Whys of the Mass
By Mike Lambrecht
As Catholics, we should all be very familiar with the actions, prayers, and responses used in the Mass. What we may not know is why we do them. The Second Vatican Council calls the Mass the “source and summit of the Christian life.”1 Because the Mass is so very important to our faith, I would like to spend the next several weeks explaining the Whys of the Mass.
The main source that I will be using for this task is “The How-To Book of the Mass” by Michael Dubruiel. If you are interested in learning more about the Mass, I would highly recommend picking it up for your own benefit and study. I will be supplementing this book with “Mass Confusion” by James Akin and the “General Instruction of the Roman Missal” published by the USCCB. All of these resources will help to ensure that I am not giving you my own opinions, but the teachings of the Church.
Let us commence, then, by examining the word “Mass.” The word itself “is an English rendering of the Latin term ‘missa.’ In Latin the Mass ends with ‘Ite missa est,’ which translated into English means ‘Go, it is sent’ – the ‘it’ being the Church. From the Latin word ‘missa’ comes the English word ‘dismiss.’ So ‘Mass’ means ‘dismissal.’ The celebration takes its name from the sending forth that occurs at the end of every Mass.”2
Next we will look at what takes place before we even begin the Mass. Upon entering Saint Therese, we will find Holy Water fonts next to the doors. The Catholic custom is for us to bless ourselves with the water. Not only does this remind us of our own baptism with water, but the words we say call to mind the trinity in whose name we were baptized.
We all know that the next step is to proceed up an aisle and to genuflect before entering a pew. The reason that we genuflect is because “genuflecting is a way of showing reverence that has been an important part of Christian ritual for centuries. The Ceremonial of Bishops explains it this way:
A genuflection, made by bending only the right knee to the ground, signifies adoration, and is therefore reserved for the Blessed Sacrament.”3
Therefore, when we genuflect, it should always be in the direction of the Tabernacle, where Jesus is truly present.
You may find it interesting to know that if you ever enter a church where the tabernacle is not visible that you are not to genuflect at this time. Instead, “if the tabernacle is not in the main body of the church, or if the sanctuary lamp is not lit, signifying that the tabernacle is empty (as is the case on Good Friday and at the beginning of the Easter Vigil Mass)… one should make a profound bow toward the altar, which is another sacred object within the Church that symbolizes Christ.”2 The profound bow is made as a deep bow from the waist.
Next, we should kneel for at least a few moments to spend some time in prayer before Mass begins. We could examine our consciences, ask God to bless us and our families, give thanks to God for all He has given us, adore God for his greatness, pray for those whom we have promised prayers, etc. Generally speaking, we need to prepare ourselves for the great mystery which we are about to witness.
When the music begins, everyone stands for the procession and we should join in singing the opening song. You may have noticed that a book is held high in the procession. This book is called the Book of the Gospels and contains the Gospels that are proclaimed at Masses throughout the year by the deacon, priest, or bishop. When everyone reaches the steps to the sanctuary they form a line and genuflect if they are not holding something or make a profound bow if they are. This is, once again, an acknowledgement of the presence of Christ in the tabernacle. Then Father and any other priests or deacons reverence the altar by walking up to it and kissing it. This sign of veneration is performed because the altar is another symbol of Christ.2 After this, the ministers proceed to their chairs.
I hope that you have learned something about the Mass in this article. Next week, we will take a closer look at the introductory rites of the Mass.
1 Lumen Gentium paragraph 11.
2 Dubriel, Michael. The How-To Book of the Mass. Huntington: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, 2006.
3 Akin, Jimmy. Mass Confusion. San Diego: Catholic Answers, 1999