The Mass Lesson Four Part 3

The Liturgy of Saint James

The first part of the liturgy consists of the prayers and activities which took place as the Priest entered the Church and the procession to the Alter. The following excerpt describes the opening rite and the Liturgy of the Word

After the approach to the altar, the Priest says:-
Peace be to all.
The People.
And to your spirit.
The Priest.
The Lord bless us all, and sanctify us for the entrance and celebration of the divine and pure mysteries, giving rest to the blessed souls among the good and just, by His grace and loving-kindness, now and ever, and to all eternity. Amen.
Then the Deacon says the bidding prayer.
In peace let us beseech the Lord.
For the peace that is from above, and for God's love to man, and for the salvation of our souls, let us beseech the Lord.
For the peace of the whole world, for the unity of all the holy churches of God, let us beseech the Lord.
For the remission of our sins, and forgiveness of our transgressions, and for our deliverance from all tribulation, wrath, danger, and distress, and from the uprising of our enemies, let us beseech the Lord.
Then the Singers sing the Trisagion Hymn.
Holy God, holy mighty, , holy immortal have mercy upon us.
Then the Priest prays, bowing.
O compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, and very gracious and true God, look from Your prepared dwelling-place, and hear us Your suppliants, and deliver us from every temptation of the devil and of man; withhold not Your aid from us, nor bring on us chastisements too heavy for our strength: for we are unable to overcome what is opposed to us; but You are able, Lord, to save us from everything that is against us. Save us, O God, from the difficulties of this world, according to Your goodness, in order that, having drawn near with a pure conscience to Your holy altar, we may send up to You without condemnation the blessed hymn Trisagion, together with the heavenly powers, and that, having performed the service, well pleasing to You and divine, we may be counted worthy of eternal life.
(Aloud.)
Because You are holy, Lord our God, and dwellest and abidest in holy places, we send up the praise and the hymn Trisagion to You, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to all eternity.
The People.
Amen.
The Priest.
Peace be to all.
The People.
And to your spirit.
The Singers.
Alleluia.
Then there are read in order the holy oracles of the Old Testament, and of the prophets; and the incarnation of the Son of God is set forth, and His sufferings and resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, and His second appearing with glory; and this takes place daily in the holy and divine service.
After the reading and instruction the Deacon says:-
Let us all say, Lord, be merciful.
Lord Almighty, the God of our fathers;
We beseech You, hear us.
For the peace which is from above, and for the salvation of our souls;
Let us beseech the Lord.
For the peace of the whole world, and the unity of all the holy churches of God;
Let us beseech the Lord.
For the salvation and help of all the Christ-loving people;
We beseech You, hear us.
For our deliverance from all tribulation, wrath, danger, distress, from captivity, bitter death, and from our iniquities;
We beseech You, hear us.
For the people standing round, and waiting for the rich and plenteous mercy that is from You;
We beseech You, be merciful and gracious.
Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance.
Visit Your world in mercy and compassion.
Exalt the horn of Christians by the power of the precious and quickening cross.
We beseech You, most merciful Lord, hear us praying to You, and have mercy upon us.
The People (thrice).
Lord, have mercy upon us.
The Deacon.
For the remission of our sins, and forgiveness of our transgressions, and for our deliverance from all tribulation, wrath, danger, and distress, let us beseech the Lord.
Let us all entreat from the Lord, that we may pass the whole day, perfect, holy, peaceful, and without sin.
Let us entreat from the Lord a messenger of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies.
Let us entreat from the Lord Forgiveness and remission of our sins and transgressions.
Let us entreat from the Lord the things which are good and proper for our souls, and peace for the world.
Let us entreat from the Lord, that we may spend the remaining period of our life in peace and health.
Let us entreat that the close of our lives may be Christian, without pain and without shame, and a good plea at the dread and awful judgment-seat of Christ.
The Priest.
For You are the gospel and the light, Savior and keeper of our souls and bodies, God, and Your only-begotten Son, and Your all-holy Spirit, now and ever.
The People.
Amen.
The Priest
God, who hast taught us Your divine and saving oracles, enlighten the souls of us sinners for the comprehension of the things which have been before spoken, so that we may not only be seen to be hearers of spiritual things, but also doers of good deeds, striving after guileless faith, blameless life, and pure conversation.
(Aloud.)
In Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom You are blessed, together with Your all-holy, good, and quickening Spirit, now and always, and for ever.
The People.
Amen.
The Priest.
Peace be to all.
The People.
And to Your spirit.
The Deacon.
Let us bow our heads to the Lord.
The People.
To You, Lord.
The Priest prays, saying:
O Sovereign giver of life, and provider of good things, who gave to mankind the blessed hope of eternal life, our Lord Jesus Christ, count us worthy in holiness, and perfect this Your divine service to the enjoyment of future blessedness.
(Aloud.)
So that, guarded by Your power at all times, and led into the light of truth, we may send up the praise and the thanksgiving to You, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever.
The People.
Amen.
The Deacon. Let none remain of the catechumens, none of the unbaptized, none of those who are unable to join with us in prayer. Look at one another. The door.
All elect: let us again pray to the Lord.

