the sacrament of Mass

the purpose of Mass

• ultimately to worship God together as a Catholic community
• the heart of any religion is worship (giving praise and thanks to God), and the heart of worship is sacrifice, because we make sacrifices for things that we love

Mass behavior

• distraction is natural, but we must respond to distractions appropriately
  • remember that most distractions will still be there following the service, so you can interact with them then rather than allowing them to distract you during Mass

parts of Mass

#1: introductory rite (gathering prayer)

• sign of the cross
• penitential rite
  • venial sins are forgiven during this period
• opening prayer is performed while standing

#2: liturgy of the word

• daily Mass
• first reading (sitting)
• psalm reading (sitting)
• Gospel reading (standing)
• Homily/sermon by the priest (sitting)

#3: liturgy of the Eucharist

• Jesus Christ is made truly present in the Blessed Sacrament (consecrated bread and wine)
  • standing/kneeling
• the Paschal Mystery (the life, death, and resurrection of Christ) is made present at the Altar
  • not symbolically, but through the actual hands of the priest
  • this is why reverence at Mass is extremely important

→ communion

• when you receive Jesus in the Eucharist, you say “Amen,” which means “I believe”
• this means you are in full union with Christ and the Catholic Church
  • it’s alright to not be ready to accept this responsibility if you’re not prepared, but especially if you’re not Catholic
  • in this case, you can come forward with your arms crossed over your chest to receive a blessing