It is not all about you!

“We live in a society where individual ego is at the forefront.” Does that quote sound familiar to you? It should, if you pay attention to the Geico “caveman” commercials. I have found it to be rather ironic in hidden truth.

All too often, we place more significance on our own egotistical needs. Our belief system is the only true one. Our race or class is the only one that should benefit from public attention. Our own learning far exceeds other’s learning. Our misfortunes are far worse than our neighbors.

I do not feel this egotistical bent has enhances our society. I see it as a carryover from the “Me First!” generation. Their tender childrearing (insert sarcastic rolling of the eyes here) has left us with adults who are spoiled, selfish, narcissistic jerks with nothing better to do in life than gain material goods while throwing away anything that seems unwanted or broken.

Disposable marriages, disposable friendships, disposable jobs – let’s recycle it all and acquire something new. Time-honored traditions are worthless to such persons. Surly if the Christ were a modern American, he would have appointed an underling to take his place on the cross. After all, what’s in it for Him?

When it comes to chat rooms or other “socializing places of interest”: please remember that you are not the most important thing in the world. You are not entitled to anything. Even your salvation is a gift from God and not an entitlement. We (you and I) do not deserve it. We did nothing to earn such a gift. It is freely given out of love.

You are also not entitled to have the whole world hang on your every word. In the grand scheme of things, your opinions matter little to an all-powerful God. Your actions and your treatment of the sacredness of His Word (your Holy bible) will determine your outcome. Do you plant seeds or do you burn fields in your own self-righteous angry wake?

The man who mocks deserves mocking in return.
The man who attacks deserves to be attacked.
The man who damns has only his own damnation to face.
~ but ~
The man who forgives needs never dwell on past harms, as he has pardoned them.
The man who praises God never stops to collect his own praises.
The man who loves deserves to be loved.

Americans are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They are not entitled to take the lives of others, remove the liberties of others, or take away the happiness of others. To do so is selfish and egotistical.

Live and let live. Do no harm. Let go and let God. Get over yourself: it is not all about YOUUUUU.


~ Autrice

Mass Part 1: What is mass?

I've had several folks ask me about Mass... so here is a brief overview of what it is, why we celebrate it, and what books or instruction we use. Instead of pulling up documents that are heavily laden with terms that most nonCatholics won't understand, I used Wikipedia:

Mass is the term used to describe celebration of the Eucharist in the Western liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. The term is derived from the late-Latin word missa (dismissal), a word used in the concluding formula of Mass in Latin: "Ite, missa est" ("Go, it is the dismissal") For the celebration of the Eucharist in Eastern Churches, including those in full communion with the Holy See of Rome, other terms, such as the Divine Liturgy, the Holy Qurbana, and the Badarak are normally used.

The Council of Trent reaffirmed traditional Christian teaching that the Mass is the same Sacrifice of Calvary offered in an unbloody manner: "The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different. And since 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 offered in an unbloody manner... this sacrifice is truly propitiatory" (Doctrina de ss. Missae sacrificio, c. 2, quoted in Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1367). The Council declared that Jesus instituted the Mass at his Last Supper: "He offered up to God the Father His own body and blood under the species of bread and wine; and, under the symbols of those same things, He delivered (His own body and blood) to be received by His apostles, whom He then constituted priests of the New Testament; and by those words, Do this in commemoration of me, He commanded them and their successors in the priesthood, to offer (them); even as the Catholic Church has always understood and taught."

The Roman Catholic Church sees the Mass as the most perfect way it has to offer latria (adoration) to God. It is also Catholic belief that in objective reality, not merely symbolically, the wheaten bread and grape wine are converted into Christ's body and blood, a conversion referred to as transubstantiation, so that the whole Christ, body and blood, soul and divinity, is truly, really, and substantially contained in the sacrament of the Eucharist

TEXTS USED DURING MASS:
The Roman Missal contains the prayers and rubrics of the Mass. Before the 1970 revision of the Roman rite of Mass (see Mass of Paul VI), the Missal contained not only the prayers of the Mass itself, with the prayers for each day of the calendar, but also the scriptural readings for each day.

In the United States and Canada, the English translation of the Roman Missal is at present called the Sacramentary.

The Lectionary presents passages from the Bible arranged in the order for reading at each day's Mass. Compared with the scripture readings in the pre-1970 Missal, the modern Lectionary contains a much wider variety of passages.
A Book of the Gospels called the Evangelary is recommended for the reading from the Gospels, but the Lectionary may be used in its place.

