic around the world is hearing these same words. Often, the readings progressively work through books/parts of the Bible.

Prescribing the readings provides multiple opportunities:

• Assures that we hear more of the Bible
• Allows the whole world to read the same readings each day (“Catholic” means “according to the whole”)
• Allows for devotional books to be created ahead of time for those who wish to read/pray along (and/or ahead of time)–these also allow the readers to practice ahead of time and allow for others to make reflection books/talks that help us to get even more out of the readings.
  • Refer back to Pre-Read the Scripture Readings for Mass for some examples.

In the readings, the table of God’s Word is spread before the faithful, and the treasures of the Bible are opened to them. Hence, it is preferable that the arrangement of the biblical readings be maintained, for by them the unity of both Testaments and of salvation history is brought out. Nor is it lawful to replace the readings and Responsorial Psalm, which contain the Word of God, with other, non-biblical texts.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal 57

Why Silent Reflection Time?

See my explanation here.

Going Deeper:

While the reading is being proclaimed, imagine yourself in the scene. If it’s a narrative, imagine yourself in the action. If it’s a speech or a letter, imagine you are present as the human author proclaimed those words to a crowd.

Since the first reading is generally from the Old Testament, consider how this reading points you forward to Jesus. The New Testament is concealed in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New. Try to see how God was foreshadowing what He would come and do. If you read the readings ahead of time, you might have already picked up on something because the first reading is so often a foreshadowing of the Gospel.

Consider that hundreds (or even thousands) of years passed between when God inspired these words to be written and when God came to us and fulfilled those words. Try to see how God was showing himself to be true and all-knowing by predicting what He would eventually do and how the Old Testament sets the stage to prove that Jesus is God. See God’s providence in fully revealing Himself in the person of Jesus as the thread that links all of Scripture together.

This will be greatly enhanced if you have been able to take part in a Catholic Bible study to get guidance on how to properly understand scripture and if you have been able to read these readings ahead of time. (Again, see my suggestions on studying the readings before Mass.)

The Bible is not a dead book. God speaks to each of us today through scripture. Pay attention to what God is saying to you. Is He calling you to do something good or refrain from doing something evil?

Cultivate a Sense of Awe

God inspired men to write the words of the Bible. He established a Church and gave Her the authority to determine which books were actually inspired. He preserved that Church through many dark times (within and without) to continually provide people of all times with (among other things) the words of Sacred Scripture. Consider: “Who am I to be sitting in a church of the One True God, listening to His very Word written in the words of men? It’s only by His grace that I sit here, able to listen to His Scriptures. How can I treat this time with the reverence it deserves?”

Vocabulary:

A lectionary page from a Mass on the sanctoral calendar.
Image credit: Henningers

• Lectionary – the book from which the Bible passages are read. The readings are on a three-year cycle (A, B, and C) on Sundays and a two-year cycle (1 and 2) on weekdays (which includes Saturdays before evening). There is a separate lectionary that is based on the Sanctoral Cycle (saint days on the calendar).
• Reader or Lector – “The function of proclaiming the readings is by tradition not presidential but ministerial. Therefore the readings are to be read by a reader, but the Gospel by the Deacon or, in his absence, by another Priest.”² It is preferred that the reader is someone who has been installed as a “lector” by the bishop, but in the absence of lectors, other people may be appointed to read. Today, few people receive the minor order of lector (it is usually reserved as a step in the preparation for men who are intending to become deacons and then perhaps priests, but may be used more broadly), so most readers you see at Mass are not installed lectors. However, many times they are colloquially called “lectors” because I believe the proper term is “deputed lay readers” and that’s just clunky and so little used that people have blurred the distinction.
• Ambo – the place from which the Scripture readings are proclaimed.
• Old Testament – the part of the Bible that was written before Jesus. This section of the Bible is all a preparation for Jesus.

What About You?

• What do you do to participate more fully in the First Reading at Mass?
• How has participating more fully in the First Reading helped dispose you to receive more graces at Mass?
• Do you have any stories to share about participating more fully in the First Reading?

Footnotes

1. “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)
2. General Instruction of the Roman Missal 59

Photo credit: St. Patrick’s Seminary and University

Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word and/or Silence

This post is part of a series on Getting the Most Out of Mass: tips to best dispose yourself to receive graces available during Mass (this will be specifically about Sunday Mass, but some of these ideas will also apply to daily Mass). Today, we transition from the Introductory Rites for Mass to the Liturgy of the Word.

