The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Liturgy Catechesis August 5, 2018
Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia
[Before Mass Starts] As we mentioned last week, we will use this month to offer some basic catechesis on the Liturgy. This week we’ll start with what happens before Mass. Liturgy in general is a participation in a heavenly reality, a share in the eternal worship of God in heaven. So, it is highly symbolic, but is also a very real participation in this invisible reality. When a priest celebrates Mass, he is not just Father so-and-so, he is acting in persona Christi – in the person of Christ. Part of the way we show that is what a priest wears, his vestments. Some of these came from a practical need and some of them started out as symbols, but now all of them have symbolism and a prayer attached to them. The process of vesting with prayer helps the priest prepare and represents the deeper reality that he is acting in persona Christi.
It begins with a hand washing:
“Give virtue to my hands, O Lord, that being cleansed from all stain I might serve you with purity of mind and body”
Then the amice. It used to be a hood on a robe, so it represents a helmet and it is a reference to Paul telling us to put on the “helmet of Salvation” (Eph 6:16):
“Place upon me, O Lord, the helmet of salvation, that I may overcome the assaults of the devil.”
Then the alb, which is actually something all Christians can use. It represents our baptism, being washed clean of sin by the blood of Christ (Revelation 9:14):
“Make me white, O Lord, and cleanse my heart; that being made white in the Blood of the Lamb I may deserve an eternal reward.”
Then we have the cincture, which represents self-control (Gal 5:22-23):
“Gird me, O Lord, with the cincture of purity, and quench in my heart the fire of concupiscence, that the virtue of continence and chastity may abide in me.”
Then we have the stole, which is a symbol of the authority a priest has to celebrate the sacraments. It’s also a reminder that humanity used to have the authority to live forever, but we lost it to sin and now need salvation:
“Lord, restore the stole of immortality, which I lost through the transgression of our first parents, and, unworthy as I am to approach Thy sacred mysteries, may I yet gain eternal joy.”
The deacon wears his stole differently as a sign of having a different kind of authority.
Then we have the chasuble, which represents Charity. St. Paul says, “over all this put on Charity” (Col 3:14). So, we put this on as a sign that love covers all. It is recalls the words of Jesus (Matt 11:30). Here is the prayer:
“Lord, who has said, “My yoke is sweet and My burden light,” grant that I may so carry it as to merit Thy grace.”
Then a priest prays a prayer to form his intention, to be deliberate about what he is doing and why. There are also some other prayers that help him prepare his mind:
My intention is to celebrate Mass
and to consecrate the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to the Rite of Holy Roman Church,
to the praise of almighty God
and all the Church triumphant,
for my good
and that of all the Church militant,
for all who have commended themselves to my prayers
in general and in particular,
and for the welfare of Holy Roman Church.
For all who have died and all the Church Suffering
and for the conversion of the enemies of the Holy Roman Church.
Amen.
May the almighty and merciful Lord
grant us joy with peace,
amendment of life,
room for true repentance,
the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit
and perseverance in good works.
Amen.
Then begins the procession. In the Church, the sanctuary, what a lot of people call the altar, is a sign of heaven. So, the entrance procession is symbolic of the whole Church – all of us – on its pilgrimage toward heaven. We are led there by the crucifix because we only get to heaven through the cross.
In the sanctuary we have the tabernacle and the altar. The tabernacle has Jesus inside, but the altar is a symbol of Christ. We genuflect to the tabernacle when we first get here, but once the Mass actually starts with the sign of the Cross, we narrow our focus to the Altar as the symbol of Christ. Before and after the Mass actually starts – and whenever else we pass the Tabernacle, we genuflect to Jesus in the tabernacle. But, during Mass, we bow to the Altar to emphasize the sacrifice we are offering on it.
The priest and deacon both kiss the altar as a sign of their need to love Christ and to be conformed to Him, to imitate him. Traditionally, the priest places his hands on the altar because his hands are used to make the sacrifice of the Mass. But the deacon does because his hands have not been consecrated for that purpose.
Then we have the option for incense. We usually have it at the 9AM Mass. The incense is a double symbol. In the Old Testament and in the Transfiguration, God’s divine presence was seen by a cloud, called the “shekinah.” It’s a reminder that God is transcendent. Like seeing something in the distance through fog, God is present to us, but beyond us and mysterious.
The incense is also a symbol of our prayers and sacrifices rising up to God. St. Paul talks about us being a pleasing fragrance to God (2 Cor 2:15). The book of Revelation shows an angel offering incense which is called the “prayers of the holy ones” (Rev 8:3-4). As the smoke rises before God with fragrance, so our prayers and sacrifices rise up to Him at Mass.
Finally, we come to the opening rites, which we’ll explain next week. Now, let’s begin the Mass and let the rich symbols and rituals speak to us at a level deeper than mere words.