‘STAND FAST IN THE FAITH'

New Zealand Tablet, 15 May 1913, Page 3

‘STAND FAST IN THE FAITH'

(A Weekly Instruction specially written for "the It.Z. Tablet by 'Ghimel.') - THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS EXPLAINED: VI. FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE OFFERIORY The Mass consists of two main parts. The first'part extends from the prayers at the beginning to the Offertory, and is really a preparation lor the sacrifice properly so called. In olden times it went by the name or the Mass of the Catechumens, for as these aspirants to Baptism were only initiated into the mysteries of faith by degrees, they - were obliged to leave the church at the end of the Gospel. ■ This regulation was a precaution m the case of the neophytes; it safe- ' guarded with secrecy the things in the liturgy held most sacred by Christians living in a pagan atmosphere. For public sinners it was a form of penance.' The object H fafw Ctn is to P re P are the celebrant and the faithful for what follows, and this is done by chants the Introit Gloria in Excelsis/ etc.), prayers (the Kyne 'Collects/ etc.), and liturgical readings from Sac ed Scripture (the Epistle and Gospel). .the second part— known as the Mass of the Faithful-is the sacrificial Action, and consists of the three principal acts of Sacrifice-namely, the Offertory, Consecration, and Communion. The Creed comes at the junction between the two services. The word ' Mass/ it may be remarked in passing, comes from the' Latin ' mLa,> which is a late form for ' missio} > and originally meant dismissal/ At the end of the Gospel the deacon said to the catechumens, - and at the end of the sacrifice to the faithful, Ite, missa est,' < Go, it is the dismissal ' ,rn Prayers at the. foot of the Altar. These prayers Sin %tT of the Cross; the ' Introibo' and the Psalm, Judica me ' ; the ' Confiteor ' ; and two prayers said as the priest goes up to the altar. They give expression to the celebrant's confidence in God! his hurnble sorrow and open confession of sin-all fit sentiments in one who is about to approach, the altar of the all-holy bod. The celebrant begins by making the Sign of the tto„, the faithful in > the person of server answering Amen, So be it/ to express the desire that their prayers be heard. Then follows the Jfind Psalm in winch the holy King David, persecuted by his son Ab salon,, puts his case before God and longs for the day when he may ascend to the temple of the Lord : the priest, too, remembering God's Holiness and Justice, . and his own worthiness, speaks humbly and yet lavs his cause before his Maker in all confidence. Next the Confiteor, or Confession. I After he example of the'taxgatherer whose prayer for mercy ascended to God's throne, the priest humbly bows down, for, in the presence of the Almighty, man is but dust and ashes. He knows that no living thing is of itself justified in the eyes of the Lord; he therefore confesses his guilt with sentiments of deep humility, thrice striking his breast, to symbolise the threefold source of sin-thought, word and deed -Turning to Mary, the refuge of sinners, and to all God s dear Saints, he implores their aid, for the innocent in hands and clean of heart alone ascend into the mountain of the Lord, that is, to the sacred altar I his confession of the priest is followed by that of the people._ The words are spoken by the server, but the confession is made in the name of the faithful/whose character of offerers with the priest the liturgy of the * Mass continually emphasises. "The priest then recites two prayers m which he begs that the almighty and merciful God will prant him and the faithful pardon absolution, and remission of their sins. Next, bowing down in humility, the priest says some vehicles from the bJfth Psalm, m which he earnestly asks God's grace and help for himself and the people. Then he greets the people with ' Dominus Vobiscum,' 'The Lord be with • you, that you may pray aright; they answer through the server 'Ft cum spiritu tuo,' 'And with your spirit, whilst you offer up our prayers. This greeting taken from the Old Testament and frequently used by

St. Paul, generally announces an important prayer, and it signifies ‘ that the priest receives the desires of the faithful and is about to speak to God on their behalf.’ When the celebrant has in these many ways confessed his own unworthiness, he takes courage in the thought of his priestly dignity and goes up to the altar of the Lord, the Holy of Holies, to speak to God for men. He prays thus : ‘Take away from us our iniquities, we beseech Thee, O Lord ; that we may be worthy to enter with pure minds into the Holy of Holies. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.’ ‘We beseech Thee, 0 Lord, by the merits of Thy Saints, whose relics are here, and of all the Saints, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to forgive me all my sins. Amen.’ During this second prayer the priest reverently kisses the altar stone which encloses the relics of some Saints. He does so for two reasons: (1) In the earliest ages Mass was commonly said over the tombs of Martyrs, and when this became impossible, over portions of their bodies. ‘ Relics of martyrs, not of confessors, are selected because there is a close connection between the martyr who dies for the faith and the Sacrifice of Calvary, where Christ, the King of Martyrs, shed His Blood for the Gospel which He taught, the faithful whom He- redeemed, and the Church which He founded,’ and it is only fitting that the priest should show his reverence for God’s faithful servants. (2) But there is a deeper reason for this act of reverence. The altar is the figure of the Lord’s Body (St. Ambrose), the throne of His Body and Blood (St. Ogtatus). The prayers and ceremonies used in the consecration of altars are full of references to our Redeemer Crucified; five crosses are engraved on the altar stone to represent the Five Wounds of our Lord ; it is purified many times, for it is a symbol of the Eternal High-Priest Who is ‘holy, innocent, and undefiled,’ and it is anointed in memory of Him of Whom it is written; ‘ The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, wherefore He hath anointed Me.’