The Mass - a Joyful Activity - Term Paper Example

? The Mass-A Joyful Activity The Mass-A Joyful Activity Introduction The Mass is one of the most joyful activities among the Roman Catholics. The Eucharist in the Roman Catholic Church is referred to as the Mass. The term Mass colloquially refers to the entire church service that is undertaken by the Catholics. The Roman Catholics celebrate the Mass service every Sunday of the week and during holy days of the year1. According to the Catholics Church, Sunday represents the day of Jesus’ resurrection from the death and ascension to heaven. The Mass thus represents the day when Jesus resurrected from the death. The primary objective of this paper is to establish that the Mass is a feast of joy and not an obligation. This research paper will compare and contrast the Old and New Testament viewpoints of the Mass and illustrate how different parts make the Mass a joyful feast. The paper will also highlight the significance of active participation during progress of the Mass makes it a feast of joy. The concept and process of the Mass are similar in the both the New and Old Testaments, although there are some differences in viewpoints of the Mass between the two Testaments. The New Testament mass comprises of two main parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist2. These major parts are further divided into subsections to make a whole Mass. The standard duration for a Catholic Mass is two or three hours, and two or three Mass services may run on a Sunday. The Mass is a symbol of Jesus’ sacrifice, which makes present the passion of Christ through the priest and joins human beings as partakers of His meal. Most people believe that the Mass is an obligation for all Catholics; however, the Mass is a joyful and voluntary activity among the Catholics. The Celebration of the Mass in the Old Testament and Comparisons to the New Testament Concept of the Mass The fundamental nature of the Mass is contingent upon the venue and functions that participants perform. The Mass in the Old Testament was celebrated in Tents and Temples. There existed the Holy of Holies that housed the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was covered with the Propitiatory or Mercy Seat. The Ark of the Covenant contained the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s staff and the vessel containing Manna. The Holy of Holies also contained the Cherubim, which was a winged creature supporting the throne of God and acting as a guardian Spirit. The Holy of Holies and the Ark of the Covenant were kept in the Temple. Old Testament priests were allowed to access the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant during feasts and sacrifices. The Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies are similar to the Tabernacle in the New Testament. The Old Testament Temple and Tents of Worship housed the sanctuary. The sanctuary was the Altar of incense, which contained ten candlesticks. The sanctuary also contained the table of loaves, which was also referred to as the bread of the presence. The frankincense that the New Testament priests spray to the congregation during the Mass commemorates the Old Testament incense. The Catholic Church has an altar table from where the priest prepares the Eucharist before distributing it to the congregation3. This table holds the Eucharist bread and the wine that symbolizes the blood of Christ. The candles keep burning on the sanctuary throughout the church service. These candles are similar to the ten candlesticks in the Old Testament. The New Testament, however, burns two candles while the Old Testament used ten candlesticks to represent the Ten Commandments. The table for the loaves in the Old Testament is similar to the Eucharist table in the New Testament. Another component of the Old Testament Temples was the Vestibule. The Vestibule was the bronze altar of sacrifice. The Vestibule contained the bronze sea of water for purification. The bronze of altar relates to the Altar of sacrifice in the New Testament Mass. Bronze Sea of water for purification is similar to the washing of priest’s hands at the offertory. Jesus, before making the feast for His disciples, washed their feet as a sign of purification in readiness for the Passover feast4. Priests wash the feet of selected people during the night of celebrating the Passover feast to commemorate Jesus’ washing of His disciples’ feet. The priest sprays the Water of Blessings before the Eucharist. Priests also use this water for baptizing people and blessing little children. The Holocaust in the Old Testament constituted a burnt offering, which was entirely consumed. The Eucharist sacrifice that commemorates the crucifixion and symbolizes the Holocaust since the unblemished lamb is offered. The New Testament, however, does represent Jesus as completely consumed by the fire; the bread and wine in His symbol is completely consumed. The peace offering, which was also referred to as a communion sacrifice, is similar to the sacrifice received by both the priest and people who offer the gifts. The sin offering in the Old Testament is similar to Christ’s offering in the New Testament that takeaway the