At the conclusion of the Liturgy of the Word those who were not baptized were required to leave. In the next segment of the Mass the priest brings in the gifts, then several prayers, hymns and blessings occur. The next excerpt we will look at is the Eucharistic prayer.

The Eucharistic Prayer

The Anaphora.
Then he says aloud:-
The love of the Lord and Father, the grace of the Lord and Son, and the fellowship and the gift of the Holy Spirit, be with us all.
The People.
And with your spirit.
The Priest.
Let us lift up our minds and our hearts.
The People.
It is becoming and right.
Then the Priest prays.
Verily it is becoming and right, proper and due to praise You, to sing of You, to bless You, to worship You, to glorify You, to give You thanks, Maker of every creature visible and invisible, the treasure of eternal good things, the fountain of life and immortality, God and Lord of all:
Whom the heavens of heavens praise, and all the host of them; the sun, and the moon, and all the choir of the stars; earth, sea, and all that is in them; Jerusalem, the heavenly assembly, and church of the first-born that are written in heaven; spirits of just men and of prophets; souls of martyrs and of apostles; angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, principalities, and authorities, and dread powers; and the many-eyed cherubim and the six-winged seraphim, which cover their faces with two wings, their feet with two, and with two they fly, crying one to another with unresting lips, with unceasing praises:
(Aloud.)
With loud voice singing the victorious hymn of Your majestic glory, crying aloud, praising, shouting, and saying:-
The People.
Holy, holy, holy, O Lord of Sabaoth, the heaven and the earth are full of Your glory. Hosanna in the highest; blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
The Priest, making the sign of the cross on the gifts, says:-
Holy are You, King of eternity, and Lord and giver of all holiness; holy also Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom You have made all things; holy also Your Holy Spirit, which searches all things, even Your deep things, O God: holy are You, almighty, all-powerful, good, dread, merciful, most compassionate to Your creatures; who made man from earth after Your own image and likeness; who gave him the joy of paradise; and when he transgressed Your commandment, and fell away, did not disregard nor desert him, O Good One, but chastened him as at merciful father, call him by the law, instruct him by the prophets; and afterwards sent forth Your only-begotten Son Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ into the world, that He by His coming might renew and restore Your image;
Who, having descended from heaven, and become flesh of the Holy Spirit and Virgin Godmother Mary, and having sojourned among men, fulfilled the dispensation for the salvation of our race; and being about to endure His voluntary and life-giving death by the cross, He the sinless for us the sinners, in the night in which He was betrayed, nay, rather delivered Himself up for the life and salvation of the world,
Then the Priest holds the bread in his hand, and says:-
Having taken the bread in His holy and pure and blameless and immortal hands, lifting up His eyes to heaven, and showing it to You, His God and Father, He gave thanks, and hallowed, and broke, and gave it to us, His disciples and apostles saying:-
The Deacons say:
For the remission of sins and life everlasting.
Then he says aloud:-
Take, eat: this is my body, broken for you, and given for remission of sins.
The People.
Amen.
Then he takes the cup, and says:-
In like manner, after supper, He took the cup, and having mixed wine and water, lifting up His eyes to heaven, and presenting it to You, His God and Father, He gave thanks, and hollowed and blessed it, and filled it with the Holy Spirit and gave it to us His disciples, saying, Drink all of it; this is my blood of the new testament shed for you and many, and distributed for the remission of sins.
The People.
Amen.
The Priest.
This do in remembrance of me; for as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show forth the Lord's death, and confess His resurrection, till He come.
The Deacons say:-
We believe and confess:
The People.
We show forth Your death, O Lord, and confess Your resurrection.

After the Eucharistic prayer there followed several prayers for the people and the priest including a long series of petition.

