Salt + Light Media Menu
Salt + Light Media Home
Magnifying Glass
coverPhoto
Premium content

Asset title

Asset description

Deacon-structing the Mass | Part 1: Full, Conscious, and Active

Deacon Pedro

Sunday, August 12, 2018

altar server holds a Roman missal
CNS/Nancy Phelan Wiechec
Most of the information that I will use in deacon-structing the Mass comes from the text of a video we made in partnership with the National Liturgy Office of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2011 to help explain the latest changes to the language of the English Roman Missal, titled THE CELEBRATION OF EUCHARIST for the Twenty-First Century. The project was headed by Fr. Bill Burke, and the text was written by Canadian liturgist Margaret Bick, to both of whom I owe a great deal of thanks for the vast knowledge they shared with me.
In my parish we have a program called “Run With It” (how that name came about is the subject of another post at another time) where we answer questions that our parishioners have. We will answer any questions, small or big. We’ve done sessions on the sex-ed curriculum and about praying habits. We’ve done sessions on Scripture (to answer dinosaur questions, among others) and also sessions on heaven, hell, and purgatory.
But the most well-attended session was a “Teaching Mass” we did.

People want to know about the Mass.

Everything about the Mass has meaning, yet we are so used to it that often we go through the motions - sit, stand, kneel - without knowing what it is we are doing and why.
So it is my hope, over the next couple of weeks, to deacon-struct the Mass, bit by bit. I hope that this will help you enter into the mystery of the Mass more deeply.
The main document I am going to refer to is a document that you should all be familiar with: The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM).* It states that “The celebration of Mass is the centre of the whole of Christian life.”

This means that we must understand what it is we are doing.

The liturgical changes that came with the Second Vatican Council had to do with a small change in understanding. The General Instruction explains that our manner of celebration should lead to the “conscious, active, and full participation of the faithful.” This means that our participation is required by the very nature of the celebration, and we, the Christian people, have a right and duty to this participation by virtue of our baptism.
The GIRM makes it clear that much care must be taken so that at every moment of the Mass, this conscious, active, and full participation of everyone present is effectively fostered. I don’t have to tell you that most of the time we are not participating consciously, actively, or fully (sometimes we are not even conscious!), but I hope that after you read these reflections, your Mass experience will be much improved.
Let me say, before we get going, that it is not the responsibility of the celebrating priest or the choir to make sure that your experience is one of full, conscious, and active participation. That is your responsibility!
So… let’s begin!

The Structure of the Mass

For those not really paying attention, the celebration of the Eucharist might appear as a random collection of prayers and pious actions. But the Mass has a shape and flow. It consists of two major parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. But these are not two separate parts; they are closely related. The General Instruction says: “In the Mass is spread the table both of God’s Word and of the Body of Christ, and from it the faithful are instructed and refreshed.”
In addition to these two major parts, there are also Introductory Rites and Concluding Rites that make our transition to and from home a little easier.

Introductory Rites

The Introductory Rites are designed to help us gather together. They should also help us set aside the busy-ness of our lives. They include everything that is done before the first Scripture reading: the entrance, the greeting, the penitential rite, the Gloria, and the opening prayer (also called the Collect).
I should say that, even before the formal beginning of the Mass, we need to open ourselves to the presence of Christ already among us. As we arrive, we cross ourselves with holy water that reminds us of our Baptism, and we greet each other (note that greeting each other actually helps us enter into the spirit of what we are about to celebrate). We should then take our place and take a few moments to prepare ourselves for the celebration that is to come.
Come back next week and we’ll take apart the first moments of the Introductory Rites.
-
*The other great document to look at is Vatican II's Constitution on Sacred Liturgy: Sacrosanctum Concilium.
You may be interested in watching these four videos with Fr. Bill Burke that explain the Mass in light of the changes that were made to the language of the Liturgy in English in 2011 and are still relevant.
Beyond Words part 1: The Significance of Eucharist in My Life
Beyond Words part 2: It's About Mystery, not rubrics
Beyond Words part 3: The GIRM - A document of tradition and continuity
Beyond Words part 4: The Theological emphases of the 2002 GIRM

pedro
Every week, Deacon Pedro takes a particular topic apart, not so much to explore or explain the subject to its fullness, but rather to provide insights that will deepen our understanding of the subject. And don’t worry, at the end of the day he always puts the pieces back together. There are no limits to deaconstructing: Write to him and ask any questions about the faith or Church teaching: pedro@saltandlighttv.org


Related Articles:

Category: 生命倫理, Highlight, Pope Francis, 教宗方濟各

Tag: Pope Francis, 婚姻, 婚姻生活, 宗座平信徒、家庭和生活部, 愛的喜樂, 教宗方濟各

教宗病情穩定、恢復緩慢

Saturday, March 15, 2025

鹽與光

有鑒於教宗方濟各的病情穩定,醫生14日晚上沒有發布相關通知。聖座新聞室稱之為「積極」的信號,而且強調之後會減少有關教宗病況的消息。教宗繼續接受治療。

梵蒂岡四旬期避靜第三場及第四場默想

Friday, March 14, 2025

鹽與光

教宗府講道神師帕索里尼神父在保祿六世大廳帶領的四旬期避靜第三場默想。他探討了人類不斷試圖掩蓋自身軟弱,卻不願直面內心深處的空虛。神父強調,內在之死並非終結,因為天主並不視之為失敗,而是將其看作邁向新生命的起點。帕索里尼神父在第四場默想中強調,天主沒有等到我們死後才賜給我們永生,卻在此時此刻就已經賜下,只要我們領受祂的聖神即可獲得。

教宗方濟各狀況穩定,X光檢查證實近日情況有所改善【2025年3月12日】

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

鹽與光

羅馬時間,2025年3月12日晚上,聖座新聞室發表了有關教宗方濟各健康狀況的最新消息:「在整體醫療狀況複雜的情況下,教宗的臨床狀況仍然穩定。昨天進行的胸部 X 光檢查從放射學角度證實了前幾天觀察到的病情改善。」

教宗留院的第二十六晚:教宗在傑梅利醫院度過平靜的夜晚

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

鹽與光

3月12日早晨,聖座新聞室提供了有關教宗狀況的最新消息。教宗方濟各的臨床症狀保持穩定,在依然複雜的病況下略有好轉。11日,他通過視頻連線參加了在保祿六世大廳舉行的聖座部會避靜活動,專務祈禱,並且領了聖體。此外,他也繼續進行治療,白天接受高流量氧氣治療。

梵蒂岡四旬期避靜第一場及第二場默想

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

鹽與光

聖座各部會首長於3月9日四旬期第一主日下午5點開始了在保祿六世大廳進行的避靜,直到14日結束。教宗府講道神師帕索里尼神父帶領避靜,其主題是“永生的希望”。在第一天的默想中,帕索里尼神父指出:“我們常常被‘必須完美’的觀念所困擾,然而福音教導我們,真正的‘不完美’並非脆弱,而是缺乏愛。”

SUPPORT LABEL

Receive our newsletters
Stay Connected
Receive our newsletters
Stay Connected
Copyright © 2025 Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation
Registered Charity # 88523 6000 RR0001
FR | CH