sins of the world. The sin offering was to re-consecrate the profaned sacred objects, but the Christ’s offering remit the sins of human beings. The elevation of the host and the chalice by the priest during consecration commemorates the wave offering. The Old Testament feast days included daily offering and the Sabbath. The daily offering perpetuates the daily Mass where the priests offer the Eucharist. Sunday becomes the new Sabbath where the Catholics celebrate the Lord’s resurrection, which dates back to the apostolic times. The Parts of the Roman Catholic Mass The Mass comprises of two main parts; these are the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Word. The Liturgy of the Word occurs during the first half of the Mass. There is active participation of both the priest and the congregation evidenced by the responses from people. The Liturgy of the Eucharist occurs during the second half of the Mass5. This part begins when the priest and the servers present the bread and wine to the altar while the people are offering their gifts. There are certain rites that open and conclude the major parts of the Mass, referred to as the introductory and closing rites. The introductory parts of the Mass ensure that the congregation establishes a communion and organize themselves to hear the word of God and celebrate the Eucharist worthily. The Introductory Rites The Entrance The Entrance hymn begins when the priest enters the church hall with the serving ministers and the deacon. The Entrance chant opens the celebration and fosters the congregation’s unity. People are usually singing, dancing, and joyfully dancing during the Entrance. The primary purpose of the Entrance chant is introducing the thoughts of the congregation to the liturgical festivity as they join the procession of the priest, the deacon and ministers6. The Introduction occurs as the priest walks to the sanctuary in the company of deacons and ministers. The Greeting The Greeting occurs after the priest, the serving ministries and the deacon have reached the sanctuary and reverenced the altar with a bow. The priest and the deacon kiss the altar as an expression of veneration7. When the Entrance song is concluded, the priest, deacon, ministers and the congregation stand at their chairs and make the Sign of the Cross. The priest signifies the Lord’s presence to the congregation through greetings and reminds the congregation to focus their attention and prospect of listening to the Word of God and responding with prayer and praise. The priest says, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the holy spirit be with you.” The congregation replies, “And also be with you.” The Act of Penitence The Act of Penitence, also referred to as Confession and Absolution, is a form of confession that takes place during the introductory rites of the Mass. This part starts with the priest’s invitation of the whole congregation to participate in the Act of Penitence. The entire congregation recites a general formula of confession after a brief pause for silence. The Act of Penitence concludes the priest’s absolution. The Kyrie Eleison, the Gloria and the Collect The Kyrie Eleison follows the Act of Penitence and is simultaneously a petition and a prayer for thanksgiving. The phrase, Lord, have mercy, is off-repeated as the congregation’s response either singly or triply, but some litanies may have twelve or forty repetitions of the response. The Gloria is the reverence song in which the Church glorifies and entreats God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit8. The collect involves the priest inviting the congregation for prayer. The congregation and the priest remain silence briefly to formulate their spiritual petitions mentally. The priest concludes the introductory rites by saying the Collect prayer that expresses the celebration. The Liturgy of the Word The parts of the Liturgy of the Word include the biblical readings, the homily, the procession of faith, and the prayer of the faithful. The Biblical Readings The biblical readings are divided into three Scripture readings: first reading from the Old Testament, second reading from the New Testament, typically from the Pauline Epistles, and the third reading from Books of the Gospel. The first reading is followed by a psalm either sung or recited. A Gospel Acclamation is sung as the priest prepares to read the Book of the Gospel. The third reading involves the priest or deacon proclaiming the Gospel of Christ from any of the first four books of the New Testament. The reading of the Gospel is the critical part of the Liturgy of the Word because it teaches the congregation to show reverence to the Gospel since it is separated from other readings by special marks. The readings are usually pre-scheduled for a whole year to tally with and maintain relevance to special days and occasions. The Homily The homily is a priest’s commentary that follows the biblical readings. This section of the Liturgy of the Word is strongly recommended because it helps to nurture the lives of Christians. The Homily involves the priest explaining another text from the ordinary or from the readings of the Mass of the day. The Homily rhymes with