holysprirtparish-avonlake-oh-14-0036

Dual Citizenship: Serving God First in a Divided World

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 21:00:00 GMT

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” — Philippians 3:20

Dear Parishioners:

You probably notice that we fly two flags in front of the parish office—the flag of the United States and the Vatican flag. That we fly both recognizes that we are citizens of the United States and we are a people of faith. As Catholic Christians, we have dual loyalties. This idea is not something new, it was expressed in the Letter from Diogenes, which was written sometime in the mid-AD 100, which states,

Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.

And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country.

We are first and foremost people of faith. Therefore the voice of faith has to speak louder to us than any politician or political party. I have long decried the defining of a moral issue through the questions: “Does my political party agree with this or not?” Instead of: What do the Gospels, the Scriptures, the Catechism, and the Church say about this? If you had gone with the first approach, you will always come into conflict with the Church; if you go with the second, you will always come into conflict with the political. The difference is that the Church speaks with a moral voice. It is not just another political opinion. It is about what is truly right and wrong. It is about the salvation of souls and the salvation of the world.

We are to form our consciences by giving Church teaching the benefit of the doubt. Just because the Church says something we find challenging to our beliefs, be it concerning life issues, war, gender, et al., that we personally disagree with does not allow us to discount the Church’s teaching or the authority of the Church to speak on it.

When one of our political leaders disagree with Church teaching, we are reminded of Paul’s words to Timothy:

“First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” — (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

We pray for them that they may know the Truth.

This world and its political divisions and ideologies are transitory, the Kingdom of God is eternal. St. Thomas More just before his execution for refusing to assent to Henry VIII’s claim that Henry was the head of the Church in England, stated:

“I die the king’s good servant, and God’s first.”

The best way we serve our nation is by serving God first. In that way, our loyalties become united in serving the common good.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles J. Strebler
Pastor

Christ's Peace in a World of Conflict

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 21:00:01 GMT

“There never was a good war, or a bad peace.”—Benjamin Franklin

Dear Parishioners:

Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” The first words that Jesus speaks to his disciples on the evening of the first Easter was a greeting wishing them peace. Even then peace was elusive. It has remained so throughout history even until this day—even a quick read of the headlines reminds us of this.

Peace remains our hope and our prayer. It is what we are to be about as Christians, in all parts of our lives. We must realize that war and conflict are always against the Risen Lord’s wishes for us. Because Christ’s victory and the Kingdom of God are not fully realized and will not be until He comes again, there are some situations where war is a regrettable reality. Great Christian minds like Saints Augustine and Thomas Aquinas developed the idea of a just war . To be clear, just war theory is not a way of encouraging war but establishes moral limitations on war should it happen .

A just war is based on several principles:

· Just Cause: The war must face a real, grave, lasting, and certain threat, such as protecting innocent lives from aggression.

· Last Resort: All peaceful alternatives must be exhausted.

· Legitimate Authority: The war must be declared by a proper, responsible authority.

· Right Intention: The goal must be to secure a just peace, not vengeance or territorial gain.

· Proportionality: The damage and costs of the war must not exceed the evil being corrected.

· Probability of Success: A war cannot be waged in a futile cause.

Accompanying these are the principles that in war must be observed:

· Discrimination/Non-combatant Immunity: Distinguishing between combatants and civilians, protecting innocents from intentional attack.

· Proportionality of Action: The force used must not be excessive relative to the military objective.

As Christians, our wish is that of the One whose Name we bear, peace . We are to make peace our goal. Admittedly, few of us have any way to influence global politics and bring an end to interactional conflict. We can bring peace to our homes, schools, and workplaces. Sometimes the first step is bringing about peace in ourselves. What we know as The Prayer of St. Francis (though it isn’t actually in his writings) “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace” needs to be our prayer for ourselves and lived out in our lives because Peace is Christ’s prayer for us.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

Easter: The Feast That Gives Our Lives Meaning and Hope

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 21:00:00 GMT

"To a Christian, Easter Sunday means everything, when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ." – Bernhard Langer

Dear Parishioners:

Back when I was in early high school, two of my classmates were having a discussion about which day is more important, Christmas or Easter. They came to me for my thoughts. The question was, “Which day is more important, Christmas or Easter?” (Yes, it seems that even then I was the go-to guy for theology questions.) I offered that Easter was the more important day. I remember explaining that without Easter, there would be no need for Christmas. Now I can say with some nuance that the Son, the second person of the Trinity, became incarnate in Jesus so that we could be saved.

Maybe Easter doesn’t have some of the sentimental trimmings of Christmas (carols, decorated trees, stockings hung by the chimney with care, cookies); still, it has its own trappings (bunnies, baskets, colored eggs), but these just don’t seem the hit in the same way Christmas’ do. But all these are the extras and incidentals of the seasons.

Christmas promises a future salvation; Easter is the celebration of that salvation. Christmas is the gift of peace; Easter is gift of hope. Christmas is the child Jesus being born as a human; Easter is humanity being reborn. Christmas is our God entering a broken world; Easter is God fixing that broken world. Christ’s victory over sin and death. The gates of heaven are blown open after being slammed shut by sin. The suffering of the cross of Good Friday and the silence of the tomb of Holy Saturday have given way to the overwhelming Easter joy of the resurrection—what’s not to love?

Easter is enhanced by the somber sparsity of Lent. Coming after the days of fast, it stands all the more as a day of joy and celebration. The high point of the Church year is Easter Vigil, the central celebration of the Church of Christ’s resurrection and victory. It is the high point of my year as well. I am always moved to the core as we hear the Easter Gloria, the moment when the promise becomes the reality; the expectation becomes fulfillment; death becomes life; defeat becomes victory; the moment we celebrate the Resurrection; the moment is described as being when “all heaven breaks loose.” Easter is the Feast that gives our lives meaning and hope. I fully concur with the Exsultet, The Easter Proclamation, at the Easter Vigil,

Our birth would have been no gain, had we not been redeemed.

Easter is my favorite day of the year.

It is my prayer for all, long-time parishioners, new parishioners, and visitors that know the abundant blessings of this Easter Day, succinctly summed up in the words,

CHRIST IS RISEN, ALLELUIA!

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles J. Strebler

Pastor

A Different Kind of King

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 21:00:00 GMT

“This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: Say to daughter Zion, ‘Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” (Matthew 21:4-5).

Dear Parishioners:

Jesus is greeted as the King of Israel as He entered His own city of Jerusalem on what we now call Palm Sunday. Rightfully so, as He is the King, truly. However, this week proves Him to be a different kind of king. I recall the line introducing the Seventh Station in Clarence Enzler’s Everyone’s Way of the Cross , which as Jesus speaking the words,

Behold…the poorest king who ever lived.

Christ is a king who is betrayed, denied, beaten, scourged, dressed in a royal-colored cloak, and then, as the Passion from the Gospel of Matthew that we hear this Cycle-A Palm Sunday, tells us, He was treated as a king out of mockery,

Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

Jesus is the king whose throne is an instrument of torture, the cross. Where,

they placed over his head the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews .

He is a king, not honored, but mocked, derided, and ridiculed,

He saved others; he cannot save himself. So he is the king of Israel! Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.

His royal tomb was borrowed from a friend.

Though proclaimed a king in mockery, He truly was, indeed, a king; all that was done to Him did not make Him less of a king, but more of one—just not a king as we expect. As unexpected is that He would come into the fullness of His kingship on the third day. As, The Way of the Cross: puts it, His death was so that,

[The Father] might restore all to [Him] a hundred-fold in the glorious resurrection

—but more on that next in our celebrations a week from today.

I invite you all to enter into this Holy Week by attending the various services. Enter into Jesus’ passion and death so that you can know a hundred-fold the glorious resurrection in your own life.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

Changes Ahead: A New Priest for St. Joseph Parish

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 21:00:02 GMT

“No matter where you go, there you are."—Buckaroo Banzai

Dear Parishioners:

This isn’t so much Holy Spirit news as it is Avon Lake Catholic news. St. Joseph parish will be getting one of the six (!) newly-ordained priests as a parochial vicar (the canonical term for one who is sometime know as an associate pastor). Which of the six it will be won’t be known until the 15th of April when the ordinandi (those to be ordained) received their assignments from Bishop Malesic. The men will be ordained on Saturday, May 16 at 10 am at the Cathedral. They begin their assignments on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

While the new priest is assigned to St. Joseph, there is a likelihood that he may be helping out with the occasional Mass here at Holy Spirit. Also, given the intermingling of staff and parishioners between the parishes (I always say that Avon Lake is one community with two parishes; parishioners have their primary allegiance but will go to Mass where and when meets their schedule best), there is a very good chance you will be meeting the new priest at some point.

An implication of a new priest coming is that Fr. Dan Fickes will be moving out of the rectory. We need the space that Fr. Dan currently occupies for the new priest—we are not going to put a parochial vicar in guestroom. Fr. Dan has lived here for almost a decade. He will continue to be chaplain at St. John Westshore Hospital but will be finding a new residence. Where that will be has not been definitively determined at this time. We thank him for the times he has helped out at Holy Spirit, though his departure does not mean he might not be back for assistance in the future.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

Reasons to Rejoice

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 11:49:49 GMT

“Rejoicing and repentance must go together. Repentance without rejoicing will lead to despair. Rejoicing without repentance is shallow and will only provide passing inspiration instead of deep change.”—Timothy Keller

Dear Parishioners:

This Sunday we celebrate Laetare Sunday . Laetare is Latin for “Rejoice.” This Sunday is just past the half-way point of Lent. The rose vestments worn this Sunday are a break in the somber and penitential purple; they are a sign of joy in the midst of penance. In that spirit, I thought I’d share something about which we can be joyful.

This is the chart of attendance at Holy Spirit’s weekend Masses. As you can see, we have been making a gradual increase in attendance each year. It is fascinating to me how it basically follows the pattern each year for ebb and flow of the attendance. The spike in March 2024 was because Easter was in March, rather than April that year. December 2022 really spiked because Christmas was on a Sunday.

Would I like to see more people at Mass, yes, of course! Still, I’m glad to see us growing each year. It seems that I am seeing new faces and families each weekend. It is little-by-little, but we are growing. This is not just a “hooray for Holy Spirit” (not that there’s anything wrong with that) but is good news for the Church everywhere. In that we rejoice!

Thanks to Larry Maloney for putting this chart together, building on the work of the late Pat Pattison.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

Sharing the Basket

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 22:00:00 GMT

“For me, an assist is the same as getting a basket.”— Nikola Jokic

Dear Parishioners:

I got an Easter basket each year until after I was ordained. For many years it was hidden; one year in high school I finally found it the Thursday(!) after Easter. The year I got my first car, I had a suspicion, so when I returned home from Easter Sunday Mass, I pulled into the driveway, parked, and immediately went to the car's trunk, opened it and voila! there it was. Eventually, I asked my mom to pass the word on to the Easter Bunny that I was usually exhausted after being up late for the Easter Vigil and then up early for Easter Sunday Mass and didn’t have the energy for the search, so the hiding came to an end. The Easter Bunny shopped for me at the West Point Market in Akron, so he left me imported chocolates and good cheeses.

Not all children and youth are lucky. The Friends of Jesus Ministry groups at Holy Spirit and St. Ladislas (our parish’s FOJ mother parish) are doing something to remedy that. They are preparing baskets for 250 children in foster care. They need our help. They are asking for items for the baskets. Please see the bulletin (page 9), parish website, or newsletter for the items they are requesting. This is another great opportunity for your Lenten almsgiving.

The FOJ group is a group for parishioners with special needs—and their families are enjoying it, too. There have only been a few of meetings here at Holy Spirit and I have been able to make it to two of them. They have been evenings of faith and fun. The group began at St. Ladislas and has germinated a group here. I am glad to see this group grow at Holy Spirit and also to see the cooperation between the groups at both parishes. That is what the Church should be.

I thank you for your support of their efforts.

There will be bins in the narthex the weekend of March 14/15 in which you can place your donated Easter basket items.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

On a Mission from God

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 12:43:06 GMT

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Spiritual Maintenance

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 22:00:00 GMT

“Confession is an act of honesty and courage—an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.”—Pope St. John Paul II

Dear Parishioners:

I often liken confession to taking care of your car. If your car breaks down, you take it in to get it fixed right away. So, if you become aware of a serious/mortal sin in your life, you should get to confession right away—if at all possible before the next Sunday so you can receive the Lord worthily in the Eucharist (and not add on the sin of sacrilege). If your car doesn’t break down, you still have to take it in periodically for the tire rotation, oil change, and other maintenance. If you aren’t aware of serious sin, it is good to get to confession every so often for spiritual “maintenance.” I tell people that the minimum should be every three to four months. Some people go in Advent and Lent, but I point out there is much more time between Lent and Advent than between Advent and Lent; I usually suggest a time in July or August as well.

The Diocese of Cleveland Night of Confessions will be on Wednesday, March 4 . Almost every parish in the Diocese of Cleveland will have an opportunity for confessions from 5—8 pm . I will be hearing at Holy Spirit and have another priest hearing confessions with me. What I like about this time is that there is no rush to get though the confessions before Mass. There is ample time for hearing the confessions of those who come, especially for those who have been away for a while.

As we have done in the past, we will have the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the church. I invite our parishioners to come and spend some time in prayer with our Eucharistic Lord, especially praying for those going to confession—and each year I get some who have been away for decades! Pray also for the priests hearing confessions that night. I ask that we have at least two people in the church from 5—8pm. Please sign up for a time on our website at hspal.org.

Confessions will also be a part of our Parish Mission, March 8—11 , lead By Father Jewel Aytona, of the Fathers of Mercy. This is a wonderful opportunity to enrich your faith in the season of Lent. Mark your calendar .

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

What Will You Do This Lent?

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 20:32:03 GMT

"There are a lot of things you can give to Jesus—I don’t like to say, ‘Give it up.’ Well, you’re going to take it back. But give it to Jesus for Lent.” — Mother Angelica

Dear Parishioners:

Lent is just before us, starting this coming (Ash) Wednesday. The question you can ask yourself now is: What will I do this Lent? Notice I did not put it, What will I give up this Lent? While the tried-and-true practice of giving up something for Lent is part of Lenten fasting, which is one of the pillars of Lenten disciple, we shouldn’t limit it to the idea of doing without some particular food. We can give up social media, or the talking heads of television, or music/talk/podcast in the car. The things about these is that in giving them up, we actually open up a space in our lives, maybe to experience more time available or that very rare—and sometimes unsettling—thing, silence. We can also re-hear Isaiah from last Sunday’s reading, remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech . Maybe we strive to let go of grudges, animosities, prejudices, or at least to chip away at them. Maybe we let go of letting politics and political parties guide our lives and thinking.

What will I do? opens us up to the other two Lenten pillars, prayer and almsgiving. Making the time to pray. Making the time to come to Stations of the Cross on Fridays at 7 pm in the Chapel . Making time to come to confession. Making time to come to the Parish Mission, March 8-11 . Making time to come to Adoration on Thursdays. Making time to pray the rosary—I suggest the Sorrowful Mysteries or at least a decade each day, maybe cycling through the Sorrowful Mysteries or all the mysteries.

For almsgiving, yes, it is good to give financial support, but how about giving of your precious time to help out someone or a group. It can be a neighbor or family member who needs a ride to the doctor or to shopping—or to have shopping done for him or her, or just needs a visit. This, too, is almsgiving.

It is sometimes easier not to do something (fasting) than to do something (prayer and almsgiving). But remember: Lent is not a call to prayer or fasting or almsgiving; it is a call to prayer and fasting and almsgiving!

What will you do this Lent?

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

Home Once More

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 12:36:37 GMT

“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone — we find it with another.” — Thomas Merton

Dear Parishioners:

Next Saturday, much of the world will be celebrating Valentine’s Day. Oddly, now on that day the Church celebrates Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Apostles to the Slavs. At Holy Spirit we will be celebrating our volunteers! I admit February 14ᵗʰ is not the best day for this, but we try to have this dinner the Saturday before Ash Wednesday. (Then again, if you are a volunteer, this can be an inexpensive date for you and your spouse!)

Rethinking my earlier comment, February 14ᵗʰ is a perfect day for our volunteer appreciation — because we love our volunteers! As I have said many times before, Holy Spirit Parish could not be what it is without our volunteers. The parish staff can only do so much. It is you, the parishioner volunteers, who make most of it happen. Some of the volunteers help at our liturgies; imagine what a Mass without volunteers would look like. It would not be the expression of the Church and the work of the people that it is supposed to be. Some volunteers help outside of the liturgies and serve in other ways.

You are all appreciated!

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS!

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler
Pastor

Many Hands, One Mission

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 18:23:51 GMT

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Halfway Around the World, Still at the Altar

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 19:52:21 GMT

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Gratitude for a Season Well Celebrated

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 22:00:01 GMT

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”—Gilbert K. Chesterton

Dear Parishioners:

The Christmas season is now over (though there are those who continue the tradition of keeping the season through February 2 ^nd , The Presentation of the Lord, AKA Candlemas, often by leaving at least one Christmas decoration {often the nativity scene} out!) As the season has come to an end, I want to thank all of those who contributed so significantly to our celebrations of Christmas and the Christmas Season.

I’d like to thank the parish staff for their work, but particular commendation goes to Nathan Hetrick, Holy Spirit’s Director of Worship and Music. Nathan worked hard with the musical planning, with the choir and instrumentalists to getting them ready for the Christmas Masses, and leading them during the Masses. Nathan also prepared all the worship aids for Christmas. (I probably should also thank our copy machine for not collapsing from exhaustion!)

Directly related to that, thank you to our choir, cantors, and instrumentalists, both parish and visitors. The music of the season greatly enhanced our celebrations. I received many compliments on the music.

Also to be complimented are the members of our Art and Environment group, who decorated the church and chapel for both Advent and Christmas. For Christmas, they had to work according the “schedule” (“Some time today.”) of the flower delivery and not their own schedule. You can appreciate the sacrifice this is in the last couple of days before Christmas. They did a beautiful job.

Though often less visible, but as needed and appreciated are the sacristans who work behind the scenes. The lectors, servers, Extra-Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and ushers are seen, but sometimes still not appreciated enough, as they seem a regular part of the Liturgy. If I have left anyone out, I apologize, but know all who have a part in enhancing our liturgies are appreciated.

Thank you to all our parishioners for your participation in our Christmas celebrations. Thank you also for and welcome to our visitors and “occasional” parishioners. We had 890 people at the 4pm Christmas Mass alone! As I have said before, I do not believe in shaming people for not being present the other weeks, but invite them to return again. I think they may be more likely to do so if they experience uplifting, beautiful liturgies. That is what we had. Thank you to all who put in their efforts to make it so.

P.S. I am in Michigan this weekend for my Godson’s son’s baptism and will be heading out on vacation on Monday. I’ll be back for Masses the weekend of January 31/February 1 and will be back in the office on Monday, February 2.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

Come Aboard! Welcoming New Faces to the Holy Spirit Staff

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:36:39 GMT

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Small Steps, Real Change

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 22:00:00 GMT

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” — George Eliot

Dear Parishioners:

Most of the world is just entering into 2026, but the Church has been these since the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the liturgical year 2026. This is a rather apt situation as the Church is ahead of the world. If someone says to me that the Church is not with the times, I will fully agree, saying, “Yes, the Church is not with the times, she is waiting for the times to catch up with her.”

