5th Week of Easter - Ceremonies of Holy Mass

"Where art thou going?" St. John, 16:5.

In a famous art collection there is a faded painting of the crucifixion. You see our Lord upon the cross, our Blessed Mother, St. John and Mary Magdalen. But you also see, kneeling at the foot of the cross, the figure of a nun gazing up at our Lord whose face is turned to her. When this nun had heard that an artist friend planned to paint the scene on Calvary, she begged him: "O, please put me in the picture. I was there, you know."

And put her there he did. How much more living and meaningful the crucifixion became to her. Yes, and how much more meaningful Holy Mass will be if you and I put ourselves actively, thoughtfully into the cruci­fixion as it is re-presented upon the altar. One way to do that is to understand the meaning of the ceremonies.

Time will not permit our explaining all the actions. By showing the meaning of a few ceremonies you can get some idea of the weatth of thought they express. Too often we are as little interested in what the priest is doing, as the Apostles were about where our Lord was going: "No one of you asks me, 'Where art thou going?'" Too few ask the why and wherefore of what goes on at the altar.

For example, you have noticed the priest bow down and kiss the altar­ just above the spot where the relics of two martyrs are encased in the altar stone. The altar stone represents Christ, who gave Himself for all. The martyrs gave themselves for Christ. By kissing the altar the priest expresses our love for Christ and the union of this unbloody Mass with the bloody sacrifice of Christ and the martyrs.

You have noticed the priest turn to you with arms extended and with the greeting: "The Lord be with you." What a rich and blessed prayer. You in turn make answer: "And with thy spirit," a Hebrew expression which practically means: "And the Lord be with you, too, Father." Think of that.

As the celebrant stands at that side of the altar and recites the prayers or collects, he holds his hands in a gesture of begging, his arms, as it were, stretched out with those of Christ on the cross, the only One who really deserves to be heard. Unite yourself with Christ and His priest and your prayer will be heard.

As the prayer ends the priest joins his hands and bows to the tabernacle, asking the heavenly Father to grant what we have just requested "through our Lord, Jesus Christ." Did not our Lord say: "Whatsoever you ask the Father in my name, He will give it to you"? Protestants conclude their prayers with some such phrase as this, "In Jesus name we ask it." Very beautiful and Biblical, but the Catholic Church has been doing that for twenty centuries.

Another significant ceremony takes place at the Offertory when the priest places a quantity of wine in the chalice and then just a few drops of water. The wine, rich and strong, represents the merits of Christ; the water, poor and weak, represents our efforts. But when our weak efforts are united with the rich merits of Christ, as they are in the Mass, our good works become powerful too. That is the sense of the prayer which the priest says at that time.

In this simple but sublime ceremony I see a splendid suggestion for all in attendance at Mass. At the Offertory offer up the entire day, the entire week, to Almighty God in union with the merits of Christ. Your money offering takes on added meaning and value in the light of this thought.

You must also have noticed the many genuflections of the priest from the consecration to Communion. Sometimes they may seem to be more than necessary, but we count them in a new light when we realize that the Church purposely has increased their number in order that the priest might make up for the insulting, false genuflections of the soldiers and tormentors of Our Lord during the night of His cruel Passion.

We stand up at the Gospel like soldiers ready to go forth and profess our faith. We sign ourselves upon the forehead, that we may know our faith, upon the lips that we may profess it, upon the heart that we may love and live the Gospel of Christ.

At Communion time the priest holds one of the small hosts above the ciborium or cup in the sight of all, and he calls out in the words of St. John the Baptist: "Behold the Lamb of God." Yes, literally and lovingly we are looking at the Lamb of God.

From these few hints you should want to know more about the meaning of these ceremonies. Be like that nun who wanted to be on the picture of the crucifixion.

Take part in what goes on at the altar, our Calvary. Know and keep in mind what the prayers and actions mean. Then the Mass will bring, as I hope and pray it will always bring, boundless blessings to everyone of you. Amen.
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Adapted from Talks on the Sacraments
by Fr. Arthur Tonne,OFM (© 1947)