the mystery of the day under celebration and the specific needs of the congregation9. The participation of the congregation is crucial in making the Homily joyful on Sundays and holy days10. Additionally, joyful celebration of the Homily occurs on weekdays of Easter Season Advent and Lent including festive days and occasions when there are greater numbers of people in the Church. The priest narrates to the congregation comic stories and episodes to maintain their concentration. The Profession of Faith The Profession of Faith is also known the Apostles’ Creed or Symbolum. The Profession of Faith is a statement of Christian belief or symbol, which is based on Christian theological understanding of the Old Testament, New Testament and Canonical Gospels. The Priest begins the Profession of Faith by saying, “We believe in Our God, the Father, the Almighty.” The congregation recites the remaining thirty-three lines of the creed. The creed may sometimes be sung accompanied by musical instruments. The congregation ululates, claps, and sings while expressing their happiness. The Prayer of the Faithful A few volunteers take the platform to offer prayers. These volunteers represent the congregation in giving general prayers such as praying for the sick, the whole nation and the church. The person praying concludes the prayer by saying, “God please hear us,” and the congregation responds, “God please us.” The priest finalizes the Prayer of the Faithful by offering prayers to God for the salvation of all people. Making this part of the Mass a joyful experience requires a moderate number of people to volunteer in order to avoid too long prayers, which may lead to boredom11. Participants avoid repeating what others have prayed for and be specific to the point. The Liturgy of the Eucharist This part of the Mass comprises of the preparation for the Eucharist, the Eucharist Prayer, the Communion rite, the Lord’s Prayer, the Rite of Peace, the Fraction and Communion. The Preparation of the Gifts The priest brings to the altar the gifts that symbolize Christ’s Body and Blood. The priest places on the Lord’s Table the corporal, the purificator, the missal and the chalice. The serving ministers take the offerings from the congregation to the altar. The priest invites people to pray with him. The offerings prayer ends with the preparation of the Eucharist prayer. The choir continues to sing as the offerings from people are taken to the altar and preparation for the Eucharist is being made. The Eucharist Prayer The Eucharist prayer is meant for thanksgiving and sanctification. This is the centre and high point of the entire celebration. The priest invites the people to lift their hearts to God in prayer and thanks. The purpose of the prayer is uniting the congregation with Christ in acknowledging the works of God and in offering the sacrifices. The priest reminds the congregation that Christ died, He rose from the dead and He will come again. The priest then prays for the church and its members, both the living and the deceased. The Communion Rite The Communion Rite is the sense of the fraction by which the priest leads the faithful directly to the Communion. The Body and Blood of Christ are received by the faithful who consider themselves spiritually clean. This preparation reminds the congregation that only people who have repented are allowed to participate in the Holy Communion. People who participate in the Holy Communion enjoy the Lord’s meal, which is a source of happiness to believers. The Communion Rite is similar to any mealtime, which makes people happy as they share the food. The Lord’s Prayer The priest leads the congregation in reciting the Lord’s Prayer petition. This prayer may be presented in the form of a hymn or recited. It is more joyful when it presented as a hymn than when it is recited. The priest introduces the Lord’s Prayer with a short phrase, Our Father in Heaven, called the embolism and the congregation responds with the doxology12. The Lord’s Prayer purifies the believers from sin so that the Holy Body and Blood of Christ may be given to the holy people. The Rite of Peace The priest says, “Peace be with you.” The congregation responds, “And also be with you.” The choir begins the song of peace as the priest, the deacon and the serving ministers shake hands with the congregation13. The church prays for all people to maintain peace and unity for betterment of the whole humanity. The shaking of hands enables the faithful to express among themselves their communion and mutual charity as they communicate in the Sacrament. The choir selects a song and lead people in dancing happily to break the monotony of silence. The shaking of hands during the Rite of Peace creates humor among the believers and makes them view one another as people of one family. The Fraction The deacon or concelebrant assists the priest to break the Eucharist Bread. This commemorates Jesus’ breaking of the bread during the Last supper. This is the origin of the entire Eucharist during the apostolic times. The Fraction signifies the union of the faithful into one body through receiving and sharing the Communion of one Bread of Life. Communion The priest and the