The thing about new years is that they are filled with hope and promise. Yes, January is usually filled—at least for me—with, “I hope to lose weight,” and “I promise to exercise.” This new year also makes us look forward to new possibilities. One possibility is that Christ will come. I don’t take it as a probability, but I am ready none-the-less.

What will this year be in your faith life? Will this be the year that you pray more? Will this be the year that you serve those in need in a greater way? Will this be the year that you become more active at Holy Spirit Parish? Will this be the year that you learn more about your Catholic faith?

Like my weight and exercise, hope and promise, none of these things will happen without us doing something about it. Our growth in faith, like many (most?) of the good things in life do not come to us while idle. We aren’t about resolutions; we are about actions. We need to put in some effort, pray the rosary every day, come to Eucharistic Adoration, attend one of Dr. Hoag’s adult education programs—the new one, Symbolon : The Catholic Faith Explained , starts on Thursday, January 29.

I do warn you of what I consider a major pitfall in trying to live the Christian life: thinking that we should immediately achieve the goals we set. It usually doesn’t work that way. We set a goal. We work toward it. We might have more misses than hits at first, but we don’t give up. We keep trying until we start to reach our goal. The important thing is not to give up.

We may not be perfect when we greet 2027, but we will be better.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

The Mass as the Model All Prayer

Sat, 27 Dec 2025 18:14:14 GMT

“The Mass is the most perfect form of prayer.”—Pope St. Paul VI

Dear Parishioners:

I have been talking the last few weeks about the types of prayer, easily remembered as ACTS . After a brief Christmas break, I conclude this series of Pastor’s Columns with a look at the place where all these forms of prayer converge—The Mass.

The Mass, the central prayer of the Church, includes all the from of prayer in different places:

Adoration : The Collect, the Holy, Holy Holy

Contrition : The penitential Rite, especially The Confiteor , the Lamb of God

Thanksgiving : The Preface and the Eucharistic Prayer

Supplication : The Universal Prayers (AKA, the Petition or General intercessions

Though this is not an exhaustive list, it shows the presence of the different types of prayer in the one Mass. Mass stands as the model of our prayer, encouraging us to be mindful to include all the forms of ACTS in out prayer life.

Speaking of the Mass, from late 2019 to early 2021, I used the Pastor’s Column to explain the various parts of the Mass. I addressed what we do and why we do it. I covered what Church tells us to do and why I chose from some of the options the Church allows. Now that our parish website, www.hspal.org , has been updated by Crew Spence (I encourage you to check it out if you haven’t for a while!), those articles are available online. You can go to the parish website, find where it says Ministries & Groups and then under that dropdown menu find Liturgy & Worship and then under that title you will find Understanding the Liturgy . For those more savvy to computer parlance, it is: Ministries & Groups > Liturgy & Worship > Understanding the Liturgy . You also can go directly to: https://www.hspal.org/understanding-the-liturgy .

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

Where Is The Newborn King?

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 22:00:02 GMT

“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.’”—Matthew 2:1-2

Dear Parishioners:

Those wise men went out in search of Jesus. Though we usually think of them as presenting their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but do we realize that they were given much more, an encounter with their salvation prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory for the people.

Amid our gift giving at this time, we are reminded this Christmas of the gift of God given to us in Jesus Christ.

Where is the newborn King? is a question asked by everyone. All of us are looking for something more in life, for something greater than ourselves, even if we don’t recognize that we are. Eventually, the things of this world are not enough, do not satisfy, do not give the answers, and so we look beyond them to the One who created them, the One we know as the Babe in the manger.

We are invited to take some time out in this season to ask ourselves, Where is the newborn King in my life? Do we recognize Him as the One in whom we find peace on Earth and goodwill to others? Do we see Him as the promised of ages, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?

Where is the newborn King? He is in the Eucharist, the Scriptures, our service to those in need, and in the people gathered for worship. If you are one of the parish stalwarts, I invite you to deepen your faith. If you are visiting Holy Spirit this Christmas, I hope you’ll be back again. If you haven’t been to Church for a while, I hope you’ll reconnect with your faith. If you are looking for a spiritual home, I hope you find one here.

Christmas tells us the answer to the question Where is the newborn King?-- He is here, because He is Emmanuel, God with us.

A blessed Christmas to you and yours!

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

Getting Our ACTS Together: The Meaning of Supplication

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 18:23:17 GMT

“Incline your ear, LORD, and answer me,/for I am poor and oppressed./Preserve my life, for I am devoted;/save your servant who trusts in you./You are my God;/be gracious to me, Lord;/to you I call all the day./Gladden the soul of your servant;/to you, Lord, I lift up my soul./Lord, you are good and forgiving,/most merciful to all who call on you./LORD, hear my prayer;/listen to my cry for help./ On the day of my distress I call to you,/for you will answer me.”—Psalm 86:1-7.

Dear Parishioners:

ACTS. S is for Supplication . This is not a prayer of greeting—that would be, S’up?lication . Supplication prayer is prayer that asks or petitions for something. This kind of prayer is very much misunderstood. I believe many people think prayer of supplication to be a cheap, lazy, selfish, or inferior form of prayer, because we want something and are asking for something to be done for us.

I would counter that we use prayer of supplication at Mass with the Universal Prayers. Even the Our Father contains “give us this day our daily bread,” a prayer of supplication. That’s a pretty good placement for a so-called cheap, lazy, selfish, or inferior form of prayer.

What I believe is most central to prayers of supplication is that faith that God can do what we ask. God can make a difference. God can change things, even when they seem unchangeable and dire. Prayer of supplication has at its core a trust and faith in God as well as an acknowledgement of His power, providence and majesty. Prayer of supplication is anything but!

Prayer of supplication is a perfectly acceptable form of prayer, as long as we are asking for the right things, or better, that our prayer is sincere, that we really mean it, and that what we want will truly benefit ourselves, another, or our greater family, parish, locale, or world. We can ask that we win the lottery or that the Browns win (the lottery might be more probable,) and if the prayer isn’t something that God wants to give to give us—for reasons only He knows—then the prayer will be unanswered, but it is still prayer.

There is no bad way to pray, so it’s time—it always is—to get our ACTS together.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

The Gift of Contrition: Returning to God with Honesty and Hope

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 22:00:00 GMT

“Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love;/in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions./Thoroughly wash away my guilt;/and from my sin cleanse me./For I know my transgressions;/my sin is always before me./Against you, you alone have I sinned;/I have done what is evil in your eyes/So that you are just in your word,/and without reproach in your judgment./Behold, I was born in guilt/in sin my mother conceived me./Behold, you desire true sincerity;/and secretly you teach me wisdom/Cleanse me with hyssop,/that I may be pure;/wash me, and I will be whiter than snow./You will let me hear gladness and joy;/the bones you have crushed will rejoice/Turn away your face from my sins;/blot out all my iniquities./A clean heart create for me, God/renew within me a steadfast spirit./Do not drive me from before your face/nor take from me your holy spirit./Restore to me the gladness of your salvation;/uphold me with a willing spirit./I will teach the wicked your ways,/that sinners may return to you./Rescue me from violent bloodshed, God, my saving God,/and my tongue will sing joyfully of your justice./Lord, you will open my lips;/and my mouth will proclaim your praise./For you do not desire sacrifice or I would give it;/a burnt offering you would not accept/My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;/a contrite, humbled heart, O God, you will not scorn./Treat Zion kindly according to your good will;/build up the walls of Jerusalem./Then you will desire the sacrifices of the just,/burnt offering and whole offerings;/then they will offer up young bulls on your altar.”—Psalm 51

Dear Parishioners:

ACTS. C is for Contrition , prayer of sorrow for our sins and asking for God’s forgiveness. The classic Catholic prayer for this is the Act of Contrition. One of the popular versions of this prayer proclaims,

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love.

This says something about our sorrow. It is not a sorrow that comes from a fear of punishment, but it is a sorrow that comes from offending the God who has created us, redeemed us, and sustains us. We admit, God is good (all the time) and we are not (at least sometimes.) Prayer of contrition requires us to be honest enough to admit we have failed God and also acknowledges God deserves to receive our sorrow and contrition.

In the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church’s prayer, at Night Prayer, an examination of conscience and a prayer of contrition begins the prayer. I encourage everyone to follow this laudable practice to end each day with a prayer of contrition.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

Beyond Asking and Thanking

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 12:33:16 GMT

“Hallelujah!/Praise God in his holy sanctuary;/give praise in the mighty dome of heaven./Give praise for his mighty deeds,/praise him for his great majesty./Give praise with blasts upon the horn,/praise him with harp and lyre./Give praise with tambourines and dance,/praise him with strings and pipes./Give praise with crashing cymbals,/praise him with sounding cymbals./Let everything that has breath/give praise to the LORD!/Hallelujah!”—Psalm 150

Dear Parishioners:

ACTS. We begin with A, for Adoration. This is the prayer where we praise God not for what He does, but for whom He is. This is probably the form of prayer with which more people are least familiar. We are used to coming to God with requests for something to be granted—even forgiveness. We might come back to God to say thanks. We have to be honest that all those forms of prayer are about us getting something, be it asking or thanking for what we want granted.

Adoration is just praising God for being God, Holy, Mighty, Eternal, Ineffable, and all the other attributes of God. This kind of prayer is focused on God with less reference to us. I admit my prejudices, what I find lacking in much “praise music” is that it is often still about what we do for God, “I praise you, God, for you are wonderful.” I admit this kind of music works at adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and festivals of praise but is not good Mass music.

Adoration prayer seems less natural to us as human beings, but God deserves this kind of prayer. That is one of the great things about spending time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: We can just sit in awe and wonder. It can be pure adoration of God for being God. This type of prayer doesn’t even require us to say something or anything. We can just be with Him in the Eucharist. Just giving our time and attention to God is a form of prayer; giving God our time says that He is more important than the busyness or idleness of our lives. That is true praise given to God—not for what He does but for whom He is.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

When Your Pray, Start Here: The ACTS Method

Sat, 15 Nov 2025 22:00:01 GMT

“Pray as you can, not as you can't.”—Dom Chapman

Dear Parishioners:

Last week I answered a question about prayer. I thought this would be a topic worth unpacking, since we are all called to be people of prayer.

When talking about prayer we can remember ACTS. This isn’t the book of the Bible, it is an acronym to remember the basic types of prayer.

ACTS is:

Adoration: Praising God not for what He does, but for whom He is.

Contrition: Telling God that we are sorry for our sins.

Thanksgiving: Thanking God for what he has done for us and in us in our lives.

Supplication: Seeking God’s assistance for ourselves or others.

Whether we are doing the public prayer of the Church or our own private prayer, these are the ways or the how we usually pray. ACTS is what we pray.

Some commentators hold that all the ACTS should be present each time we pray. I don’t necessarily agree. There are going to be some times that we include all, some times we include only two or three, and some times that we just pray with one type of prayer. It may be that at a particular time in life one or more of the types of prayer seem more appropriate or fitting. Go with what works or is working for you. What is important is that you pray!

In future Pastor’s Columns, I will explore each of these types in greater detail.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

Prayer in Real Life: Learning to Talk with God

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 12:12:51 GMT

“The best bit of advice I ever received about how to pray was this: keep it simple, keep it real, keep it up.”―Pete Greig, How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People

Dear Parishioners:

When I asked for questions to be answered in the Pastor’s Column , I received the following:

How do we pray? As an altar boy in my youth, I would accompany the priest when he served mass at the house for the Carmelite nuns. I wondered to myself “do they spend the day saying the Our Father, Hail Mary etc. over and over?” Surely they do more than that. As an adult now I pray daily but sometimes have a hard time on what to say and what I’m praying for or about and usually end up saying an Our Father instead. Am I being selfish to pray “especially” for someone/thing as they are no more deserving as anyone else?

There is quite a bit here. Nuns, especially cloistered nuns do spend their days in prayer. The anchor of their prayer is Liturgy of the Hours , which is available to everyone. (The app iBreviary is an easy access to these prayers.) Admittedly, that’s not all they do, they have daily tasks to do, just like everyone else. They have the ability—I would say luxury—to spend more time than the average person in prayer. They also do private prayer, often praying for requested intentions. I imagine other than prescribed prayers, each nun prays as she finds meaningful. We do our best in prayer. Their life is theirs, unless you’re one of them, it is not your life. Most of us have more time on tasks (work, family, school, home) and less time for prayer. A parent with a couple of young children or a person with a full-time job may not have the ability to pray in the way the nuns do, and that’s ok. Still, we all have the ability to find some time for prayer each day, no one is that busy,

When you have trouble knowing what to say in prayer, just say what you can and know that God knows what we need and for what we should ask, even if we don’t. As St. Paul writes to the Romans:

In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. (8:26)

It is not selfish to pray especially for some people, it is not that they are more deserving of God’s help, but they are more important to us. The “especially” prayer is asking for something for everyone but remembering the intentions important to us. I often say that sometimes we need to pray not so that God hears us, but that we hear ourselves. We need to know we are praying for those close to us because it expresses our relationship with them. Again, even if we pray wrongly, which is hard to do, (unless asking for evil on someone or asking God that my team wins—the outcome of a sporting event has little to do with the salvation of ourselves or others), God knows what we truly need.

The bottom line is: pray and let God sort it out!

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

So Many Feasts, So Few Sundays!

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 17:34:55 GMT

“ Hence the Lord's day is the original feast day, and it should be proposed to the piety of the faithful and taught to them so that it may become in fact a day of joy and of freedom from work. Other celebrations, unless they be truly of greatest importance, shall not have precedence over the Sunday which is the foundation and kernel of the whole liturgical year.” – Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy

Dear Parishioners:

It is hard to believe that we are in the last weeks of the Liturgical Year. There are thirty-four Sundays in Ordinary Time, and this week is the thirty-first (wasn’t the 16th Sunday two weeks ago?!)…well, it would have been the thirty-first if The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed , aka “ All Souls’ Day ” did not happen on a Sunday this year. This celebration is important enough in the Church calendar, that when it falls on a Sunday, it is celebrated in place of the Sunday of Ordinary Time. We only have to wait a week for this to happen again; next week The Dedication of the Cathedral of St. John the Lateran in Rome, which is celebrated on November 9 ^th , and it supplants the Sunday of Ordinary Time.

2025 had a number of feasts and solemnities that were celebrated on Sunday: The Presentation of the Lord (February 2 ^nd ), Saints Peter and Paul (June 29 ^th ), The Exultation of the Cross (September 14 ^th ), The C ommemoration of the Faithful Departed (November 2 ^nd ), The Dedication of the St. John the Lateran (November 6 ^th ); and the Church year always closes with The Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe taking the place of the 34 ^th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The Church Calendar of 2025 had what I believe is the most possible celebrations of other feasts and solemnities on Sundays. It is good that not just the daily Mass goers get to experience these celebrations; these show the depth and variety of celebrations in our Church year.

Speaking of replacements, with Julia Rutkowski departing this week, I am looking for someone or some ones—it can be a group of people—to take the lead on coordinating the kitchen hall when there are events like luncheons after a funeral. The task includes keeping track of the paper and plastic items that are used, alerting the staff to cleaning and other issues that need to be addressed. This is an important, but not greatly time-consuming, probably averaging a few hours a month. If you have an interest in helping in this way, please contact the parish office.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

Thank You, Julia

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 11:17:56 GMT

“ Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.”—Semisonic

Dear Parishioners:

Julia Rutkowski , our Business and Operations Manager, has taken a position at another parish. Julia will still be with us into the first week of November.

Since Julia came to Holy Spirit in April of 2022, she has done a great deal of good work in updating the parish facilities and shoring up the parish finances. She leaves the parish grounds and buildings and books in a much better condition than she found them. She has also found some cost-cutting opportunities for the parish. We are thankful for the work she has done for Holy Spirit.

Finding a new business manager is now a priority for me. I have discussed the position with the Holy Spirit Finance Council and published it on the Diocese of Cleveland jobs available website. Some of Julia’s previous tasks for the care of property are the role of Tony Smith, the Holy Spirit’s and St. Joseph's Multi-Campus Facilities Director. Still, our upcoming renovations and the diocese’s capital campaign, it makes sense that the job is a full-time position. We look forward to having someone in our finance office soon.

But now, we say thank you, God bless, and Godspeed to Julia as her service to Holy Spirit comes to an end and she begins new service to the Church elsewhere. Any notes or other expressions of appreciations for Julia can be dropped off at the office.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler

Pastor

Celebrating Priesthood Sunday and Our Seminarians

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 14:22:07 GMT

“ The priest is not and must not be a civil servant of the Church. Above all the priest is a man who lives for the spirit for God. This being the case the Seminary is the place where he learns 'to be with Him.’”—Pope St. John Paul II

Dear Parishioners:

Next Sunday, we celebrate Priesthood Sunday. As has been the custom here at Holy Spirit, we will be inviting a seminarian to speak at our Masses. We welcome Brent Feorene . Brent is a student at Borromeo Seminary, the college-level seminary of the Diocese of Cleveland with St. Mary Seminary being the graduate-level seminary. Brent is from our neighboring parish, St. Ladislas in Westlake. Last year he was one of the first seminarians to experience the propaedeutic year, a year of prayer that includes a casual walk though Spain as the Propadudes (as they have come to be known) walked the Camino de Santiago, a 550-mile pilgrimage.

As challenging as that is, the road to the priesthood is no less challenging. The seminary is not just about education like most college and universities. What makes it different is the seminary is about formation. Pope St. John Paul II in his Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis identified four “pillars” of seminary formation:

Intellectual Formation : Coming to know the mysteries of the Faith so as the be effective in ministry, especially in preaching.

Spiritual Formation : Preparing a man for a deeper relationship with Jesus and to enter into the life of the Trinity as to live a life of sacrificial love.

Human Formation : Growing in integrity, maturity, empathy, and other human virtues.

Pastoral Formation : Forming men to be ordained leaders in the Church. This is ultimately the integration of all the pillars of formation.

The process can take almost a decade of formation. (I, myself, spent nine years in the seminary from starting as a Borromeo freshman forty years ago [1985] to ordination thirty-one years ago [1994]. Please pray for our seminarians as they travel the long, at times not easy, but at other times joyful and fun, path to the priesthood.

You can see this school year’s Cleveland Seminarians on the boards in the narthex. We also have some smaller versions of the posters and holy cards that you can take to remind to pray for these men.

The Meaning of Liturgy

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

“Liturgy” comes from the Greek word leitourgos, meaning “the work of the people.” It is a work that is carried out by the whole assembly, each according to his or her function. The Catechism tells us, “Liturgy is an ‘action’ of the whole Christ (Christus totus) (CCC 1136).” The Liturgy is a work that we all do, in which we all have a part. My hope is that in the next year we are all able to do our parts better.

The Liturgy Documents

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

As we begin to look at the liturgy, we first need to understand from where the guidelines and principles of liturgy come. These are some sources which I will be making reference to in the weeks and the months ahead.

A key document is Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (SC) . This is one of the constitutions of the Second Vatican Council and was promulgated (made known to people) by Pope Paul VI on December 4, 1963. This was the first of the documents of the Second Vatican Council. In this document, the council fathers expressed the Church’s understanding of the nature and purpose of the liturgy and the broad outlines of what should and should not be done.

