The Parts and How the Religious Mass is Divided
The mass or Eucharist of the Catholic Church is divided into several parts that carry certain rituals, which we are going to deal with in this article. The idea is that the reader knows the parts of the Mass and through it we can live it according to how God wants it.
Parts of the Mass
As we said, they are rituals that are made up of several acts and prayers that make up the entire sacrament as such. For Catholics, attending the Eucharistic solemnity is an act of great devotion and respect for religious things.
The Holy Mass is the feast of Catholic Christians in which we glorify God and Jesus as his son. The Mass is considered a sacred act, in it is by Catholic-Christian parishioners. In the holy mass the Eucharist is made public, treating the sacrament of the blood and body of Jesus Christ with bread and wine.
In the Bible and the Gospels, the Holy Mass was established after the last supper of Jesus and his disciples, since after it the crucifixion of the son of God takes place.
Next, we will see step by step each of these rituals that make up the parts of the Catholic Mass so that the reader knows them in detail.
initial rites
They are the moments that precede the Mass or Eucharist, it is the preparation of how the celebration of the same will unfold, and it has to do with the entire ritual as such.
In some parts of the Mass it is required that the parishioners are sometimes standing and other times sitting or kneeling, by means of some indications such as P = Standing, S = Sitting and R = Kneeling; we identify the correct position of the participants.
Input (P)
At this time, the parishioners can sit for a while until the priest enters, which is the period in which they stop and begin what we call the entrance song, which is nothing more than the predecessor to the celebration.
Greeting before the altar and the assembled people (P)
At the time of entry, the priest who will preside over the Mass will kiss the altar. After the entrance song is finished, the sign of the cross is made by the priest and the members of the assembly. Later the priest manifests the presence of God to those present.
A brief reference can be made about the Mass to be celebrated for the faithful, which ends with the greeting. Following this, we proceed to the invitation of the Penitential Act, this is done by making the general confession of the faithful and ending with the summary of the priest.
Lord have mercy (P)
Followed by the Penitential Act, the song called “Lord, have mercy” begins, although if it was part of the Penitential Act itself it is no longer repeated, it must be recited at least if it is not sung.
The Glory (P)
Through this hymn that the church performs, God the Father is glorified as well as the Lamb, presenting through him the supplications of those present. All the faithful will recite it in a general or alternate way, if by chance it is not sung.
Collect prayer (P)
At this moment the priest exhorts the faithful to pray and everyone together with the priest remains for a while in meditation and silence. After that, the prayer is read by the priest, which refers to the reason for the Eucharistic celebration. The faithful answer Amen.
liturgy of the word
Through this act, the sacrament of the life of Jesus is celebrated, which is made known through the readings contained in the Holy Bible.
First reading (S)
At this moment, as indicated by the indication that we already mentioned, the faithful will take seats and listen attentively to the word embodied in the Old Testament since they will show us the things that Jesus did.
Responsorial Psalm (S)
They are a kind of songs or prayers that belong to the same Liturgy of the Word.
After the first reading is proclaimed, a Responsorial Psalm precedes, usually taken from the Lectionary. The person who reads the psalm, makes the proclamation of the verses of the same, and the participants of the Mass or assembly hear and participate with the answers.
Second reading (S)
This is taken this time from the New Testament, either from the acts of the apostles or from the letters they themselves wrote. Through the second reading we know the life of the first Christians and how they taught the doctrines of Jesus Christ.
Through this reading we can better understand the teachings that Jesus left us. It is also helpful in understanding the traditions of the Catholic Church. After the second reading, the Alleluia is sung, a song that reminds us of the Resurrection.
The Gospel (P)
For this moment, the faithful should be standing as a sign of respect for the reading that we are going to hear, because it is no longer the apostles who speak but Jesus himself through his holy word that teaches us a small part of his life and teachings.
This word is taken from one of the Gospels that make up the Bible, also according to the liturgical cycle. Through this word we can learn more about what Jesus was like, what he did, felt, how he preached and also the message he wants to give us.
This reading is done by the priest or deacon himself. An important piece of information is that before the proclamation of the Holy Gospel, the priest will mention which of the four Gospels he is talking about and at that very moment the faithful must make the sign of the cross as a symbol of respect and acceptance of the word of God. God.
Homily(s)
It is the moment where the priest tries to give a message based on the readings heard or another ordinary text, and also on the particular needs of the faithful.
Examples of daily life can be given of how we must apply that word heard in our daily lives, having faith, hope in the teachings of Jesus Christ himself for each one of us.
Profession of Faith (P)
After the explanation of the Gospel According to St…. the priest invites the participants of the Mass to say the prayer of faith called the Creed, the faithful pray with great faith and standing so that they are willing to comply and respect what is contained in its message.
Universal prayer or of the faithful (P)
It is an important part of the Mass for all those present since through this universal prayer, which is done standing, the faithful make their petitions and supplications, both personal and for the church, the Pope, the State, the priests themselves and the needs of the church.
