The Mass can be divided into two main parts. The Liturgy of the Word is the first part of Mass when we listen to readings from the Bible. After the readings the priest speaks to us. The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the part of Mass when the priest consecrates the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus. We are able to receive Jesus both in a physical and spiritual way.
The Beginning of Mass- Introductory Rites
We stand and sing the Entrance Hymn. This begins our celebration of Mass as the priest and ministers process to the altar.
The Sign Of The Cross
We begin Mass the same way we begin any of our prayers by making the Sign of the Cross. We call upon the Blessed Trinity to remind us that what we are about to do is for the Glory of God and for Him to be with us.
Welcome Greeting
The priest welcomes everyone to the celebration. He is speaking to us in God’s name. He may use one of these forms of greeting us:
Priest: The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you
Or
Priest: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And we respond by saying “And also with you.”
The Penitential Rite
We are sinners so we express our sorrow for our sins. The priest invites us to think of our sins and tell God that we are sorry for them. When we experience God as we do in Mass and remember how good He is to us we are moved to confess our sins. We ask God for His mercy to help strengthen us and so that we can be absolved of our sins. The priest then leads us in saying the Act of Contrition.
We say
I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, and I ask Blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
The priest then says a short prayer and gives us a general absolution. If we have committed serious sins we must go to The Sacrament of Reconciliation before we receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
Kyrie- Lord Have Mercy
We ask God to have mercy on us. We can sing or say it.
We may sing
Lord have mercy, have mercy
Christ have mercy, have mercy
Lord have mercy, have mercy
Or say
Priest: Lord have mercy
People: Lord have mercy
Priest: Christ have mercy
People: Christ have mercy
Priest: Lord have mercy
People: Lord have mercy
The Gloria
We are very happy that God has promised to forgive us our sins so we praise His name for His goodness and Mercy. This is our way of thanking God. We sing the same songs that the Angels sang at the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. So we sing:
Glory to God in the Highest, and Peace to his people on earth.Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks,we praise you for your Glory.Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, lamb of God,you take away the sin of the world:have mercy on us;you are seated at the right hand of the Father, receive our prayer.for you alone are the Holy One,you alone are the Lord,you alone are the Most High,Jesus Christ ,with the Holy Spirit,in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Opening Prayer
We join together in prayer before listening to the Word of God. Different prayers are said each day. The priest asks God to guide our thoughts, our prayers and our love and to be with us as we open our hearts to receive everything offered to us in the Mass.
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