Queen of Angels Catholic Parish Chicago

Exploring the Mass Texts, Part III: The Sign of Peace

At the 5 p.m. Mass on Saturday, November 26, Queen of Angels Parish will begin using new texts for Masses in English. The following is the third part in an ongoing series looking at the changed words we can expect to hear and pray at Mass.

What is the Communion Rite?
After the bread and wine have been consecrated to become the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharistic Prayer, the people of God are called to share in this tremendous gift during the Communion Rite. The Our Father, the prayer that unites all Christians, expresses our desire for unity as members of the body of Christ. The Sign of Peace, often expressed as handshake, hug, kiss or wave of the hand, is a sign of reconciliation and communion between members of the community. The priest breaks the bread in the Fraction Rite as preparation for giving it to the people as Jesus gave bread to the Apostles at the Last Supper. Then the people are invited to Communion, an impossibly perfect gift of which they declare their unworthiness but one which is offered to them anyway. In solemn procession, the assembly comes to the table of the Lord to receive the gift of Christ's own flesh and blood, given freely for the life of the world.

Exploring the Mass Texts, Part II: The Creed

At the 5 p.m. Mass on Saturday, November 26, Queen of Angels Parish will begin using new texts for Masses in English. The following is the second part in an ongoing series looking at the changed words we can expect to hear and pray at Mass.

What is the Liturgy of the Word?

In the Liturgy of the Word, as the General Instruction of the Roman Missal states, “When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his word, proclaims the Gospel” (GIRM, 29). Let us look at the structure of the Liturgy of the Word.

The Liturgy of the Word begins with the First Reading. Typically, this reading is from the Old Testament; during Easter Time, the reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. A period of silence after the reading allows for people to reflect upon the word they just heard proclaimed. In many parishes in the United States of America, the Psalm is sung. Psalms reflect a vast array of emotions as we hear lament, thanksgiving, praise, and petition. These words help us to express our own varied expressions of faith.

The Second Reading is usually an epistle, that is, a letter from the New Testament. Again, a brief period of silence takes place after the Second Reading. During the Gospel procession, “Alleluia” is sung, or during Lent, an acclamation such as “Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ!” In many parishes, the Book of the Gospels is accompanied with candles and, on solemn occasions, with incense. This leads to the highlight of the Liturgy of the Word: the proclamation of the Gospel. Most Sundays, these words are the words of Jesus as recorded in the accounts of the Gospel.

The homily should connect the readings to the lives of the assembly. In describing the homily, the GIRM states that it “is necessary for the nurturing of the Christian life. It should be an explanation of some aspect of the readings from Sacred Scripture or of another text from the Ordinary or from the Proper of the Mass of the day and should take into account both the mystery being celebrated and the particular needs of the listeners” (GIRM, 65). The homily juxtaposes the experiences of the people in the assembly with the texts of the liturgy. The texts may be a prayer that speaks to the needs of the assembly at that time, or a part of the Eucharistic Prayer, or the psalm that speaks to people. God’s words comfort and challenge us. Perhaps, with that in mind, the prayer may challenge us to an aspect of God’s compassion or mercy that will stir us to God’s mission.

— Kristopher W. Seaman

Exploring the Mass Texts, Part I: The Introductory Rites

At the 5 p.m. Mass on Saturday, November 26, Queen of Angels Parish will begin using new texts for Masses in English. The following is the first part in an ongoing series looking at the changed words we can expect to hear and pray at Mass.

What are the Introductory Rites?
The Introductory Rites of the Eucharistic Liturgy draw us into the Mass. The Sign of the Cross, marked on our bodies, identifies us as disciples who were baptized into the Triune god; “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Through the greeting, “The Lord be with you. / And with your spirit,” we pray for each other and ask for God’s presence in our midst. Then we acknowledge our dependence on our gracious and merciful God by asking our Lord to have mercy: Kyrie, eleison. Christ liberates us from sin and death so that we may be reborn into his life of grace, mercy and love. Our only response to God’s kindness, compassion and mercy is praise, as we sing, “Glory to God in the highest....” The Collect, or Opening Prayer, unites—or “collects”— the personal prayers spoken in each of our hearts and minds into a prayer connected to the feast and the liturgical time.

— Corinna Laughlin and Kristopher W. Seaman

The Revised Roman Missal

A “missal,” from the Latin word for “Mass,” is a book that contains the text (words) and rubrics (directions) for the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy. On Thanksgiving Weekend, the First Sunday of Advent, the Catholic Church in the United States will begin using the Revised Roman Missal with fresh texts for the Mass in English. This new translation has been many years in the making. It will more closely follow the words already in use for Mass in many different parts of the world, bringing us closer in union with the worldwide Church.

At Queen of Angels, there will be lots of help as we make this transition together. Please click the "Understanding the Revised Mass Texts" image in the sidebar or see the items below for some thoughts on the Mass and particular changes, a series which will appear each week in “The Guide” and here on our website.

• The Introductory Rites
• The Creed
• The Eucharistic Prayer and Acclamations (coming soon!)
• The Sign of Peace
• The Closing Rites (coming soon!)