#16 The General Intercessions in the Liturgy of the Word. Understanding the Mass and Its Parts.

 

The second response of faith to the Word of God proclaimed and preached in the Liturgy of the Word are the General Intercessions (also called Prayer of the Faithful or the Universal Prayer). After the Creed is professed at Sunday and Holy Day Masses, then the Assembly, still standing, exercise the royal priesthood of their Baptism and intercedes for the needs of the Church and the world.

The Scriptures command us:

"First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our Savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal which regulates the celebration of the Mass in the Catholic Church states:

"In the General Intercessions or the Prayer of the Faithful, the people respond in a certain way to the word of God which they have welcomed in faith and, exercising the office of their baptismal priesthood, offer prayers to God for the salvation of all. It is fitting that such a prayer be included, as a rule, in Masses celebrated with a congregation, so that petitions will be offered for the holy Church, for civil authorities, for those weighed down by various needs, for all men and women, and for the salvation of the whole world." (#69; emphasis added)

 

 

This statement focuses upon an important aspect of the General Intercessions: it is done by the Baptized as a function of their baptismal priesthood. In Heaven "Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he ‘always lives to make intercession’ for ‘those who draw near to God through him."(Catechism #662 quoting Hebrews 7:25) Christians also share in Christ’s Priestly Intercession, both in the Liturgy and in private prayer.

In the Sunday Mass, especially, the General Instruction #70 states: "The series of intentions is usually to be:

a. For the needs of the Church;

b. For public authorities and the salvation of the whole world;

c. For those burdened by any kind of difficulty;

d. For the local community."

 

 

It is customary that the final petition of the General Intercessions be for the deceased; this may include the names of those who are recently deceased in the parish.

It cannot be said enough that mentioning anyone in general or by name in the Intercessions is not meant to honor that group or person. Jesus after all said to pray for our enemies! It was once reported to me that a man stormed out of Mass because we had prayed for President Obama at the time of Intercessions. He obviously thought this was honoring a President he didn’t agree with, rather than fulfilling the mandate of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal to pray for civil authorities. Besides, what we are praying for is that God’s will be done in all things and in all people. As such we can pray for anyone in need of God’s help, conversion, or correction, whoever they may be.

Not every need can be prayed for every Sunday. This is a challenge because so much can occur in the world and keeping up with every critical situation is difficult. At Holy Faith silence is observed in the final Intercession to include any intention personal to us or not already mentioned.

At the conclusion of the General Intercessions, the Priest prays a prayer which sums up the Intercessions, a Collect. This concludes the Liturgy of the Word.

Next Week: The Liturgy of the Eucharist

Return to Home Page

　

　

　

　

　

　

#15 The Creed in the Liturgy of the Word. Understanding the Mass and Its Parts.

After the Scriptures have been proclaimed and the homily preached, a response is necessary to the Word of salvation. The Catechism says: "The Liturgy of the Word is an integral part of the celebration [of the Mass]. The meaning of the celebration is expressed by the Word of God which is proclaimed and by the response of faith to it." (#1109)

 

What actually occurs after the proclamation of the Scripture Readings, the Gospel and the preaching is a series of responses of faith: the Creed is recited, the summary of our Christian Faith; the Intercessions are prayed where we intercede in faith for the peace and salvation of all the world; then the Liturgy of the Eucharist itself is celebrated, a thanksgiving to God for salvation and a uniting of each participant to the One Sacrifice of Christ: to the service of his sacrificial love in dying and rising.

 

Therefore, let us examine the Creed. The word "creed" comes from the Latin word "credo," meaning "I believe." At one time we began the Creed at Mass by saying; "We believe..." The Creed is a summary of the entire Church’s Faith. Now we say "I believe..." It is correct to also say that each one of us must personally embrace and believe the Creed.

 

The Creed was first formulated for use in Baptism in the early Church. Just as is done today, the Creed was given as a series of responses to ritual questions asked of the one being baptized or of the parents of an infant to be baptized. Later, it began to also be used as a Profession of the Faith  in the Mass and also used on its own for teaching.

