The Mass Rite (part two)
The following is the latter part of an account of the
Mass Rite (see Feb/Mar Magazine).
The Mass Rite itself follows the Synasis or, as modern
books call it, the Liturgy of the Word. Fundamentally,
it is a re-presentation of the Last Supper, not in its replication of the
cosmetic features, but the underlying structure.
Dom Gregory Dix OSB, an Anglican monk at Nashdom, taught
the liturgical world to understand the Mass Rite as a four-fold structure: i.
The taking of bread and wine; ii. Giving thanks over the bread and wine; iii.
The breaking of bread; iv. The sharing of the consecrated elements.
These four sections are given titles: i. Offertory; ii. Eucharistic
Prayer (or some other name); iii. Fraction; iv. Communion.
The Offertory has seen rather a revival in the West over
the past couple of generations. In
the East, it has always been a moment of great solemnity as the bread and wine
are brought to the Altar. The
elements are carried in solemn procession and it is not always easy to remember
that the consecration has yet to occur!
In the West, the Offertory had shrivelled almost to
nothing, as the bread and wine were shuffled across the sanctuary to the Altar
from the credence table at the side. After
the reforms of the 1960s, most churches have endeavoured to recapture something
of the former impact of liturgical practice.
Underlying the whole rite is the understanding that the
Offertory represents more than just the supplying of the necessary elements for
consecration. Rather, it betokens
the offering of ourselves, our time, our money and our skills to the divine
Purpose. At this moment, as it
were, we are placed on the Altar to unite whatever sacrifices we make in our
Christian life with that offered by Christ.
For this reason, it is best that the Offertory is made by
people from the congregation. They
are as much members of the Royal Priesthood of all believers as the ministerial
priest and their participation at this point reminds us that everyone of us
makes our own offering – it is not something that can be done for us by
someone else. In the first few
centuries, in many places, every person who was intending to receive Holy
Communion would join the procession with their own piece of bread or wine or
both (after sufficient had been taken for the Mass, the rest of the bread would
be distributed amongst the poor).
The bread and wine are carried through the congregation to
demonstrate their emergence from the people of God. The solemnity of the event is heightened by making this a
formal procession. At 10.30am this
includes the use of candles and the singing of a version of the Cherubikon, the
chant sung during the Offertory in Eastern Liturgies (the hymn “Let all mortal
flesh” is another version). A
chant also precedes the Procession as it forms up.
Some churches identify the Offertory as a good job for
children, since there is no speaking part and they can be guided along.
When those children are communicants, that is fine; but when they are
not, it is a bit strange, because they will not be able to receive the elements
once they have been consecrated. One
early practice was to ask children to bring the water to the Altar, which we do
here.
During the hymn that follows the procession, the bread and
wine are prepared for the Eucharistic Prayer.
Often, incense is used to honour the place and elements that will be
drawn up into this Holy Mystery; sometimes the ministers and other members of
the congregation are also censed as a mark of their place within the priesthood
that will offer the worship to God.
At the end of the Offertory, which is primarily a
procession, in common with the entrance procession, there is a prayer, which
sums up what we have just been doing.
The Eucharistic Prayer then starts.
At the beginning there is a dialogue between the priest and the
congregation, which, once again, establishes the priest as the spokesman for all
the people. It also sets the whole
content of the Eucharistic Prayer in the context of thanksgiving (which is what
Eucharistic means).
The prayer starts with thanksgiving for the works of God,
including any seasonally appropriate material (Christmas, Easter, Saints’ Days
&c) working up to the union of
our worship with that of the angels in Heaven, at which point we all join in the
Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy &c) and Benedictus (Blessed is He, Who comes
&c).
Often a bell rings at this point so that everyone knows to
kneel. The thanksgiving then moves
to focus on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ and in that context
the Last Supper. Most traditions
acknowledging that what we call the consecration, when Christ becomes present in
the Bread and Wine, is effected by the whole prayer.
None-the-less, they also identify the Dominical Words (the quotation of
Jesus words at the Last Supper) as a significant point within the prayer.
For this reason, after the priest has repeated the words, first over the
bread, then over the wine, he genuflects (literally bends the knee) before them,
holds them up for peoples’ devotion, and genuflects once more.
The bell rings at this point to remind people that we have reached this
important moment.
The prayer then continues until the Doxology (through Him,
with Him, in Him &c). This is
the climax of the prayer and the consecrated elements are once more lifted up,
this time as a gesture of offering to God.
At the end comes “the Great Amen”, which is the peoples’ assent to
the sentiments uttered by the priest and the presentation to God of their
offering at his hands on their behalf.
The study of the structure, origins and content of the
Eucharistic Prayer fills libraries of books and there is not room here even to
begin to do it justice … so we will not try.
The Our Father follows the Eucharistic Prayer.
The Our Father has a privileged status in the Christian Liturgical
treasury and is included in all significant services.
Here it is recited before the Presence of Christ in the Sacrament on the
Altar.
The bread is then broken – the Fraction (= breaking).
At sung services, this is accompanied by “We break this bread
&c”; otherwise it occurs under the cover of the Agnus Dei ([O] Lamb of
God).
The impact of the Fraction is generally rather undermined
by the Western use of individual Hosts (the Altar breads) for communicants.
The breaking is, therefore, confined to the priest’s Host that breaks
into six to twelve pieces in this church (there are larger ones!).
Obviously, there is a practical aspect to the fraction; but
more importantly the “breaking of bread” reminds us that we all share one
piece of bread – together with the shared cup it emphasises the unity that
should underpin the members of a Christian community.
The priest then invites the congregation to receive Holy
Communion.
As the priest (and other ministers of Holy Communion)
receive Communion, a bell usually rings to tell people that it is time for them
to come to the Altar for Holy Communion; at High Masses the Communion antiphon
is sung.
The approach of the people to Holy Communion is a
procession that mirrors the Offertory Procession.
As it were, the people retrace their steps to receive back the offering
that they have made, now consecrated to the divine purpose.
We need always to remember that this most holy act is not only a
communion with God-in-Christ, but also with the Body of Christ as a whole –
the company of Christians.
Various musical events usually accompany the act of
Communion; some people occupy themselves in private devotions; too many choose
to chatter, which is completely inappropriate at this time.
Once everyone has received Holy Communion, the remaining
elements are either reserved in the tabernacle for the Communion of the sick and
housebound or consumed and the vessels cleansed. This is not part of the four-fold action, so it is usually
done away from the Altar at which the Mass has been celebrated.
The Communion Procession, like the Entrance Offertory
Processions, is concluded with the a prayer (the postcommunion collect),
sometimes preceded by an antiphon. The
Mass itself is then over.
What follows the Postcommunion Collect is not part of the
Mass, but tacked onto the end. The
notices are often there only because people do not properly read posters &c,
but there are sometimes some things that need to be said over and above these
advertisements. The blessing, which
here is only included on Sundays and feast days, and the dismissal follow.
The dismissal is, in fact, a very ancient part of the rite, sending us
out into the world to put into practice the Faith that we have just celebrated. On some occasions, these final details are replaced by other
rites (eg at the procession and Benediction at Corpus Christi).
At sung services, we usually then move to the shrine of our
Lady for a short devotion, since she is one of the patrons of the benefice.
The final hymn covers the departure of the priest and those with him from
the church.
The Mass is the pinnacle of our Christian prayer and an essential aspect of our Christian work. It is important that all of us have as full an understanding as possible of what we are about as we approach the Altar and the mysteries celebrated there. Equally important, however, is the spirit in which we approach these celebrations, recognising the significance of what we are doing.
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