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The Catholic Mass
A Brief Introduction
Part One: Intro & Gathering
Rite
What is the Mass?
• The Mass is the celebration and
remembrance of Christ’s passion,
death, and resurrection.
• This celebration takes place in the
context of a meal that is intended
to recall Jesus’ Last Supper with
his disciples, on the night before
his death.
What is the Mass?
• For Catholics, the Mass is the
center of the Church’s liturgical
life.
• It is the most important of the
seven Sacraments celebrated by
Catholics.
• All Sacraments are celebrated
within the Mass.
What is a Sacrament?
 The word "sacrament" comes
from the Latin sacramentum,
which means "pledge" or "oath,"
and referred to the oaths taken
by soldiers upon enlistment in
the Roman army.
o Sacramentum was chosen as a
translation of the Greek word
mysterion, which means
"mystery."
What is a Sacrament?
• Both words capture aspects of
the meaning of the Mass.
–It is the third and final sacrament
of initiation for Catholics (Baptism
and Confirmation are the others).
–It is also considered to be a
“sacred mystery”- meaning that
the full significance of the Mass
cannot be understood by us in this
life.
What is a Sacrament?
 The sacraments have been called
"doors to the sacred," or ways
in which humans can experience
the sacred or divine in this
world, through the ordinary or
"profane."
 In the early church, anything
considered to be a manifestation
of God's power and love
("grace") in space and time was
seen as a sacrament.
What is a Sacrament?
 Today, however, the term
"sacrament" is used in reference
to the church's seven main
liturgical rites:
–Through these rites, we experience
the love and power of God (grace).
–This grace is believed by the church
to have flowed forth to humanity
through Christ's Passion (suffering),
death, and resurrection.
What is a Sacrament?
• each sacrament has:
–matter (the material substance)
•ex. baptism: water is the matter of
the sacrament
–form (verbal formula)
•ex. baptism: The formula, “I
baptize you in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit” is the form.
What is a Sacrament?
• But for a sacrament to take place,
more than just the proper matter
and form is required.
–It is also necessary that the person
receiving the sacrament have the
proper disposition, which includes
•Being properly informed of the meaning
and purpose of the sacrament,
•And sincerely seeking the grace that the
sacrament imparts to the recipient.
What is a Sacrament?
• In some cases, such as infant
baptism, it is the disposition of a
sponsor or loved one that is
necessary for the sacrament to
take place.
What is a Sacrament?
 Today, the Church sees Christ
himself as the true first sacrament,
 since it was through him that those
who knew him came also to more
fully know God.
 and the Church itself is also a
sacrament insofar as it acts as the
body of Christ in the present time
and until his return.
The Sacraments
• The 7 sacraments:
– Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist,
Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick,
Marriage, Holy Orders.
• 3 of the 7 are believed to impart a
"sacramental character" on the
recipient:
– an indelible mark on the soul, meaning
that these sacraments cannot (or need
not) be repeated:
– Baptism, Holy Orders, Confirmation
The Mass: A Brief Introduction
• The Catholic Mass is known by several
names, testifying to the complex character
of the sacrament.
– "Mass" comes from the Latin "Ite, missa
est," which means "Go, you are sent forth,"
referring to the dismissal at the end of the
Mass.
• Why name the Mass after something said
at the end? Because it isn't the end- it is
the beginning.
• It is our commissioning to go forth and
take with us what we have shared in the
Mass, to share it with others and to make
our everyday lives as sacred as the Mass.
The Mass
– "Eucharist" comes from a Greek word
meaning "Thanksgiving."
•The Mass is a celebration of and
thanksgiving for God's saving
intervention in our lives through the
sacrifice of his Son.
– "Holy Communion" is often used as a
name for the Mass, although this refers
specifically to the point in which we
receive the body and blood.
•It refers to our union as one church, and
as the one body of Christ.
The Mass
–"The Lord's Supper" refers to the
moment in Christ's life after which the
sacrament is modeled and which it is
intended to recall, Jesus' last supper
with his disciples, on the night of his
betrayal and arrest.
–In the New Testament accounts of the
Last Supper, Jesus himself interpreted
the meaning of his own life and death
within the context of this meal shared
with his disciples.
