The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Lesson Two
Part Two

The Liturgy of the Word

Let us pray.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit and we shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.

O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit instructs the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

The Liturgy of the Word

Now we arrive at the first part of the Mass - The Liturgy of the Word - which consists of:

1. The First Reading - normally from the Old testament.
2. The Responsorial Psalm which is sung or said with the people participating by reciting the response.
3. The Second Reading. This reading is from the New Testament. On weekdays there is normally only one reading.
4. The Alleluia or another chant laid down by the rubrics.
5. The proclamation of the Gospel.
6. The Homily.
7. A profession of faith. The Creed (Profession of Faith) is normally omitted on weekdays.
8. The Prayer of the Faithful.

The First Reading

On Sundays the First Reading is taken from the Old Testament except during the Easter Season when it is taken from the Book of Acts. On weekdays the First Reading may come from either the Old Testament or from the Epistles. In all cases the readings are to follow the Lectionary. The first reading is normally read by a lector. On Sundays the Old testament reading will be related in some way to the Gospel reading.

At the conclusion of the Collect everyone sits. The lector approaches the Ambo and reads the first reading. At the conclusion of the first reading the lector says:

The Word of the Lord.

All reply:

Thanks be to God.

Both the First and Second Reading are concluded in the same manner. We are reminded that we have just heard the Word of God. The Word may have been proclaimed in the voice of the lector, but the words are the words of the Lord. Christ is in our midst talking to us. He is feeding us from the table of His word. We need to keep in mind that all these readings are about one person - Jesus Christ. The Old Testament readings foreshadow His coming and can be understood only in light of the Gospels. The Epistles and the Acts of the Apostles were written after His crucifixion. They provide us with some of the teachings of the apostles in the years after Christ's death and resurrection. We need to learn to listen to these readings actively. Far to often we listen to the readings passively. We do not take in what is being said and ask question about what we have heard to help us apply the Word of God to our own lives. We are not listening to a TV show or even a lecture in a classroom. We are listening to the Word of God. The one who made us, died for us, rose from the dead for us. He is speaking to us through His Word.

Silence

You will notice throughout the Liturgy of the word that numerous pauses take place. These occur for a purpose. They are their to help promote meditation. We should take the opportunity these pauses provide to let the Holy spirit work so that the Word of God might work upon our heart.

Responsorial Psalm

At the conclusion of the first reading the cantor sings or reads a Psalm with the people making the response with a refrain taken from one line of the Psalm. This line will often pinpoint the connection with the First Reading. If there is no cantor the lector will read the Psalm from the Ambo. According to the Bishops Committee on the Liturgy this “is an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word and holds great liturgical and pastoral importance, because it fosters meditation on the word of God.” The Responsorial Psalm normally corresponds to the first reading and is taken from the Lectionary. This is one area where some leeway is provided. Psalms other than the one called for in the Lectionary may be used.

Psalms

The book of Psalms is a collection of inspired hymns, poems, and prayers found in the Bible. The Jews used the Psalms in their worship services. Jesus quotes from the Psalms more than from any other book of scripture. The early Church prayed the Psalms. Today we pray the Psalms both in the Mass and in the Liturgy of the Hours.

Quite often you will hear the term Gradual used to refer to the Responsorial Psalm. This is because in the early Church the Psalm was sung from the first step leading up to the ambo rather than from the ambo. Thus it came to be called the Gradual.

The Second Reading

The Second Reading just like the First Reading comes from Holy Scripture and is read from the Lectionary by the lector from the ambo. The Second Reading always is taken from the New Testament, specifically from the Letters or the Book of Revelation.

The Second Reading is normally from the same Letter for several Sundays in a row. It is not tied to the First reading nor to the Gospel Reading. To get the most out of the Second Reading prior to coming to Mass read the letter or at least the chapter from which the reading is taken.

Increase Your Understanding

1.What is the ambo?
2.What are the two meanings of the “Word?”
3.What part of Scriptures is the First Reading taken from during Easter Season?
4.Where is the Second reading taken from?
5.Is there always a second Reading?
6.What is a Lectionary?
7.When the First Reading is taken from the Old Testament, what other reading is it connected with?
8.What is the purpose of the times of silence?
9.At the conclusion of the First Reading the lector says “The Word of the Lord.” What should this remind you of?
10. Where do the Psalms come from?
11.What is the Responsorial Psalm most often linked to in the Liturgy of the Word?
12.From what part of Scripture is the Second reading taken?
13. How is the second Reading connected to the First and Second Readings?

The Gospel

We are now at the high point of the Liturgy of the Word - the proclamation of the Gospel. Following the Second Reading, or the Responsorial Psalm, if there is no Second Reading, the faithful stand and sing or say the Allelluia verse except during the Lenten Season. During the Lenten Season the Alleluia is replaced with another verse that gives praise to the Lord. Alleluia means Praise YHWH or Praise the Lord!

When there is a deacon he will read the Gospel. Prior to the deacon taking the Book of Gospels and starting the procession to the ambo the deacon will turn to the priest and say:

May I have your blessing Father.

The priest will say:

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.

The deacon signs himself with the Sign of the Cross and replies:

Amen

After receiving the blessing from the priest the deacon will proceed to the alter, pickup the Gospel book, and holding it up proceed to the pulpit. When there is no deacon the priest will proceed to the alter and bow before it saying quietly:

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

The priest then picks up the Gospel book and carries it to the pulpit. This procession is always to be done with great solemnity so as to make us aware that we are about to hear something very special. This procession should also remind us of the coming of Christ. He is entering into our midst. We are about to hear His Word proclaimed. “Gospel” means “good news.” What better news can we hear then a message from Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

When the deacon or priest reaches the pulpit he places the Gospel book on it, opens to the appropriate Gospel reading, and says:

The Lord be with you.