Because this document was so broad, there needed to be specific instructions and laws made to make the vision of Sacrosanctum Concilium into a lived reality. One of these is my dear friend, The Code of Canon Law . The code was promulgated on January 25, 1983, and went into effect on November 27, 1983, the first Sunday of Advent.

Canon 2 of the Code of Canon Law states:

For the most part the Code does not define the rites which must be observed in celebrating liturgical actions. Therefore, liturgical laws in force until now retain their force unless one of them is contrary to the canons of the Code.

The code does lay out some of the general rules for the celebration of the liturgy, but does not spell out the specifics.

Many of the specifics are in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal , known as “The GIRM”— (pronounced like “germ,” be it virus, bacterium, or wheat). This, of course has led to arguments over the celebration of the liturgy on occasion being called “GIRM warfare.” The GIRM gives guidelines and specific instructions as to what is to be done at liturgy.

The liturgical books themselves have instruction for the celebration called “ rubrics .” A rubric is a word or section of text that is written or printed in red ink for emphasis. The word derives from the Latin rubrica, meaning red ochre or red chalk. The rubrics tell what is to be done. The words in black are what is to be said, thus the adage (which I have on a coaster—a gift from friends—on my desk) “Say the Black. Do the red.”

Sorry about this being a rather dry column, but it is necessary to get some of the ground work in place so that we can look at the liturgy and how it is lived at Holy Spirit Parish and by doing so, offer our praise to God.

The Rules for Liturgy

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

Rules are not very popular. I recently did a search on quotes about rules and most of them were about how rules need to be broken. This is not the case for the liturgy. The rules for liturgy need to be followed. Is this because the liturgy descended from heaven on golden tablets that one needs special glasses to read? No, though some people treat certain periods in liturgical history as if this were the case. (I have seen pictures of the Last Supper with the apostles kneeling before Jesus as He places the Eucharist on their tongues!)

The liturgy belongs to the Church. Sacrosanctum Concilium number 22 reminds us,

1. Regulation of the sacred liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church, that is, on the Apostolic See and, as laws may determine, on the bishop.

2. In virtue of power conceded by the law, the regulation of the liturgy within certain defined limits belongs also to various kinds of competent territorial bodies of bishops legitimately established.

In short, the Holy See, the Bishops conference and the bishop in his diocese are the regulators of the liturgy. This is not the role of a priest, or a group of people or a particular parish. Thus, Sacrosanctum Concilium 22 continues,

3. Therefore, no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.

This is not a power trip by the Church authorities but guarantees the rights of the faithful. The Code of Canon Law tells us of the rights of the faithful (both clergy and laity):

Can. 213. —The Christian faithful have the right to receive assistance from the sacred pastors out of the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the word of God and the sacraments.
Can. 214.—The Christian faithful have the right to worship God according to the prescripts of their own rite approved by the legitimate pastors of the Church and to follow their own form of spiritual life so long as it is consonant with the doctrine of the Church.

The people have a right to the liturgy celebrated as the Church says. Without the rules, people’s rights could be violated. For a priest to change things on his own is the ultimate form of clericalism—what person in the pews has the ability to do that?

Sometimes we have to admit that there are things that are bigger than we are. More on this in the future.

The Nature of Ritual

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

When we gather for liturgy, there are certain things we do, certain things we say, like, “The Lord be with you.” To which we respond, “And with your spirit.” The comedian John Mullany has a bit where he talks about going to Christmas Eve Mass for the first time since the new translation of the Mass occurred, and how he was lost and out of sync with everyone else. He still said, “And also with you,” in response to the greeting, “The Lord be with you.” When we do things in a particular, consistent, and familiar way in liturgy, what we are doing is ritual .

Ritual is described as a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, and objects, performed according to set sequence. What we do at Mass is a ritual; there are actions that we do that are ingrained in us (Did you ever genuflect at the end of a row in a theater?). Ritual is as comfortable as a well-worn glove. It fits. It works.

We can think of ritual like a game. It is said that we don’t so much play a game, as the game plays us. It prescribes our actions. You can’t decide while playing football that you are allowed to run out of bounds and then back in again. The rules tell you that you can’t do that—no matter how much you want to do it or think you should be able to do it.

That is why we have rules for how the liturgy is celebrated and those rules are not to be tampered with, even by the priest. If at the preface of the Mass, the priest said, “Praise God with your life,” instead of “Lift up your hearts,” there would be some silence, some mumbles, and not a few, “We lift them up to the Lords.”

The words and rubrics of the liturgy keep us all on the same page. Rules help us to settle into the ritual. We know what to expect. We know what to do. We know what to say. The rules of liturgy are not constraining, but actually free us to go with the flow and the familiar. When we don’t have to think about what is going on, we can enter into prayer, free from distractions.

The Encountering of Jesus's Presence in the Mass

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

When we come to Mass, we come to encounter the crucified and risen Jesus, He who will come again. We are told that He is present in the liturgy: in the priest; the Sacraments; Word of God, the scriptures, and in the people of God assembled.

Jesus is present in the priest. This is true, not because the priest is a perfect person—one need only read the news to know this is true; I need only look into the mirror to know this is true. The priest has been configured by sacred ordination to stand, in a common theological expression, in personae Christi capitis (in the person of Christ, the Head). This means that the priest stands in the place of Christ in the liturgical celebration. Note that this is the only context. The priest does not walk down the street or watch TV in the place of Christ (this is where some priests can go off the rails.) In liturgy, the priest acts as the celebrant in the place of Christ in such a way that the priest speaks the words of Christ in the first person— “this is my body”; “this is my blood”; “I absolve you.” Because of this understanding, the Church long ago solved the problem of unworthy priests celebrating the sacraments. The Sacraments work even through priests in sin because it is Christ who acts in the priest and not the priest acting on his own.

Jesus is present in the Scriptures. The scriptures are the inspired Word of God. Jesus is the incarnate Word of God. The scriptures make Him present to us. Not just the Gospels, the whole of the inspired scriptures that we hear at Mass are places that we meet Jesus.

Jesus is present in the Sacraments; He is present when a sacrament is celebrated. He forgives in reconciliation. He joins in marriage. He ordains a priest. He baptizes. He is present in a special way in the Body and Blood of Christ under the form of bread and wine. While in the other sacraments, Christ is there as the sacrament is celebrated, He does not remain in the same way that He does in the Eucharist. After the other sacraments, He may remain in grace, or in effect. In the Eucharist He remains in an abiding real way (not just symbolically!) in the Eucharist.

Jesus is present in the Church gathered. The Church is the People of God, the clergy and laity together (I have seen much that speaks of the People of God as if the pope, bishops, priests, and deacons were not a part—People of God as a counter party to the clergy. This is incorrect, all make up the people of God). He is present when two or three are gathered. This is more clearly seen when the Church gathers for liturgy, especially when the Church in a diocese gathers with their bishop or when a parish gathers with their priest to celebrate the Mass.

The Mass is our time to encounter Christ in a particular way. Think of it in terms of your relationship with your friends or family members. Letters, emails, texts, and phone calls are one way of interacting with them, but that pales in comparison to being with them. So we can relate to Jesus in many ways—especially prayer, but it is in liturgy that we meet Him in person.

The Mass and Full, Conscious, Active Participation

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

FULL, CONSCIOUS, ACTIVE PARTICIPATION! This was the rallying cry of the reform of the liturgy at the Second Vatican Council.

Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that fully conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy. Such participation by the Christian people as "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people” (1 Pet. 2:9; cf. 2:4-5), is their right and duty by reason of their baptism (Sacrosanctum Concilium 14).

It is not surprising given what was going on in some churches at Mass at the time: the priest doing his thing (Mass), the people doing their thing (reading their missals, praying the rosary, etc.). The goal was to get the people involved in what was going on at Mass.

However, full, active, conscious participation was never intended to mean everybody must have a candle to hold or a streamer to wave. Pope Benedict observes,

But what does this active participation come down to? What does it mean that we have to do? Unfortunately, the word was very quickly misunderstood to mean something external, entailing a need for general activity, as if as many people as possible, as often as possible, should be visibly engaged in action. (The Spirit of the Liturgy, 171).

Sacrosanctum Concilium goes on to say,

To promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs, as well as by actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes. And at the proper times all should observe a reverent silence (SC 30).

Yes, even silence can be participation. Participation is not being a bump on the log at Mass. As Pope Saint John Paul II said,

Active participation certainly means that, in gesture, word, song and service, all the members of the community take part in an act of worship, which is anything but inert or passive. Yet active participation does not preclude the active passivity of silence, stillness and listening: indeed, it demands it. Worshippers are not passive, for instance, when listening to the readings or the homily, or following the prayers of the celebrant, and the chants and music of the liturgy. These are experiences of silence and stillness, but they are in their own way profoundly active. In a culture which neither favors nor fosters meditative quiet, the art of interior listening is learned only with difficulty.

The key to understanding what full, active, conscious participation is about is shown in Sacrosanctum Concilium:

But in order that the liturgy may be able to produce its full effects, it is necessary that the faithful come to it with proper dispositions, that their minds should be attuned to their voices, and that they should cooperate with divine grace lest they receive it in vain (SC 28).

The point is not that everyone does something in the liturgy, the point is that the liturgy does something in everyone. The liturgy should take root in us; nourish us; change us; draw us closer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and embolden us for proclaiming the Kingdom of God. This happens only when we fully, actively, and consciously enter into what is going on at Mass; when we enter into the singing, the responding; when we are listening to prayers, scripture, and homily; when we stand, sit, and kneel not out of habit, but knowing why these postures matter.

This is the reason that I have taken this year for a study of the liturgy. It is my hope that the more we know the whats and whys of what we do the more we can enter into full, active, conscious participation in the liturgy and the liturgy may truly sink into us.

The Parts of the Mass

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The Mass is seen as having two parts: The Liturgy of the Word and The Liturgy of the Eucharist . But it must be remembered that these are so closely interconnected that they form but one single act of worship.

The Liturgy of the Word is made up of the First Reading, Responsorial Psalm, Second Reading, Gospel Acclamation, Gospel, Homily, Profession of Faith (on Sundays, solemnities), and the Universal Prayer. The Liturgy of the Word, up to the Creed, was once known as “The Liturgy of the Catechumens,” because this was the only part of the Mass in which those who were not baptized members of the Church were able to participate. We still see this in the dismissal of our OCIA participants after the homily.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist is made up of the Presentation of the Gifts and Preparation of the Altar, Prayer over the Offerings, Eucharistic Prayer (including the Preface, Holy, Holy, Holy, Mystery of Faith, and ending with the doxology), The Lord's Prayer, Sign of Peace, Lamb of God, the reception of Communion, and ends with the Prayer after Communion.

You may notice that a few things are missing. Where is the Penitential Rite? the Gloria? the Dismissal?

Before the Liturgy of the word begins, there are the Introductory Rites , consisting of the Entrance, Greeting, Penitential Act, Glory to God, and the Collect (colloquially known as “the opening prayer”).

At the end of the Mass, after the Liturgy of the Eucharist, there are the Concluding Rites , consisting of the (optional) announcements, Greeting and Blessing, and Dismissal.

The Mass as Sacrifice

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

We must always remember that when we are coming to Mass, it is not just a social gathering or a club meeting, we are there for a purpose—to encounter Jesus. Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Vatican II decree on the sacred liturgy points out:

Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister, "the same now offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross but especially under the Eucharistic species. By His power He is present in the sacraments, so that when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes He is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church. He is present, lastly, when the Church prays and sings, for He promised: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20).

This offers us some food for thought. Firstly in pointing out that the Mass is a sacrifice. It is not just a sacrifice, but it is the sacrifice, the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. Sacrosanctum Concilium states:

At the Last Supper, on the night when He was betrayed, our Savior instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

This is not to say that we crucify Jesus each time we celebrate the Mass, rather we join in with the one, timeless, eternal sacrifice of the Cross. The Cross was not the end of the story. “We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection, until you come again.” In the Mass we celebrate the paschal Mystery, the life, death, resurrection, and coming again of Jesus, the Christ. We join now in the banquet of the Lord on earth until we join in the eternal banquet of the Lamb in heaven.

The Introductory Rites

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

When considering the Introductory Rites —the Entrance, Greeting, Penitential Act, Glory to God, and the Collect—I like to think of the garage.

The garage is part of the house’s architecture but often looks like an add-on. The garage is a part of the house, but it isn’t the place where you live or call home. It’s the usual way you enter the house, though sometimes you go in through a different door.

The two main parts of the Mass are the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist . The Introductory Rites are not equal in weight to those two main parts, but they are still a part of the Mass. Missing them means missing some of the Mass. (To switch metaphors for a moment: they are not like the trailers for upcoming movies that you don’t mind missing before the “real” movie begins. They are more like the opening scene and credits of the movie you came to see. You do miss something if you miss them.)

The Introductory Rites are preparation for what is to come. I like the description given by Msgr. Joseph DeGrocco in A Pastoral Commentary on the General Instruction of the Roman Missal:

The nature of all these elements is that of beginning, introduction, and preparation. Their purpose is to gather the faithful together and to establish a sense of unity and communion. As the faithful have come from their individual homes and lives, each person with his or her cares and concerns, and each with the prayers and intentions he or she brings to the celebration of the Mass, these rites strive to create a sense of gathering as one. In this way, the faithful will be prepared to listen to the Word of God fruitfully and to celebrate the Eucharist. (32)

These rites are the usual way that the Mass begins, but there are some times when they are not celebrated—particularly when another rite takes place at the beginning of Mass.

Many of us are familiar with funerals. At the start of a funeral Mass, the body is greeted, sprinkled with holy water, and the white pall is placed on it. The next thing is the Collect —the prayer following, “Let us pray.” The Greeting, Penitential Act, and Glory to God are omitted.

There are other times this happens. One is Palm Sunday , when palms are blessed at the beginning of Mass. On that day, too, the Introductory Rites are omitted.

The Sacred Space

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The first of the Introductory Rites is the Entrance .

This leads to the question: Entrance into what? One answer is that it is the entrance into the Mass. But let’s take a step back. Let’s think about entering into the church , the space for worship itself.

The church is a sacred space . The Code of Canon Law tells us:

Sacred places are those which are designated for divine worship or for the burial of the faithful by a dedication or a blessing which the liturgical books prescribe for this purpose. (Can. 1205)

A church is a place set aside for divine worship and is dedicated or blessed (the word “sacred” means “set apart”) for special use. The church at Holy Spirit has been dedicated . This involves a rite done by the bishop that includes anointing the walls of the church with Chrism (a mix of oil and fragrance—the oil used at Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders) and the installation of the dedication candles —those candles around the outer wall that are lit on special occasions. The anniversary of the dedication is a special day of celebration for parishes. For Holy Spirit, that day is June 3 . Once a building is dedicated, it cannot be used for any other purpose. The Holy Family Chapel was merely blessed , not dedicated.

A church is a sacred space. It is set apart. We need to remember this—it is important! When we enter the church, we are entering a space that is set aside. The church should not be a place where it’s business as usual. It should be different.

How does this play out practically? The church is not the place for food and drink—unless required for medicine, or for little ones who truly cannot go without for an hour (which is rare). It is not the place for gum chewing . (I remind everyone of the Eucharistic Fast : no food—unless needed for medicine—and no drink except water for one hour before Communion.)

The church is not the place for our lounge —or beach —clothes. It is the place for our best clothing . (This is why I wear my best outfit, with cufflinks, at every Sunday Mass. Trust me, I appreciate casual clothes—you may see me around in jeans and a sweatshirt in winter, or shorts and a T-shirt in summer—but not at Mass!) While there are occasional exceptions, such as going directly to work from Mass, for 98% of us this is not the case. The church is not the place for cleats . Men do not wear hats inside.

The church is not the place to carry on our usual conversations before and after Mass; these can take place in the narthex . The church is a place set aside for worship . People who would like to pray in the church have a right to silence during their time with God.

It is definitely not the place to be talking on a cell phone —especially during Mass (yes, I’ve seen it!). Though many people use phones and tablets to follow the readings at Mass, one must resist the temptation for a quick look at email or Instagram. It is best to turn electronics off —give yourself a break from the usual. Be unconnected from the world and connected with God.

The church should always be a place “set aside” from our normal daily life. This should be seen as a gift to us—a place where we can escape with God .

The Entrance Chant

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The first act of the Mass is the Entrance Chant . Though we usually think of it as the “Opening Hymn,” the singing of a hymn is only one possible option. The Church envisions that Mass begins with an antiphon, sometimes called the Introit (Latin for “he enters,”) sung by the choir, the people, or the people and the choir together. This antiphon is often a psalm with a verse that is repeated, like we currently do with the responsorial psalm. If you have been to a weekday Mass that I celebrated in the Holy Family Chapel before we had a musician, you will have heard the use of the antiphon where the community gathered says it together. That being said, the practice in the United States of singing a hymn is a legitimate option—though it might be interesting to try, sometime in the (not immediate) future, one of the other options.

The chant is meant to draw us into what is beginning, but also to draw us together into a community. Individual voices, male and female; young and old; trained and untrained; good and mine; all join in the one song. This points out from the beginning of the Mass that Mass is by its nature communal. The Mass is not a private devotion. This is one reason we are asked to come to Church on Sunday for Mass. We can pray at home, but it is important, and one can say required, that we pray as a group. It is not just any group, it isn’t the Ladies’ Guild, or the Knights of Columbus, or the Kiwanis, but it is a grouping of the Church. When the Church gathers, it gathers as the Body of Christ, one body made of many parts. It is the one Christ offering His Sacrifice to the Father in the power of the Spirit.

What this should say to us is that Mass is not “my time with God.” It isn’t primarily time for personal devotion (though there are a few moments for that). Mass is the time for communal devotion. We are called to enter into the prayers, the responses, and the singing—right from the very beginning of the Mass!

The Vestments

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The Ministers at Mass do not just wander randomly into their places and then Mass starts. While the Entrance Chant is being sung, there is a procession of the ministers through the church and into the sanctuary. Please note the terminology: the church is the building; the sanctuary is the place in the church where most of the activities of the Mass take place; the altar is the table in the sanctuary where the Sacrifice of the Mass is offered. These terms are not interchangeable. People often ask if they are to be in the sanctuary, “Do you want me on the altar.” I often reply, “No, you’ll kick over the chalice.” (You see why I don’t get invited to parties.)

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal instructs regarding the procession:

When the people are gathered, the Priest and ministers, wearing the sacred vestments, go in procession to the altar in this order:
a) the thurifer carrying a smoking thurible, if incense is being used;
b) ministers who carry lighted candles, and between them an acolyte or other minister with the cross;
c) the acolytes and the other ministers;
d) a reader, who may carry a Book of the Gospels (though not a Lectionary), slightly elevated;
e) the Priest who is to celebrate the Mass. (n. 120)

The first line tells us that the priest and the ministers are “wearing the sacred vestments.” Vestments are not just fancy clothing for the sake of fancy clothing. The Priest is told that the vestments should cover his “street clothes.” This is not just a silly stipulation. The vestments are another sign that the priest and deacon are not just their usual selves at Mass. The priest wears clothes that he doesn’t wear anywhere else to show that his roles at Mass is different than when you see him in his office or at the store. The priest is acting in persona Christi, meaning that he is in the place of Christ at the Mass. He is the one acting in the place of Christ, offering the act of the Mass to God the Father.