(The introduction and the silence are optional parts of the Mass, so you might not experience them at your parish.)

What

After the Collect, everyone sits to listen to the Bible readings.

The priest may choose to give an introduction to those readings.

There may be a brief period of silence during this time before the readings.

Why

Why Sitting?

We have finished the Introductory Rites of Mass and transitioned into the Liturgy of the Word. This is the time in Mass when we listen to the Bible readings and Homily and then wrap them up with the Profession of Faith (the Creed) and the Universal Prayers (the “Lord Hear Our Prayer” prayers). Since the beginning of this section of Mass is so focused on listening, we sit for this time. This puts our bodies in a posture of receptivity and the hope is that our hearts and minds will follow that lead.

Why an Introduction?

Just as we discussed in Preread The Scripture Readings for Mass, the Church wants to steep us in Holy Scripture (the Bible), and part of being able to absorb what God has for you in Holy Scripture is having a context to better understand what is being read. Therefore, a priest may choose to give everyone a quick introduction to the readings.

The Priest may, very briefly, introduce the faithful to the Liturgy of the Word.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal 128

Why Silence?

The best way to prepare to listen to God speaking through His written Word is silence. The more we are able to quiet ourselves (externally and internally), the better we will be at listening for any prompting God may have for us. A prompting may be a better understanding of something about God, the Church, life, etc.; a different way of looking at something; a conviction that you ought to change something in your life or do something for another person (or other people); etc.

The Liturgy of the Word is to be celebrated in such a way as to favor meditation, and so any kind of haste such as hinders recollection is clearly to be avoided. In the course of it, brief periods of silence are also appropriate, accommodated to the assembled congregation; by means of these, under the action of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God may be grasped by the heart and a response through prayer may be prepared. It may be appropriate to observe such periods of silence, for example, before the Liturgy of the Word itself begins, after the First and Second Reading, and lastly at the conclusion of the Homily.

Ibid. 56

Going Deeper

As you sit down, focus your mind and heart on listening to what will be read and spoken throughout the liturgy of the Word. Try as much as you can to be present to what is being said and be alert for any ways that God prompts your heart toward Himself. If your Mass has a pause for silence, use this extra time to calm your mind and heart even more to be docile to whatever God has for you.

If your Mass has in introduction, listen attentively to this introduction. Try to make any connections from your preread of the readings and any study you have done to prep you to more fully understand the readings that are about to be read.

What About You?

• Do you have any particular ways that help you prepare to be focussed on the readings?
• Can you recall a time that the silence before the readings and/or a priest’s introduction to the readings especially helped you get more out of the readings?

Photo Credit: New York Times

The Collect

This post is part of a series on Getting the Most Out of Mass: tips to best dispose yourself to receive graces available during Mass (this will be specifically about Sunday Mass, but some of these ideas will also apply to daily Mass). We’re in the section on the Introductory Rites.

What:

The priest invites us: “let us pray”, pauses for a brief period of silence, and then prays the prayer out loud.

The congregation responds: “Amen”.

Why:

Why the pause?

The priest pauses both for us to recollect that we’re in God’s presence, but also for us to add our own intentions to the Mass. This is the first main spot in the Mass for adding our own prayers to the sacrifice. Depending on the priest, the pause might be longer or shorter.

Next the Priest calls upon the people to pray and everybody, together with the Priest, observes a brief silence so that they may become aware of being in God’s presence and may call to mind their intentions.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 54.

Why is it called the Collect?

The prayer that the priest prays aloud collects all of our intentions into one prayer.

Why “Amen?”

The response of “Amen” unites the community to the Collect prayer and makes it their own.

The people, joining in this petition, make the prayer their own by means of the acclamation Amen.

Ibid.

Going Deeper:

In the brief silence, between “let us pray” and the priest beginning the prayer, we make ourselves conscious of the fact that we are in God’s presence and we mentally add any petitions to God that we may have in our hearts.

Since this time can be brief, I try to pick one main intention I have for each Mass (or a few main intentions) that I bring to mind and offer to God as we begin Mass. If you have more intentions but the pause is not long enough for you think mentally pray them all, there is time later to add more intentions.