Likewise, the participants or faithful express their requests in a personal way and also a common invocation, pronounced after each intention with prayer or through meditation or silence.
Preparation of the gifts (S)
When the Mass or Eucharist begins, the gifts that will be converted into the body and blood of Christ are delivered in front of the altar. The custom is that the bread and wine are delivered by the faithful themselves.
At this time the offering procession is accompanied by the offertory song, which is done until the moment the gifts are placed on the altar itself.
Eucharistic Prayer (P)
This one of the important moments of the celebration. It deals with a prayer of thanksgiving and consecration. At the time of this prayer is when the entire congregation joins Christ and gives the recognition of the greatness of God and the sacrificial offering.
This Prayer contains several elements that are considered important, which are:
Thanksgiving (P): is commonly expressed in the Preface.
Holy (P): it is the acclamation of the assembly in general, in union with the Angels and Archangels to sing and praise God.
Epiclesis (R): through this the Church, makes invocations as well as the power of heaven so that through this the gifts that were presented at the beginning are consecrated, and are converted into the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
Also so that at the time of communion it is received with the purpose of the salvation of the faithful who receive it.
Narration of the institution and consecration (R): this is another extremely important moment of the Mass, in this time the faithful will kneel, since it is the moment in which the sacrifice instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper is made.
During this period occurs the mystery of the transformation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. God is present among us and we can feel that we are very close to Him. We must take advantage of this opportunity to worship God in the Eucharist.
Anamnesis (R): With this precept the Church fulfills the commission that it received through the Apostles, from Christ the Lord, to remember the blessed passion, his glorious resurrection and ascension.
Oblation (P): the assembly offers the Father the Sacred Host, and with it is offered to each of the participants.
Intercessions (P): by means of these it is made known to understand that the Eucharist is celebrated in communion with the whole Church, and the oblation is made by her and by her members.
Final doxology (P): in it the glory of God is expressed and it ends and is accepted by confirming membership with an Amen.
communion rite
It is another important moment of the Eucharist since the faithful take the body and blood of Jesus Christ, they must be properly prepared with a previous confession to receive the body of Christ with a pure soul and heart.
As we approach communion we must receive Jesus within us, embrace him, accept him and give him so much love and joy from our heart and soul, as well as join the whole Church in joy and love.
The prayer of the Our Father (P): with it we ask for daily bread, both for ourselves and for all Christians, we also ask for forgiveness for our sins, and finally we ask for liberation against all the evils that can affect us daily.
Peace Rite (P): moment in which the faithful share a greeting of peace as well as unity for the church, the family in general, mutually expressing the charity of sharing the same soul food.
The gesture of the breaking of the bread: (P) this was done by Jesus himself at the last supper, it was what served for the denomination and integrity of the Eucharistic action. What this wants to explain to us is that we are all one bread of life that is Jesus Christ himself, and we are all his sons and brothers among ourselves.
Inmixion or mixture (P): the priest drops a piece of the consecrated bread into the chalice, which generally may have been consecrated from the previous Sunday. This as a symbol of communion of various Christian communities.
While the breaking of the bread is being done, the Lamb of God is sung: this can be repeated as necessary to accompany the breaking of the bread. At the end the word give us peace will be said.
Private preparation of the priest
Later the priest will show the Eucharistic bread to the faithful. It is desirable that Mass participants be prepared to receive the Body of Christ with consecrated bread during the celebration of Mass. Communion is the best way of participation in the celebrated sacrifice.
The moment comes when the priest and the faithful or participating community in general take communion, while this happens a spiritual song is heard from the faithful themselves, thereby demonstrating joy of the heart, as well as a fraternal procession of the attendees who will receive the body of Christ.
At the end of communion, the priest and the faithful usually pray on their knees or in front of an image of their choice such as a virgin or Jesus Christ himself. They can also meditate in silence for a while in a collected way.
The people who remain in the seats and do not take or are not prepared to take the body of Christ can sing a hymn or a psalm, or any song of praise while the other faithful are communing.
In the prayer after communion, the priest asks for the fruits of the mystery celebrated during the Holy Mass or Eucharist to be achieved. The people acknowledge that prayer and end with the acclamation “Amen.”
Concluding Rite (P)
The final rite consists of greeting and priestly blessing, at this time and before the final blessing most priests will give some parish announcements of religious festivals that may be celebrated during the week or later days.
Just as it is the occasion to request some help from the faithful for the church in order to do good works as Jesus himself teaches us, to help our brothers who are most dispossessed or in a situation of extreme poverty.
Likewise, they are usually invited to the respective religious festivals that are presented close to the month. This invitation will be made to the majority of those attending the Sunday Eucharist.
After that, the priest gives the blessing to the attendees and says goodbye, dissolving the assembly so that they return to their daily work, praising and blessing the Lord and trying to apply the teachings received in our daily lives.
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