 

In the revised Missal used today, there are two options for the profession of the Creed. One is the use of the Apostles Creed (See text HERE). This might be used in the Lenten and Easter Seasons.  Lent and  Easter both  remember our Baptism into the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

The Apostles holding the Church

 

The Apostles Creed was once thought to have been created by the 12 Apostles, each one formulating one of the 12 articles of this Creed. This is pious legend, but it true enough that the Apostles Creed represents the core of the Faith of the Apostles.

 

The other Creed used the most in the Sunday and Holy Day Masses is the Nicene Creed (See text HERE), or officially called the Nicene-Constantinopoliton Creed. It was developed from the Apostles Creed and expanded at the first two Ecumenical Councils of the Church, the First at Nicea (325AD) and the Second at Constantinople (381 AD). It was formulated to correct various heresies at the time.

 

One can see in the Nicene Creed, for exmple, an argument against the Arian heresy troubling the Church at the time of the first two Councils. Arianism taught that Jesus is the Son of God, but not truly equal to God. The Nicene Creed is over-emphatic in refuting this: Jesus is "God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial [i.e., one in being] with the Father." No mistaking what the true Faith teaches on this matter!

St. Irenaeus

The Creed has been seen from an early time as a corrective against heresy. Heresy is a falsification or denial of one or more of the truths of the Orthodox-Catholic Faith. This creedal safeguard against heresy was definitively proposed by St. Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons in the Second Century. At that earliest of times in the Church, various groups existed given the generic name "Gnostic" (from a Greek word for "knowledge." For more about Gnosticism See HERE). They denied key Christian teachings and claimed authority for their teaching based on "secret knowledge" from the Apostles and Christ.

 

This confused some Catholics. Did Jesus privately give the Apostles secret knowledge meant for only a special group, apart from the crowd? Irenaeus took up the challenge and insisted that all that Jesus taught the Apostles is now public knowledge and meant for everyone. There are no secret teachings in the Catholic Church. Irenaeus taught that there are three ways to know the Apostolic Faith, all related and all public:

 

 

(1) The Apostolic Tradition can be found in the New Testament used in the Catholic Church.

 

(2) It is also stated in summary form in the Creed used in the Catholic Church.

 

(3) It is taught in the Catholic Church, founded by the Apostles. The Catholic churches in various places traced their foundation to one or more of the Apostles. The Bishops are their successors and teach only the Apostolic Faith. If one wanted, however, an authoritative example, look to the Church at Rome founded upon the Apostles Peter and Paul. The churches founded by the Apostles all teach the same thing and nothing secret.

 

The Creed began to be included in the Mass, first in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire in the 6^th century and later in Rome in the 11^th Century.

Let us try every time we recite the Creed at Mass to do so thoughtfully, prayerfully, and with the realization that this is each one's Faith and that of the whole Church.

 

Next Week: The Intercessions in the Liturgy of the Word.

 

Return to Home Page

#13 The Liturgy of the Word: How it is Proclaimed. Series on Understanding the Mass and its Parts

The purpose of the Liturgy of the Word is to reveal to us the life of Christ through the proclamation of the Scriptures and so nourish our faith in God. The life of Christ is summed up in what we call the Paschal (Passover) Mystery of Christ’s Death and Resurrection.

 

This Word of God is creative, effective, faith-nourishing, illuminating because of the Holy Spirit. The Catechism states:

 

"The Holy Spirit gives a spiritual understanding of the Word of God to those who read or hear it, according to the dispositions of their hearts...so that they can live out the meaning of what they hear, contemplate, and do in the celebration." (CCC#1101)

 

When the Word of God is proclaimed in the Mass, we are guaranteed that Christ will speak to us through his Scriptures. "When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his word, proclaims the Gospel" (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 29).

 

Once the Opening Prayer (Collect) is prayed, the People who have been standing now sit to listen to the Word of God.