The Mass and the Passover
• This was not just any meal, it was a
Passover seder.
–This meal, celebrated annually by
Jews from the time of Moses to this
day, celebrates God's saving
action on behalf of his people,
when the Jews were freed from
slavery in Egypt.
–The meal was offered in
thanksgiving.
Typology of the Exodus-Passover
OLD TESTAMENT
Moses
NEW TESTAMENT
Jesus [the new Moses]
Moses – the liberator Jesus – the liberator
of the Israelites
of Christians
From the bondage of
the Egyptians
From the bondage of
sin and devil
Unblemished Lamb
Unblemished – lamb
of God [Jesus]
Typology of the Exodus-Passover
OLD TESTAMENT
NEW TESTAMENT
Blood of lamb on the
doorposts
Blood of Jesus on the
wood of the cross
Three days of
darkness before
Israelites were free
Three days in tomb
before Jesus
resurrected
Crossing of Red Sea;
circumcision
Baptism
Cloud by day; fire by Jesus – Holy Spirit
night
Typology of the Exodus-Passover
OLD TESTAMENT
NEW TESTAMENT
Manna
Holy Communion
Mosaic Law
Law of Love (God &
Neighbour)
New covenant
Old covenant
Passover meal
Promised Land Jerusalem
Last Supper
[Eucharist]
Heavenly Jerusalem
The Mass and the Passover
–Jews do not consider the Passover
to be a time in which the Exodus is
merely remembered.
–Rather, they celebrate the meal
"in remembrance"- counting
themselves among those very Jews
who were liberated from slavery at
the first Passover.
The Mass and the Passover
• Ironically, during Jesus’ lifetime,
the Jews were again under foreign
oppression, this time from the
Roman Empire.
–The Passover, which was a
pilgrimage feast celebrated in the
city of Jerusalem, was often a time
of great civil unrest, as Jewish men
crowded the city’s streets to prepare
for the feast.
The Mass and the Passover
• Jews celebrating the feast in
Jesus’ day saw themselves as
participating in the Exodus.
–But they also looked forward to a
time in the future when they hoped
God would intervene on their
behalf again and free them from
Roman oppression.
The Mass and the Passover
• The Mass functions similarly.
–On one hand, the Mass recalls
Jesus’ Last Supper with his
disciples.
–On the other, it is also a
foreshadowing of the future - of
the Messianic Banquet that we
hope to share with Jesus in the
kingdom of God.
The Mass
 The Mass functions as a model
for how the kingdom of God (and
the messianic banquet) is
envisioned:
 Everyone is invited,
 and all are reconciled to one
another.
The Mass
 It is important to note that the Mass
(like the Passover) is not just a
memorial, intended to recall a past
event.
 As a sacrament, it brings about a
present reality, placing the
participant in the upper room with
Jesus and his disciples, and at the
foot of the cross at Calvary.
The Mass
• These events are not repeatedJesus does not die again at Massrather we in the present are joined
to the moment in the past when
Jesus offered himself.
• We offer ourselves with Jesus in the
Mass, we offer our lives, successes,
deaths, and sufferings along with
him.
The Mass
• One way to think of the Mass is to
see it as Holy Thursday, Good
Friday, and Easter Sunday all
made present today through the
practice of ritual.
• Again, for Catholics, the Mass is not
merely a reminder of the Last
Supper, or of Christ's death and
resurrection- it is to participate in all
of those events.
The Mass
• The Catholic Church interprets
the Mass as:
–a sacrament of love
–a sign of unity
–a bond of charity
–a paschal banquet
The Mass
• The basic "shape" of the Mass is that of a
meal.
– When families share a meal together, they
usually spend time talking to one another,
then move to the table, say grace, pass
the food and eat and drink, then say
farewell to one another and leave to go
home.
– The Mass can be broken down
similarly into four parts:
•Gathering, story telling, meal
sharing, and commissioning
Part One: Gathering Rites
• Water: When Catholics enter a
church, they usually dip their hand in
Holy Water and make the sign of the
cross,
– just as they were dipped in water and
baptized "in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," at
Baptism.
– This is a reminder of their baptismal
vows.
