The Mass Rite – The Synaxis

At Saint Matthew’s we celebrate the Liturgy in a variety of styles.  None-the-less, there is an underlying unity of approach or shape.  It is important that we should have a clear notion of what we are about; and so there follows a brief account of the rite that is at the centre of our community life.

The Gathering Rite

The Church that offers the Liturgy is comprised of the community that gathers in response to God’s call.  The introductory rites of the Liturgy embody this response.  In golden age liturgies, the entire congregation would assemble outside the building and process together into church.

Processions play a large part in Christian ceremonial, as we shall see.  A procession is much more than a practical way of getting people from one place to another.  They are, by their nature ostentatious things; people go on a procession when they want to demonstrate about something or celebrate an achievement, in which latter case it is an opportunity to show off something and honour it (a victorious army or rugger team, for example – or the Sacrament in a Corpus Christi procession). 

A procession comprises a group of people walking in the same direction for the same reason.  As such it manifests their shared commitment and purpose.  It also conjures up the image of the pilgrim people of God.  As we shall see, processions play a large part in the Mass Rite (and in the ceremonial of other Sacraments).

The entrance procession that we have today is a shadow of its former self.  Something a little closer to the original is preserved in the Procession of Palms or the processions that we have on some feast days.  All the same, we should not forget the significance of the procession, which is the constitution of the Church in this place at this particular time.

The procession ends with the Collect or opening prayer (the sequence of procession concluding with a prayer recurs a number of times).  The greeting originally immediately preceded the Collect; all the other stuff that now intervenes is subsidiary in character; the greeting, however, is not.

The greeting is much more than “hello”.  It establishes the priest as the spokesperson for the gathering.  It is important to remember that the priestly character of the Church resides in the people as a whole.  The priest speaks on their behalf, but does not in any way replace the laity or offer worship for them; this they do for themselves by taking their part within the unfolding Liturgy.

Therefore, the Gathering Rite creates the context in which the ensuing Liturgy is offered, establishing a Christian congregation in a particular place and at a specific time in response to God’s call to His people to come and offer Him their worship.

The Liturgy of the Word

Having stood for all of the Entrance Rite (since its character is one of movement), we then sit down for the readings from the Bible.

We know full well that the plain meaning of the words does not always propose something to which we can give our assent.  None-the-less, we also know that contained within the Bible is material on which is constructed the essentials of our Faith.  The words of Scripture are a challenge to us – they are a provocation to thought; they are also a treasury of the experience of being people of Faith – many of the issues never change, although the answers which we develop may be different from one generation to the next.  Even when we disagree with the sentiments expressed, we should feel encouraged to think about the subject and be able to give a good account of our point-of-view.

Nowadays there are two or three readings at Mass, with a psalm after the first.  They are read aloud, because it is a form of proclamation; it is reinforces the idea that the Word of God speaks to us in our present day.  If people cannot hear, this is a problem that the community should address.  Following the readings can quickly lead to a privatisation that undermines the corporate nature of the exercise and devalues the important office of Lector (the person who reads).  The readings are not an opportunity to think about other things.  Even when the passage is familiar, we should try to discipline ourselves to listening attentively: recent experiences may make us hear something new.

The zenith of the Liturgy of the Word is the proclamation of the Gospel.  The Gospel is the most important of the readings, being an account of, or connected with the ministry of Christ.  Through it, we hear His ministry speaking to us.  For this reason we stand (as a mark of reverence) and the proclamation is accompanied by various ceremonies that point our belief that Christ is present in the words that are spoken.

The Gospel book, as it were the Sacrament of the Gospel itself, is carried in procession to the Lectern, whilst an acclamation is sung to greet Christ’s Presence in His Gospel.

There follows the sermon.  In spite of the fact that the sermon does not enjoy universal appreciation, it is, all the same, a very important part of the Mass.  The styles of preachers vary considerably, but, generally, they should endeavour to provide a Christian perspective on some aspect of contemporary life.  As with the readings, it should provide some challenge to those who hear it (and listen to it!).

The recitation of the Creed began to creep into the Mass-rite in the tenth century.  Some would suggest that the statement of our Faith is a response to the proclamation of the Word of God; others think it should not be there at all.

The intercessions are a very important part of the Liturgy of the Word.  This is a subject, which needs a lengthy consideration in this parish; it will, therefore, be the subject of an article in a magazine later in the year.

The Liturgy of the Word is concluded with the Kiss of Peace.  The peace of Christ that flows through the Body of Christ is the bond of our unity.  The Kiss of Peace seals the prayer and worship that we have offered in that Peace of Christ.  Having established our unity in Christ, we are ready to move on to the pleading of His Sacrifice, through thanksgiving over bread and wine.

An account of the latter half of the Mass will appear in a subsequent issue of the Magazine.

Home page: http://stmatthewsnewcastle.org.uk/