Listen carefully to the words of the prayer¹ and truly make it your own with your “Amen.” Don’t just zone out and mindlessly mumble your “Uh-mn” as you sit down (I speak from experience here). Really listening to the prayer and speaking it to God in your heart unites you to the prayer of everyone in the room and opens you up to receieve the graces God wants to give you in this moment.

This is one of the parts of the Mass that are specific to today. See if you can pick out a theme for today’s Mass as you hear this prayer, the readings, and the other parts of the Mass that are specific to today. If you already did that when you read the reading ahead of time, bring this theme to mind and be open to see if God allows you to notice anything new about the theme.

What About You?

• What are some things you have done to more deeply pray the Collect (Opening Prayer) at Mass?
• What are some ways that deeply praying the Collect has helped you Get the Most Out of Mass?

Footnotes

1. If you get a Missal, you can read these prayers ahead of time and/or along with the priest, so you can better unite yourself to what is being prayed.

Image credit: Relevant Radio

The Gloria

This post is part of a series on Getting the Most Out of Mass: tips to best dispose yourself to receive graces available during Mass (this will be specifically about Sunday Mass, but some of these ideas will also apply to daily Mass). We’re in the section on the Introductory Rites.

What:

English

[Often the priest or choir will begin:] Glory to God in the Highest…

[All:] …and on earth peace people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God Almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world; have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world,¹ receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One,² you alone are the Lord,³ you alone are the Most High Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the Glory of God the Father. Amen.

Latin

[Often the priest or choir will begin:] Glória in excélsis Deo…

[All:] …et in terra pax homínibus bonae voluntátis. Laudámus te, benedícimus te, adorámus te, glorificámus te, grátias ágimus tibi propter magnam glóriam tuam, Dómine Deus, Rex cæléstis, Deus Pater omnípotens. Dómine Fili Unigénite, Iesu Christe, Dómine Deus, Agnus Dei, Fílius Patris, qui tollis peccáta mundi, miserére nobis; qui tollis peccáta mundi, súscipe deprecatiónem nostram. Qui sedes ad déxteram Patris, miserére nobis. Quóniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dóminus, tu solus Altíssimus, Iesu Christe, cum Sancto Spíritu: in glória Dei Patris. Amen.

Why:

The Gloria is an expression of praise to God. After recognizing our failure and unworthiness to even be in the Lord’s Presence in both the Penitential Act and the Kyrie, we turn to God and glorify Him as the One Who is worthy of glory and who loves us so much that He forgives our sins and welcomes us into His Presence.

Well, after that we begin to want a bit of cheering up. And the thing we use to cheer us up is the Gloria in Excelsis… it is an appeal to our Incarnate Lord, as Incarnate, to make things all right for us… We try to cheer ourselves up, after all the grovelling, by reminding ourselves and reminding Almighty God that human nature has been raised to something altogether higher, ever since our Lord took human nature upon himself, and that if we unite our prayers with the prayer of our Incarnate Lord, we can, in spite of everything, make our prayers worth looking at.

Knox, Msgr. Ronald. The Mass in Slow Motion. Sheed & Ward. New York, NY. 1948. p. 20

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… It is sung or said on Sundays outside Advent and Lent, and also on Solemnities and Feasts, and at particular celebrations of a more solemn character.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal 53

Since the Gloria is such a celebratory hymn, it seems most appropriate on the most celebratory days (Sundays, Solemnities, Feasts, etc.) and not so appropriate during penitential seasons or on most weekdays.

Originally… you only got the Gloria on Christmas Day. Then it was put in on all feast days and most Sundays; so that in practice you hardly ever get a Mass without it unless it’s a black Mass or a day in Lent, or some other mournful occasion. And that is as it should be, because when it is a mournful occasion we like to go on grovelling, instead of trying to cheer ourselves up. But when we want to feel jolly, as we do on feast days or on Sundays, because Sundays are meant to be jolly in spite of letters home, we recover from the mood of depression we felt during the Kyrie, and start quite gaily on the Collects.

ibid. 21

Going Deeper:

