The Meaning Of Mass For The Catholic Faithful

what does mass of the faithful mean

The Mass of the Faithful is the part of the mass from the offertory to the end, to which only the faithful were originally admitted. The mass begins with the entrance song, and the celebrant and other ministers enter in procession and reverence the altar with a bow and/or a kiss. The altar is a symbol of Christ at the heart of the assembly and so deserves this special reverence. The Mass of the Catechumens is an ancient title for the first half of the Catholic Mass or Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy. In the Mass of Paul VI of the Catholic Church, it is referred to as the Liturgy of the Word. It was originally called the Mass of the Catechumens because catechumens, or candidates for baptism, were required to leave the ceremony before the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, or Mass, proper.

Characteristics Values
Definition The part of the mass from the offertory to the end to which only the faithful were originally admitted
Reasons for being offered a Mass Thanksgiving, for the intentions of another person (such as on a birthday), or, as is most common, for the repose of the soul of someone who has died
Who can offer a Mass A priest
Who can be offered a Mass The living and the dead

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The Mass of the Catechumens

The Mass (or Liturgy) of the Catechumens is an ancient title for the first half of the Catholic Mass or Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy. In the Mass of Paul VI of the Catholic Church, it is referred to as the Liturgy of the Word. The Mass of the Catechumens was so called because catechumens, or candidates for baptism, were required to leave the ceremony before the Liturgy of the Eucharist or Mass proper. This exclusion was enforced because, according to Catholic belief, until baptism, persons were not fully members of the Church and should not participate in the communal sacrifice that symbolises and embodies the spiritual union of the faithful.

In the earliest liturgy, the service consisted of readings, a homily (an explanation of the readings and how to apply them to one's life), and petitionary prayers based on the readings and homily (bidding prayers or prayers of the faithful). The Mass begins with the entrance song. The celebrant and other ministers enter in procession and reverence the altar with a bow and/or a kiss. The altar is a symbol of Christ at the heart of the assembly and so deserves this special reverence. All make the Sign of the Cross and the celebrant extends a greeting to the gathered people in words taken from Scripture. The Act of Penitence follows the greeting. At the very beginning of the Mass, the faithful recall their sins and place their trust in God's abiding mercy. The Act of Penitence includes the Kyrie Eleison, a Greek phrase meaning, "Lord, have mercy." This litany recalls God's merciful actions throughout history.

On Sundays, especially in the Season of Easter, in place of the customary Act of Penitence, from time to time, the blessing and sprinkling of water to recall Baptism may take place. On Sundays and solemnities, the Gloria follows the Act of Penitence. The Gloria begins by echoing the song of the angels at the birth of Christ: "Glory to God in the highest!" In this ancient hymn, the gathered assembly joins the heavenly choirs in offering praise and adoration to the Father and Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The Introductory Rites conclude with the Opening Prayer, also called the Collect. The celebrant invites the gathered assembly to pray and, after a brief silence, proclaims the prayer of the day. The Opening Prayer gives context to the celebration.

Most of the Liturgy of the Word is made up of readings from Scripture. On Sundays and solemnities, there are three Scripture readings. During most of the year, the first reading is from the Old Testament and the second reading is from one of the New Testament letters. During the Easter season, the first reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles, which tells the story of the Church in its earliest days. The last reading is always taken from one of the four Gospels. In the Liturgy of the Word, the Church feeds the people of God from the table of his Word. The Scriptures are the word of God, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In the Scriptures, God speaks to us, leading us along the path to salvation. The Responsorial Psalm is sung between the readings. The psalm helps us to meditate on the word of God. The high point of the Liturgy of the Word is the reading of the Gospel. Because the Gospels tell of the life, ministry, and preaching of Christ, it receives several special signs of honour and reverence. The gathered assembly stands to hear the Gospel and it is introduced by an acclamation of praise. During most of the year, that acclamation is "Alleluia!" derived from a Hebrew phrase meaning "Praise the Lord!" A deacon (or, if no deacon is present, a priest) reads the Gospel. After the Scripture readings, the celebrant preaches the homily. In the homily, the preacher focuses on the Scripture texts or some other texts from the liturgy, drawing from them lessons that may help us to live better lives, more faithful to Christ's call to grow in holiness.

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The Mass of the Faithful

The Mass is a Christian ceremony, specifically a Catholic Eucharistic sacrifice, that begins with an entrance song, followed by the Act of Penitence, where the faithful recall their sins and place their trust in God's mercy. The Gloria, a hymn that echoes the song of the angels at the birth of Christ, follows the Act of Penitence. The Gloria is then followed by the Opening Prayer or the Collect, where the celebrant invites the gathered assembly to pray.

The Liturgy of the Word, which makes up most of the Mass, is composed of readings from Scripture, a Responsorial Psalm, and the Gospel. The Liturgy of the Word is followed by the Liturgy of the Eucharist, which involves the preparation of the gifts and the altar, and the Eucharistic Prayer, a prayer of thanksgiving. The Communion Rite follows the Eucharistic Prayer, leading the faithful to the Eucharistic table. The Communion Rite begins with the Lord's Prayer and ends with a Prayer after Communion, which asks that the benefits of the Eucharist remain active in the daily lives of the faithful.