congregation hold a private prayer in preparation for receiving Christ’s Body and Blood. The priest raises the Eucharist Bread by raising it above the chalice. The priest then invites the faithful to participate in celebrating the banquet of Christ. The Communion chant begins after the priest has received the Sacrament. The deacon and the nuns help the priest to distribute the Holy Communion to the congregation. The priest and the faithful pray privately after the distribution of the Communion. This prayer is a thanksgiving to God for offering His Son, Jesus Christ to die for the sins of human beings14. The private prayer also helps the faithful to communicate with God and feel His presence among them. The priest concludes the entire rite of the Communion by saying a prayer for the fruits of the mystery just celebrated. Concluding Rites These rites include church announcements, the priest’s greeting and blessing, and the dismissal of the congregation by the priest or deacon. The priest or deacon kisses the altar, which is followed by a reverent bow to the altar the priest, deacon and ministers. This signifies the respect for God’s Holy Temple and the recognition for the Temple as the God’s dwelling place. The priest, deacon and ministers depart, followed by the congregation. The choir begins a concluding song, which the whole congregation sings as they escort the priest to the doorstep. There is a lot of dancing and singing at this stage as the happy believers have shares with and received God’s blessings. The Mass and the Calvary Jesus celebrated the Passover feast with His disciples on the day before His crucifixion. The night before His crucifixion, Jesus prepared a feast of bread and wine with his disciples and ordered them to do it every day for His remembrance. This represented the loaves in the Old Testament feasts. The breaking of bread is the Holy Eucharist that priests perform during the Mass service. Jesus Christ is the high priest of the new and eternal covenant. The Eucharist is fervently revered in view of the church’s doctrine that the consecration converts the bread and wine into Body and Blood of Christ. The consecration of the bread and wine symbolizes the separation of the body of Jesus from His blood at Calvary. Jesus was actually the lamp of God sacrificed so that His blood would cleanse the blood of human beings. Jesus continues His priestly work through His agency, the Church, which continuously engages in praising God and interceding for the salvation of the whole world15. The church does this through celebrating the Eucharist that Jesus Christ asked his disciples to continue celebrating daily for His remembrance. When Jesus resurrected from the dead and before ascending to heaven, He told His disciples, “I am with you till the end of the age.” The Eucharist symbolizes the ceaseless presence of Jesus among the believers as they celebrate the Mass and Holy Communion. The Christian community forms one body in Jesus by listening to the word of God or joining in worship through prayers and singing. The common offering of the Sacrifice and participation in the Lord’s Supper strengthens the unity of Christians. The Mass is a liturgical representation of a sacrifice; this sacrifice makes present the Body of Christ in an unbloody manner. The Eucharist not only commemorates Christ’s sacrifice at Golgotha, but also makes the sacrifice truly present among the believers. The celebrant in the Holy Eucharist represents Jesus Christ the head of the church and acts before God in the name of the church. The Importance of Active Participation during the Mass Most people think that active participation is only possible for ushers, Bible readers, servers, choir members and special ministers of the Eucharist. All members of the congregation have opportunities for actively participating in the Mass through being present, promptness, creating friendships, singing and observing silence when listening to the word of God. Active participants seek larger units and give themselves through their responses and acclamations. The Mass with a congregation means a Mass that is celebrated with the active participation of the believers. Active participation culminates in the congregation’s reception of the Holy Communion. Active participants get up, sing, kneel down, and go to the altar to share the Eucharist16. The importance they attach to these actions, and the reverence and devotion with which they perform them fosters their feelings and reverence to other church members. Active participation breaks the boredom in the Mass and turns the Mass into a joyful feast. Active participation by the congregation occurs during all stages of the Mass. During the Entrance, the congregation voluntarily stands up to welcome the priest. The congregation participates by singing the Entrance chant as the choir dances behind the priest on their way to the altar. All people sing and dance at their chairs as the procession to the altar progresses. The congregation participates in singing between the readings during the Liturgy of the Word. This makes the Mass more enjoyable than if there were no breaks between the biblical readings. The people who read the first and