The faithful answer:

And with your spirit.

The deacon or priest then says:

A reading from the holy gospel according to N.

The faithful respond with:

Glory to you, O Lord

This response should be said with great joy and gratitude. When we say this we should be thinking of all that God has done for us in sending His Son to save us.

The deacon or priest then makes the sign of the cross over the Gospel Reading, and then on his forehead, lips, and heart. At the same time the faithful also make the sign of the cross on their forehead, lips and heart. When making the sign of the cross it is good to pray silently the prayer;

May the Lord purify my understanding, my speech, and my heart, so that I may receive the words of the gospel.

The deacon or priest then reads the gospel.

The Gospel Proclaimed

As I pointed out earlier this is the high point of the Liturgy of the Word. The actions, signs, and symbols associated with the reading all point to the importance of the gospel reading.

1.We stand to listen to the gospel. The General Instructions for the Roman Missal points out that we stand to “Acknowledge and confess Christ present and speaking” to us.
2.The ornate style of the book.
3.An ordained minister proclaims the gospel.
4.The special prayer and blessing he says or receives to proclaim it.
5.Our joyful response to the announcement we are about to hear the gospel.
6.The act of tracing the sign of the cross over forehead, lips, and heart to repel the evil one from snatching the fruit of the message we are about to hear.

At the conclusion of the gospel the deacon or priest says:

The Gospel of the Lord.

Then the faithful say:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The deacon or priest then kisses the book saying quietly:

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

The Homily

The homily is normally given by the priest (it may be given by the deacon) to provide us with nourishment. The homily most often explains some aspect of the readings we have just heard, the particular mystery we are celebrating, or one of the parts of the Mass relating it to our lives. The one giving the homily has an awesome task. This is one of the reasons the Church limits whom is allowed to preach.

It is a good idea for us to offer a silent prayer for the one giving the homily asking God to send the Holy Spirit upon him so that through the homily, we will be moved to a deeper relationship with God. Then in expectation that our prayer will be answered we need to listen expecting to be moved by the sermon.

This is one part of the Mass where to often we miss out on a chance to grow. We spend more time critiquing the homily then listening. Many times I hear people complaining about the quality of the homilies. Often they compare them to ones they have heard in protestant churches. Often the homily isn't as polished as it could be, but I have heard plenty of so called “great” sermons that really had little meat and some so called “bad” sermons that brought me closer to the Lord. Open your heart, mind and soul. Let the Holy Spirit work in you.

The Creed

On Sundays, holy days of obligation, and other major feast days we respond to the God's word by professing our belief in the great mysteries of our faith. Normally the Nicene Creed is said. instead of the Nicene Creed the Apostles Creed can be said in Masses in the U.S. for children. The revised rubrics say that it may be said especially during Lent and Easter. The Apostles' Creed which has its beginning in the Baptisimal Rite. It provides us with a summary of our faith. It is used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as an outline for summarizing what we as Catholics believe. The Nicene Creed was originally composed at the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325. Over the next one hundred years it was refined. Resulting in the Creed we now recite each Sunday.

Once the priest completes the homily he will go and sit down. We should use this time to meditate on what he has just said. After a short silence he will stand and start us reciting the creed.

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
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.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;

At the words that follow up to and including and became man, all bow.

And by the the Holy Spirit was incarnate
of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
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.
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.
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 revised rubrics state “Instead of the Nicene Creed, especially during Lent and Easter time, the baptismal Symbol of the Roman Church, known as the Apostles’ Creed, may be used.”

I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

At the words that follow, up to and including the Virgin Mary, all bow.

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.

When we pray the creed we start by saying I believe. What do we mean by the word “believe?” According to the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to believe in only one God means:

To believe in the one and only God involves coming to know his greatness and majesty. It involves living in thanksgiving and trusting always in him, even in adversity. It involves knowing the unity and the true dignity of all human beings, created in his image. It involves making good use of the things which he has created.

Prayer of the Faithful

The Liturgy of the Word concludes with the Prayer of he Faithful. In the Prayer of the Faithful according to the General Instructions of the Roman Missal we exercise our priestly role in interceeding for all of humanity. Usually the Prayer of the faithful follows this order:

1. Prayers for the universal Church, the pope, and the bishops.
2. Prayers for the salvation of the world and those who govern it.
3. Prayers for the afflicted.
4. Prayers for the needs of the local church

Increase Your Understanding

1.What does the Book of Gospels represent?
2.What does “Alleluia” mean?
3.What does the word “gospel” mean?
4.Does the same person that reads the First and Second reading read the Gospel?
5.Who can read the Gospel?
6.Why do we stand to listen to the Gospel?
7.What are some of the signs and symbols that point to the Gospel as being the high point of the Liturgy of the Word?
8.What prayer might you say when making the sign of the cross on your forehead, lips, and heart?
9.What is a homily?
10.What can we do to prepare ourselves to get the most out of the homily?
11.Who can give the homily?
12.What does the word creed mean?
13.What do we mean when we say I believe in God?
14.What priestly function do we exercise?

Lesson Two Part Two

The Liturgy of the Word

The Liturgy of the Word

Terms To Know

Lesson Two
Part Two