284. The content of the Mass
284. THE CONTENT OF THE MASS
What are the essential parts of the Mass? What is the reason for each one? Were they the same in St. Thomas’ day as they are today?
Since the whole mystery of our salvation is comprised in this sacrament, therefore it is performed with greater solemnity than the other sacraments.
Therefore the celebration of the mystery is preceded by a certain preparation in order that we may perform worthily that which follows after.
(1) The first part of this preparation is divine praise, and consists in the Introit. . . .
(2) The second part contains a reference to our present misery, by reason of which we pray for mercy, saying Lord, have mercy on us, thrice for the Person of the Father, and Christ, have mercy on us thrice for the Person of the Son, and Lord, have mercy on us thrice for the person of the Holy Ghost. . . .
(3) The third part commemorates the heavenly glory, to the possession of which, after this life of misery, we are tending, in the words, Glory be to God on high, which are sung on festival days, on which the heavenly glory is commemorated, but are omitted in those sorrowful offices which commemorate our unhappy state.
(4) The fourth part contains the prayer which the priest makes for the people (the Collect), that they may be made worthy of such great mysteries.
There proceeds, in the second place, the instruction of the faithful. . . .
(5) The Lectors . . . read aloud in the church the teachings of the prophets and apostles;
(6) After this lesson, the choir sing the Gradual, which signifies progress in life;
(7) Then the Alleluia is intoned, and this denotes spiritual joy; or in mournful Offices the Tract, expressive of spiritual sighing. . . .
(8) But the people are instructed perfectly by Christ’s teaching contained in the Gospel. . . .
(9) After the Gospel has been read, the Creed is sung, in which the people show that they assent by faith to Christ’s doctrine. . . .
So then, after the people have been prepared and instructed, the next step is to proceed to the celebration of the mystery, which is both offered as a sacrifice and consecrated and received as a sacrament. . . .
First we have the oblation;
Then the consecration of the matter offered;
And thirdly, its reception.
In regard to the oblation, two things are done, namely
(10) the people’s praise in singing the Offertory, expressing the joy of the offerers,
(11) and the priest’s prayer asking for the people’s oblation to be made acceptable to God. . . .
Then, regarding the consecration, performed by supernatural power,
(12) The people are first of all excited to devotion in the Preface, hence they are admonished to lift up their hearts to the Lord,
(13) And therefore when the Preface is ended the people devoutly praise Christ’s Godhead, saying with the angels: Holy, holy, holy; and His humanity, saying with the children: Blessed is he that cometh.
(14) In the next place the priest makes a commemoration first of those for whom this sacrifice is offered, namely, for the whole Church. . . .
(15) Secondly, he commemorates the saints, invoking their patronage. . .
(16) Thirdly . . . to them for whom it is offered.
(17) Then he comes to the Consecration itself.
Then follows the act of receiving the sacrament:
(18) First of all, the people are prepared for Communion, first by the common prayer of the congregation, which is the Lord’s Prayer. . .
(19) Secondly, the people are prepared by the Pax (Peace) which is given with the words, Lamb of God, etc.
(20) Then follows the reception of the sacrament, the priest receiving first and afterwards giving it to others. . . .
(21) Finally, the whole celebration of Mass ends with the thanksgiving, the people rejoicing for having received the mystery (and this is the meaning of the singing after the Communion). . . (III,83,4).
The question is answered so directly, fully, and clearly by St. Thomas’ description that it would be superfluous to add to it.
This is a summary of the world’s greatest philosophy, the world’s greatest song, the world’s greatest story. Heaven itself looks with awe at each Mass on earth as it looks at the event on Calvary 2,000 years ago that the Mass continues and represents.
What happens in the Mass? What happens is the most dramatic thing that ever happened. What happens is that Christ does here in an unbloody manner what He did on Calvary. What He did there was that He made all things new.
If you understand each of these basic parts of the Mass deeply enough, you will see that there is nothing omitted. Nothing. As the simplest and earliest Christian creed, the Apostles’ Creed, rightly understood, tells us everything we are to believe; and as the simplest and earliest Christian prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, rightly understood, tells us everything we are to hope and pray for; and as the simplest and earliest Law, the Ten Commandments, properly understood as consummated in the Beatitudes, tells us everything we are to love and desire and will and choose, so the Mass, properly understood, tells us all three of these things at once; and not only does it tell us these things, it enacts them.