Rite of Communion

(Aloud.)
And count us worthy, O loving Lord, with boldness, without condemnation, in a pure heart, with a contrite spirit, with unshamed face, with sanctified lips, to dare to call upon You, the holy God, Father in heaven, and to say,
The People.
Our Father, which art in heaven: hollowed be Your name; and so on to the doxology.
The Priest, bowing, says (the Embolism ):-
And lead us not into temptation, Lord, Lord of Hosts, who know our frailty, but deliver us from the evil one and his works, and from all his malice and craftiness, for the sake of Your holy name, which has been placed upon our humility:
(Aloud.)
For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
The People.
Amen.
The Priest.
Peace be to all.
The People.
And to your spirit.
The Deacon.
Let us bow our heads to the Lord.
The People.
To You, O Lord.
The Priest prays, speaking thus:-
To You, O Lord, we Your servants have bowed our heads before Your holy altar, waiting for the rich mercies that are from You.
Send forth upon us, O Lord, Your plenteous grace and Your blessing; and sanctify our souls, bodies, and spirits, that we may become worthy communicants and partakers of Your holy mysteries to the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting:
(Aloud.)
For adorable and glorified are You, our God, and Your only-begotten Son, and Your all-holy Spirit, now and ever.
The People.
Amen.
The Priest says aloud:-
And the grace and the mercies of the holy and consubstantial, and uncreated, and adorable Trinity, shall be with us all.
The People.
And with your spirit.
The Deacon.
In the, fear of God let us attend.
The Priest says secretly:-
O holy Lord, that abidest in holy places, sanctify us by the word of Your grace, and by the visitation of Your all-holy Spirit: for You, O Lord, have said, You will be holy, for I am holy. O Lord our God, incomprehensible Word of God, one in substance with the Father and the Holy Spirit, co-eternal and indivisible, accept the pure hymn, in Your holy and bloodless sacrifices; with the cherubim, and seraphim, and from me, a sinful man, crying and saying:-
He takes up the gifts and says aloud:-
The holy things unto holy.
The People.
One only is holy, one Lord Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father, to whom be glory to all eternity.
The Deacon.
For the remission of our, and sins the propitiation of our souls, and for every soul in tribulation and distress, needing the mercy and succour of, and God for the return of the erring, the healing of the sick, the deliverance of the captives, the rest of our fathers and brethren who have fallen asleep aforetime
Lord, have mercy.
Then the Priest breaks the bread, and holds the half in his right hand, and the half in his left, and dips that in his right hand in the chalice, saying:-
The union of the all-holy body and precious blood of our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Then he makes the sign of the cross on that in his left hand: then with that which has been signed the other half: then immediately he begins to divide, and before all to give to each chalice a single piece, saying:-
It has been made one, and sanctified, and perfected, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever.
And when he makes the sign of the cross on the bread, he says:-
Behold the Lamb of God, the Son of the Father, that takes away the sin of the world, sacrificed for the life and salvation of the world.
And when he gives a single piece to each chalice he says:-
A holy portion of Christ, full of grace and truth, of the Father, and of the Holy Spirit, to whom be the glory and the power to all eternity.
Then he begins to divide, and to say:-
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. In green pastures, and so on.
Then,
I will bless the Lord at all times, and so on.
Then,
I will extol You, my God, O King, and so on .
Then,
O praise the Lord, all you nations, and so on .
The Deacon.
Sir, pronounce the blessing.
The Priest.
The Lord will bless us, and keep us without condemnation for the communion of His pure gifts, now and always, and for ever.
And when they have filled, the Deacon says:-
Sir, pronounce the blessing.
The Priest says:-
The Lord will bless us, and make us worthy with the pure touchings of our fingers to take the live coal, and place it upon the mouths of the faithful for the purification and renewal of their souls and bodies, now and always.
Then,
O taste and see that the Lord is good; who is parted and not divided; distributed to the faithful and not expended; for the remission of sins, and the life everlasting; now and always, and for ever.
The Deacon.
In the peace of Christ, let us sing:
The Singers.
O taste and see that the Lord is good.
The Priest says the prayer before the communion.
O Lord our God, the heavenly bread, the life of the universe, I have sinned against Heaven, and before You, and am not worthy to partake of Your pure mysteries; but as a merciful God, make me worthy by Your grace, without condemnation to partake of Your holy body and precious blood, for the remission of sins, and life everlasting.
Then he distributes to the clergy; and when the deacons take the disks and the chalices for distribution to the people, the Deacon, who takes the first disk, says:-
Sir, pronounce the blessing.
The Priest replies:-
Glory to God who has sanctified and is sanctifying us all.
The Deacon says:-
Be exalted, O God, over the heavens, and Your glory over all the earth, and Your kingdom endures to all eternity.
And when the Deacon is about to put it on the side-table the Priest says:-
Blessed be the name of the Lord our God for ever.
The Deacon.
In the fear of God, and in faith and love, draw near.
The People.
Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.
And again, when he sets down the disk upon the side-table, he says:-
Sir, pronounce the blessing.
The Priest.
Save Your people, O God, and bless Your inheritance.
The Priest again.
Glory to our God, who has sanctified us all.
And when he has put the chalice back on the holy table, the Priest says:- the
Blessed be the name of the Lord to all eternity.
The Deacons and the People say:-
Fill our mouths with Your praise, O Lord, and fill our lips with joy, that we may sing of Your glory, of Your greatness all the day.
And again:-
We render thanks to You, Christ our God, that You have made us worthy to partake of Your body and blood, for the remission of sins, and for life everlasting. We pray You, in Your goodness and love, keep us without condemnation.