 

(Please note: The following description refers to the Sunday Mass. Daily Mass has a modified structure and  differs from the pattern of Sunday)

 

 

The First Reading is from the Old Testament (except in the Easter Season when it is taken from the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament). The Old Testament Reading is always related to the Gospel passage. It may be related by the themes of special liturgical seasons such as Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter, In Ordinary Time it is related directly to the Gospel in such a manner that it interprets or enhances the meaning of the particular Gospel being proclaimed.

 

The Lector begins the Reading by saying, "A Reading from ...[the name of the Old Testament Book or the Prophet is cited]." At the end of the Reading the Lector says "The word of the Lord." All respond "Thanks be to God." We give thanks for the Word of God and I shall refer to this again when we discuss the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

 

 

After the First Reading follows the recitation or preferably singing of the Responsorial Psalm. Aone source explains:

 

"It is essential, however, that we understand the reasons for the normative place of the psalms in the Church's prayer. The Christian community inherited the psalms from the Jewish community, who, in these poetic texts, expressed in very human terms the ups and downs of their journey to faith in the one true God. The Christian community recognized this story as their own; more importantly, they recognized Christ as the fulfillment of that story, the endpoint of the salvation history journey... When the Church prays the psalms, then, 'it is the very prayer which Christ himself, together with his Body, addresses to the Father'. (Vatican II: Sacrosanctum Concilium, 84)." (See  "Sing to the Lord and Psalmody in the Life of the Church," HERE)

 

The Second Reading is from a New Testament Letter or Book. In a special Liturgical Season it is related to the themes of that season. In Ordinary Time, a Letter or Book of the New Testament is read "in order," that is, sequentially Sunday by Sunday. It thus would only coincidentally relate to the Gospel Reading which is also being read sequentially, or in order, chapter by chapter. It is also introduced as "A Reading from ...[the Letter or the Book by title]." At the end of the Reading, the Lector again says "The Word of the Lord." All say "Thanks be to God."

 

After hearing the two Readings, a change occurs in the Liturgy of the Word. It is time for the Proclamation of the Gospel. Over time, the Church developed a whole repertoire of signs of reverence for this moment in the Liturgy. All centers first on the Gospel Book. It sometimes has a beautiful cover to highlight the esteem we have for the Gospel. The Gospel Book is a Book separate from the Lectionary, which contain the other two Readings and Responsorial Psalm. The Lectionary also contains the Gospel readings, but often this separate Book of the Gospels is used.

 

 

 

The Gospel Book is carried in the Entrance Procession. It is placed upon the Altar, highlighting the relationship of the "Table of the Word and the Table of the Sacrament."

 

When it is time to proclaim the Gospel, the Alleluia is sung (except in Lent). The Deacon is the designated minister who proclaims the Gospel, or in his absence the Priest. The Deacon asks the Presiding Priest (or Bishop) for a Blessing ("Your Blessing, Father"). The Priest says:

 

 "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."

 If there is no Deacon and the Bishop is presiding with a concelebrating Priest who will proclaim the Gospel, the Priest asks for the same Blessing.

 

Otherwise, the Priest goes to the Altar, in front of the Gospel Book and prays quietly, making the sign of the Cross: "Cleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel."

 

 

 

The Deacon or Priest takes up the Gospel. He proceeds by either a short route or a longer one to the ambo in a procession. He may be accompanied by servers with candles. Incense may be used to reverence the Gospel before it is proclaimed. The Gospel is sometimes (though rarely) chanted.

 

The the Deacon or Priest says:

 

"The Lord be with you."

All respond: "And with your spirit."

 

The Deacon or Priest then says "A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to...[the Gospel title is said]"

 

As marks the Gospel with a small cross with his thumb, he also similarly marks his forehead, lips and heart with the same small cross. The People do the same, and say "Glory to you, O Lord." This suggests that the gospel be on all our minds, lips, and hearts.

 

Then the Gospel is proclaimed. Afterwards the Deacon or Priest says; "The Gospel of the Lord." The People respond, "Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ."

 

Here we see that we are acknowledging that Christ is the unseen One proclaiming his Gospel.

 

The Deacon or Priest then kisses the Gospel he has proclaimed in reverence and prays quietly: "Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away."