Time of Celebration of Mass
Before the liturgical reforms of Pope Pius XII from 1951 to 1955, it was forbidden, except for Midnight Mass on Christmas night, to begin Mass more than one hour before dawn or more than one hour after midday. In the Apostolic Constitution Christus Dominus (1953) and the Motu Propio Sacram Communionem (1957) Pius XII permitted the celebration of Mass at other times. There are no longer any time limits. Furthermore, since the Second Vatican Council, the time for fulfilling the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation now begins on the evening of the day before (in theory, after First Vespers), and most parish churches do celebrate the Sunday Mass also on Saturday evening. By long tradition and liturgical law, Mass is not celebrated at any time on Good Friday (but Holy Communion is, since the reform of Pope Pius XII, distributed to those participating in the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord with hosts consecrated at the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday) or on Holy Saturday before the beginning of the Easter Vigil.

In addition, before Pope Pius XII, the Eucharistic Fast (to which the priest too was bound) extended from the midnight before Mass was celebrated, thus making it impractical to celebrate Mass much after noon anyway. Pius XII reduced the fast from food and alcohol to three hours, reduced the fast from non-alcoholic beverages to one hour, and excluded water from fast regulations. Pope Paul VI in 1964 reduced the fast to one hour before receiving communion.

Priests and bishops are required, from the time of their ordination as deacons, to celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours daily, but are not obliged to celebrate Mass daily. "Apart from those cases in which the law allows him to celebrate or concelebrate the Eucharist a number of times on the same day, a priest may not celebrate more than once a day" (canon 905 of the Code of Canon Law), and "a priest may not celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice without the participation of at least one of the faithful, unless there is a good and reasonable cause for doing so" (canon 906).

Priests may be required by their posts to celebrate Mass daily, or at least on Sundays, for the faithful in their pastoral care. The bishop of a diocese and the pastor of a parish are required to celebrate or arrange for another priest to celebrate, on every Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation, a Mass "pro populo" - that is, for the faithful entrusted to his care.

For Latin-Rite priests, there are a few general exceptions to the limitation to celebrate only one Mass a day (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 204). By very ancient tradition, they may celebrate Mass three times at Christmas (the Midnight Mass or "Shepherd's Mass", the Dawn Mass and the Day Mass, each of which has its own readings and chants).

On All Souls' Day they may also, on the basis of a privilege to all priests by Pope Benedict XV in August 1915, celebrate Mass three times, but not immediately one after the other; only one of the three Masses may be for the personal intentions of the priest, while the other two Masses must be applied, one for all the faithful departed, the other for the intentions of the Pope. A priest who has concelebrated the Chrism Mass, which may be held on the morning of Holy Thursday, may also celebrate or concelebrate the Mass of the Lord's Supper that evening. A priest may celebrate or concelebrate both the Mass of the Easter Vigil and Mass during Easter day (the Easter Vigil "should not begin before nightfall; it should end before daybreak on Sunday"; and may therefore take place at midnight or in the early hours of Easter morning). Finally, a priest who has concelebrated Mass at a meeting of priests or during a pastoral visitation by a bishop or a bishop's delegate, may celebrate a second Mass for the benefit of the laity.

In addition to these general permissions, the Local Ordinary may, for a good reason, permit priests to celebrate twice (they are then said to "binate," and the act is "bination") on weekdays, and three times ("trinate," and "trination") on Sundays and Holy Days (canon 905 §2). Examples would be: if a parish priest were to need to celebrate the usual, scheduled daily Mass of a parish, and a funeral later in the morning, or three Masses to accommodate all of the parishioners in a very populous parish on Sundays. In particularly difficult circumstances, the Pope can grant the diocesan bishop permission to give his priests faculties to trinate on weekdays and quadrinate on Sundays.
In many countries, the bishop's power to permit bination and trination is widely availed of, so that it is common for priests assigned to parish ministry to celebrate at least two Masses on any given Sunday, and two Masses on several other days of the week. Permission for quadrination has been obtained in order to cope with large numbers of Catholics either in mission lands or where the ranks of priests are diminishing.