1. This is another “Mass part” one of the times we are expected to sing.
   1. Whether you’ve got a great voice or you can’t carry a tune, sing this song to God–He will take your meager efforts and raise them to His glory.
2. Focus on the words you say, don’t simply repeat them without meaning. As with all memorized prayers, try to put as much love into these words as you can. Sing purposefully as though you’re teaching the people around you about God (especially helpful if you have kids).
   • Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace to people of good will.
     • We begin the Gloria borrowing words from the angels at Jesus’ birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14)
     • “Glory” is used in many different ways, but here we’re using it in a way that means “praise rendered to God in acknowledgment of His majesty and perfections manifested objectively in the world, or through supernatural revelation.”⁴ (Basically we’re saying how awesome God is.)
     • Throughout this prayer, it can be helpful to bring to mind various ways that God is awesome:
       • His Perfections (He is Infinite Goodness, Truth, Beauty, Wisdom, Mercy, Love, Power, etc.)
       • His Works (creation, salvation history, miracles in the Bible, other historical miracles, miracles in your life, etc.)
       • His Gifts of Himself to us (the Church, the Sacraments [especially the Eucharist], the Truths of the faith handed on by the Church, etc.)
   • We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God Almighty Father.
     • Here, we continue with praising God, but we end by specifying that we have been addressing God the Father.
     • During this time, it might be helpful for you to bring to mind an image of the Trinity (or look at one in your church) and focus specifically on God the Father.
   • Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father…
     • Here, we have clearly changed to speaking to God the Son.
     • We clearly recognize that He is also fully the one God (Lord God) but also somehow not the Father (Only Begotten Son… Son of the Father). We’ll get more into this when we profess the Creed.
     • By saying Lamb of God, we foreshadow what’s coming next. As Lamb of God, Jesus took on our sins and redeemed us by dying for us on the Cross and opened for us the fountain of Mercy (forgiving even the unforgivable).
   • …you take away the sins of the world; have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
     • In each of these three phrases, we’re begging Jesus for His mercy, but not because we’re hoping that it’s possible He might consider it. Rather we’re asking with the confidence of sons to a loving Father and Brother Who have shown us over and over again that they desperately want to forgive us, if only we come to them.
     • This is a joyous song, expounding God’s greatness, and here in the middle, we touch on His greatest attribute: His unfathomable mercy.
     • In the Kyrie, we
   • For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the Glory of God the Father.
     • Again, here we finish the prayer by praising God’s greatness and recognizing each person of the Holy Trinity as fully possessing that greatness.
   • Amen.
     • Yes, I agree. This is true.

What About You?

• What do you do to try to enter more deeply into the Gloria during Mass?
• Do you have any stories of particular insights you’ve gained while praying the Gloria?

Footnotes

1. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
2. “For thou alone art holy.” (Revelation 15:4)
3. Let them know that thou alone, whose name is the LORD, art the Most High over all the earth. (Psalms 83:18)
4. https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/glory

The Kyrie

This post is part of a series on Getting the Most Out of Mass: tips to best dispose yourself to receive graces available during Mass (this will be specifically about Sunday Mass, but some of these ideas will also apply to daily Mass). We’re in the section on the Introductory Rites.

What:

English

Priest: Lord Have Mercy.¹

All: Lord Have Mercy.

Priest: Christ Have Mercy.

All: Christ Have Mercy.

Priest: Lord Have Mercy.

All: Lord Have Mercy.

Greek

Priest: Kyrie eleison.

All: Kyrie eleison.

Priest: Christe eleison.

All: Christe eleison.

Priest: Kyrie eleison.

All: Kyrie eleison.

Why:

Why the Kyrie?

In the Kyrie, we beg God for His mercy.

The general effect is meant to be just mercy, mercy, mercy–it’s not so much that we ought to feel beasts because we are sinners, as that we ought to feel worms because we are creatures; however holy and pious we were, we should still want to start by telling Almighty God that he is Almighty God and we are a set of perfectly ridiculous creatures; when we have got that into our heads, we have begun to get the situation clear.

Knox, Msgr. Ronald. The Mass in Slow Motion. Sheed & Ward. New York, NY. 1948 p. 19

Whereas the Penitential Act (especially as stated in the Confetior) is mostly an admission of guilt and asking for prayers, the Kyrie begs God for His forgiveness.

Why Greek?

