week two ~ October 2nd

The words we say at Mass are changing.  The flow of the Mass is not.  There are still four main parts: the Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and the Concluding Rite.  The Introductory Rites include everything that happens from the moment you stand at the beginning until you sit for the first time.  Today, we go over the changes that will take place in the Introductory Rites.

Mass begins with the entrance song.  In most parishes during the week, there is no singing, so the entrance is normally done in silence.  The priest begins Mass with the Sign of the Cross and all answer: “Amen.”  There is no change to these words or gestures.

There are now three options for the priest’s greeting, as you can see on the cards we have used at St. Gabriel’s.  The response to this greeting is changing.  The common response for over 40 years has been, “and also with you,” but soon will be, “and with your spirit.”  This is a closer translation of the Latin: “Et cum spiritu tuo.”  It matches the response that already exists in most other major languages, including French: Et avec votre esprit; Spanish: Y con tu espiritu; Italian: e con il vostro spirito; and German: und mit deinem geiste.  In each language the word “spirit” is directly translated into the vernacular.

The purpose of this greeting isn’t just to say, “Hello” or “Good morning.”  It alerts us that we are entering a sacramental realm and reminds us of our responsibility during this time.  We are about to pray together.  By this greeting from the presider and the response of the people present, the mystery of the Church gathered together is made clear.

Both the greeting and the reply come from the bible.  “The Lord be with you” appears as a greeting or encouragement in the book of Judges {6:12}, in the book of Ruth {2:4}, in the 2^nd book of Chronicles {15:2}, and in Luke’s Gospel {1:38}.  In addition, Jesus promised that he would be with his followers until the end of the age.

“And with your spirit” is inspired by passages that conclude four of the New Testament epistles: 2^nd Timothy {4:22}, Galatians {6:18}, Philippians {4:23}, and Philemon {2:5}.  In almost every case, Paul addresses the words to the Christian community, not to one minister.

Our reply is formal and sacred; its a prayer that dates back to the earliest years of the Church.  We pray that the Lord may uphold our priest, not because he is better than anyone else, he’s not, but so that he, human though he is, may serve us in his priestly capacity as an embodiment of Jesus, wedded to his bride, the Church.

St. Paul often uses the word “spirit” to refer to the core of a person’s emotional being, what we might call the heart.  So we are asking that the Lord will shower his gifts upon the spirit of the priest, so that he may help build us up into one body. 

St. Paul bids farewell to all the churches of Galatia.  He says: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”  To his disciple, the bishop St. Timothy, he writes: “the lord be with your spirit.”

The priest has two other forms he may use for the opening greeting.  These are similar to the one already in use in our current Sacramentary, but the translations have been varied a little.  The first is based on the final words of St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians (13:13): “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the community of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 

The other one appears frequently in Paul’s letters, in the first chapter of Romans for example and again in 1^st Corinthians: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  The newly revised translation roots us more deeply in the bible. 

In the case of the greeting, it brings us into the language of St. Paul.  As we begin Mass, the priest gathers the community together as a family. 

The penitential rite challenges us to remember that we depend on the mercy of God to gather us to His banquet table week after week… to strengthen us in fellowship so that we can continue to be his disciples in the world.

So that we can faithfully celebrate what we are about to do… the priest calls out to us… “brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.”  An exact translation of the Latin… with the word “brethren” or brothers and sisters, the priest and people are united in prayer to the Father of us all. 

We acknowledge our sins, not merely our failures, because a sin is more than a failure, it is a turning away from God.  So we admit those sins precisely so that we may be prepared to celebrate the mystery of forgiveness ~ the mystery of why Jesus had to die on the cross for us.  The language is taken from Psalm 51: “I acknowledge my offense; my sin is before me always.”

There are three options for the Penitential Act.  The 3^rd is probably the most commonly used.  The priest or deacon makes three acclamations concluding each with “Lord, have mercy,” “Christ have mercy,” and “Lord, have mercy” again.  Everyone repeats each phrase.  This will not change, but there are new translations for the acclamations that introduce them.  There will continue to be a variety of invocations that you will hear.

There is a new translation for the prayer known as the Confiteor.  That the prayer that begins: “I confess to Almighty God.”  It’s almost the same, but not quite.  Here it is…

I confess to almighty God

and to you, my brothers and sisters,

that I have greatly sinned

in my thoughts and in my words,

in what I have done

and in what I have failed to do,

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.

At first, saying the phrase, “I have greatly sinned,” striking our breast at “through my fault,” repeating those words, and adding “through my most grievous fault,” all make it look as though we are a lot more sinful now than we used to be.

Remember though, the guiding principle is to have a closer translation to the Latin than a keener evaluation of our virtue.  The new translations don’t have us express the seriousness of our sins any more grandly or the sincerity of our sorrow any more genuinely… but with more accuracy, we are to step a little further into prayer.

Another option for the penitential rite is option B… Have mercy on us O Lord… For we have sinned against you… Show us, O Lord, your mercy… And grant us your salvation.  These verses are always followed by the “lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, lord have mercy” repeated refrains.

From time to time on Sundays, especially in Easter Time like we do so often at St. Gabriel’s, instead of the Penitential Act, the blessing and sprinkling of water may take place as a reminder of Baptism.

The opening or “Introductory Rites” of the Mass are meant to gather us together… to help us gather our thoughts… to gather our spirits… to gather our hearts and silence them so that we can remember what it is that we are about to do.

It is vital that all who plan on coming to Mass participate in this part of the Mass.  The General Instruction says: “Their purpose (the Introductory Rite’s purpose) is to ensure that the faithful, who come together as one, establish communion and prepare themselves properly to listen to the Word of God and to celebrate the Eucharist worthily.”

So, a challenge of the new translation is to commit to arriving on time for mass.  If Mass starts at 4:30 or 8:30 or 10:30, please be here before the opening song, so when we gather, we can all gather!

The point is that we are challenged to “full, conscious, active participation” in the Mass… and you can’t do that if you aren’t here for the opening song, and don’t stay for the closing credits.  Today’s message is about the Opening dialogue and the Penitential act.