The vestments the priest wears:

The alb (from the Latin for white, albus--without the Dumbledore!) is the long white garment that is the clothing of all the baptized, not just the priest.

As mentioned earlier, if the alb does not cover the priest’s street clothes at the neck, an amice is used. This is a rectangular cloth with cloth cords that wraps around the priest’s neck and ties off in the front.

The alb may be tied off with a cincture , a cord that wraps around the waist. (I think that since being ordained a deacon, I have only not worn the cincture about 5 times, and that was only because I forgot mine and one could not be found).

The priest then puts on the stole, the cloth band that hangs around his neck. This is a sign of his priestly authority, so it is also worn for things like confessions, baptisms, blessings, etc. This is worn with the ends hanging down in front of him.

The chasuble (from casula Latin for “little house”) it the poncho-like vestment that the priest wears over the rest of the vestments. This vestment is used only at Mass.

The deacon wears the vestments except he wears the stole over his left shoulder and crossing over his chest and tied off at the right side. The deacon also wears, in place of the chasuble, the dalmatic , a more square-cut vestment with sleeves.

Bonus material : Over the years, the vestments have also taken on symbolic meanings, as reflected in the optional prayers (below in italics) to be said while vesting.

The amice represents the helmet of salvation and a sign of resistance against temptation (note: the priest usually kisses it and passes it over his head before putting it across his shoulders and tying it around the waist.) Place, O Lord, on my head the helmet of salvation, that I may overcome the assaults of the devil.

The alb , signifies perfect integrity. Purify me, O Lord, from all stain and cleanse my heart, that, washed in the Blood of the Lamb, I may enjoy eternal delights.

The cincture symbolizes the virtue of purity. Gird me, O Lord, with the cincture of purity, and quench in my heart the fire of concupiscence, that the virtue of continence and chastity may remain in me.

The stole is a symbol of immortality and the sign of the dignity of the ministerial priesthood. Restore to me, O Lord, the state of immortality which was lost to me by my first parents, and, although unworthy to approach your sacred mysteries, grant me, nevertheless, eternal joy.

The chasuble is the emblem of charity which makes the yoke of Christ light and agreeable. O Lord, you said, “My yoke is sweet and my burden light,” grant that I may carry it so as to obtain your grace. Amen.

The Colors of the Liturgy

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

Purple , or violet , is the color of penance, preparation, and sacrifice. This is the color worn during Advent and Lent, penitential seasons preparing us for great feasts (yes, Advent is still considered a penitential season but isn’t taken to the degree that Lent is). This is why I wear purple on All Souls’ Day; it indicates the penance and preparation that is Purgatory (the souls for whom we pray on that day) leading to the feast of Heaven. I think it parallels the idea of Lent and Easter. I also wear purple for funerals because I don’t think white vestments reflect well the celebration taking place. There is sorrow, not joy, at the death of a loved one. This sorrow is still filled with hope, which is why I don’t like using black vestments for funerals, either. Purple expresses the mix of sorrow and hope. A purple stole is worn by the priest in the sacrament of penance.

Rose vestments are worn (rose—not pink—“Jesus rose from the dead, He didn’t pink from the dead!” as the popular adage goes. The rose vestments are a sign of rejoicing even in the midst of penance). Rose vestments are worn on the 3 ^rd Sunday of Advent and the 4 ^th Sunday of Lent, about the midway point of both seasons.

Red is the color of the Passion (cf., blood), of martyrs (same bloody reason), and of the Holy Spirit (calling to mind fire). Red is used on days that those things are celebrated, e.g., Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Pentecost, Confirmation, feast days of martyrs.

Green is the color of hope and life. It is used for Sundays in Ordinary Time that are not other feast days and weekdays in Ordinary Time when there is no other feast day. These weekdays in Ordinary Time are sometimes called “ferias” for ferial days.

White is the color of joy and purity. It used for the Easter Season, the Christmas Season, Feasts of the Lord—other than His Passion, Mary, saints who are not martyrs, and other joyous occasions.

Gold or Silver vestments may be used for great celebrations or solemnities to replace green, red, or white.

Black vestments, representing death and mourning, can be worn on All Soul’s day and for funerals. I do not wear black vestments as a general rule. I think other colors—especially purple—better represent what is being celebrated at those Masses.

Blue is not a Latin Catholic liturgical color in and of itself (except for a few places in Spain that have special permission to use it). It can be used as decoration on another color but is not to be the main color of vestments. There was a push a couple of decades ago for blue vestments in Advent. The argument was that it causes us to reflect on Mary in the Advent season. The use of blue vestments is not permitted, so the trend became to use the bluer shades of purple during Advent (for Mary) and the redder shades in lent (for Jesus’ blood). I tend to do this. However, in Rome they do the opposite; the bluer are seen as more somber and are used in Lent while the redder shades are seen as more festive and are used in Advent.

The Sign of the Cross and the Greeting

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The first action of the assembled community once the priest reaches the chair is the Sign of the Cross . Note that this is not the first action of the Mass nor is it the “start” of the Mass. The Mass begins with the opening chant and procession, though it can be argued that it begins when the community assembles.

The Sign of the Cross is one of the oldest of the Church’s prayers and probably the first prayer many of us learned. We often see the little ones making the sign like their parents, even if they don’t have the foggiest idea as to what words go with the gesture.

Signing ourselves with the Cross expresses many things. It can be a reminder of Baptism—especially when we do it with Holy Water; it can remind us that we are to take up the Cross each day and follow Jesus. It is an appropriate gesture near the start of the Mass because it reminds us of the Cross, the Sacrifice of Jesus that we are celebrating in the Mass. It also is done, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The recognition of God as a Trinity, Three Persons, One God, is the central and most distinctive doctrine of Christian Faith.

Bishop Barron in his series on the Mass spoke of the Cross as the brand on Christians, like a brand on cattle that claims us as belonging to Christ. I noted that the more common meaning these days is the promotion of a particular product or company by means of advertising and distinctive design. The Cross is our brand; we advertise Christ and our Faith every time we make it. This is the free advertising we get each time a slugger steps up to the plate and makes the sign of the Cross.

The Sign of the Cross sets the Trinitarian template for the prayers of the Mass and the Mass itself. The Mass, like all Christian prayer, if offered to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. More on this when we get to the opening prayer.

Next comes the Greeting. The priest greets the people with one of the following:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord be with you.

For what it’s worth, from the time I was ordained I have always used, “The Lord be with you.” For one, it was always easy to remember and also, since the same thing is said at the end of Mass, it appeals to my sense of symmetry. (If I owned a burial ground, there would have to be a burial on the left side each time there was a burial on the right, and vise-versa; I would call it a “symmetery.”)

This greeting is not a hope or desire, it a statement of fact. God is with the gathered assembly.

The people respond, “And with your spirit.” This is not the usual greeting exchanged by people when they meet each other. It shouldn’t be. It has a particular context in worship and prayer. It is not a personal address to the priest as his own person; it is an address to the priesthood of Jesus Christ that he has from ordination that is being acknowledged and called out so he will preside at the liturgy taking place. That is why, “And with your Spirit,” is a better translation than, “And also with you,” that was used. The latter seemed to be a personal greeting to the person who is a priest, and led to the risible response of, “Thank you,” from the priest. The old words made the language so pedestrian that a pedestrian response just seemed appropriate.

The Procession

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The procession approaches the sanctuary and the ministers make a sign of reverence (a genuflection to the tabernacle or a bow to the altar, if the tabernacle is not in the sanctuary).

The altar is the table in the sanctuary where the consecration takes place. The altar is a symbol for Christ. This is why the priest and the deacon kiss the altar at the beginning of Mass. The altar can be fixed, where it is secured to the floor, or movable. Our altar in the Church is fixed, the one in the chapel is movable. The ideal is that at least the flat top of the altar be stone, but other “noble and solid material suited to liturgical use” (GIRM 301) may be used.

The altar is consecrated for use (though a movable one can be only blessed), usually by the Bishop, but he can delegate the dedication to a priest. In the Rite of the Dedication of an Altar, the altar is anointed with Chrism and burning incense is placed on the altar to symbolize the prayers offered at the altar. (It is also reminiscent of the dedication of the altar in Exodus chapter 40).

It has been the custom of the church to place the relics of saints into an altar. This harkens back to the earliest days of the Church when the Church gathered over the tombs of the martyrs to celebrate the Mass. The GIRM warns, “However, care should be taken to ensure the authenticity of such relics.” I guess my feather from the wing of St. Michael is out.

The altar is to be covered with a white cloth—at least on top; additional other colors may be used, but the top cloth is always white. Candlesticks are to be placed on or around the altar. This is another of those places where the practical has become liturgical; in days past, candles would have been needed for light, but now have a special relationship to the altar, which symbolizes Christ the Light. There is to be a crucifix on or near the altar.

Flowers may be placed around—not on—the altar. There are to be no flowers during Lent, except for the 4 ^th Sunday (Laetare Sunday). There should be a difference between the decorations of Advent and those of Christmas (I can’t say I’ve seen a church where this has gotten confused!) Even for Christmas and Easter, moderation is called for. If you can’t see the altar because of the flowers, something isn’t right.

The one carrying the Book of the Gospels--the deacon if present, a reader if the deacon is not--places the Book of the Gospels on the altar. The priest and the deacon venerate the altar with a kiss.

The altar may be incensed. The priest adds incense to the thurible , aka censor , blesses it silently and then walks around the altar, returning the thurible to the deacon, who gives it to the server. (There will be more on incense and its use in a future column).

After that, the priest goes to the presider’s chair , which signifies the Priest Celebrant’s function of presiding over the gathering and of directing the prayer (there is only one presider, even if several priests are con-celebrating). Because of the Presider’s role, his chair is not to be one-among-others in the congregation, as has been mistakenly done in some places; his chair is to be prominent and visible in the place from which he leads the liturgy.

The Penitential Rite

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

After the greeting, comes the Penitential Rite . The Rite is introduced by the priest with the words,

Brethren [brothers and sisters], let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

We often wash our hands or use sanitizer before beginning a task like cooking or when finishing a task like gardening. It marks an end of one thing and a start of another. We can think of the Penitential Rite as a way of cleansing to mark our movement from the work of our lives into the work of God.

It must be remembered that the Penitential Rite is not the same as going to confession. If one is aware of serious/mortal sin, one should be going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation as soon as possible; if at all possible before attending Mass the next Sunday. Serious sins are to be confessed in number and kind (i.e., what exact action did you do and how many times did you do it.)

As for venial sins, they can be forgiven in other ways. St. Thomas Aquinas gives an interesting list:

[T]here are many remedies against venial sins; for example, beating of the breast, sprinkling with holy water, extreme unction, and every sacramental anointing; a bishop’s blessing, blessed bread, general confession, compassion, the forgiveness of another’s faults, the Eucharist, the Lord’s Prayer, and other sorts of light penance.

But back on point, the Penitential Rite reminds us that we may all come from different places, professions, forms of families; we may gather as male and female; young and old; clergy and laity; but what we all have in common with 99.99+ of humanity (actually 100% minus 2, Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary being the exceptions ) is that we are sinners. We are all in need of God’s mercy, particularly as we approach so great a thing as the Mass.

There is then, appropriately, a moment of silence that allows us to do what is asked, viz., to call to mind our sins and acknowledge them. When we do that, we are even more aware of God’s great work in giving us His mercy.

The Forms of the Penitential Rite

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

There are four options for the Penitential Act (meaning by that a penitential action, not just acting penitent it should be something that is more than an act, but touches the depth of our persons). The options are called, creatively, as Forms A ., B. , and C. , and also the Rite for Blessing and Sprinkling of Water .

Form A is known as the Confiteor, from the Latin for the first words, “I confess.” The text for this is:

I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

This prayer expresses well the dual nature of sin. Sin is an offence against God and His Church, our brothers and sisters. Because we have sinned against our brothers and sisters, we tell them and not just God. We also ask for their prayers to God for us! It might be worth asking how often we pray for our brothers and sisters who have sinned. Asking Mary, the angels and saints reminds us that the Church is not just us gathered here, or even those on Earth, but the Church continues into eternity.

It is to be noted that we are instructed,

And, striking their breast, they say:
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;

There is debate about how many times one strikes one’s chest. The answer seems it can be done once or three times. A response from the Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship states, “It does not seem, therefore, that anyone has to strike his breast three times in pronouncing those words […]. It suffices that there be a striking of the breast.” Some have read this to say that three is not necessary, but it is permitted. I will not be policing this. One time or three times is ok, as long as you do it.

[So, ok, one of my friends told me that his older brother was just old enough to have experienced the Tridintine Mass, aka “The Latin Mass.” When the Confiteor was in Latin, the phrase for striking the breast was “mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.” My friend’s brother admitted to thinking everyone was saying, “Me a cowboy, me a cowboy, me a Mexican cowboy.”]

When the Confiteor is used, there follows the absolution (again, not the same as the absolution in the sacrament of Reconciliation):

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.

The Kyrie (pronounced keer-ee-ey, and not like the basketball player ki-ree!) follows. Sometime I hear people say how they like the Latin in the Mass, “like the Kyrie” — except it isn’t Latin, it is Greek. It harkens back to the earliest days of the Church when the liturgy, like the New Testament, and the common language—even in Rome—was in Greek. The text is (in Greek and English):

Kyrie eleison/Lord, have mercy

Christe eleison/Christ, have mercy

Kyrie eleison/ Lord, have mercy

This can be done by the priest or another minister than the priest, such as the cantor or choir.

Form B of the Penitential Act goes thusly:

The Priest: Have mercy on us, O Lord.

The people: For we have sinned against you.

The Priest: Show us, O Lord, your mercy.

The people: And grant us your salvation.

Then the absolution and the Kyrie follow.

Form C of the Penitential Act is where there are various invocations followed by Kyrie eleison/Lord, Have mercy or Christe eleison/Christ, Have mercy. This can be done by the priest, or the deacon, or another minister, such as the cantor.

I like Fr. J-Glenn Murray’s take on what is happening with the invocations.

The only people I think that understand the term [“Lord, Have mercy”] properly are some group of very old black women in a small town in South Carolina, Go to one woman and say “Miz Jones, you have just won 13.5 million dollars in the lottery.” Her response said in exultation and with hands raised would be to shout, “Lord, have mercy!”

These invocations are not about our sin, but are about the great things that God has done. So we say, for example, “You were sent to heal the contrite of heart” or “You are Son of God and son of Mary” and not, “Lord, we are sinners.”

Eight model versions are given in the English Roman Missal. As I read them, there are ones appropriate for each season of the year (but this may just be me reading into it):

(Advent)
Lord Jesus, you came to gather the nations into the peace of God’s kingdom: Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you come in word and sacrament to strengthen us in holiness: Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you will come in glory with salvation for your people: Lord, have mercy.

(Christmas)
Lord Jesus, you are mighty God and Prince of peace: Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are the Son of God and Son of Mary: Christ, have mercy: The people: Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are Word made flesh and splendor of the Father: Lord, have mercy

(Lent)
Lord Jesus, you came to reconcile us to one another and to the Father: Lord, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you heal the wounds of sin and division: Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you intercede for us with your Father: Lord, have mercy.

(Easter)
Lord Jesus, you raise the dead to life in the Spirit: Lord, have mercy
Lord Jesus, you bring pardon and peace to the sinner: Christ, have mercy:
Lord Jesus, you bring light to those in darkness: Lord, have mercy.

(Easter)
Lord Jesus, you raise us to new life: Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you forgive us our sins: Christ, have mercy
Lord Jesus, you feed us with your body and blood: Lord, have mercy.

(Ordinary Time)
Lord Jesus, you have shown us the way to the Father: Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you have given us the consolation of the truth: Christ, have mercy
Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd, leading us into everlasting life: Lord, have mercy.

(Ordinary Time)
Lord Jesus, you healed the sick: Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you forgave sinners: Christ, have mercy:
Lord Jesus, you gave yourself to heal us and bring us strength: Lord, have mercy

The Rite for Blessing and Sprinkling of Water may be used in place of the Penitential Act. This is not a renewal of the baptismal promises, which happens at Easter and Confirmation, but is a reminder of our baptism into Christ.

So, how do I choose which Penitential Act is used at Mass? I don’t do it randomly. For the most part, if a deacon is present on Sunday and —except during Lent and Advent—and most weekday Masses that are not Feasts or Solemnities, I use Form C, the invocation/Kyrie. I do so because this is one of the parts given to the deacon in the liturgy, and I like to give the deacon his due—even if he is doing the invocations and the cantor adds the Kyrie/Lord, have mercy. If I am without a deacon on a Sunday, or at weekday Feasts and Solemnities and at all Masses throughout Lent, I use Form A, the Confiteor. In Advent, I use Form B. I will use the Rite for Blessing and Sprinkling of Water on the Sunday in the Octave of Easter (to pair up with the renewal of baptismal promises and sprinkling on Easter), at Pentecost (so as to start the Easter Season, also so to finish), at Baptism of the Lord (do I have to explain?), and other days that may seem appropriate, such as at 1st Communion Mass to connect Baptism and Eucharist as Sacraments of Initiation.

The Gloria

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

At Sunday Masses—except during Advent and Lent—and at weekday Masses that are Feasts or Solemnities and at other “celebrations of a more solemn character” (weddings come to mind), after the Penitential Act comes the Gloria .

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal describes,

The Gloria in excelsis (Glory to God in the highest) is a most ancient and venerable hymn by which the Church, gathered in the Holy Spirit, glorifies and entreats God the Father and the Lamb (53).

The test of the Gloria is:

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you,
we bless you,
we adore you,
we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world,
receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

This text can be either sung or recited. At Holy Spirit, it is typically sung at Sunday Masses and recited at weekday Masses that call for its use.

The Introductory Rites seem to be a roller-coaster ride. We are deep into recalling and confessing our sins one moment the next we are praising God with the words of the angels to the shepherds on Christmas. The Gloria can remind us that no matter what we do or are, the greatness of God is bigger than we are. It is the herald that we are doing something great at Mass: the worship of our God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; One in Trinity, Trinity in One.

The Liturgy and Silence

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

After the Gloria, the priest says,

“Let us pray.”

The Roman Missal instructs,

And all pray in silence with the Priest for a moment.

This is one of several moments in the Mass where silence is instructed—we’ve already seen another after the invitation to acknowledge our sins in the Penitential Act. This should be taken seriously, there should be a moment—or two--of palpable silence, even to the point of making us feel uncomfortable.

It doesn’t take us long to be uncomfortable with silence. Our world is loud—tv, radio, computer games, the yak yak yak of people on phones; stores and restaurants have piped-in music. Noise has become such a constant that it is silence and not noise that jars us. What happens at Mass is meant to jar us. It lets us know that we are not in the world; we are not doing business as usual; we are doing something different. I heard it said once that the Mass is built on a cushion of silence. Silence is an essential and integral part of our liturgy.

The late Abbot Thomas Keating said,

“Silence is God’s first language. Everything else is a poor translation.”