Gathering Rites
• Bow or genuflection: Before sitting,
Catholics bow or genuflect (kneel on
one knee) before the altar and the
presence of Christ,
– which is housed in a tabernacle usually
located behind the altar
– although in many modern churches the
Presence is kept in an adoration chapel
located adjacent to the main churchthe tradition of genuflecting/ bowing is
still appropriate.
Gathering Rites
 Stand and sing: An Entrance song is sung
by the congregation
 as the priest, altar servers, and others
(depending on the occasion) proceed
through those gathered to the altar.
 Greeting: The priest begins with the sign of
the cross and the baptismal formula:
 "In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit," again a
reminder of our baptism,
 followed by "The Lord be with you," to
which we respond, "And with your Spirit."
Gathering Rites
• Penitential Rite:
–We are asked to recall our sins and
ask God to forgive us that we may be
spiritually purified for the celebration
of the liturgy.
• Gloria:
–An ancient & venerable hymn –
glorifies & entreats God the Father &
the Lamb.
Gathering Rites
 Opening Prayer or Collect:
 The priest invites the people to pray,
 then after a few moments of silence
he offers a prayer on our behalf, to
which we respond "Amen," which
comes from a Hebrew word meaning
"so be it."
The Catholic Mass
A Brief Introduction
Part Two: The Liturgy of the Word
The Liturgy of the Word
• The Liturgy of the Word might be
considered the “storytelling” part of a
meal.
• On Sundays, there are three
readings from the Bible, and a
Psalm that is sung.
– On weekdays, one reading is omitted.
The Liturgy of the Word
• The First Reading is from the
Hebrew Scriptures, recalling God's
saving action in history, and it is
usually in some way related to the
Gospel reading.
– The First and Second readings are both
read by the Lector, who is from among
the laity.
• A Psalm from the OT is then sung or
recited.
The Liturgy of the Word
• The Second Reading comes from a
letter of Paul, or another Apostolic
writing.
• The Third Reading, read only by a
deacon or priest, is taken from one of
the New Testament gospels.
– Generally, the lectionary rotates annually
between Matthew, Mark, and Luke,
– with John used on special occasions
throughout the year.
The Liturgy of the Word
 Jesus himself is present in
the reading of his Word, since
it is he himself who is speaking
to us through it - this is why we
stand for the Gospel reading.
(Bishop removes mitre)
 This is also one aspect of what we
mean when we say that Christ is
“really present” in the Eucharist.
The Liturgy of the Word
–The priest again greets us with
"The Lord be with you."
–He introduces the Gospel reading
while (usually with the
congregation) making the sign of
the cross with his thumb on his
forehead, lips, and heart. In this
way, he asks God to cleanse his
mind and heart so that his lips may
proclaim the gospel.
The Liturgy of the Word
–When finished with the Gospel
reading, the priest concludes with:
"The Gospel of the Lord," and we
respond with "Praise to you, Lord
Jesus Christ."
–We then sit for the homily, when
the priest takes the readings for
the day and applies them to our
own life situation.
The Liturgy of the Word
• The Nicene Creed: After the homily, we
remain seated for a few moments of
silence to reflect on what has been said,
then we stand together to recite the
creed.
– The Creed is the essence of our faith,
it is more than just a list of what Catholics
believe, it is the public profession of our
faith and our willingness to give our
lives for one another, just as Christ gave
his life for us.
The Nicene Creed
• The Creed originated at the Council of
Nicaea in 325 AD, and it has remained
essentially unchanged since that time.
• It is divided into three sections, one for
each Person of the Trinity.
• The original purpose of the creed was
to refute several heresies that had
arisen in the Early Church.
• It has carried on to this day as a
summary of all that Catholics believe.
The Nicene Creed
• The Creed:
I believe in one God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial
with the Father;
Through him all things were made.
The Nicene Creed
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate
of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
The Nicene Creed
For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of
the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
The Nicene Creed
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic,
and apostolic Church.
The Nicene Creed
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness
of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection
of the dead and the life of the world to
come.
Amen.
The Liturgy of the Word
• General Intercessions: This is the
final part of the Liturgy of the Word,
and it prepares us for the next part.
– In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we will
partake of Christ's body and blood. Before
we do so, we pause to ask ourselves if
we are ready.