In Jesus’ time, the most commonly spoken languages were Greek and Latin. Throughout time, the Church in the West retained Latin as its official language (all official Church documents are still written in Latin today). Praying in these languages gives us a linguistic connection to our roots.

The Western Church seems to have adopted this particular prayer from the Eastern Church, which would have prayed it in Greek, so it traditionally stayed in Greek despite most of the rest of the Mass being in Latin. Since the 1970s priests have had the option to pray the Mass in the vernacular (local language).

Going Deeper:

Deeper Participation in the Words

Since you are addressing God, concentrate on saying these words to God—specifically, you can call to mind:

The Divine Mercy Image

• God the Father during the first round of Kyries (Lords)
• God the Son (Jesus Christ) during the Christes (Christs)²
• God the Holy Spirit during the second round of Kyries.

Here, it might help to look at the Tabernacle (where God is most present) or art that represents God–especially if there is a depiction of the Holy Trinity, so you can focus on each person individually; or a depiction of the Divine Mercy image or Jesus’ Sacred Heart, so you can focus on God’s mercy.

Deeper Participation in Chanting

If the Kyrie is chanted, chant with a full voice (don’t just mutter along). The Kyrie is one of the songs called a “part” of the Mass (or “Mass parts”). We’re expected to participate in them more so than even the hymns. Men, particularly, need to find their voice. I generally try not to pay attention to others during Mass (so that I can better focus on God), but I admit that sometimes my attention wanders, and I am saddened to note how few men sing at Mass. Mass is not a ladies’ choir practice. If we are to lead our families,³ it should start with leading in prayer and our “parts” of the Mass are some of the easiest places to lead. Let’s remember St. Augustine’s adage: “He who sings well prays twice.”

Deeper Participation in the Sacrifice

Regardless of which option the priest chooses, recognize that the Penitential Act/Holy Water Sprinkling is setting the stage for later. Not only do we bring to mind our sins and ask for God’s mercy now, but later in the Mass, these admissions of guilt and requests for forgiveness will be united to the offering of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and offered to God the Father. Jesus’ sacrifice is offered for many things, but among them is saying “sorry” to God for our sins.

The sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross is first of all adoration; it is latrial . . . [It] is propitiatory. It appeases God Who was angered because of sin . . . [It] is eucharistic. It is the greatest act of thanksgiving . . . [It] is impetratory. It is the greatest supplication, a supreme appeal . . . to divine goodness.

Charles Cardinal Journet, The Mass: The Presence of the Sacrifice of the Cross, (South Bend: St. Augustine’s Press, 2008), 21-22

What About You?

• How has more deeply participating in the Kyrie prepared you to enter more deeply into re-offering Jesus’ sacrifice with the priest?
• How has asking for God’s Mercy helped you open your heart to receive the graces He offers you?
• What practices do you have that help you enter more deeply into the Kyrie?

Footnotes

1. In the Gospels, there are many instances of people asking Jesus to “Have Mercy”: (Matthew 9:27, 15:22, 17:15, 20:30-31; Mark 10:47-48; Luke 17:13, 18:13, 18:38-39)
2. “…our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18)
3. See Ephesians 5:23-33

The Penitential Act

What:

The priest says: “Brethren (brothers and sisters), let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.”

[He has the option to choose to say this in Latin. If so, he says: “Fratres, agnoscámus peccáta nostra, ut apti simus ad sacra mystéria celebránda.“]

There is a pause.

We pray one of the following prayers:

A

The Confiteor:
Priest: I confess to Almighty God

All: and to you my brothers and sisters that I have greatly sinned¹, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, in what I have failed to do, [all strike their breast, saying] through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask Blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

B

Priest: Have mercy on us, O Lord.

All: For we have sinned against you.²

Priest: Show us, O Lord, your mercy.

All: And grant us your salvation.³

C

[Recite the Kyrie here instead of later (see the next post).]

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

All: Amen.

The priest may choose to pray this in Latin:

A

Confíteor Deo omnipoténti et vobis, fratres, quia peccávi nimis cogitatióne, verbo, ópere et omissióne: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea mea máxima culpa. Ideo precor beátam Maríam semper Vírginem, omnes Angelos et Sanctos, et vos, fratres, oráre pro me ad Dóminum Deum nostrum.

B

Priest: Miserére nostri, Dómine.