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The Sacrifice of the Mass

The Mass is led by a priest, who acts "in the person of Christ", and includes the consecration of bread and wine, which are considered to be the body and blood of Christ. This consecration is the most important part of the Mass and is when the sacrifice is made. The Mass also includes other elements such as the Offertory, the Communion, the penitential rite, the liturgy of the word, and the concluding rite.

The purposes of the Mass are to adore and thank God, to ask for blessings, and to make reparation for sins. It is believed that the Mass provides forgiveness for venial sins and temporal punishment. The Mass can be offered for the living or the dead, and its benefits are believed to extend to the whole Church, living and dead.

The early Christians recognised the sacrificial nature of the Mass, and this is reflected in the writings of the Church Fathers. For example, St. Augustine wrote, "We saw the prince of priests coming to us, we saw and heard him offering his blood for us... Christ, slain for us, the sacrificial victim who is placed thereon!"

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The Communion Rite

The Rite of Peace follows, where the celebrant prays that the peace of Christ will fill our hearts, families, communities, and the world. The people then extend a sign of peace to those around them, usually by shaking hands.

In the Fraction Rite, the celebrant breaks the consecrated bread as the people sing the Agnus Dei or "Lamb of God", recalling John the Baptist proclaiming Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world". The consecrated bread is then placed in the chalice, recalling the actions of Jesus at the Last Supper.

Before receiving Communion, the celebrant and assembly acknowledge that they are unworthy to receive such a great gift. The celebrant receives Communion first, followed by the people. Those who receive Communion should fast (with the exception of medicines) for one hour before receiving the Eucharist and should not be conscious of having committed serious sin. Only Catholics may receive Communion as it is a sign of unity in the Body of Christ. Those who do not receive Communion still participate in this rite by praying for unity with Christ and with each other.

The people approach the altar and, bowing with reverence, receive Communion. Communion can be received on the tongue or in the hand. The priest or other minister offers the Eucharist to each person saying, "The Body of Christ", to which the recipient responds, "Amen", meaning "So be it". As the people receive Communion, a communion song is sung, echoing the unity the Eucharist brings. All may spend some time in silent prayer of thanksgiving.

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The Mass as a True Sacrifice

The Mass is a true sacrifice, not just a commemorative meal. The Eucharist is a sacrifice, and the first Christians knew it. They recognised the sacrificial character of Jesus' instruction, "Do this in remembrance of me" (Touto poieite tan eman anamnasin; Luke 22:19, 1 Cor. 11:24–25), which is better translated as "Offer this as my memorial offering."

The Mass is the same as Calvary, "only the manner of offering being changed" from bloody to unbloody. It is the renewal of the new covenant. A sacrifice, as Catholics understand it, has two elements: the outward sign and the interior dispositions. The outward sign expresses and promotes the interior. Without the interior, it would be worthless.

At the Last Supper, the outward sign was the seeming separation of body and blood, with the two species. This was a dramatised way of saying to the Father: "I know the command you have given me, I am to die tomorrow. Very good, I turn myself over to death - expressed by the seeming separation - I accept, I obey." The next day, He did as He pledged, but then the outward sign was the physical separation of body and blood, while the interior remained the same. In the Mass, by the agency of a human priest who acts "in the person of Christ", Christ continues and repeats His offering. The external sign is multiplied as many times as there are Masses. But the interior disposition of Christ is not multiplied; it is continued from that with which He died.

The Mass is a true sacrifice in the literal sense. It realises the philosophical conception of sacrifice. Thus, four things are necessary for a sacrifice: a sacrificial gift, a sacrificing minister, a sacrificial action, and a sacrificial end or object. In the Mass, the sacrificial gift is the bread and wine, which are offered by the sacrificing minister, the priest, with the sacrificial action of consecration. The sacrificial end or object is the glorification of God and the appeasing of His wrath.

The Mass is the unbloody Sacrifice of the God-Man. It is the renewal of the bloody Sacrifice of the Cross, in which Christ offered Himself to God in an unbloody manner under the appearances of bread and wine. It is the highest and truest form of worship, in which Christ is both the High Priest and the Victim.

Frequently asked questions

The Mass is a Catholic Eucharistic service, which begins with an entrance song, followed by the Act of Penitence, where the faithful recall their sins and place their trust in God's mercy. The Mass is made up of readings from Scripture, a homily, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, which involves the preparation of gifts and the altar, and the Eucharistic Prayer.

The Mass of the Faithful is the part of the Mass from the offertory to the end, to which only the faithful were originally admitted.

An individual may ask a priest to offer a Mass for several reasons, such as in thanksgiving, for the intentions of another person, or for the repose of the soul of someone who has died. The tradition of offering Masses for others, particularly the dead, originates in the very early Church.

When a priest offers Holy Mass, they have three intentions: First, to offer the Mass reverently and validly in accord with the norms of the Church. Second, to offer the Mass in union with the whole Church and for the good of the whole Church. Third, to offer the Mass for a particular intention, such as the repose of the soul of someone who has died.

The Mass brings certain benefits or fruits, which are both extensively and intensively finite, as each person is finite. The general fruits of the Mass are the effects upon the whole Church, including the living faithful and the poor souls in purgatory. The special ministerial fruits of the Mass are applied to the particular intention of the Mass, while the special personal fruits benefit the celebrating priest and the people in attendance.

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