Special Masses

Nuptial Mass and other Ritual Masses
A Nuptial Mass is simply a Mass within which the sacrament of Holy Matrimony is celebrated. Other sacraments too are celebrated within Mass. This is necessarily so for the sacrament of Orders, and is normal, though not obligatory, for the sacrament of Confirmation, as well as that of Holy Matrimony. Unless the date chosen is that of a major liturgical feast, the prayers are taken from the section of the Roman Missal headed "Ritual Masses". This section has special texts for the celebration within Mass of Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, Orders, and Holy Matrimony, leaving Confession (Penance or Reconciliation) as the only sacrament not celebrated within a celebration of the Eucharist. There are also texts for celebrating within Mass, Religious Profession, the Dedication of a Church, and several other rites.

If one of a couple being married in a Catholic church is not a Catholic, the rite of Holy Matrimony outside Mass is to be followed. However, if the non-Catholic has been baptized in the name of all three persons of the Trinity (and not only in the name of, say, Jesus, as is the baptismal practice in some branches of Christianity), then, in exceptional cases and provided the bishop of the diocese gives permission, it may be considered suitable to celebrate the marriage within a Mass, except that, according to the general law, Communion is not given to the non-Catholic (Rite of Marriage, 8).

Mass Part 2: What goes on during Mass?

Structure of the present form of the Roman Rite of Mass

(For earlier forms, see Pre-Tridentine Mass and Tridentine Mass.)
Within the fixed structure outlined below, the Scripture readings, the antiphons sung or recited during the entrance procession or communion, and the texts of the three prayers known as the collect, the prayer over the gifts, and the postcommunion prayer vary each day according to the liturgical season, the feast days of titles or events in the life of Christ, the feast days and commemorations of the saints, or for Masses for particular circumstances (e.g., funeral Masses, Masses for the celebration of Confirmation, Masses for peace, to begin the academic year, etc.).

Pre-Mass procedures
A bowl of holy water is kept near each entrance to the church. As parishioners enter, they dip their fingers into the water and then make a sign of the cross. This action reminds participants that through baptism they have become members of the Church. Following this, it is customary to genuflect or bow by the side of a pew in the direction of the tabernacle holding the Blessed Sacrament (consecrated Eucharist) before sitting or kneeling, and taking time to recollect thoughts before entering into the sacred action of the Mass. If the Blessed Sacrament is not present in the sanctuary, it is not necessary or customary to genuflect.

Introductory rites
After an entrance hymn or the recitation of an antiphon, Mass begins with all making the large Sign of the Cross (the fingertips of the right hand touch in sequence the forehead, breast, left shoulder and right shoulder), while the priest says the Trinitarian formula, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit", to which the people answer: "Amen." Then the priest "signifies the presence of the Lord to the community gathered there by means of the Greeting. By this Greeting and the people’s response, the mystery of the Church gathered together is made manifest" (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 50). The greetings are derived from the beginnings of the Pauline epistles.

Then the priest invites those present to take part in the Act of Penitence, of which the Missal proposes three forms, the first of which is the Confiteor. This is concluded with the priest's prayer of absolution, "which, however, lacks the efficacy of the Sacrament of Penance" (GIRM 51). "On Sundays, especially in the Season of Easter, in place of the customary Act of Penitence, from time to time the blessing and sprinkling of water to recall Baptism may take place" (GIRM 51).

"After the Act of Penitence, the Kyrie is always begun, unless it has already been included as part of the Act of Penitence. Since it is a chant by which the faithful acclaim the Lord and implore his mercy, it is ordinarily done by all, that is, by the people and with the choir or cantor having a part in it" (GIRM 52).

"The Gloria in Excelsis Deo is a very ancient and venerable hymn in which the Church, gathered together in the Holy Spirit, glorifies and entreats God the Father and the Lamb. ... It is sung or said on Sundays outside the Seasons of Advent and Lent, on solemnities and feasts, and at special celebrations of a more solemn character" (GIRM 53). In accordance with that rule, the Gloria is omitted at funerals and is considered optional at weddings. It is also omitted for ordinary feast-days of saints, weekdays, and Votive Masses. It is also optional, in line with the perceived degree of solemnity of the occasion, at Ritual Masses such as those celebrated for Marriage("Nuptial Mass"), Confirmation or Religious Profession, at Masses on the Anniversary of Marriage or Religious Profession, and at Masses for Various Needs and Occasions.