All: Quia pecávimus tibi.

Priest: Osténde nobis, Dómine, misericórdiam tuam.

All: Et salutáre tuum da nobis.

Priest: Misereátur nostri omnípotens Deus et, dimíssis peccátis nostris, perdúcat nos ad vitam ætérnam.

All: Amen.

An Alternative

Occasionally (especially during the Easter season) the priest may choose to bless holy water and sprinkle it on the people instead of the Penitential Act.

Why:

Why call to mind our sins?

We all recognize that we are sinners, sorrowfully approaching the Lord for forgiveness. The Church is not a group of perfect people, looking down on the rest of mankind. Rather, we’re a group of imperfect people who know the Perfect One and are striving to become more like Him. Here, we admit those ways in which we’ve failed.

The better you can recognize your need for God and His mercy, the more open you will be to receive the graces He offers you. The more we foster a spirit of contrition—recognize our own unworthiness to be in God’s presence and His mercy to allow us to be here anyway–the more we dispose ourselves to receive grace. 

Note: when the priest prays “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins…” it is a request that God will forgive us at some point, but it does not have the effect of immediately forgiving our sins.⁴ We still need to go to Confession.

Why do we strike our breasts?

Breast-beating is a sign of penitence.

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’

Luke 18:13

Why sprinkle with holy water instead?

The sprinkling may occur instead of the Penitential act as a reminder of our Baptisms.⁵ When we were Baptized, God washed away all of our sins to that point, made us members of His family (the Church), gave us His abiding presence in our souls (Sanctifying Grace), and gave us access to His other Sacraments.

Going Deeper:

Deeper Penitential Act

After the priest prays “let us acknowledge our sins,” take that momentary pause to call to mind your Examination of Conscience.

Concentrate your attention on whom you are addressing:

• When you are addressing God (e.g. “I confess to Almighty God” and most of the rest of this prayer), concentrate on God. It might help to look at the Tabernacle (where God is most present), art that represents God, etc. 
• When you address the saints (e.g. “therefore I ask Blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, etc.) concentrate on them. It might be helpful to look at art that represents them (or a relic of a saint if your church has any).
  • All the angels and saints are present at every Mass. Call to mind that you are “surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.” (Hebrews 12:1)
• When you address the congregation (e.g. “to you my brothers and sisters,” etc.), this is one of the few times during the Mass that you actually address the people around you instead of God. Go ahead and momentarily concentrate on them (you are talking to them after all). It might be helpful to briefly glance at the people around you (as long as it doesn’t become a distraction from the rest of the prayer).

Notice at the end of the Confiteor, how we all ask everyone else in the conversation to pray for us. Take that time at the very end of the prayer to pray for everyone gathered that God would have mercy not just on you, but on all of them as well.

Deeper Holy Water Sprinkling

If the priest chooses to bless and sprinkle holy water, take the time to remember your need for His forgiveness and that your Baptism both forgave your sins and gives you access to Confession and the Eucharist which both offer forgiveness of post-Baptimal sins.

What About You?

• How has admitting your sins at the beginning of Mass helped you to be open to God’s graces?
• Do you have any helpful practices to more deeply enter into the Penitential Act?

Footnotes

1. And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing.” (1 Chronicles 21:8)
2. Hear, O Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned before thee. (Baruch 3:2)
3. Show us thy steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation. (Psalms 85:7)
4. General Instruction of the Roman Missal 51
5. Ibid.

Introduction

This post is part of a series on Getting the Most Out of Mass: tips to best dispose yourself to receive graces available during Mass (this will be specifically about Sunday Mass, but some of these ideas will also apply to daily Mass). We’re in the section on the Introductory Rites.

(This part of the Mass is optional, so you might not experience it at your parish.)

What:

The priest (or a deacon or lay minister) might optionally give a short introduction to the Mass of the day.¹

Why:

Each Mass tends to have a theme that runs through the readings and prayers. The introduction can help connect those dots for people to help them enter more deeply into the Mass and better understand the reason why the specific readings and prayers were chosen for that day.

Throughout the year, the Church has different seasons (“liturgical” seasons). The introduction can help situate the theme of the Mass within the greater context of the liturgical season.