It is in silence that God speaks clearest to us. He doesn’t have to compete to get to us: to our ears, our minds, our hearts, and our souls. Silence is important at Mass, but also in our lives. I believe that there is true friendship and intimacy when people can sit in a room with each other—and no screens--and not feel the need to say anything. We need to have that kind of friendship and intimacy with God. That is one of the joys of Eucharistic Adoration. The silent time with God. You have heard and will continue to hear from me the story about St. John Vianney who asked the man who came to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in the church what he was doing. The man replied, “I look at Him and He looks at me.” There is nothing better than quiet time with God. If you don’t have time to get to church, take some silent time at home to pray. Shut the world off and out. Meet God in silence. Let Him speak. Let Him be heard.

I very much recommend Cardinal Robert Sarah’s book, The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise. (This book is available for download on Formed.org, the on-line library of text and video resources for all ages that the parish is offering to you. If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a look!) It isn’t light reading, but it is very much worthwhile. It inspired me to get rid of my personal Facebook account, and I don’t miss it.

As we encounter the moments of silence in the Mass—enjoy it.

The Seasons of the Church

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The Advent Season begins the new Church year. This season is based on the four Sundays before Christmas. That means that the last week can be anything from a full week, when Christmas is on a Sunday to one day when it is on a Monday. Near the end of Advent is a period of proximate preparation for the Holy Day that begins on the 17 ^th of December.

The Christmas Season begins with the Vigil of Christmas and runs through the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which may fall on the Sunday following Epiphany or may fall the Monday right after. It all depends on which day of the week Christmas falls.

Ordinary Time is a season in two parts. The first part goes from the end of the Christmas Season until the start of Lent. The second goes from after Pentecost until the start of the Advent season in the new liturgical year. The season is called “Ordinary” not because it is, as the dictionary defines, of no special quality or interest; commonplace; unexceptional. It is called Ordinary because its Sundays are defined by ordinal numbers, e.g., 10th Week of Ordinary Time, 27th Week of Ordinary Time. There are 34 Sundays in Ordinary Time, though the 34 ^th is celebrated as Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

Lent lasts from Ash Wednesday until the Easter Vigil. We all know the song, “These 40 Days of Lent.” However, there are, in fact, 46 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter. This makes me say that the 6 Sundays are not counted as being part of Lent—it is the only way that we have 40 days of Lent. Still, I don’t like to see them considered as “breaks” from the Lent Season. I highly encourage people not to see it as a break from Lenten “give ups” and other practices; Lent should not be the time of looking for loopholes. The last week is known as Holy Week.

The Triduum . The days from the Mass of the Lords Supper on Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday) are known as the Triduum, the Three Days. You ask, “Isn’t that four days? Is four days really three days like God being One and Three?” No, this is not a mystery. These days are counted from evening to evening: Thursday to Friday, (1); Friday to Saturday, (2); Saturday to Sunday (3). While not a season in and of itself crosses the seasons of Lent and Easter, they are important days, the most important, the central days in the entire Church year.

 The Easter Season is the 50 days after Easter until Pentecost. There is something appropriate about there being 40 days of penance and preparation, but 50 days of feast and celebration. The Easter Octave is the first week of Easter from Easter Sunday to the Second Sunday of Easter. Note the terminology, Octave of Easter, not after Easter. It is the extension of the celebration of Easter Sunday over eight days. As I like to say, the tomb could not hold Christ, one day cannot hold our celebration of the resurrection!

The Collect

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

After the period of silence, the collect, a.k.a, The Opening Prayer, is prayed. [Note the pronunciation is closer to cah-lect, as compared to the verb to gather co-lect]. This prayer is sometimes seen as the prayer that collects together all the prayers for which we had been praying silently after the, “Let us pray.” In early liturgies, it was the first prayer of the Mass and literally collected the people together. Think about being at a gathering where people are mingling and talking, like a wedding reception; when prayer is announced, people get quiet and pay attention to the action and it is easier to keep the crowd settled from there.

Paul Turner in At The Supper of the Lamb: A Pastoral and Theological Commentary on the Mass observes [colors added],

A traditional Roman Collect is carefully constructed. It contains an invocation that names God, a phrase that amplifies who God is or what God has done, a petition that names the request, a purpose that expresses the goal of the request, a motive that clarifies the reasonableness of the request, and a concluding doxology [a liturgical formula of praise to God].

For example, the Collect for the 12 ^th Sunday of Ordinary Time:

Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

The collect reflects the Trinitarian nature of liturgical prayer: or prayer at liturgy is to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.

The Liturgy of the Word

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The Collect ends the Introductory Rites. We next move to The Liturgy of the Word, made up of the First Reading, Responsorial Psalm, Second Reading, Gospel Acclamation, Gospel, Homily, Profession of Faith (on Sundays & Solemnities), and the Universal Prayer. The Liturgy of the Word before the Creed was once known as “The Liturgy of the Catechumens,” because this was the only part of the Mass in which those who were not baptized members of the Church were able to participate. We still see this in the dismissal of our OCIA participants after the homily.

The Liturgy of the Word can been seen as a dialog, a series of proclamations and responses. Somebody once commented that the problem of people trying to communicate today is that they don’t listen to understand, they listen to respond; they listen for the break to say what they want to say. It is good for us to take a few pauses to take what was said before responding.

The Psalm is the community’s response to the reading from the Old Testament (possibly the New Testament on weekdays).

The Creed and Universal Prayer (a.k.a, the General Intercessions; the Prayers of the Faithful, the Petitions) are the community’s response to the readings and the homily that preceded them.

There are also several small exchanges that occur during the Liturgy of the Word, such as, “The Word of the Lord.”—“Thanks be to God.”

God is speaking to us in His Word, we need to listen. But as Christians, we then need to act on what we have heard. The Liturgy of the Word prepares us to act on what we have heard, first in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, then when we leave the doors of the Church and enter the doors of our homes, workplaces, and schools.

The Lectionary

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

All of the readings for a particular year are in The Lectionary (from the Latin for “reading”). This has the scripture divided into the reading for the particular celebration, be it a Sunday, a weekday, a saint’s day, or a special celebration.

The readings at Mass are divided into a 3-year cycle for the Sunday Readings, called, creatively, Year A, Year B, and Year C. The main difference is the Gospel writer that is primarily read during that Liturgical Year. In Year A , the Gospel of Mathew is read; in Year B, the Gospel of Mark; in Year C, the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of John is read in each of the years, primarily during the Easter Season, though the “Bread of life Discourse” is read in the midst of Year B, since Mark has less material than the other gospels.

For the weekdays it is a two-year cycle, Year I and Year II. During the weekdays of Ordinary Time, parts of all four Gospels are read through the year: Mark, then Matthew, and then Luke. John is read during the last weeks of Lent and through the Easter Season. In Advent and Lent, there is no one particular gospel read, the gospel varies. The first reading changes depending on the cycle, but the gospel reading stays the same each year. To offer an example: on Monday the 13 ^th Week of Ordinary Time, in both Year I and Year II, the Gospel is Matthew 8:18-21; in Year I the first reading is Genesis 18:16-33, in year II it is Amos 2:6-10, 13-16.

Though the entire bible is not read through the cycles (if you’ve ever tried to get through the Book of Numbers, you’ll know this isn’t a bad thing), the greater portion of it is read. This fact really deflates the claim that Catholics don’t read the bible.

The Readings

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The lector proclaims the first and second reading beginning with, “A reading from the Book of N.” Then he or she reads the text for the celebration and ends with, “The Word of the Lord.” The assembly replies, “Thanks be to God.”

In addition to being part of the proclamation/response of the Liturgy of the Word, this exchange is also important because it reminds us of what it is to which we are listening. It isn’t a play by Shakespeare, it isn’t Dante’s Divine Comedy (though I will quote this whenever I get a chance), it isn’t the script to the next Star Wars movie. While all those are worth reading and hearing (unless George Lucas is writing the movie), they are not Scripture. Our Scriptures are inspired texts, that is, their texts are inspired by the Holy Spirit. The way that we understand this is that the scriptures are the words of God in the words of humans. The Christian scriptures are not read from golden tablets using special glasses or dictated to the writer by an angel but are the writing of humans guided by God. Being such, Scriptures are one of the primary ways that God speaks to us. Because they are inspired texts, they are inerrant (free from error) …but only on the topic of faith and morals. Our scriptures are not history books or science books per se. They can speak on those things and often get them right, but if they don’t, it doesn’t negate what God is telling us about faith and morals.

Because they are in the word of humans, not any two will report it in the same way. Think of several people explaining what happened in a car crash, or think of Akira Kurosawa’s film Rashomon. That’s how we can have four Gospels telling the story of Jesus in different ways.

We are told that the scripture we heard was, “The Word of the Lord.” We say, “Thanks be to God.” To express our acknowledgment of the great thing God has done by speaking to us.

The First Reading

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The first reading at Sunday Mass is usually from the Old Testament, except during the Easter Season when it comes from the Acts of the Apostles. On Sundays, the reading has been chosen by the Church to match up in some way with the Gospel. For example, the first reading on one Sunday is from the Book of Deuteronomy and has Moses speaking about the book of the law. The Gospel is Jesus speaking about what is written in the law.

During Weekday Masses, the first reading can come from either the New Testament, except from the Gospels, so Acts, the Epistles, or Revelation, or from the Old Testament. During the weekdays, the readings do not match up with the Gospel. One biblical book is read through, then another.

There was a writer named Marcion, in the early years of the Church (c.144), who wanted to reject the Old Testament. Marcion believed that the wrathful Hebrew God of the Old Testament was a separate and lower entity than the all-forgiving God of the New Testament. The Church rejected this as heresy.

As Christians, we value the Old Testament. It is God speaking to us, though the view of Christians is that of the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews:

In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets (1:1)

God spoke in partial, fragmentary ways, but as Hebrews continues:

in these last days, He spoke to us through a Son (1:2)

As Christians, we see that the fullness of God’s speaking to us is He is the Word incarnate, the fullness of the Revelation of God.

The Old Testament predicts the coming of Jesus. It prepares us for the coming of Jesus. It lays ground work for the coming of Jesus. A Christian can’t help but read the psalms and the prophets and the rest of the Old Testament in the light of Jesus, the One who has come into the world. For the Christian, Jesus is the fulfillment of the work of God in the Old Testament.

To listen to only the New Testament without knowing the Old Testament would be like reading or watching the Return of the King without knowing The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers; it could be a good thing, but there is much that would leave one going, “What’s happening?” “Who are these people?” “Why does that matter?” Reading the Old Testament helps give a more complete picture and helps give a full understanding of the story so far.

The Psalm

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After the first reading on Sundays and weekdays comes the Responsorial Psalm . Though named, “responsorial psalm,” it can be one of the 150 psalms from the biblical Book of Psalms or a canticle (from the Latin for “song”) from elsewhere in the scriptures, such as the song of the youths in the furnace in Daniel:

Blessed are You, O Lord, the God of our ancestors, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; and blessed is Your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages. Blessed are You in the temple of Your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever. Blessed are You on the throne of Your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever, etc.

Psalms are songs. In the Bible many of them have descriptions as to which instruments are to accompany the psalm. Songs are meant to be sung. The preference is that the psalms are sung at Mass. They are also scripture. The Word of God, so it is appropriate that they are sung from the same place that the scriptures are proclaimed, the ambo. As of now this is not the practice here at Hold Spirit but is one of the tweaks that we will work on in the future as we look at how we celebrate the liturgy here and how we can do it better and in the way the Church asks us to celebrate. It is one of the guiding principles of our future renovation.

The Psalms are “responsorial” because there is a response sung by the community in alternation with that which is sung by the psalmist. That there is a particular ministry of the one leading the responsorial psalm show the importance of this part of the Mass.

The Responsorial Psalm is described by the GIRM as,

an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word and which has great liturgical and pastoral importance, since it fosters meditation on the Word of God.

As a meditation on the Word of God, the Psalm usually echoes a theme in the first reading, but also sometimes the Gospel. On the weekend the Gospel is about the efficacy of prayer, as is the Old Testament Reading about Abraham “negotiating” with God. The response to the psalm is,

Lord, on the day I called for help, You answered me.

The Psalms situate us in a long liturgical tradition. The Psalms were--and are--the liturgical prayers of the Jewish community. The Psalms were the prayers that Jesus would have known and prayed; He quotes the Book of Psalms more than any other Old Testament Book! The Psalms have long had a place in Christian worship, where they are seen as preparing for and pointing to the Messiah, who for Christians, has come in the person of Jesus Christ.

The Second Reading

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Following the Psalm is the second reading, called The Epistle (from the Greek for “Letter”). These are the New Testament scriptures that are not the Gospels, with the exception of The Acts of the Apostles, which is used as the first reading in the Easter Season. This Reading may be from one of the letters of Paul, Peter, Jude, James, John, or from The Book of Revelation or the Letter to the Hebrews.

Unlike the first reading which is chosen to go with the Gospel, the Second reading is done as a more or less continuous reading of one of the New Testament letters.

As we hear these New Testament readings at Mass, we are reminded that they are as much scripture as the Gospels are. Though the Gospels have pride of place in our Christian worship, the other readings from the Scriptures are not less inspired by God than the Gospels. I had a scripture professor at Borromeo that despised the “red letter” bibles that had the words of Jesus in red. He would point out that even the words of Jesus are not more scripture or more inspired than the rest of the bible. We should remember this especially as moral issues are discussed in the light of God’s intention. I have heard it said several times, “Well, Jesus never spoke about X.” There are places where Jesus might not have said anything, sometimes because the issue was just a given and not open to debate. Paul might say something about it, or one of the other books. Of course, as I have pointed out often, as Catholics, the bible is not the only source of God’s speaking to us on faith and morals., we accept Divine Revelation as a source of Revelation.

The Gospel Acclamation

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When the Second Reading has concluded, the Gospel Acclamation is sung. The GIRM gives the purpose of the acclamation:

An acclamation of this kind constitutes a rite or act in itself, by which the gathering of the faithful welcomes and greets the Lord who is about to speak to them in the Gospel and profess their faith by means of the chant.

Outside of the Lenten Season, the Acclamation is the Alleluia, a Hebrew word meaning “Praise God” that has an ancient use in liturgical worship, as seen by its use in the Book of Psalms. Another acclamation is used during Lent, as the Church “fasts” from Alleluia, the great word of Easter joy. Often this is “Glory and Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ” or “Praised to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of Endless Glory,” or another musical choice.

The pattern for the acclamation is:

Acclamation
Sung verse, usually from scripture
Acclamation is repeated

While the Gospel Acclamation normally follows the Second Reading, on a few occasions the Sequence is sung first. The Sequence is a hymn that developed from the gospel acclamation. At one point in Church history, there was a sequence for each Sunday of the year. The Missal of Pope St. Pius V, which was in use from 1570 until the 1960’s, limited the sequences to four times during the year: Victimae paschali laudes for Easter; Veni Sancte Spiritus for Pentecost; Lauda Sion for Corpus Christi; and the Dies Irae for All Souls and in Masses for the Dead. In 1727, the Stabat mater was added for the new feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady.

In our current Missal, the Victimae paschali laudes for Easter and Veni Sancte Spiritus for Pentecost are required; the Lauda Sion for Corpus Christi is optional for use. There are hymns that have been written that can be used for the sequence, most notably Christ the Lord is Risen Today for Easter.

The Gospel Acclamation accompanies the actions and movements of the priest (and deacon).

The Gospel Procession

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While the Gospel Acclamation is being sung, other things are happening.

If incense is to be used, the thurible and the boat are brought to the presider, and he adds incense to the thurible. The procession to the ambo can be accompanied by candles and incense (though at Holy Spirit it only sometimes accompanied by incense and rarely with candles.)

If a priest alone is celebrating the Mass, he approaches the altar, bows and prays quietly,

Cleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God,
that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel.

There is a long-standing practice in the Church that the presider does not proclaim the Gospel, but it is proclaimed by another cleric. If a deacon is present, he approaches the celebrant and says:

Your blessing, Bishop/Father.

The bishop or priest says, making the sign of the cross over the deacon,

May the Lord be in your heart and on your lips
that you may proclaim his Gospel worthily and well,
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

If no deacon is present at a Mass with the bishop and another priest is present, the priest asks for and receives the blessing in this way. If there are only priests concelebrating without a bishop or a deacon, another priest than the presider proclaims the Gospel, but does not ask for the blessing of the presider, but approaches the altar and prays the prayer said by the priest alone celebrating the Mass.

After the prayers, the priest/deacon takes the Book of the Gospels from the altar and carries it in procession to the ambo. The book is to be the Book of the Gospels, which has only the Gospels for the Liturgical cycle and not the Old Testament readings/Psalms/New Testament readings contained in the Lectionary.

The procession with the Book of the Gospels arrives at the ambo for the proclamation of the Gospel.

The Gospel

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When the priest or deacon arrives at the ambo with the Book of the Gospels, he opens the book (this greatly facilitates reading the text) and says,

The Lord be with you.

The people reply:

And with your spirit.

The priest or deacon proclaims from which Gospel the proclamation is taken:

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew/Mark/Luke/John.

The people respond,

Glory to you, O Lord.

This is an acclamation in awe and praise for the Gospel that has been given us.

While this is going on, the priest or deacon the makes the Sign of the Cross on the book and on his forehead, lips, and heart. This action was only required of the minister, but the people caught on and began to do so as well. With the 2002 revision of the GIRM, the inclusion of the people became a part of the rubrics. Though I, like many, was taught that we say,

May the Word of the Lord be on my mind, on my lips, and in my heart.

There are no words prescribed for this action.

After announcing the Gospel, the priest/deacon incenses the book and then proclaims the Gospel. When the Gospel has been concluded, the proclaimer says,

The Gospel of the Lord.

He then kisses the Gospel passage in the book. As he does this, he says,

Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.

The people respond with

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!

An acclamation can follow. Though this is not often done, we do sing an Alleluia after the Gospel on Easter.

The GIRM indicates that the Book of the Gospels

is removed to the credence table or other “appropriate and dignifies place.” Here at Holy Spirit, we “enthrone” the Gospel book when the proclamation is finished. At a Mass with a bishop, the book is taken back to the bishop, who kisses the book then blesses the people with it,

because it is Jesus who speaks to us through the Gospels. While the Gospels are not more scripture than the other readings, but because Jesus is the lens through which we see the other readings. The Old Testament readings are brought to fullness and fulfillment; the New Testament readings are empty and really not possible without Jesus in the Gospels. Therefore, the GIRM tells us,

The reading of the Gospel constitutes the high point of the Liturgy of the Word.

The description of the proclamation of the Gospel shows us what is taught in the GIRM:

The Liturgy itself teaches the great reverence that is to be shown to this reading by setting it off from the other readings with special marks of honor, by the fact of which minister is appointed to proclaim it and by the blessing or prayer with which he prepares himself; and also by the fact that through their acclamations the faithful acknowledge and confess that Christ is present and is speaking to them and stand as they listen to the reading; and by the mere fact of the marks of reverence that are given to the Book of the Gospels.

The Homily

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Following the proclamation of the Gospel comes the Homily . The GIRM describes,

The Homily is part of the Liturgy and is highly recommended, for it is necessary for the nurturing of the Christian life. It should be an explanation of some aspect of the readings from Sacred Scripture or of another text from the Ordinary or the Proper of the Mass of the day and should take into account both the mystery being celebrated and the particular needs of the listeners.