The concluding rite, which is quite lengthy, follows the Rite of Communion. It is easy to see from these segments of the Liturgy of Saint James that the early Liturgies contained the same elements as the Liturgy of the Mass we participate in today.

Increase Your Understanding
If you would like to receive feedback from me copy and paste the questions into your e-mail, answer them and send to mass1@musingsofacatholic.com

1.What happened in the fourth century that brought about changes in the liturgy?
2.What were the four main Liturgies that were developed in the fourth century?
3.What is meant by the term “Christian Rite?”
4.What similarities exist between the liturgy of St. James and the present day liturgy of the Mass?
5.What aspects of the Liturgy of St. James might enhance our present day liturgy?
6.What similarities exist between the Communion Rite of St. James and the Communion Rite of today?

Now that we have briefly looked at the Liturgy of Saint James, which was used in the Patriarchate of Antioch, we will concentrate on the development of the Liturgy in the Patriarch of Rome. As indicated previously the Patriarch of Rome was different from the others in that there were two Liturgies in use - the Roman and the Gallican. All of the Liturgies contained the basic parts that we have today: reading of the word, consecration, Communion. By the fourth century these were being formalized and written out.
Up until the fourth century it seems as if very little was done in a consistent fashion. The readings were dependent on the bishop. They usually cane from the Old Testament and what writings of the Apostles a given Church might have . By the fourth century the Canon of Scripture had been determined. This made it possible to start to formalize readings. Saint Jerome (324 - 420) is believed to have been the person commissioned by the pope to put together a formal liturgy for the year. He selected the readings from the Epistles and Gospels to be read each Sunday of the Liturgical year. About this same time the prayers to be said by the priest and deacon were also written out.

Gregory the Great
Saint Gregory the Great was Pope from 590 to 604. Besides codifying the chant which bears his name he made many important reforms to the Liturgy, although some might say that his changes were great they in reality were not. What he did do is to remove extraneous prayers, hymns, and activities; simplify and arrange the Liturgy in a more orderly fashion. The Order of the Mass found in the Missal of Saint Pius (1566-1572) with few exceptions is the same as the order established by Pope Pius.

Gregory the Great to Pope Pius V
The Main parts of the Mass remained essentially the same from the time of Gregory the Great until today, although some will say that the reforms of Vatican II were more drastic then previous ones. I will leave that discussion to others. My goal is to show that in the main the important elements have been the same. The Mass of the early Christians is the same as the Mass we attend today. Even though, as we shall see, many changes in the Mass did take place during the period from Gregory the Great until Vatican II Benedict XIV (1740-1758) was able to say “No pope has added to or changed the Canon since St. Gregory.” When we look at the changes that did take place we will see that these changes did not affect the principle parts of the Mass.
The Gloria was one of the additions to the Mass during this period. At first it was only sung on feast days at bishops Masses. Gradually it became a standard part of the Mass. Sometime during the Eleventh century the Creed was added to the Liturgy of the West. Sometime in the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century prayers and the Offertory prayers and the Lavabo were introduced into the Liturgy.

The Development of the Low Mass
Of all the modifications to the Mass during this period was the development of the Low Mass. Until the Middle Ages Mass was only said once a day. The bishop or a senior priest would say the Mass and the other clergy would concelebrate or receive communion. These Masses always were conducted with several clergy and deacons and the people singing their part. By the early Middle Ages every priest was offering his own Mass each day. Theological reasons brought about this change. The thinking was based on the understanding that each Mass as a propitiatory sacrifice has a specific value before God. Therefore offering additional Masses each day would increase the value before God by a factor equal to the number of Masses offered. By the ninth century the number of Masses offered each day was so great that priest were offering more than one Mass each day. In the thirteenth century many synods started to forbid a priest to say more than one Mass a day.