The Mass | cruxchfaithformation

Apologetics Minute: The Mass

“At Mass, before Communion, why does the priest drop a small piece of the Body of Christ into the Chalice?”

This action is called “commingling” and carries historic and symbolic value. In early Christianity, pieces of the broken Host would be carried to area churches to show the unity of the Catholic Church as a whole. The practice is also used to represent the restored unity of Christ’s Resurrected Body. The bread and wine are

consecrated separately at the Last Supper and at Mass (Lk 22:19-20) and Christ’s body and blood are physically separated at the Crucifixion.

“What is “The Mystery of Faith” at Mass?”

After the bread and wine have been consecrated into the Body and Blood of Christ, the priest genuflects before the altar, showing reverence for Jesus, and then proclaim, “The Mystery of faith,” which comes from 1 Tim 3:9. We respond in one of three ways, each with a biblical origin. The first two, “We proclaim your death, O Lord…” and, “When we eat this bread…” are from 1 Cor 11:26. The last comes from Jn 4:42 and goes, “Save us, Savior of the world...” The “Mystery” of faith we refer to at Mass is the grace and humility of Christ to condescend to us and be with us in the Eucharist.

“Why do we take time to shake hands before Communion?”

The Christian practice of exchanging peace with one another goes back to the Mass of the early Christians, but it also takes root in the Bible. Jesus tells His followers to make peace with one another “first” and then “present” the offering in Matthew 5:23-24. Jesus is offered at the Mass, and it is important that we make peace with one another. This is why this is done after the consecration, where the bread and wine are turned into the Body and Blood of Christ, but still before Communion.

“At Mass, before the consecration of the wine, why does the priest mix water with it?”

Mixing water with wine, a common Jewish practice in Jesus’ time, also has rich symbolic significance. Christians see this as a representation of Christ’s two natures, divine and human. It also is meant to show our participation in the life of Christ (2 Pet. 1:4), of which all the Sacraments are signs. It is also to remind us of the blood, which the wine will become, and the water that came from the side of Christ at the Crucifixion (Jn 19:34). Finally, 1 Jn 5:6 refers to Jesus as “one who came by water and blood,” and in the Mass, Jesus will come in this same way.

“At Mass, after the bread and wine has been brought to the altar, why does the priest wash his hands?”

This part of the Mass is called the lavabo, which is Latin for “washing,” takes its roots from the Old Testament. Old Testament priests, before they would perform a sacrifice, would go through a series of ceremonial washings (see Ex. 29:4 and Num. 8:7 for examples). This is to acknowledge the priest’s unworthiness to perform his sacred office and his need for God’s grace, which is often represented by water like in 2 Kgs 5:14, Jn 7:38 and Rev 22:1. During this washing, the priest will recite Psalm 51:2, which says, “Lord, wash away my iniquities and cleanse me of my sin.”

“What does the Nicene Creed mean when it says Jesus is ‘consubstantial with the Father’?”

The word “consubstantial” means “of the same substance” and refers to the natures of Jesus and “the Father,” which is the nature of God. Jesus claims to possess this nature when He said “I and the Father are one” in Jn 10:30. God the Father communicates His nature through His name, which He tells Moses in Ex 3:14. Jesus claims this name for Himself in Jn 8:58.

"Why does the Mass have a homily?”

At Mass, following the Gospel reading comes a short homily, meant to explain the readings and make them come alive, applying them to our lives. The word homily is Greek for “explanation”. This practice can be traced to the Old Testament (see Neh 8:7-8), but the first Christian homilies come from Jesus. The first can be found in Lk 4:18-30, where He explains how the prophecy was fulfilled in Him. The second comes from Lk 24:13-35 on the road to Emmaus. Here Jesus shared with two disciples how the Old Testament, “Moses and all the Prophets,” (v. 27) pointed toward Him.

"What is the “Kyrie” and why do Catholics say it at Mass?”