As we discussed last time, the Church wants us to be well versed in Holy Scripture. She wants it to pervade our lives. Giving people an introduction can get people thinking about the readings, allow them to understand them more fully, and whet their appetites to learn more.

Going Deeper:

If your parish happens to introduce the Mass try to listen for what might help you understand the reading and/or prayers more fully. Try to keep that information fresh in your mind as you go through the parts of the Mass that were explained (most commonly the readings).

Use the information shared as a springboard to go further.

• What consequences can be drawn from what was shared?
• How is God calling me to change my life?
• In what way does this shed new or better light on God and/or His Church?
• What further study could I do to learn more about what was shared?

What About You?

• Has there ever been an introduction to the Mass that really helped you enter more fully into the Mass?
• In what ways have you been able to use the introduction at Mass to help you enter more fully into the readings and prayers?

Footnotes

1. General Instruction of the Roman Missal 50, 124

The Priestly Greeting

This post is part of a series on Getting the Most Out of Mass: tips to best dispose yourself to receive graces available during Mass (this will be specifically about Sunday Mass, but some of these ideas will also apply to daily Mass). We’re in the section on the Introductory Rites.

What:

The priest extends his hands toward the congregation and greets them with one of the options below:

A

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.¹

B

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.²

C

The Lord be with you.³

The congregation responds: “And with your spirit.”⁵

[Every priest has the option to use Latin during parts of the Mass. If yours chooses to do so, he would say one of the following:]

A

Gratia Domini nostri Jesu Christi, et caritas Dei, et communication Sancti Spiritus sit cum omnibus vobis.

B

Gratia vobis et pax a Deo Patre nostro et Domino Jesu Christo.

C

Dominus vobis cum.

If the priest uses Latin, the congregation responds: “Et cum spiritu tuo.”

Why:

… by means of the Greeting he signifies the presence of the Lord to the assembled community. By this greeting and the people’s response, the mystery of the Church gathered together is made manifest.

General Instruciton of the Roman Missal, 50

In this act of greeting, the priest represents God welcoming us. He does so using a line from scripture. The Catholic Church loves scripture and is always trying to saturate its prayers with scripture to steep our hearts and minds in God’s word.

By initiating this time in God’s name using the Sign of the Cross and continuing with this greeting, we show that Jesus’ Mystical Body is gathered, and since we are gathered in His name, the Head of the Body is present, too.⁶

Going Deeper:

As the priest offers this greeting, imagine The Holy Trinity standing behind him, offering you grace, love, communion, peace, and/ or Their Presence through the priest, and imagine yourself offering that same back to the priest. When you say “and with your spirit,” really focus on what it is you’re saying. Don’t let them roll off your tongue as empty words.

Also, take note that the priest is addressing the community. Mass is split between times where the priest talks to us, times where he talks to God (in these times, we are supposed to be saying the same words to God internally) alone or leads all of us in talking to God, and times where we are reflecting on what was just said or done. Staying conscious of this will help you to pray the Mass better.

Take a look at all the scriptural references below and reflect on how so much of our prayer in the Mass is taken from scripture and how the Church (as our Mother) is always trying to feed our souls with the Heavenly Food of Scripture.

See how St. Paul and the others used these same greetings and think about how these words connect us to our roots in an unbroken chain of succession from Jesus and the Apostles to today.

What About You?

• How has devoutly participating in the Priestly Greeting helped you enter more deeply into the Mass?
• Have you ever noticed how many times lines from scripture are recited throughout the Mass?

Footnotes:

1. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14).
2. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7)
   Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:3)
   Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:2)
   Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ… (Galatians 1:3)
   Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:2)
   Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Phillippians 1:2)
   Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:2)
   Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philemon 1:3)
   Grace to you and peace from God our Father.” (Colossians 1:2)
   Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the Church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. (1 Thessalonians 1:1)
   …Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne… (Revelation 1:4)
   Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. (1 Timothy 1:2)
   Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. (2 Timothy 1:2)
   Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. (Titus 1:4)
   May grace and peace be multiplied to you. (1 Peter 1:2)
   Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love. (2 John 1:3)
3. And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem; and he said to the reapers, “The LORD be with you!” And they answered, “The LORD bless you.” (Ruth 2:4)
4. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen. (Galatians 6:18)
   The Lord be with your spirit. (2 Timothy 4:22)
5. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20)