 

So much ceremonial around the proclamation of the Gospel shows how important this Gospel is to the Church.

 

Next Week: The Homily

 

Return to Home Page

#12 The Liturgy of the Word: The Scriptures. Series on Understanding the Mass and Its Parts.

The Opening Prayer (Collect) is prayed at Mass and then the People sit in order to hear the Word of God in the proclamation of the Scriptures.

 

God Speaks to Us!

 

The most basic meaning of this Liturgy of the Word is that God is speaking to us!

 

This statement that "God is speaking to us" is absolutely amazing and yet we take it for granted or we don’t really appreciate the claim. Why should the One who is altogether greater than us speak to us at all? There is nothing that says that God has to communicate with us or reveal anything of himself to us.

 

God, however, seems to have had a "communication problem" with us! He speaks but do we listen? How can he get through to us? God’s solution to this is found in Hebrews 1:1-2a:

 

"In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son..."

 

The Son of God became flesh in Christ Jesus and he revealed God’s Word to us, because he is that Word: all that God wants to say to us:

 

"And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,

and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.

 

"No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,

has revealed him." (John 1:14, 18)

 

The Bible as God’s Word

 

That which we call the Bible or the Scriptures are inspired by God and they show us who God is as revealed in and by Christ Jesus. In the Liturgy of the Word in the Mass, Christ speaks to us through the Scriptures proclaimed:

 

"When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his word, proclaims the Gospel" (General Instruction on the Roman Missal, # 29).

 

How would it be a different experience if I believed that God is speaking to me in the Scriptures proclaimed at Mass?

　

The Roots of the Liturgy of the Word

 

 

Jesus and the early disciples were first Jewish. Jews gathered in the "Meeting Place," i.e. the Synagogue, to hear the Word of God from what we today call the "Old Testament," to pray, especially with the Psalms, and to make Intercession to God. This is very much the precedent for the Church’s Liturgy of the Word.

 

We know from early church documents that the Church also proclaimed Old and New Testament Readings, sang Psalms, and read from the Gospel. At first this was very fluid and eventually became more and more established in its liturgical pattern.

 

At first the Mass was in the language that most people could understand: first Greek and later in Latin in the Western part of the Roman Empire. But after the Fall of the Roman Empire in the West, the languages of the various places in Europe developed distinct differences, but Latin was retained for the Mass. Even the proclamation of the Scriptures was in Latin and only very educated persons could understand it. The stories of Scripture became taught more and more visually through paintings and stain glass.

 

The Reform of the Second Vatican Council

 

Starting in the 1960's, the Second Vatican Council called for more Scripture to be read and preached at Mass and began to permit this in the vernacular languages of the People. The range of what consisted of the Scripture Readings at Mass broadened to this pattern on Sunday:

 

 

The Lectionary, which contains the Scripture Readings read at Mass for the various Sundays and Feast Days of the year was expanded so that over a three-year period the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke would be proclaimed (formerly it was mostly Matthew), selections of John’s Gospel, as well as Old and New Testament Readings.

 

The Readings also have a particular relationship to one another depending on the Liturgical Season. For example, in the Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter Seasons all three Scripture Readings–the Old & New Testaments, and Gospel–are all related to the themes of that Season.

 

The other Sundays of the Year are known as Ordinary time. That doesn’t mean they are not special; it means they are "ordered." So, for example, the Gospel begins at the beginning and goes each Sunday, chapter by chapter, in order, with some editing. The Second Reading from the New Testament is the same way.

 

In Ordinary time, the Old Testament Reading is not read in order. Rather, it somehow corresponds to the Gospel and in some way prepares for it and interprets it. The Old Testament Reading in Ordinary Time and the Gospel are always related to each other. The New Testament Readings, however, are not related to the Gospel and they run on their own parallel track, so to speak.

 

In this way, the People of God, over three years continuously, are given a rich fare of Scripture in the Sunday Mass.

 

Next Week: The Liturgy of the Word: How it is Proclaimed

 

Return to Home Page