The prayer Catholics say at Mass that goes “Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy” is called the Kyrie, which is the Greek word for “Lord”. We say this prayer three times to reflect the three Persons of the Trinity and it typically follows another prayer called the Confiteor, where we acknowledge our sinfulness to God. It is a natural reaction after recognizing a wrong we’ve done to then ask for forgiveness, or mercy, from the person we’ve wronged. Jesus instructs us to ask God for mercy through the parables of the pious tax collector (Lk 18:13) and the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32).

“What is the Gloria and why is it prayed at Mass?”

The Gloria is the prayer sung by the angels to the shepherds at the first Christmas when they sang, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests” (Lk 2:14). We pray this prayer at Mass as a natural reaction to receiving God’s mercy, as we had just prayed the Kyrie or “Lord, have mercy” right before. Also, just like the angels celebrated the coming of the Savior in Bethlehem then, so we are to celebrate the coming of Jesus that occurs at every Mass in the Eucharist.

Why do Catholics celebrate Mass on Sunday?

In the Old Testament, God told His people to "keep holy the Sabbath," which was the last day of the week, Saturday. However, since the beginning of Christianity, we have been celebrating Mass on Sunday. This commemorates the most important event in history, the Resurrection of Jesus, which happened on "the first day of the week," Sunday (Mat. 28:1). The Mass is prefigured when the Apostle John received visions of the worship of heaven in the book of Revelation "on the Lord's day" (Rev. 1:10). The Mass follows this heavenly worship and links us to heaven. The first Christians acknowledged this, and we continue this practice today.

“At Mass, why does the priest greet the congregation by saying, 'The Lord be with you'?”

The presence of God has always been an important point for those called to follow and serve Him. We see this assurance with Moses in Ex. 3:12. Jesus also promises to always be with His Apostles in Mat. 28:20. In these instances, Abraham, Moses and the Apostles were given a mission. At Mass, we receive the same mission from Jesus to “make disciples of all nations”. St. Paul begins many of his letters with this same greeting (see Rom. 1:7 or Gal. 1:3). These letters were used in early Christian Masses and have carried over from the first century.

“At Mass, why does the congregation respond to the priest’s greeting with, “And with your spirit”?”

The congregation responds, “And with your spirit” to the priest at Mass to show the importance of the Holy Spirit in Christianity and Christian worship. Jesus talked about the importance of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of the Apostles in Jn 14:16-17. We see this presence of the Holy Spirit manifested at Pentecost in Acts 2:1-31. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. The phrase “with your spirit” is also used by St. Paul to close his letter to the Galatians (6:18). This follows St. Paul’s greeting at the beginning of Galatians, “The Lord be with you,” which the priest says at the beginning of Mass (Gal. 1:3).

"Why does the priest lift up the consecrated Host during Mass?”

After the bread and wine have been turned into the Body and Blood of Christ, the priest will lift up the Host and say, “Behold the Lamb of God…” which is a quote by St. John the Baptist from Jn 1:29. The practice of elevating the Host is rooted in the Old Testament as well as the prophecies concerning the Messiah. One example relates back to Moses, who was commissioned by God to raise a statue that the people would look upon and be healed (Num. 21:9). Jesus compared Himself to this in Jn 3:14. Jesus also says that when He is “lifted up” He will bring everyone to Himself in Jn 12:32. Finally, since the Mass is a remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice, it is fitting He is raised, only now in glory.

“Why does the Catholic Church celebrate Pentecost?”

The Catholic Church celebrates Pentecost, meaning “fifty” in reference to it coming fifty days from Easter (including Easter), because of its importance to the spreading of the Gospel message. It can be found in Acts 2:1-11 and is the day the Holy Spirit came to guide Christ’s Church “into all truth” just as Jesus said He would in John 16:13. It is on Pentecost that the Apostles received the grace necessary to not only share the message of salvation from Jesus to the world, but also the courage to do so in the face of persecution and death. It is this same grace that we receive at the Sacrament of Confirmation, of which Pentecost is the biblical basis.