"Next the priest invites the people to pray. All, together with the priest, observe a brief silence so that they may be conscious of the fact that they are in God’s presence and may formulate their petitions mentally. Then the priest says the prayer which is customarily known as the Collect and through which the character of the celebration is expressed" (GIRM 54).

The Liturgy of the Word
On Sundays and solemnities, three Scripture readings are given. On other days there are only two. If there are three readings, the first, except during Eastertide, is from the Old Testament (a term wider than Hebrew Scriptures, since it includes the Deuterocanonical Books), and the second is from the New Testament, reserving for the final reading a passage from one of the Gospels.

The lector who proclaims the one or two readings that precede the Gospel reading begins each with the phrase "A reading from ..." (e.g. "A reading from the Second Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians") and, if following the Roman Missal and a Lectionary that is faithful to it, concludes the reading with "This is the Word of the Lord." (Some Lectionaries give instead: "The Word of the Lord.") The congregation responds: "Thanks be to God."

The first reading is followed by a Responsorial Psalm, a complete Psalm or a sizeable portion of one. A cantor, a choir or a lector leads, and the congregation sings or recites a refrain.

On certain occasions, a sequence is sung or recited, normally by a deacon, but in other cases by another appropriate minister. Then, before the Gospel reading, the congregation rises and sings the Alleluia or, in Lent, a less joyful acclamation, such as "Praise and honor to you, Lord Jesus Christ", and remains standing during the Gospel procession (if there is one)and the reading of the Gospel. If the acclamation is not sung, it may be omitted, but most often it is in fact recited. The Gospel is read by a deacon or, if none is available, by a priest; never by a lay person. Before reading the Gospel, a deacon asks for the priest's blessing. A priest asks for the blessing of a bishop, if a bishop is celebrating the Mass; otherwise, he bows to the altar and says a silent preparatory prayer. Then the deacon or priest gives the liturgical greeting, "The Lord be with you", to which the people respond: "And also with you." The Gospel reading is then preceded by the phrase, "A reading from the Holy Gospel according to (the name of the evangelist)", to which the congregation responds: "Glory to you, Lord." At the same time, all trace a small cross on forehead, lips, and breast. If incense is used, the Book of the Gospels is then incensed. To conclude the Gospel reading, the priest or deacon proclaims: "This is the Gospel of the Lord" (again, Evangelaries not in harmony with the Missal give: "The Gospel of the Lord."), and the congregation responds: "Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ." The priest or deacon then kisses the book, saying inaudibly: "May the words of the gospel wipe away our sins." If a bishop is the presider, the Gospel Book may be taken to the bishop to kiss, saying the same prayer. The bishop may then impart a blessing to the assembly with the book.

A bishop, priest or deacon may then give a homily, a sermon that draws upon some aspect of the readings or the liturgy of the day. The homily is obligatory on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and is highly encouraged for other days.

On Sundays and solemnities, all then profess their Christian faith by reciting or singing a creed. Traditionally the Nicene Creed is used at Mass, but since the promulgation of the 2002 edition of the Roman Missal, the Apostles' Creed may be used instead, especially, since it was originally a baptismal creed, during Eastertide. It is also common for the Apostles' Creed, which is the shorter of the two, to be used in Masses with a high proportion of children.

The Liturgy of the Word concludes with the General Intercessions or "Prayers of the Faithful." The priest speaks a general introduction, then a deacon or someone else, even a lay person, presents some intentions for prayer, to which the congregation responds with a very short prayer such as: "Lord hear our prayer", and finally the priest says a concluding prayer.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist
The Eucharistic Liturgy begins when bread and wine are brought to the altar, either in a procession or simply from a nearby credence. The unleavened wheaten bread is placed on a paten, and the grape wine, mixed with a little water, is put in a chalice. A linen corporal is spread over the centre of the altar and, as the priest places, first the bread, and then the wine, on the corporal, he says a silent prayer over each individually. If this rite is unaccompanied by singing, he is permitted to say these two prayers aloud, in which case the congregation responds each time: "Blessed be God forever." Then the priest washes his hands, to signify the need for purity on the part of those approaching the central part of Mass.

The congregation, which has been seated during this preparatory rite, rises, and the priest gives an exhortation to pray: "Pray, brothers and sisters, that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father." The congregation responds: "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 Church." The priest then pronounces the variable prayer over the gifts that have been set aside.