– If the assembly, as the church, is truly
the body of Christ, do we resemble the
"Body of Christ" present in the readings
we have just heard?
The Liturgy of the Word
– Through the intercessions, we ask God's
assistance with our shortcomings, so
that we might be a better reflection of
Christ in our own lives as individuals and
as members of the church.
– The petitions that make up the General
Intercessions usually fall into four
categories:
• For
• For
• For
• For
the Church (and its leaders).
the nations and their leaders.
those with special needs.
the local needs of the parish.
The Liturgy of the Word
–This is usually is followed by an
opportunity to pray for the
intentions we hold in our hearts.
–There is a common response to
each intercession, usually
something like "Lord, hear our
prayer.“
–This concludes the Liturgy of the
Word.
The Catholic Mass
A Brief Introduction
Part Three:
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
• The preparation of the gifts: In
the early church, Christians would
bring bread and wine from their
homes to be used in the celebration
of the Eucharist (or Agape feast, as it
was called), and they would bring
extra to be given to clergy and to the
poor in the community.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
–Today, this has been replaced
with one or two collections
of money from the assembly,
the first intended for the
church and its missionary
endeavors such as feeding the
poor, and the second (not
always collected) intended for
a special need.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
o This offering, along with the bread
and wine, is carried by members from
among the congregation to the priest
in the Offertory processional.
o The priest places the bread and wine
on the table, then he mixes water
with the wine and washes his hands
to recall the Last Supper- both of
these actions were traditional for Jews
in Jesus' day.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
• We then stand to begin the most
important prayer of the Mass.
• We are invited to pray together (the
priest prays over the gifts) that all
that we have offered- our sacrificewill be acceptable to God. We
respond "Amen."
The Eucharistic Prayer
• The Eucharistic Prayer: This is by
far the longest prayer of the Mass. It
varies from week to week, but all
Eucharistic prayers have the same
structure:
–We ask God to remember his
saving action in history.
–We recall Jesus' Last Supper, his
Passion, death, and resurrection.
The Eucharistic Prayer
–We ask God to continue his saving
action in the present, as promised in
the covenant made between us and
God and sealed with Christ's blood.
• The first part of the Eucharistic Prayer is
called the Invitation.
–The priest greets us with "The Lord
be with you." He then tells us, "Lift
up your hearts." To which we
respond, "We lift them up to the
Lord."
The Eucharistic Prayer
–The priest then says, “Let us give
thanks to the Lord our God.” To
which we respond, “It is right and
just.”
•“Thanks and praise” is a proper
translation of the word “Eucharist.”
• The Second Part of the Eucharistic
Prayer is called the “Preface and
Acclamation.”
The Eucharistic Prayer
–“Preface” meaning “before the
face,” because it is at this moment
that we come “before the face” of
God, as we listen the priest tell us
about what God has done for us in
the past.
–We respond to this with the
acclamation: “Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might, heaven and
earth are full of your glory.”
The Eucharistic Prayer
• The third part of the Eucharistic
Prayer is called the Institution
Narrative and Consecration.
–This is the most significant part of
the whole Mass, as it is the
moment when the priest calls upon
the power of the Holy Spirit to
consecrate our gifts, or change
the bread and wine into the Body
and Blood of Christ.
The Eucharistic Prayer
–After this, the priest will recall the
events of the Last Supper, the night
Jesus himself instituted the
sacrament of the Eucharist.
–We are then invited by the priest to
proclaim the “Mystery of Faith.”
•There are variations of this, but the
most common is, “We proclaim
your death, O Lord, and profess
your Resurrection, until you
come again.”
The Eucharistic Prayer
•In this one sentence we sum up the
ultimate mystery of the Catholic faith, that
Christ, through his death, redeemed from
our sins.
•That through his resurrection he defeated
death, so that we who believe in him will
also never die but will receive eternal life.
•And that we await his return, when we will
be invited to join with him in the kingdom
of God and to share in the Messianic
banquet.
The Eucharistic Prayer
– The priest then continues by recalling
the final and greatest of God’s saving
actions in our history, Christ’s passion,
death, and resurrection.
• The Eucharistic prayer concludes
with a prayer for unity and
intercessions.