A homily is differentiated from the “Sermon” in that the homily is to take into account the readings and/or the celebration of the day. A sermon was often about a particular topic, even if not related to the particular celebration. (This is exemplified by a tongue-in-cheek adage among priests that we now repeat, “Never let the scriptures get in the way of what you want to say.”) There was a time in, the now long past, that the Cleveland priests were sent a calendar of what their sermon topics were to be for each week of the year. The sermon was often seen as something adjunct to the Mass and not a part of it, thus many priests set the homily off with a sign of the cross at the beginning and end as ritualistic “parentheses”. Because it is an integral part of the Mass, the homily is reserved to the priest or bishop, usually the celebrant, and on occasion to the deacon.

The homily is to explain the readings, but not in just an academic way, but especially in “how does the stuff of this celebration impact the lives of the listener.” It is to bring the Word of God to the people and the people to the Word of God.

I will share some of the principles that guide my homily preparation:

Use the texts of the day, almost exclusively. It drives me crazy to hear one of my confreres preach about another scripture passage when there are perfectly good ones in front of him.

Stay on point. One of the worst comments that can be made about a homily is, “There were two or three good homilies there.” One is good, three are bad. I tell seminarians and newly ordained priests that they don’t have to say everything they ever wanted to say about these readings; you’ll see them again every three years!

Keep it short. This is not one of my homily preparation goals. I tell people that my homily is as long as it has to be for me to make my point (see above). No need to belabor it with more examples and stories. By nature, my writing is terse, I was known in the seminary for putting a lot of info in a few words. This saved my hand and time on essay tests! So, I am naturally brief, not intentionally.

It is not a standup routine. Jokes have their place—I’m not beyond throwing in a couple of quips—but I have experienced that people walk away from a homily remembering the joke, but not the message. If that happens the homilist has failed. If I use outright jokes, it is going to be tied into the message in such a way that one can’t recall the joke without recalling the message.

In the end, I am not in charge. There have been times that I just cannot think of what to say and think I am just punting. I think, “I can’t believe I just said that in public.” It has often been those that engender the responses of “Good homily,” or “I got a lot out of that homily.” The ones that I think are literary masterpieces with good images and important points, get a response of “Meh.” The Holy Spirt is ultimately in charge. It doesn’t mean I won’t try to do my best, but God is always going speak better than I will.

The Creed

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

After the Homily, on Sundays and Solemnities, comes the Creed or Profession of Faith . Typically, this is the Nicene Creed, called such because it was adopted by the First Council of Nicaea, coincidently held in the city of Nicaea in 325. The more succinct Apostles’ Creed may be used; in particular it is suggested that we use it in the liturgical season of Lent and Easter, since it is closer to the profession of faith made at baptism. I admit that I have not often taken this option.

Years ago, I read an article in a Catholic publication that proposed that the creed should be eliminated from the Sunday Mass because, “We don’t have to say the pledge of allegiance every time we gather on Sunday.” This is an erroneous view of what the Creed is and what it does at Sunday Mass. The Creed is, like the homily, a response to the scriptures we have heard. Having heard the scriptures proclaimed, we proclaim our faith in the Trinitarian God and His work in the world, beginning with Creation through Redemption to final fulfillment.

I see the Creed as another reminder that we believe that God continues to speak to us through Sacred Tradition.

The Creed, composed in A.D. 325, was an assembling of the beliefs the Church held from the beginning, but filtered through a new understanding in new terms. The Church of A.D. 50 might not have worried about words like “consubstantial,” but they held the same belief that the word affirms, that Jesus and God the Father were both God. The Creed reflects the classic definition of theology—faith seeking understanding—in action.

Bishop Baron called the Creed “fighting words.” He comments:

Having heard the Word of God in the readings and the homily, the people, through the Creed, state their faith; they declare what they stand for and, in principle, what they are willing to die for.

Also, the words of the creed were fought over. Each of the words were chosen with care and precision to express the faith that had been handed down (which is the literal meaning of Tradition, in Latin traditio means “the action of handing over”) and was being challenged by various heresies. The Council declared in the Creed that “what we believe is this ” in order also to say at the same time, “we do not believe that.”

My hope is that we consider the words that we proclaim in the Creed and proclaim them not like reading a shopping list, but with gusto and investment. If you want an in-depth understanding of the words, The Catechism of the Catholic Church begins by unpacking the meaning of each of the phrases from the Creed.

I do draw your attention to one particular phrase and action. When we state, “and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man,” we are asked each time to make a profound bow to honor the incarnation, God becoming man. On the two great feasts of this mystery, Christmas and The Annunciation—when Mary said, “Yes” to the angel Gabriel (March 25—if we do the math it is 9 months before Christmas!)—we go beyond bowing and genuflect at those words.

The Universal Prayer

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

We respond to the Good News proclaimed with the Universal Prayer , known colloquially as the General Intercessions or as the Petitions . Having heard the great things God has done for us in the Liturgy of the Word so far, we ask Him to continue to do great things in the Church and in the world. We do so through a series of prayers of petition. The prayer is universal or general because we pray for the Church community, the civic community, and the world, and not our specific personal intentions.

The Universal Prayer begins with the priest inviting the people to prayer. Then the deacon, or in his absence, a lector, leads the congregation in the particular intentions for prayer. The GIRM indicates the pattern for the intentions:

for the needs of the Church; for public authorities and the salvation of the whole world; for those burdened by any kind of difficulty; for the local community (70).

It is common to include prayers for those who have died at the end of the petitions.

I have been at some parishes where the petitions for the dead became a death notice, “For Ann Jones, who died on Thursday, and will be buried from the church on Saturday at 10 am, with calling hours at the Smith funeral home from 2-4 and 7-9.” That is not at all what these prayers are about.

The prayers are to be petitions, asking God to do great things for us. The petitioners are asking God, not telling God, or even thanking God. If a petition cannot begin with, “For…,” it probably doesn’t fit at this time. These petitions are often done in a, “For... that…” formula, but just calling to mind the intention and leaving it up to God is a legitimate, and at times laudatory, way of composing them.

The congregation responds to the petitions with an appropriate response or with silence. At Holy Spirit, we have a different response in Advent, the Christmas Season, Ordinary Time until Lent, Lent, the Easter Season, the first half of the Sundays from Pentecost until Christ the King (34th Sunday in Ordinary Time), and the second half of the Ordinary Time season.

The prayers, especially the response, are ways that the laity express their priestly character they received at baptism. The GIRM tells us,

In the Universal Prayer or Prayer of the Faithful, the people respond in some sense to the Word of God which they have received in faith and, exercising the office of their baptismal Priesthood, offer prayers to God for the salvation of all (69).

The celebrant then draws all the intentions in a prayer. I have always liked to and almost always do use the Trinitarian formula of Christian Prayer: addressing the prayer to the Father, in the Son, through the Holy Spirit; asking the prayers to be granted if they are God’s will for us, thus allowing God to be God. In weekday Masses during Lent, I will often use the collect of the saint being commemorated to close the Universal Prayer.

That we have prayers of petition at Mass reminds us that petitionary prayer is not a “lesser” form of prayer because we are asking from God something that benefits us. In fact, we are expressing faith in God and praising Him by our petitions because in making them we express the belief that God can do something about them, which is often far beyond our capabilities. We ask God because we cannot do it ourselves, but He can! We pray to the Lord...

The Liturgy of the Eucharist

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The Universal Prayer ends the Liturgy of the Word. We now move into the second major division of the Mass, The Liturgy of the Eucharist . The key to understanding what we do in the Liturgy of the Eucharist is to see the action of Jesus at the Last Supper, the first celebration of the Eucharist. Eucharistic Prayer III tells us:

He Himself took bread, and, giving You thanks , He said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to His disciples

I italicized those words because they are the outline for the Liturgy of Eucharist. Jesus took, blessed, broke, and gave. The Church continues to do these actions of Jesus according to His instructions:

Do this in remembrance of Me.

At Mass, the Priest, acting in persona Christi, carries out these actions on the part of the community in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We can subdivide the Liturgy of the Eucharist according to these actions.

Take Offertory
Presentation of the Gifts
Preparation of the Gifts

Bless Prayer over the Gifts
Preface
Holy, Holy
Eucharistic Prayer
Memorial Acclimation
Doxology
Amen

Break Lord’s Prayer
Sign of Peace
Fraction Rite
Lamb of God

Give Communion
Prayer after Communion

The Offertory

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

Before the gifts can be taken, something must be offered. Therefore, after the Universal Prayer closes, a collection is taken as part of the offertory . In the early Church, it would be common for people to bring the fruits of their labors: produce, oils, animals, etc. These days, the fruits of most people’s labor is money, so rather than give the actual products, money is given to provide for those products.

The reasons for the people giving was --and is-- in the words of canon 1254,

Are principally the regulation of divine worship, the provision of fitting support for the clergy and other ministers, and the carrying out of works of the sacred apostolate and of charity, especially for the needy.

There are occasional second collections during the year, as designated by the diocese.

It is the custom that a congregational song be sung at this time. This is an optional practice. Other options are: a song by the choir, an instrumental piece, or silence.

While giving to the collection is practical—it helps keep the church lights on (!)—it also has a symbolic meaning. Giving of one’s resources is a sacrifice. Our giving at the offertory is joining our sacrifice with the sacrifice of Jesus to be offered in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Our giving is symbolic of our giving of our labors, trials, and struggles; our joys, hopes, and desires; and of our bringing our secular lives and works to the Lord. As the gifts of bread and wine are given and transformed and given back to us, when we give our lives to the Lord, He will bless and transform them and give them back to us—along with Himself. In doing so, He lifts our burdens, redoubles our joys, and goes with us into our work and lives so that we may proclaim Him even there.

I also see the collection as a link between the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. As we prayed for the needs of the Church in the Universal Prayer, in giving to the collection we are “putting our money where our mouth is” and providing the resources for those needs.

The Preparation of the Altar

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

After the Universal Prayer, either while the collection is being taken or after it has been collected, the preparation of the altar takes place. The corporal, a square linen cloth used to catch the particles of the host, is unfolded and placed on the altar as are the chalice; the Roman Missal; the cups with wine to be consecrated, and the purificator(s), the rectangular cloth used to wipe the chalice and the cups. The preparation of the altar is properly done by the deacon, or in his absence, the celebrant.

The collection and the gifts for the celebration are brought forward in the Offertory . The bread and the wine used at Mass are brought by some of the congregation to the presider. This is an ancient practice, as is seen in the description of the offertory from the Mass in Justin’s First Apology,

Then bread and a cup of water and mixed wine are brought to the president of the brethren and he, taking them, sends up praise and glory to the Father of the universe through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and offers thanksgiving at some length that we have been deemed worthy to receive these things from him. When he has finished the prayers and the thanksgiving,816 the whole congregation present817 assents, saying, "Amen." "Amen" in the Hebrew language means, "So be it."

Though now, the mixing of the water and wine takes place just a little later in the Mass.

The wine must be natural from the fruit of the vine and not spoiled (canon 924 §3)--because then it is not wine, but vinegar. It must be wine from grapes, it cannot be, for example, cherry wine. Fortified wines such as port, which have other things like brandy, which is from grapes but is distilled and not fermented as wine is, cannot be used. As long as it is grape wine, it doesn’t matter if it is white, red, or rosé, sweet or dry. I have found for Communion wine, generally a sweeter wine is more acceptable to most palates, especially those of children.

The bread is to be “only wheat and recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling” (canon 924 §2). This means that you can not use bread made, for example, with rye, or to which has been added honey, or anything else. [There is a story that has been verified of one priest at Mass holding up a loaf of bread and announcing, “This is My Body—except for the raisins and cinnamon.” {Heavy sigh}]

I have heard it said that it takes a greater act of faith to believe that the host is bread, than to believe it is the Body of Christ. Still, it is the practice of the Latin Church to use the host for consecration. Canon 926 instructs:

According to the ancient tradition of the Latin Church, the priest is to use unleavened bread in the Eucharistic celebration whenever he offers it.

It is interesting to note that it does not say that leavened bread is forbidden; to say so would be problematic because the Eastern Churches have the tradition of using leavened bread for the Eucharist at their liturgies. If the Church said that leavened bread can never be used, then the Eastern Churches would not have Eucharist. However, since it is the ancient tradition of the Latin Church that unleavened bread be used, that is the norm and only under most extraordinary circumstances should leavened bread be used for the Mass. One such case would be when Bishop (later Cardinal) Nguyễn Văn Thuận was imprisoned for the Faith in Viet Nam, he would take what crumbs of bread he could get and consecrate them in his hand so that he could celebrate and receive the Eucharist.

These details of what can be used for the bread and wine are important. They affect the validity of the Eucharist, which means: Is it the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus, or not? It must be wheat bread and grape wine. If it is not, it is invalid matter. I like Coke and Cool Ranch Doritos, but I cannot use them for Mass. Even if the words of consecration are said, they do not become the Body and Blood of Jesus; only if it is grape wine and wheat bread.

When the gifts have been received, the priest, deacon, and servers take the gifts to the altar. The deacon hands the bread to the priest, who prays (either inaudibly when there is a song being sung or aloud when there is not; most of our Sunday Masses would have a song, so the prayers are usually inaudible):

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through Your goodness we have received the bread we offer You: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.

If this is done audibly, the people respond:

Blessed be God for ever.

The Deacon, or in his absence the Priest, pours wine and a little water into the chalice, saying quietly:

By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled Himself to share in our humanity.

This is another example (but not the last) of the practical at the Mass becoming symbolic. In ancient times wine was made very strong and had to be diluted with water. It has now come to symbolize the Incarnation where the divinity and humanity of Jesus are joined in such a way as that they cannot be separated any more than wine and water once mixed can be separated back into their original forms.

The deacon hands the chalice to the priest who prays (either inaudibly or aloud as with the bread as above):

Blessed are You, Lord God of all creation, for through Your goodness we have received the wine we offer You: fruit of the vine and work of human hands it will become our spiritual drink.

If prayed aloud, the people respond:

Blessed be God for ever.

These prayers echo the Jewish Berakah, a prayer that acknowledges God as the source of all blessings and transforms everyday actions and occurrences into religious experiences designed to increase awareness of God at all times. They usually begin:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, or

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe.

We praise the God of all Creation Who gives us the stuff of creation—bread, water, wine—that is taken, blessed, broken and given to us for our re-creation. It recognizes the sacramental principle in the Church that the “common” can be and often is the way that God reveals and shares Himself with His people.

After the gifts have been presented, the priest, bowing profoundly, says quietly:

With humble spirit and contrite heart may we be accepted by You, O Lord, and may our sacrifice in Your sight this day
be pleasing to You, Lord God.

The Lavabo and Incensation

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The lavabo , the washing of the priest’s hands (lavabo in Latin translates into English as I shall wash) usually follows, though this is another point in the Mass where incense may be used.

Let’s look at the optional action first, since it would come before the lavabo, which will happen at every Mass, weekend or weekday.

After the prayer, the server brings the thurible and the boat with incense to the priest. With the assistance of the deacon, the priest adds some incense to the thurible, blesses it in silence with the Sign of the Cross, and incenses the gifts, the altar, and the cross. This is meant to signify the Church’s offering and prayer rising like incense in the sight of God.

When the priest has completed this action, he hands the thurible to the deacon, or to the server if the deacon is absent. The deacon (or server) bows to the priest-celebrant, incenses him, and then bows again. This series of actions is repeated for the concelebrating priests, other deacon present, and the people. The GIRM tells us this is done for the clergy because of their sacred ministry, and for the people, by reason of their baptismal dignity. The incense draws the community gathered, clergy and lay, together with the gifts of bread and wine, and makes all that were incensed an offering to God.

The priest then washes his hands. As the water is poured, he prays:

Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

While this action of washing has a prayer attached to it, it was probably a very practical action. The priest had just received produce and animals in the offertory. However, the idea of washing before performing rituals and sacrifice goes back to the Old Testament, where Aaron and his sons are washed before performing their sacred duties (cf., Exodus, Chapter 40; Leviticus, Chapter 8). The priest likewise washes before entering into the ritual of sacrifice of the Mass. The next prayer prayed highlights the sacrifice…but more on that next week.

The Prayer Over the Offerings

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

Last week we saw how the priest washes his hand as a ritual gesture before entering into the sacrifice of the Mass.

The Priest prays,

Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.

This indicates that the priest and people join together in the sacrifice. The priest offers the Eucharistic sacrifice for and with the people. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the sacrificial nature of the Mass:

1366—The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit: [Christ], our Lord and God, was once and for all to offer Himself to God the Father by His death on the altar of the cross, to accomplish there an everlasting redemption. But because His priesthood was not to end with His death, at the Last Supper, "on the night when He was betrayed." [He wanted] to leave to His beloved spouse, the Church, a visible sacrifice (as the nature of man demands) by which the bloody sacrifice which He was to accomplish once for all on the cross would be re-presented, its memory perpetuated until the end of the world, and its salutary power be applied to the forgiveness of the sins we daily commit.

1367—The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: "The victim is one and the same: the same now offered through the ministry of priests, who then offered Himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different." "In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ, Who offered Himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross, is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner."

The people respond to the priest’s prayer:

May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of His name, for our good and the good of all His holy Church.

This prayer proclaims why we celebrate the sacrifice of the Mass: First, to honor God. The Mass isn’t primarily about us, so the cliché that, “I don’t get anything out of Mass,” falls short; the Mass isn’t primarily about us, it is about God. We come to praise Him, not because He needs praise, but because we need to praise Him. Still in praising God, we benefit from doing so, as do all our brothers and sister in the Church.

The Prayer over the Offerings concludes the preparation of the gifts. The prayer usually indicates why the gifts have been bought to God.

The Preface

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The Eucharistic Prayer begins with the Preface .

The preface begins with a dialog between the priest-celebrant and the people.

This dialog begins with an exchange we have heard before, at the start of the Mass and before the Gospel:

Extending his hands, the priest says:
The Lord be with you.
The people reply:
And with your spirit.

Then the Preface continues with the priest saying:
Lift up your hearts.
The people:
We lift them up to the Lord.
The Priest,
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
The people:
It is right and just.

The priest invites the people to take part in the prayer, not just as passive listeners, but as active prayers. Our hearts (and minds and souls) are lifted up to the heavenly realm. While there, we ought to give thanks to God, and so we join in the heavenly song:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

The thrice-holy naming of God is a way of saying that God really is Holy, a true understatement since He is holiness itself. This holiness fills Heaven and Earth. “Hosanna” (from the Hebrew for “please save”) is an expression of joy and praise. The word is used in Psalm 118, with the accompanying phrase, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” Hosanna and this phrase were sung as Jesus entered His own city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and is sung as Jesus enters His own world in the Eucharist.

The Eucharistic Prayer(s)

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The Eucharistic Prayer, already begun with the Preface, continues with what we usually think of when hearing one speak of “The Eucharistic Prayer,” viz., the prayer through which the bread and wine become the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus, though still looking like bread and wine.

There are a variety of Eucharistic prayers (called also an Anaphora, meaning offering) from which the priest can choose.

Eucharistic Prayer I , called also, The Roman Canon (canon speaking of its fixed nature) was the only Eucharistic Prayer for centuries. It is “Roman” because it reflects how the prayer was done at Rome. Before Pope St. Pius V put together the missal used from 1570 until about 1970, different locales had different ways of saying Mass. The Missal of Pius V made the liturgy uniform throughout the Church, with a preference for the Roman practice. I will use The Roman Canon on greater feasts, on days when special prayers are added for the day’s celebration, or when the saint of the day in named in the prayer (more on all this later, when I will take a closer look at this prayer.)

