The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Liturgy Catechesis August 12, 2018
Fr. Albert St. Peter’s, New Iberia
Picking up from last week, we are going to continue our walk through the Mass starting with the Sign of the Cross and going up through the creed.
Mass officially begins with the Sign of the Cross. Although this is a routine gesture, it is actually a very rich symbolic and sacramental action and could probably fill a whole homily by itself. It refers to the Trinity as a reminder that everything ultimately starts with the Trinity who created us and loves us. It recalls that the Cross of Christ is the instrument of our salvation. It recalls our Baptism, when the priest traced the sign of the cross on your forehead, claiming you for Christ and His Church. From the beginning, the sign of the cross has been seen as a powerful weapon against the devil and the temptations of our own flesh.
So, when we start with the sign of the cross, we are recalling who we believe in and belong to, how he saved us, and we are seeking protection from the enemy so we can enter more fully into the sacred service we are now beginning to undertake.
And then we have the greeting, “The Lord be with you,” and you respond “and with your spirit.” This is a greeting, which is why it is redundant and unnecessary for a priest to say “good morning” or “good evening” afterwards. He’s already greeted you. The greeting comes from St. Paul’s letters and from ancient Christian practice. A Bishop simply says, “Peace be with you,” which is a reference to the time Jesus sent out his Apostles and told them to wish peace upon every home they enter and to his own greeting to them after the resurrection.
The response “and with your spirit” is interesting; not quite what we expect. There are many ways to understand why we use this peculiar phrase, but the most basic reason is that it is a liturgical action. Remember that liturgy is not about you and me getting together, but about each of us entering into a mysterious reality greater than ourselves… a participation in the eternal liturgy of heaven. So, our interactions with each other have a deeper significance. Your response is not just directed at Fr. Albert, it is directed also at the important spiritual power of the priesthood. Ordination endows a priest with a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit that enables him to celebrate the sacraments. Your response “and with your spirit” is reminding us all of that outpouring and it is calling down the spirit to aid me in carrying out the sacred responsibility entrusted to me. This exchange happens five times, each time connected to a very important moment in the liturgy where we all need to remember that there something more than just us at work.
Then we have the penitential act. In the Old Testament, going into a holy place with sin on your soul caused death. That’s why the Jews had so many sacrifices and special baths to prepare a priest for his work. In the same way, we must acknowledge our sins and call upon God’s mercy to worthily enter into the sacred space of the liturgy, the mystery of the sacrifice of the Mass.
So, we acknowledge our sins against God, but also against each other. We all belong to the chosen people, so our penitence, just like our liturgy, is not a private, personal thing. We humble ourselves before each other, acknowledge our personal faults, and then ask for the help and prayer. Not only that, but we recall that the angels and saints are actually still connected to us and can help us with their prayers for our forgiveness as well.
Then we have the Kyrie, which is really another reference to the Trinity. The first kyrie eleison refers to God the Father as Lord. The Christe eleison begs the Son, Jesus Christ, for mercy. The second Kyrie Eleison invokes the Holy Spirit of mercy.
Having implored the Lord’s mercy, we move from sorrow for sin to great joy and rejoicing. The Gloria is a song of praise that recalls the song of the angels at Christmas. Just as they rejoiced for God coming into the world, so we rejoice that God comes to us in the Mass, that he is about to come to us in the Scriptures during the readings and especially in the Eucharist. When someone is overwhelmed with joy and gratitude, simply saying “you’re great” isn’t enough. They find multiple ways to say the same thing and similar things. So too we don’t just thank God and be done with it. We praise and adore and glorify and bless. We tell everyone – again – why we are so joyful and even repeat our plea for mercy because we ought to be overwhelmed by the generosity and goodness of God. This effusive joy is also why the Church generally prefers that we sing this prayer, especially in a chant that makes the words the primary focus rather than the music and the rhythm of a song that forces the words to fit to it.
Then comes the Collect, which people usually call “the opening prayer.” It is a “Collect” because it’s meant to actually collect all the prayers of the people present and all Christian united to us. When I say “let us pray,” it really is an invitation for each of you to make a personal prayer. There’s really supposed to be a slight pause to give you a chance to do just that. Then we gather all those prayers together in theological rich and often poetically beautiful liturgical prayer that points us toward the mystery we are celebrating.
Then we have the readings. It’s true that the readings are in part for us to hear the Word of God, but they are also an offering back to God. We have nothing worthy to give God, so we give back to Him what he gave us, His own words of truth and goodness. We sing the psalms in joy and we sometimes even sing the readings as a way of expressing this joyful offering to God.
The Gospel comes last as a sign of its importance. We stand and make sure to turn and face the Gospel while it’s being read because we recognize that Christ is present in the Gospel in a special way. Everyone present also signs their heads, lips, and hearts as a physical prayer for these words to penetrate our minds, our words, and our hearts.
Then comes the homily. In the current practice, this is part of the liturgy. The goal is to open the scriptures to allow the word of God to sink more deeply into your hearts and minds. St. Paul says that faith comes from hearing. Once we’ve heard the word of God in the readings and homily, we stand to profess the faith that comes from hearing them. Finally, moved by the faith we’ve just proclaimed, we lift up our particular needs to God in the universal prayers. These prayers follow a structure: prayer for the Church and her leaders, prayer for the civic leaders, prayer for the local community, prayers for specific needs, and prayer for the faithful departed.
And once we’ve gotten in the mindset of lifting up things to God, then we move into the offertory, which is where we’ll pick up next week. For now, pay careful attention to the rituals ahead of us and let them speak to you in a way much deeper than mere words. Let them soak in and really form your heart and mind for the fitting worship of God.