– The prayer for unity may be one of the
more controversial moments in the
Mass.
Prayer for Christian Unity
–An example of this prayer:
•“May all of us who share in the
Body and Blood of Christ be
brought together in unity by the
Holy Spirit”
–(taken from Eucharistic Prayer
II)
–Of course, there are now an almost
countless variety of Churches that
claim to be Christian.
Prayer for Christian Unity
• And while many of these churches
share similar beliefs, there are
always differences and the
differences have been significant
enough to cause us to remain
broken.
• In some cases, the differences have
even been hostile, leading to
prejudice and misinformation.
Prayer for Christian Unity
• This is one of the main reasons the
church has been resistant to the idea
of allowing non-Catholics to receive
communion at Mass.
–Remember, we approach the table
to receive Communion after
reflecting on our membership in
the Body of Christ, and after
praying that, that Body will be
unified.
Prayer for Christian Unity
– When we receive communion, the priest
tells us that we are receiving the Body and
Blood of Christ, and in each case, we
respond, “Amen.”
– That “amen” is our assent both to that
which we believe and for that which we
have prayed.
• We believe that Christ is really present in
the Eucharist- not just symbolically present.
• We pray for unity as one Body of Christ,
that we will be reconciled to one another.
Prayer for Christian Unity
• Therefore, it does not make sense
for non-Catholics to receive
communion at Mass, since
– Non-Catholics hold a diversity of
opinions on Christ’s presence in the
Eucharist that are not compatible with
the Catholic belief in real presence.
– And Non-Catholics are, by definition, not
in unity with the Catholic Church.
Prayer for Christian Unity
• So it is not a matter of the Church
now allowing Non-Catholics to
participate in the Eucharist,
– Rather, Non-Catholics lack the proper
disposition for the reception of the
sacrament.
– Even if a non-Catholic were to go
through the communion line and
receive, this would still be true.
Prayer for Christian Unity
• It has, however, become customary
for Non-Catholics who attend Mass to
approach the altar in the communion
line to receive a blessing from the
priest or Eucharistic minister.
– The priest knows to recognize that
someone is seeking a blessing when
that person approaches with his or her
arms crossed over their chest.
Prayer for Christian Unity
• It is also important to remember that
Non-Catholics are always welcome to
offer thanks and praise with
Catholics at Mass.
Intercessions
• To the prayer for unity, we add
intercessory prayers for:
– The bishop of Rome
– Our local bishop
– The living and the dead
– And for ourselves
Intercessions
• “Intercessory” means we pray that
the saints will intercede on our
behalf, that we will all one day share
in the messianic banquet in heaven,
the banquet of which the Mass is
only a foreshadowing.
Intercessions
• It can be confusing to those not
familiar to the Mass to hear that
Catholics pray for the intercession of
the saints,
– And this has led to the mistaken
assumption that Catholics somehow
“worship” the saints (like the similarly
mistaken assumption that Catholics
“worship” Mary).
Intercessions
• Like all Christians, Catholics believe
in only one God, made manifest in
Jesus Christ who is still present
among us by the power of the Holy
Spirit.
– We do not worship the saints or Mary,
but we do believe that they have the
power to intercede on our behalf with
Christ in heaven.
Intercessions
• This belief stems from the JudeoChristian concept of “righteousness,”
a term that Christians sometimes
over simplistically think of as being
“right.”
– Righteousness describes a relationship
with God, not a state of being.
– It means to be in right relationship with
God, or to be “facing” God, rather than
turned away (the meaning of “sin”).
Intercessions
• Thus, there are varying degrees of
righteousness, and Jews and early
Christians believed that the more
righteous a person was, the closer
that person was to God.
– In the gospel of Matthew, for example,
Jesus claims that those who do not
follow the law and who teach others not
to do so will be called “least in the
kingdom of heaven.”
Intercessions
–While those who obey and teach the
commandments will be called
“greatest.”
– Matthew 5:19
–For Catholics, saints are those people
who lived lives of extraordinary
devotion to Christ, who have sought
to “take up the cross” and follow
Christ’s example.
–Many even suffered and/or died as a
consequence.