Eucharistic Prayer II is the shortest. This is based on the Apostolic Tradition, a text from the third century, which was an early example of how Christians worshiped. The GIRM instructs that Eucharistic Prayer II, “is more appropriately used on weekdays or in special circumstances” (365b). For this reason, I do not use Eucharistic Prayer II at Weekend Masses. (One priest I know said, “If you hear me praying Eucharistic Prayer II on a Sunday, call 911, because I must be very ill.”) I will use it on weekdays (outside of Lent and Easter), when no saint is celebrated.

Eucharistic Prayer III was one that was created at the time of the Missal of St. Paul VI in the 1960s. It is in the spirt of the older forms of the prayer. I use this on most weekends outside of Lent and weekdays when a saint is celebrated, because this prayer offers the option of including the name of the saint of the day, which the other forms of the prayer do not.

Eucharistic Prayer IV is based on the Anaphora of St. Basil used in the Eastern Churches. I probably do not pray this one enough.

There are Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation. I use these on Sundays in Lent, or when the scriptures or my homily suggest their use. As I read it:

Reconciliation I is a bit more focused on our reconciliation with God.

Reconciliation II speaks more of our reconciliation with each other.

Of course, both aspects are present in the prayer as they are always present in true reconciliation, especially in the sacrament of Reconciliation.

There are four forms of the Eucharistic Prayer for use in Masses for Various Needs:

I The Church on the Way to Unity
II God Guides the Church on the Way of Salvation
III Jesus - Way to the Father
IV Jesus - the Compassion of God.

My read is, that these are intended for use at Masses for particular needs, the prayers for which are in the Roman Missal. I have only on a couple occasion, but to be honest, they were approved for use around the time I was ordained, so I never had much experience with them.

There are also Eucharistic Prayers for Masses where the vast majority of the assembly are children. These would be used at a school Mass and not on a weekend or Holy Day.

The Nature of the Eucharistic Prayers

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The Eucharist Prayer is the supreme expression of the blessing in the Mass as the Liturgy of Eucharist reflects the Lord’s action of taking, blessing, breaking, and sharing.

While there are over a dozen Eucharist Prayers from which the priest can choose, they all have some common elements. The GIRM says it as well—or better than I can:

a) The thanksgiving (expressed especially in the Preface), in which the priest, in the name of the whole of the holy people, glorifies God the Father and gives thanks to Him for the whole work of salvation or for some particular aspect of it, according to the varying day, festivity, or time of year.

b) The acclamation, by which the whole congregation, joining with the heavenly powers, sings the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy). This acclamation, which constitutes part of the Eucharistic Prayer itself, is pronounced by all the people with the Priest.

c) The epiclesis, in which, by means of particular invocations, the Church implores the power of the Holy Spirit that the gifts offered by human hands be consecrated, that is, become Christ’s Body and Blood, and that the unblemished sacrificial Victim to be consumed in Communion may be for the salvation of those who will partake of it.

The epiclesis, the calling down of the Holy Sprit, is signified by the priest extending his hands over the gifts. It is the Holy Spirt, being God, that does the work of God in transforming the bread and wine into the Eucharist. As we acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s action in transforming the gifts at Mass, it is a good reminder that we, Holy Spirit Parish, though not God, but working with Him, are called to transform our world. It is the custom that the sanctuary bells are rung at this time. In the days when the Eucharistic Prayer was prayed silently, this was a call to the people to pay attention because something important was happening. As it is prayed today, out loud and with the attention of the people, the custom of ringing bells has still remained.

d) The institution narrative and Consecration, by which, by means of the words and actions of Christ, that Sacrifice is effected which Christ Himself instituted during the Last Supper, when He offered His Body and Blood under the species of bread and wine, gave them to the Apostles to eat and drink, and leaving with the latter the command to perpetuate this same mystery.

It is noteworthy that at the institution narrative, the priest moves from speaking in the third person to speaking in the first person. He is speaking in persona Christi, Note the change:

He took bread and, giving thanks, broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying: “TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.” In a similar way, when supper was ended, He took the chalice and, once more giving thanks, He gave it to His disciples, saying: “TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT, FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT, WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.”

While the third person words differ in each of the Eucharistic Prayers, the words of Christ, the words of institution, remain the same in each of the prayers. Again, it is the practice that the bells are rung as the priest show the host and the cup, for after saying these words, the bread and wine become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. It is a thing of Western philosophy that pinpoints the moment of the change. In Eastern theology, it is bread and wine at the start of the prayer and Jesus’ body and blood at the end. There is no precise moment identified for the transformation.

After the institution narrative, the priest proclaims “the mystery of faith.” And the people can respond with one of three responses:

We proclaim Your Death, O Lord, and profess Your Resurrection until You come again.

When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim Your Death, O Lord, until You come again.

Save us, Savior of the world, for by Your Cross and Resurrection You have set us free.

I prefer the first, but the first two are similar in that they speak of the death and resurrection of the Lord and also have an eschatological (relating to death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind) sense. The Eucharist here on Earth is a foretaste of the Heavenly banquet. In the Eucharist past, present, and future merge into one moment. We in time experience a glimpse of eternity, for God sees all of time as “now.”

e) The anamnesis, by which the Church, fulfilling the command that she received from Christ the Lord through the Apostles, celebrates the memorial of Christ, recalling especially His blessed Passion, glorious Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.

f) The oblation, by which, in this very memorial, the Church, in particular that gathered here and now, offers the unblemished sacrificial Victim in the Holy Spirit to the Father. The Church’s intention, indeed, is that the faithful not only offer this unblemished sacrificial Victim but also learn to offer their very selves, and so day by day to be brought, through the mediation of Christ, into unity with God and with each other, so that God may at last be all in all.

When we think of remembering or recalling, we usually think in terms about bringing to mind something that happened in the past. In the Jewish understanding, a memorial is making a past event real in the here and now by the remembering. In the prayer, Jesus’ saving action is present and active among us and we are present to the Cross and resurrection.

g) The intercessions, by which expression is given to the fact that the Eucharist is celebrated in communion with the whole Church, of both heaven and of earth, and that the oblation is made for her and for all her members, living and dead, who are called to participate in the redemption and salvation purchased by the Body and Blood of Christ.

The naming of the Pope and Bishop shows us that we are not doing this action alone, we are connected through the Pope and Bishop to the wider Church, to all those celebrating the Mass in our diocese and world. Reminding us that the Church is more than just here on Earth, we acknowledge Mary, St. Joseph, and all the saints, who participate in the Heavenly Liturgy and, we pray, our deceased brothers and sisters may share it in as well.

h) The concluding doxology, by which the glorification of God is expressed and which is affirmed and concluded by the people’s acclamation Amen.

Though it is the priest who voices the prayer, all the people have a role in the Eucharistic Prayer. The Amen, “so be it,” shows that they have intently heard, and acknowledge that the Eucharistic Prayer is theirs as well, and they are joined to it.

The Roman Canon in particular

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

Eucharistic Prayer I, also called The Roman Canon, was for centuries the only Eucharistic Prayer used at Mass. I do use it fairly regularly, so I thought it would be worthwhile to look at some aspects of it. My hope is that knowing the parts of the prayer will enable your full, active, conscious participation—which, as pointed out before, does not mean having some action to do or some action to say; it is entering into the prayer and letting the prayer enter into you.

The prayer begins: To you, therefore, most merciful Father, we make humble prayer and petitions through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord.

This section is known as the Te igitur, from the Latin for the opening words. It points out again that the prayer is made to the Father, through the Son.

The sign of the cross is made over the gifts as it is being asked that “these gifts, these offerings, these holy and unblemished sacrifices,” three ways of referring to the gifts on the altar, be accepted.

The Roman canon is different from the other Eucharistic Prayer in that the pope and bishop are prayed for before the consecration.

The next section is the Commemoration of the Living (the memento Domine), which gives the priest the option of naming specific persons. Remember, Lord, your servants N. and N.

Then the priest pauses for silent prayer so that all may call to mind the living for whom they want to pray. It is noted that we offer this prayer for them and the prayer states for what we ask for them:

for the redemption of their souls, in hope of health and well-being, and paying their homage to You, the eternal God, living and true.

These are the traditional purposes of sacrifice: praise, atonement, and petition.

The next section, the Communicantes, speaks of our communion with the saints, who now participate in the Divine Liturgy. The start of this section has texts specific to celebrations, viz., The Nativity of the Lord and through the Octave of Christmas; the Epiphany; the Easter Vigil through the Easter Octave to the Second Sunday of Easter; the Ascension, and Pentecost. As a rule, when these proper prayers are provided, I will use The Roman Canon.

There is a listing of saints, beginning with Mary, the Mother of God (using her central and greatest title). St. Joseph was added to the list by Pope St. John XXXIII (Pope Francis added St. Joseph to the other Eucharistic prayers). Not surprisingly, the saints are those to whom there was a devotion at Rome: Peter and Paul, the two patrons of Rome, lead the list.

Then there are the other apostles: Andrew, James, John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon and Jude. Then there is a list of martyrs: Saint Linus, the second Pope, successor to Saint Peter; Saint Cletus, the third Pope, successor to Saint Linus; Saint Clement, the fourth Pope, successor to Saint Cletus; Saint Sixtus II, Pope from A.D. 257-258 and martyred under the persecutions of the Emperor Valerian; Saint Cornelius, reigned as Pope from A.D. 251-253, martyred under the Emperor Gallus; Saint Cyprian, defender of the Catholic faith; beheaded in Carthage, Africa in AD 258; Saint Lawrence, martyred by roasted alive on a grid iron; he is said to have quipped, “You can turn me over now, I’m done on this side." (my kind of guy!); Saint Chrysogonus martyred in Northern Italy; Saints John and Paul, saints of Rome; Saints Cosmas and Damian physicians who were martyred in Syria, and all your Saints:

Having named them we ask,

that through their merits and prayers, in all things we may be defended by your protecting help.

The Hanc Igitur:

Therefore, Lord, we pray: graciously accept this oblation of our service, that of Your whole family; order our days in Your peace, and command that we be delivered from eternal damnation and counted among the flock of those You have chosen,

has specific texts for Easter and its Octave, as well as for weddings, ordinations, and other celebrations. The Easter text specifically mentions those who were baptized at the Easter Vigil:

Therefore, Lord, we pray: graciously accept this oblation of our service, that of Your whole family, which we make to You also for those to whom You have been pleased to give the new birth of water and the Holy Spirit, granting them forgiveness of all their sins, order our days in Your peace.

Repeating the repeating three times, God is asked to bless, acknowledge, and approve this offering in every respect, and to make it spiritual and acceptable, so that it may become for us the Body and Blood of His most beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Institution Narrative in the Roman Canon is the only one that tells the priest where to look “He raises His eyes,”

and with eyes raised to heaven to You, O God, His almighty Father, giving You thanks He said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to His disciples, saying…

We note that there is a richness to the language, bordering on the baroque:

He took this precious chalice in His holy and venerable hands, and once more giving You thanks, He said the blessing, and gave the chalice to His disciples.

After the mystery of faith, again we three-peat,

we, Your servants and Your holy people, offer to Your glorious majesty from the gifts that You have given us, this pure victim, this holy victim, this spotless victim, the holy Bread of eternal life and the Chalice of everlasting salvation.

The prayer next recalls Old Testament characters who offered sacrifice: Abel, a son of Adam and Eve, brought an offering in sacrifice to the Lord, one of the best lambs of his flock. God found this sacrifice acceptable, while he did not find his brother, Cain's sacrifice of fruits and vegetables acceptable. This made Cain angry (so: Q: How long did Cain hate his brother? A: As long as he was Able.) Abraham was willing to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice, but God stopped him from doing so. God did what He did not ask Abraham to do. Melchizedek, priest of God Most High in Jerusalem, offered as a sacrifice to God gifts of bread and wine. These Old Testament sacrifices prefigure the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, which is celebrated in the Mass. (Of note: the node (knob) on my silver chalice, a gift from my parents for ordination, has an image of a lamb with a pierced side, representing Jesus, and images of Abel, Abraham, and Melchizedek.)

There is a commemoration of the dead, as there was of the living in the first part of the prayer. Like that, first the priest may name names,

Remember also, Lord, your servants N. and N., who have gone before us with the sign of faith and rest in the sleep of peace.

Then the priest pauses and allows time to recall other who have died, then like in the first part of the prayer, states what we ask for them,

Grant them, O Lord, we pray, and all who sleep in Christ, a place of refreshment, light and peace.

The priest admits on behalf of all present that we are sinners, striking his breast while saying,

To us, also, Your servants, who, though sinners,

He asks for mercy so that we can share eternal life with the saints

we though sinners hope in Your abundant mercies, graciously grant some share and fellowship with Your holy Apostles and Martyrs:

Those Apostles and Martyrs, male and female, are named,

John the Baptist, the forerunner, he prepared the way for Jesus and was beheaded by Herod; Stephen, a deacon and the first martyr; Matthias the Apostle; Barnabas, the companion of Saint Paul; Ignatius of Antioch, a martyred bishop; Alexander, a martyred Pope; Marcellinus and Peter were a priest and exorcist who were martyred together; Felicity and Perpetua, female martyrs from Africa; Agatha, a virgin martyr from Sicily; Lucy, a virgin martyr from Sicily; Agnes, a virgin martyr of Rome; Cecilia, a virgin martyr of Rome, patroness of music; Anastasia, a virgin martyr from Croatia.

One of my favorite lines in the Eucharistic Prayers follows:

admit us, we beseech You, into their company, not weighing our merits, but granting us Your pardon,

We ask that we may join the saints, not because we earned it, but because God is merciful, even to the point giving His Son on the Cross, which is the center of the Mass.

Finally, we acknowledge that we take the things of Creation, giving them to God, Who blesses them and gives us back far more than what we gave Him,

Through whom You continue to make all these good things, O Lord; You sanctify them, fill them with life, bless them, and bestow them upon us.

We give Him bread and wine, we get in return Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

The Our Father

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

After the Eucharistic Prayer, we enter into The Communion Rite , our preparation for and action of receiving the Eucharist, newly concentrated at the Mass.

The priest says,

At the Savior's command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:

Praying the Our Father is at the Savior’s command, for He says in Matthew 6:9, “This is how you are to pray…” It is also formed by divine teaching; in Luke 11: 1 we hear, “He [Jesus] was praying in a certain place, and when He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.’”

In Latin, “dare to say” is “audémus dícere.” Audémus being the first person plural of “audere” which means to dare/have courage (to go/do), to act boldly, to venture, to risk. It is only because of Jesus’ command and because He told us to that we dare/risk/are bold enough to call God “Father.” But if He said it, we know we can do it.

So, we together pray.

Our Father : God is Father in relationship with Christ in the Trinity, but also with us. He is father of all, thus “Our” Father.

Who art in Heaven : He is in Heaven, outside of creation. It is to God in heaven, our final goal, that we address our prayer.

Hallowed be thy name : Hallowed means “Holy” (the eve of All Saint’s Day, was known as All Hallowed’s Eve, from which we get Halloween). God's Name is "hallowed," holy, above all others. We don’t have to ask that it be in fact, we ask that it be kept holy in and by us.

Thy kingdom come : This is the great hope of every Christian, that God’s Kingdom comes, then justice and peace will reign. Until it comes fully, we ask that it come partially to us and our world, to our world through us.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven : In heaven, the will of God is done perfectly. (Those who didn’t do His will in heaven aren’t…ahem…there anymore.) He accomplishes that which He wills. We ask that we be able to do what He wills.

Give us this day our daily bread : “daily bread” can be understood as the stuff we need for nourishment and survival. As Catholics, we also understand it to be the Eucharist.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us : This is a daring prayer. We ask God to put a condition on His forgiving us. That He do it or us as we do it for others. It challenges us to forgive others as God forgives us.

And lead us not into temptation : God does not lead us into temptation. There was a stir when Pope Francis approved an Italian translation of the Mass that changed this line to “do not let us fall into temptation.” (Thus sparking headlines, POPE CHANGES OUR FATHER.) The original Biblical Greek for “lead” means both “do not allow us to enter into temptation” and “do not let us yield to temptation.”

But deliver us from evil : In actuality it is “deliver us from the Evil One.” We asked to be delivered from the power of Satan, who we rejected (or it was done in our name) at baptism. This, of course, was the reason Christ came to us.

Though many commentators say that they appropriate hand position for the congregation is not with hands raised like the priest, nor is it the joining of hands with those around us (which often leaves people thinking that this is the great moment of unity at the Mass, when we all hold hands; that unity comes with the congregation receiving the Eucharist), it has been determined by the Bishop of Cleveland that the posture for the Cleveland Diocese during the Our Father is what is known as the orans position, the ancient position of prayer. This is with palms raised toward the heavens. It is not the hands out in front, in a position of surrender, as some have suggested. That is adding a meaning to the position of prayer that was not a part of the meaning of the gesture.

When the Our Father has concluded, the priest prays an embolism (a prayer that is inserted),

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

It strikes me that this is almost a summing up and rephrasing of the Our Father just prayed.

The people respond with the doxology,

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever.

This was not original to Our Father, but was an early addition, appearing in the Didache (c. AD 150-200). You may know that many Protestants consider this a part of the Our Father. Catholics see it as an addition. We add it at this point.

The Sign of Peace

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

I note that the next prayer is not a dialog with the community, but is the priest addressing Jesus.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles, Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. (He joins his hands.) Who live and reign for ever and ever.

The people reply:

Amen.

Having spoken of the Lord’s peace, the priest offers it to the people:

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

The people reply:

And with your spirit.

The Deacon or the priest may say:

Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

There has been a long liturgical tradition of a sign of peace (the kiss of peace) being exchanged in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The sign exchanged is customarily a handshake or a hug and or kiss among family members, but it can be a nod of the head, or some other sign or gesture. It is not intended to be a lengthy time. People greet those near to them. It is not necessary to greet everyone or most everyone in the church. Again, this is not the fullest sign of unity in the Mass; the Eucharist is.

The instruction is that “then, if appropriate, the Deacon, or the Priest, adds”, “Let us offer…” Though this is the norm for most Sunday and most weekday Masses. I could see where there might be a time –like a major flu outbreak—where this might not be done. In fact, there have been bishops who have decreed that it not be done exactly because of those conditions.

The Fraction Rite

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

Having taken the bread and the wine in the offertory, and blessed it in the Eucharistic Prayer, we now come to the breaking in the take/bless/break/give formula. This time is known as the fraction rite.

The Lamb of God is sung during the breaking of the host:

This calls to mind John the Baptist’s words in pointing out Jesus among us:

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Jesus is also called the Lamb in the Book of Revelation (5:12, 13:8), but we’ll visit that again in the future.

The final verse ends with “grant us peace.” The verse ending “have mercy on us” can be repeated as many times as needed to accompany the fractioning. It is not allowed to do variations on “Lamb of God” such as “Prince of Peace, you take away…”

While this is going on, the priest breaks a piece of the Host and places it in the chalice saying inaudibly:

May this mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.