the second readings volunteer themselves; there is no obligation for a person to read the bible in front of the congregation. The Acclamation is sung before the third reading. The softness with which the Acclamation is sung makes people feel the presence of the Holy Spirit among themselves and the joy of being in the house of God. The Homily enables the congregation and the priest to interact as the priest makes commentaries on the biblical readings. The priest illustrates the readings using humorous examples, which sometimes make people to laugh. The priest also gives the audience time to discuss topical issues that are related to the biblical readings of the day. This provides an opportunity for interactions and sharing, making the Mass even more enjoyable. Active participation in the Liturgy enables the congregation to reap the maximum benefits of the service. The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the center of the Mass. The believers go to the church with gifts that they intend to offer to God. Presenting these gifts to the service ministries is one of the ways of active participation, which enable Christians to receive the blessings from God. It is not an obligation to present gifts to the church, but it is a personal choice to fulfill the celebration of the Mass. Additionally, the amount of gifts to present is not predetermined; these depend on the believers’ personal choice and abilities. Songs are fundamental during the progress of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The congregation participates in singing and responding to the priest’s creeds. This makes the Mass lively and enjoyable. Active participation makes the Mass a joyous experience instead of a boring activity. Conclusion The Roman Catholics celebrate the Mass service every Sunday of the week and during holy days of the year. The Catholics worship on Sunday since it represents the day of Jesus’ ascension from the death. The Old and New Testament concepts of the Mass share several similarities except a few differences. People happily celebrated the Mass in the Temple during the Old Testament. The Old Testament housed the Sanctuary and the Vestibule. People celebrated the Mass during the Old Testament by offering gifts and offerings. The Temple and the offering in the Old Testament are similar to the church hall and the Eucharist in the New Testament. Gifts and offerings are presented in the New Testament Mass; however, these are not completely consumed as it was during the Old Testament Mass. The Mass is divided into two major parts, which are the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Word occurs during the first half while the Liturgy of the Eucharist occurs during the second half of the Mass. The Opening Rites come before the Liturgy of the Word and the Closing rites occurs after the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The introductory rites comprise of the Entrance, Greeting, the Act of Penitence, the Kyrie, the Gloria and the Collect. The sections of the Liturgy of the Word include the biblical readings, the homily, the procession of faith, and the prayer of the faithful. The Liturgy of the Eucharist is composed of the preparation for the Eucharist, the Eucharist Prayer, the Communion rite, the Lord’s Prayer, the Rite of Peace, the Fraction and Communion. The concluding rites deal with church announcements, the priest’s greeting and blessing, and the dismissal of the congregation by the priest or deacon. The Eucharist symbolizes Christ’s death and resurrection, whose Body and Blood believers celebrate during the Mass in the form of bread and wine. Jesus continues His priestly work through the Church, which continuously engages in praising God and interceding for the salvation of the whole world. Active participation is critical during the Church service. Participation when the Mass is in progress enables the congregation to praise God through singing, intercede for themselves, pray for other people, offer their gifts to God and share in the Holy Communion. Active participation reduces boredom during the service and makes the Mass a feast of Joy. Bibliography Emminghaus, Johannes, and Theodor Maas-Ewerd. The Eucharist Essence, Form, Celebration. Collegeville, Minn: Liturgical Press, 1997. Faggioli, Massimo. True Reform: Liturgy and Ecclesiology in Sacrosanctum Concilium. Collegeville, Minn: Liturgical Press, 2012. John, Paul, and Catholic Church. Dies Domini: carta aposto?lica sobre la santificacio?n del domingo. Me?xico, D.F.: Obra Nacional de la Buena Prensa, 2005. Kereszty, Roch. Wedding Feast of the Lamb: Eucharistic Theology from a Historical, Biblical, and Systematic Perspective. Chicago: HillenbrandBooks, 2004. Michaels, Barry. Eucharist, the Church's Treasure: A Companion to Ecclesia De Eucharistia, Pope John Paul II's Encyclical Letter On the Eucharist in Its Relationship to the Church. Boston: Pauline Books & Media, 2004. Smolarski, Dennis Chester. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 1969-2002: A Commentary. Collegeville, Minn: Liturgical Press, 2003. Wuerl, Donald, and Mike Aquilina. The Mass: The Glory, the Mystery, the Tradition. New York: Doubleday Religion, 2011. Read More