Intercessions
• Catholics believe the saints are among
the “greatest” or the most righteous in
heaven, and therefore they are in
closest relationship with God.
• When we pray for their intercession,
we are asking them to intervene on
our behalf, not worshipping them, and
the same holds true for the Catholic
adoration-not worship-of Mary.
Intercessions
• Of course, this type of prayer is not
seen by Catholics as a substitute for
praying directly to God.
– Note that all of the praying in Mass up
to this point has been directed to God.
• And one might be tempted to ask if
such prayer is necessary, to which a
Catholic might respond, “It certainly
doesn’t hurt.”
Doxology
• The priest then raises the consecrated
bread and wine and concludes the
Eucharistic prayer with the Doxology, a
prayer of glory to God:
– “Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father, In the unity of
the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is
yours, forever and ever.”
– To which we respond, “Amen,”
acknowledging our assent to all for which
we have prayed.
The Communion Rite
• The Liturgy of the Eucharist
concludes with the Communion Rite.
–This begins with the Our Father,
the prayer which Jesus taught to
his own disciples, in which we
praise God and ask Him to take
care of our basic needs for food,
forgiveness, the strength to resist
temptation, and salvation.
The Sign of Peace
• We ask God to forgive us as we
forgive others, and to make good on
this, we next offer reconciliation to
one another through the “sign of
peace”- usually a bow and “Peace be
with you.”
Communion
• The priest then raises the Body of
Christ 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.”
• At this time, we approach the altar
for communion in procession.
– When we receive the bread, the
Eucharistic minister says to us, “The
Body of Christ,” to which we respond,
“Amen.”
Communion
– When we receive the cup, the
Eucharistic minister says to us, “The
Blood of Christ,” to which we again
respond, “Amen.”
– When we return for Communion, we
pray silently, reflecting on what we have
received and what it means for us.
– The priest concludes the Liturgy of the
Eucharist with the Prayer after
Communion, and we respond, “Amen.”
The Catholic Mass
A Brief Introduction
Part Four:
Concluding Rite & Final Thoughts
Concluding Rite
• The Mass concludes with the what is
sometimes called the Concluding
Rite, or alternatively, the
Commissioning.
– We reflect on what we have shared at
Mass, and strengthened by the
Eucharist, we prepare to go back to our
day-to-day lives outside of the church.
Concluding Rite
• At this point, it is appropriate for the
priest or a member of the community
to make any announcements
informing those present of upcoming
events or activities in the parish.
• When the announcements are
finished, the priest again addresses
the community as he did when the
Mass began, “The Lord be with you.”
Concluding Rite
• The priest then invites us to bow our
heads to receive a blessing, and
again we make the sign of the cross
as the trinity is invoked, “In the
name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.”
• The priest or deacon then
“dismisses” the congregation with
the formula:
Commissioning
• “The Mass has ended. Let us go in
peace to love and serve the Lord.”
• To which we respond, “Thanks be to
God.”
• But we do not “end” the Mass, rather
we are commissioned by the priest to
take with us what we have shared
and to apply it to our daily lives.
Commissioning
• As we leave, we should be asking
ourselves,
– How does our membership in the
crucified body of Christ affect the way
the treat the suffering and persecuted in
the world around us?
– How do we pour out our lives for those
less fortunate than us, for the alienated
and excluded?
– What has the Mass, and the outpouring
of God’s grace we have received, really
meant to us as we leave?
Final Thoughts
• Before attending the next Mass, ask
yourself these questions:
– What is the purpose of the Mass in the
liturgical life of my church?
– Why does the Catholic Church consider
the Mass to be the most important thing
we do together as the Body of Christ?
– What should I get out of the Mass?
– What do I have to offer at Mass?
– Why is it essential to attend Mass
regularly?
Final Thoughts
–In what ways is Mass attendance a
burden to me? In what ways is it a
blessing?
–What parts of the Mass are difficult to
understand?
–What parts are difficult to accept or
believe?
–In what ways is the Mass a
celebration? How should we respond
to the fact that we are recalling -even
witnessing- Jesus’ sacrificial death for
us?
Final Thoughts
–How much did you know about the
Mass before you began this
presentation?
–What have you learned that you
didn’t know before?
–How has this changed your attitude
towards the Mass?