At Mass: Together as One

Last month, I shared a story with you about my father, a physician, who wrote “Anatomy of the Mass” before he died. For this project, my father examined every part of the Mass. Therefore, let us continue this examination.

As every part of the human body serves a purpose for us to live, each of us serves a purpose as we come together as one in the Mass celebration. We are the body of the Church. In this body, the priest, deacon, lectors, altar servers, Eucharistic ministers, choir, and congregation bring life to the love of God. We do so as Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, gives his life to each of us.

God is love made manifest in Christ. With this love, Jesus gives himself entirely—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity—to us in the Mass. “By giving himself to us Christ revives our love and enables us to break our disordered attachments to creatures and root ourselves in him” [CCC 1394]. Therefore, when we enter the Church, we present ourselves to our Lord.

Open Ourselves

Are we open to receive our Lord’s loving graces? Do we allow ourselves to commune with our Lord? Do we genuflect and make the Sign of the Cross? As we sit, do we take time to observe the signs and symbols in the Church?

“Sacred images in our churches and homes are intended to awaken and nourish our faith in the mystery of Christ” [CCC 1192]. All that we see, hear, smell, touch, and taste during Mass stimulate our senses to allow our Lord to enter our entire being. Every word, gesture, prayer, pause, and song in the Mass helps us to open ourselves to our Lord in body and mind, heart and soul.

As the opening procession begins in the Introductory Rite, our Lord gathers us together. With the opening hymn (or antiphon) we lift our hearts and voices toward heaven. We are together in humility, faithful obedience, and love for God. The Rite’s purpose is to establish communion and a proper frame of mind to listen to the Word of God and to celebrate the Eucharist in a worthy way.

Trinitarian Life

During this time, the priest venerates the altar and greets us with the Sign of the Cross. With this profound gesture, we are saying yes to be drawn into the intimacy of the Trinitarian life. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we touch our mind, our heart, our body, and soul. The Sign of the Cross helps us to unite with God’s love.

By the greatness of God’s love, the Lord’s Spirit works through the priest as he embraces his role as the person of Christ. Beginning with the Introductory Rite, the priest performs his holy duties during the Sacred Liturgy. Following the Sign of the Cross, the priest’s greeting comes from Scripture. Most commonly we hear: “The Lord be with you.” We reply: “And with your spirit.”

Then with the Penitential Act, Gloria in Excelsis, and the Opening Prayer, we again embrace the Holy Trinity. Together as one with our Amen, we accept our Father’s will. We accept Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life we are to follow. We accept the Holy Spirit to live within us. The Mass gives us strength to hold onto what we accept in body, mind, heart, and soul.

Author’s Note: More to come in the weeks ahead.