The Eucharistic Prayer then begins with a dialogue between priest and people. This dialogue opens with the normal liturgical greeting, but in view of the special solemnity of the rite now beginning, the priest then exhorts the people: "Lift up your hearts." The people respond with: "We lift them up to the Lord." The priest then introduces the great theme of the Eucharist, a word originating in the Greek word for giving thanks: "Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God," he says. The congregation joins in this sentiment, saying: "It is right to give him thanks and praise."

The priest then continues with one of many Eucharistic Prayer prefaces, which lead to the Sanctus acclamation: "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of power and might, 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."

In some countries, including the United States, the people kneel immediately after the singing or recitation of the Sanctus. However, the general rule is that they kneel somewhat later, for the Consecration, when, according to Catholic faith, the underlying reality or substance of the bread and wine is converted into the body and blood of Christ (see Transubstantiation).

The Eucharistic Prayer includes the Epiclesis, through which the Church implores the power of the Holy Spirit that the gifts that have been set aside may become Christ's body and blood and that the Communion may be for the salvation of those who will partake of it.

The central part is the Institution Narrative and Consecration, recalling the words and actions at his Last Supper, which he told his disciples to do in his memory, thus instituting the Mass.

Immediately after the Consecration and the showing to the people of the consecrated elements, the priest invites the people to proclaim "the mystery of faith", and the congregation joins in reciting the Memorial Acclamation. The Roman Missal gives three forms for this acclamation. (A fourth, added in the 1973 English translation, is unlikely to be kept in the forthcoming revision of that translation.)

The Eucharistic Prayer also includes the Anamnesis, expressions of offering, and intercessions for the living and dead.

It concludes with a doxology, with the priest lifting up the paten with the host and the deacon (if there is one) the chalice, and the singing or recitation of the Amen by the people. The unofficial term "The Great Amen" is sometimes applied to this Amen.

The Communion Rite
All together recite or sing the "Lord's Prayer" ("Pater Noster" or "Our Father"). The priest introduces it with a short phrase and follows it up with the prayer: "Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ." The people then add the doxology: "For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever."

Next comes the rite of peace (pax). After praying: "Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: 'I leave you peace, my peace I give you.' Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom where you live for ever and ever ", the priest wishes the people the peace of Christ: "The peace of the Lord be with you always." The deacon or, in his absence, the priest may then invite those present to offer each other the sign of peace. The form of the sign of peace varies according to local custom. A handshake is common in many countries, including the United States. In India a person will give the sign of peace by joining his or her hands and bowing to another. In the Philippines the sign of peace is usually a smile and a polite nod.

While the "Lamb of God" ("Agnus Dei" in Latin) litany is sung or recited, the priest breaks the host and places a piece in the main chalice; this is known as the rite of fraction and commingling.

If extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are required, they may come forward at this time, but they are not allowed to go to the altar itself until after the priest has received Communion (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 162). The priest then presents the transubstantiated elements to the congregation, saying: "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper." Then all repeat: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed." The priest then receives Communion and, with the help, if necessary, of extraordinary ministers, distributes Communion to the people, who generally approach in procession. Before receiving, each communicant is supposed to make a sign of reverence, such as a bow. The distributing minister says: "The body of Christ" or "The blood of Christ", according as the element distributed is the consecrated bread or the consecrated wine, or: "The body and blood of Christ", if both are distributed together (by intinction). The communicant responds: "Amen." Catholic Eucharistic theology points out that, because Christ is not now divided, whoever receives only the bread that has become his body also receives his blood, together with his soul and divinity.

While Communion is distributed, an appropriate song is recommended. If that is not possible, a short antiphon is recited before the distribution begins.

"The sacred vessels are purified by the priest, the deacon, or an instituted acolyte after Communion or after Mass, insofar as possible at the credence table" (GIRM 279). Then the priest concludes the Liturgy of the Eucharist with the Prayer after Communion, for which the people are invited to stand.

Concluding rite
After the Prayer after Communion, announcements may be made. The Missal says these should be brief. The priest then gives the usual liturgical greeting and imparts his blessing. The liturgy concludes with a dialogue between the priest and congregation. The deacon, or in his absence, the priest himself then dismisses the people. The Latin formula is simply "Ite, missa est", but the 1973 English Missal gives a choice of dismissal formulas. The congregation responds: "Thanks be to God." The priest and other ministers then leave, often to the accompaniment of a recessional hymn.