This reflects an ancient practice when bishops—especially the Bishop of Rome—would send acolytes with pieces of the Host from the Mass he celebrated to the other churches, where the particles would be placed into the chalice at Masses in other Churches. This was a sign of the Communion (unity) of the Church. The joining of the Body and Blood of Jesus was also seen as a symbol of the Resurrection.

It is the practice that during the Lamb of God, Hosts are brought from the tabernacle to be distributed, but the ideal is that what is distributed at a Mass should be consecrated at that Mass.

When the Lamb of God ends, the priest bows and says inaudibly one of two prayers, which are private prayers of the priest:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Who by the will of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit, through Your Death gave life to the world; free me by this, Your most holy Body and Blood, from all my sins and from every evil; keep me always faithful to Your commandments, and never let me be parted from You.

or,

May the receiving of your Body and Blood, Lord Jesus Christ, not bring me to judgment and condemnation, but through Your loving mercy be for me protection in mind and body, and a healing remedy.

I tend to do the second, shorter prayer on weekdays that are not feasts or solemnities. The first I do on Sundays, Feasts and Solemnities and also all Masses during Lent. There is no Church rule on this, it is just my own personal pattern.

After the priest genuflects, he holds the host above the paten or chalice and says,

Behold the Lamb of God,
behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.

Again the words of John the Baptist, in John 1:29—which we just heard last weekend—are echoed. In the Jewish understanding, the Lamb of God was the lamb that was sacrificed at the Passover. This time the words call us to look upon Jesus, the Lamb of God, present to us in the Eucharist. We behold our God present among us.

The last line merits some consideration.

Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.

This is so much better than our previous translation,

Happy are those who are called to His supper.

“The supper of the Lamb” is meant to recall the text of Revelation 19:9, “Happy are those called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” It reminds us that we, who are at the time at the earthly liturgy, are participating in the eternal, heavenly, Divine Liturgy. This is one of those moments when we note that time converges so the past, Jesus’ last Supper and His death on the cross, the present, our liturgy, and the future, the eternal liturgy of praise in heaven, all meet. We are also reminded that we are meant to strive to join in that heavenly liturgy.

We respond with another scriptural allusion. A Roman centurion approached Jesus asking for his son or servant, depending if it is Matthew (son) or Luke (servant) who is to be healed. He states his unworthiness for Jesus to enter into his house, “under my roof,” but expresses his faith that Jesus’ word can heal the son/servant. We, sons and daughters of God and servants of God, ask for God to make us worthy that He may enter into us in the Eucharist.

The priest says quietly,

May the Body of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.

and consumes a piece of the host. He then quietly says,

May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.

and consumes from the chalice.

The priest must receive a Host consecrated at the Mass and must receive the Precious Blood for him to have celebrated the Mass.

The priest then presents the Host and the Cup to the deacon, if present.

The Communion Chant

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

As the priest receives Communion, the Communion Chant begins. This is one of those places where an antiphon or song is called for by the Roman Missal. Like at the beginning of Mass, an antiphon for the Mass is provided in the Missal, though another song may be sung. It is suggested that this song be Eucharistic in nature; often a hymn with a refrain makes it easier for people to participate, since, not needing a book, their hands are free to receive the Eucharist, if they choose to receive in the hand. This action shows a communal unity of action in proceeding to Communion. The GIRM instructs:

However, if there is no singing, the antiphon given in the Missal may be recited either by the faithful, or by some of them, or by a reader; otherwise, it is recited by the Priest himself after he has received Communion and before he distributes Communion to the faithful.

Once the priest (and deacon) have received the Eucharist, it is the practice in many places, including Holy Spirit Parish, that the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMOHC) approach to receive Communion and receive their vessels. The name is important here. The EMOHCs are not “Eucharistic Ministers,” as they were improperly called in the past. The Minister of the Eucharist is the priest, for he celebrates the Eucharistic Liturgy and consecrates the bread and wine. The EMOHC are “Communion ministers” in that they distribute Communion to others. These ministers are meant to be extra-ordinary, not the norm. The ordinary ministers of Holy Communion are the priests and deacons present. This is why, if there are several clergy at a Mass, they distribute and not the EMOHCs. It is not the clergy “taking the jobs of the laity”—as I once heard it claimed—but the clergy assuming their proper roles.

The Communion Procession

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The Communion Procession begins. I hold that the procession is only for those receiving Communion. I, of course, recognize that parents will have to bring their young children with them. But if you are not Catholic, a Catholic in a state of Mortal Sin, in a manifestly sinful situation, or have not kept the 1-hour fast before receiving Communion, it is best to remain in the pew.

The custom in some places is that if you don’t receive Eucharist, you come forward for a blessing. My understanding is that Communion time is for Communion, there is a time for blessing later in the Mass. While the Church has not spoken definitively on this practice, it has not permitted the liturgical books and canon and liturgical law prohibits anyone from introducing new elements on their own. A letter (Protocol No. 930/08/L) dated November 22, 2008, sent in response to a private question and signed by Father Anthony Ward, SM, Undersecretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship, that discouraged this practice. As a private reply, the Congregation’s reply does not have the force of law but is a guide for understanding the mind of the Church. Let me be clear, if you have children who would like to receive a blessing, I am always willing to do that outside of Mass—just ask!

I very much discourage the crossing of the hands over the chest as a sign that one is not receiving communion. This is problematic because that gesture is the gesture used by Eastern Christians—Catholic and Orthodox—to show that they are receiving communion. (I once saw an Eastern Catholic priest insist on giving someone communion who approached this way!)

Those in the Communion procession approach the priest, deacon, or EMOHC for communion, the communicant makes a bow, is presented with the Host and the words, “The Body of Christ.” The communicant responds, “Amen.” This is the dialog the Church asks. In some parishes, it is a custom to say the person’s name, “Susan, the Body of Christ.” This is not appropriate. This time is not about the personal relationship of the communicant and the distributor of Holy Communion. I have heard people respond, “I believe.” instead of “Amen.” It strikes me that this makes it seem that the reality of Jesus in the Eucharist is about that person believing it is; however, the presence of Christ is a fact. “Amen” acknowledges the fact.

After receiving Communion, the congregation returns to their seats. When they get there, they remain standing as per the instruction of Bishop Perez of March 15, 2019:

The faithful remain standing during the distribution and reception of Holy Communion for the singing of the Communion Hymn.

This remains the particular law of the Diocese of Cleveland. As such, it does not end when Bishop Perez is no longer the Bishop of Cleveland, any more than laws would cease when a president or governor changes.

Note: if someone due to health or injury cannot remain standing, of course that person may sit. If your personal piety so requires you to kneel immediately after receiving Communion, despite the Bishop’s legislation, no one will stop you from doing so.

Standing the laity continue to sing the Communion Chant, an action great facilitated by standing. Again, the Mass is communal prayer, not “me-and-God-time.” Some time for private prayer is provided later in the Mass, as the directive of Bishop Perez instructs there should be a:

period of sacred silence...after the distribution of Holy Communion. This period of sacred silence should begin as soon as the distribution of Holy Communion has been completed, the faithful may sit or kneel.

The beginning of this period is ambiguous here at Holy Spirit. The congregation is invited to kneel or to sit “after the last person has received Communion.” The giving of Communion to the choir makes this time hard to determine. It does seem the custom has developed of waiting until the Tabernacle door is closed before going to a kneeling or seated posture. Given the way that Communion is distributed at Holy Spirit, the reposition in the tabernacle is very close to the time of the last person receiving, I see no reason to fight the custom but make it clear that you are able to change from the standing posture when Communion has ended.

I must address that we are to return to our pews after Communion, we do not go to our cars! Like many parishes, there are some people at Holy Spirit who leave immediately after Communion. The Mass has not ended! It can be questioned if those leaving early have fulfilled their obligation to attend Mass. I point out that people do not leave movies before they end—Marvel has even taught us to stay until the end of the credits; this is after a 2- or 3-hour movie. Masses here are usually under an hour. Is it too much to ask to give God a full hour; to schedule all of an hour on Sunday for Church (and be willing to give more on the few occasions when Mass lasts more than an hour)? It is especially disheartening to see parents taking their children out of Mass early. What is this teaching? What gets priority over God? If there is a real emergency, that is understandable. Leaving Mass early should be the rare occurrence, certainly not every week. I had someone tell me that they were leaving the noon Mass early to get to work. This is when one should plan to attend an earlier Mass or the evening Mass at St. Joseph or another parish. Sunday Mass should be a priority and not something we squeeze in as best we can.

Please, stay until the end of Mass. The congregation is the less—and not just in number—not having present those who leave early.

The Ways to Receive Communion

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

A person may receive on the tongue or in the hand--the Church expresses no preference for one or the other.

If receiving in the hand, recall the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem,

When you approach, take care not to do so with your hand stretched out and your fingers open or apart, but rather place your left hand as a throne beneath your right, as befits one who is about to receive the King.

This should remind us of whom we are receiving and not do it in a casual or unthinking manner. If our hands are a notepad, inked with reminders—the stains of work being something very different—we ought to receive on the tongue. If something prevents us from presenting both hands to make a throne and reverently receive, perhaps we receive on the tongue.

The communicant can approach one of the Communion ministers who has the cup. The dialog is like that when receiving the host. The minister says, “The Blood of Christ.” The communicant responds, “Amen.” The cup is given to the communicant, who takes a sip (not a drink), then hands it back to the Communion minister, who wipes the chalice lip with a purificator and then hands it on to the next communicant.

We receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ in even a particle of the Host or a drop of the Precious Blood. It is not absolutely necessary to receive the Host and cup, but it is a fuller sign of our doing what Jesus asked, when He said, after giving the disciples the bread and the wine, “Do this in memory of Me.” The ideal is that we receive the Host and cup at each Mass, but we are not deprived of a part of Jesus if we do not. It is possible for someone to receive the Precious Blood and not the Host.

Intinction is when the Host is dipped into the Precious Blood and then given to the communicant. This was the way I received my First Communion in 1974. Intinction is still a valid way of receiving Communion in the Church. It fell into disuse when the practice of Communion in the hand became widespread. This manner of receiving, by its nature, demands reception on the tongue. Self-intinction is never permitted by those who are not priests. (If you see a priest doing it, he’s probably got a cold or something of the sort.) A communicant cannot take a Host and proceeded to the cup and dip the Host into the cup. This goes against the take-bless-break-give nature of the Eucharist. It replaces the “give” with a “take.”

The Purification

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

After Communion has concluded, there follows the oddly-named, Purification . This is the cleansing of the vessels (the chalice, communion cups, ciboria, patens) used at Mass. This involves collecting particles of the Blessed Sacrament together, adding water to the vessels so to rinse the Precious Blood. The water, now mixed with the Precious Blood and Blessed Sacrament fragments, is consumed. While consuming, the priest, deacon, or installed acolyte says:

What has passed our lips as food, O Lord, may we possess in purity of heart, that what has been given to us in time may be our healing for eternity.

The Purification should take place right after communion or it may be done in the sacristy right after Mass.

Note that the Church askes that the Purification be done by a priest, deacon, or installed acolyte—a lay ministry in the Church, a person installed into this ministry for service at the altar (the installed Acolyte is a combination of altar server and Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and the first choice after the priest and deacon to distribute Communion; because of this, I call the Acolyte, “the ordinary Extra Ordinary Minister of Holy Communion.”

I call the Purification “oddly-named” because it seems strange that the cleaning of vessels that once held Jesus in the Eucharist are to be made more “pure.” But that’s what we call it.

After Communion there is to be a time of silence, or there is the option that a psalm, canticle of praise, or another hymn may be sung. I have most often experienced that the Magnificat, the song of praise of Mary in Luke 1: 46-55, is sung at this time.

The Prayer After Communion

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The Communion Rite ends with the Prayer After Communion (AKA “The Closing Prayer”). The priest-celebrant introduces the prayer with the invitation:

Let us pray.

If there has not been a period of silence before the prayer, then there should be a period of silence after “Let us pray.” This is different from the Collect at the start of Mass, where a moment of silence to bring our prayers to the Mass, is prescribed.

The Prayer After Communion sums up the activity of the Communion Rite in a single prayer, as can be seen in the prayer for the First Sunday of Lent:

Renewed now with heavenly bread, by which faith is nourished, hope increased, and charity strengthened, we pray, O Lord, that we may learn to hunger for Christ, the true and living Bread, and strive to live by every word which proceeds from Your mouth. Through Christ our Lord.

And the prayer for the Second Sunday of Lent says:

As we receive these glorious mysteries, we make thanksgiving to You, O Lord, for allowing us while still on earth to be partakers even now of the things of heaven. Through Christ our Lord.

We see the prayers call to mind the effect that the Eucharist has in our lives.

To the prayer, the people respond:

Amen.

The End of Mass

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

After Final Blessing, the deacon (or priest if no deacon is present) gives the Dismissal. The current forms for the Dismissal are:

Go forth, the Mass is ended.
Or: Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
Or: Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
Or: Go in peace.

The people reply:
Thanks be to God.

On Easter, during the Octave, including the Second Sunday of Easter and on Pentecost, there is the Dismissal with Alleluias with the priest’s/deacon’s part and with the people’s part.

Note: this is not that we are thankful that the Mass has (finally) ended. We are thankful that we are sent out.

In the Latin Mass from the Missal of Pope Pius V, the Mass concluded, rather famously, with the words: “Ite, Missa est”. This literally translates as: “Go, it has been sent”, the “it” being the assembly. From these words the common name of the liturgical action we celebrate “Mass” is derived. This is significant. What we have done in church, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist are meant to be taken out into the world. The congregation having been fed on the Scriptures and the Eucharist take the Jesus they have received in Word and Sacrament into a world longing for Him. We take Him to our homes, work places, schools; to our family, friends, coworkers, classmates; to the poor, the needy, the hurting, and the mourning. This is the point of the action of the Liturgy: we are transformed by Christ so that we can transform the world in Christ. What we do on Sunday should impact what we do the rest of the week, how we treat others; how we do business; how we drive, everything! We have been sent! THANKS BE TO GOD!

As they leave, the priest and the deacon venerate the altar with a kiss. The ministers reverence the tabernacle with a genuflection. The ministers leave in the order they entered with the thurifer, cross, and the candle-bearers going before the deacon and priest.

The custom has become that there is a Closing Song. This is not required by the Roman Missal or the GIRM. There can be a closing hymn, an instrumental piece, or even silence. I fully support that the people have been told: “The Mass is ended,” and not “The Mass is ended…but first sing this song.” Still if there is a closing hymn, please stay and sing. If you must leave right after the dismissal, so be it. One music director accused me of leaving quickly when I didn’t like the closing song. To quote Sideshow Bob, “Guilty, as charged.” Here at Holy Spirit, I have no choice but to rush (almost sprint) if I want to be able to greet people leaving Mass. With our church building, a leisurely procession would have me finding half the people gone by the time I got to the doors. Please stay around until the end of the song-- I’d love to greet you on your way out into the fields of the Lord.

The Final Blessing

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

The last act of the priest at the Mass (if there is not a deacon) is the Final Blessing. The Final Blessing can take three forms. All three forms begin with the exchange,

Priest: “The Lord be with you.”

People: “And with your spirit.”

In the simple blessing the priest says:

“May almighty God bless you: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

The priest makes a sign of the cross over the people as he invokes the Trinity. A bishop makes the cross three times. The people reply:

“Amen.”

For the Prayer over the People and the Solemn Blessing, the deacon, or in his absence, the priest, says after the initial exchange:

“Bow down for the Blessing,” and all bow their heads.

In the Prayer over the People, the priest says one prayer, to which the people respond:

“Amen.”

You will notice that the Sundays and Weekdays of Lent have a prescribed Prayer over the People. The use is optional, but my approach is that if there is something optional that is specific for the day, I use it.

The Solemn Blessing has three invocations, each followed by the congregation’s “Amen.” The Roman Missal provides Solemn Blessing for many major feasts (Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Pentecost, etc.); for liturgical seasons (Advent, Easter time, Ordinary Time etc.); and for some saint’s feasts (Mary, Peter and Paul, other Apostles, All Saints).

The Prayer over the People and the Solemn Blessing conclude with the priest saying as he makes the sign of the cross over the people:

May the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you forever.

To which the people respond: “Amen.”

There is also a special form of the Solemn Blessing that is used only by a bishop. It is more of a dialog with the people:

Bishop: “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
People: “Now and for ever.”
Bishop: “Our help is in the name of the Lord.”
People: “Who made heaven and earth.”
Bishop: “May almighty God bless you, (making the Sign of the Cross over the people three times) the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
People: “Amen.”

The Closing Rites

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

After the peoples’ Amen, the Communion Rite concludes and we move into the Concluding Rites.

The Roman Missal allows that if announcements are to be made, they are made at this point. The way we do announcements at Holy Spirit is according to the mind of the Church and her liturgy.

My intention for the announcements is that they are to be used for: opportunities for worship, charity, or social gathering. There are some events that come up after the bulletin goes to press on Tuesday, so they need to be announced on Sunday. The announcements at Mass are not intended for alerting of regularly-scheduled meetings.

I discovered the real need for the Mass announcements a few years back when we were in the middle of the church window replacement process. I had several active parishioners, when seeing boarded-up windows, ask, “Was there a storm or vandalism?” though the project had been announced regularly in the bulletin. So, I saw that the bulletin was not widely read.

Though the goal is to have the announcements be brief and few, that we don’t always achieve that is a sign of the good things happening at Holy Spirit!

The Dismissal

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

After Final Blessing, the deacon (or priest if no deacon is present) gives the Dismissal. The current forms for the Dismissal are:

Go forth, the Mass is ended.
Or: Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
Or: Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
Or: Go in peace.

The people reply:
Thanks be to God.

On Easter, during the Octave, including the Second Sunday of Easter and on Pentecost, there is the Dismissal with Alleluias with the priest’s/deacon’s adding the Alleluia to his part and people adding it to theirs.

“Thanks Be to God” is not said because we are thankful that the Mass has (finally) ended. We are thankful that we are sent out.

In the Latin Mass from the Missal of Pope Pius V, the Mass concluded, rather famously, with the words: “Ite, Missa est”. This literally translates as: “Go, it has been sent”, the “it” being the assembly. From these words the common name of the liturgical action we celebrate “Mass” is derived. This is significant. What we have done in church, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist are meant to be taken out into the world. The congregation having been fed on the Scriptures and the Eucharist take the Jesus they have received in Word and Sacrament into a world longing for Him. We take Him to our homes, work places, schools; to our family, friends, coworkers, classmates; to the poor, the needy, the hurting, and the mourning. This is the point of the action of the Liturgy: we are transformed by Christ so that we can transform the world in Christ. What we do on Sunday should impact on what we do the rest of the week, how we treat others; how we do business; how we drive, everything! We have been sent! THANKS BE TO GOD!

The Recession

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:18:37 GMT

As they leave, the priest and the deacon venerate the altar with a kiss. The ministers reverence the tabernacle with a genuflection. The ministers leave in the order they entered with the cross, and the candle-bearers going before the deacon and priest.

Here at Holy Spirit, I have no choice but to rush (almost sprint) if I want to be able to greet people leaving Mass. With our church building, a leisurely procession would have me finding half the people gone by the time I got to the doors. Please stay around until the end of the song-- I’d love to greet you on your way out into the fields of the Lord.