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Iprimi potest

THE VERY REVEREND RAPHAEL P. KIEFFER, O.Carrn.

Provincial

Nihil ohStat

THE REVEREND ROMAEUS W. O’BRIEN, O.Carrn.

Censor Deputatus

Imprimatur

^THE MOST REVEREND PATRICK A. O’BOYLE, D D.

Archbishop of Washington

January 16, 1954

Copyright 1954

THE CARMELITE PRESS

Printed in t!ie E. S. A.

AH rights reserved. This booklet may not he reproduced b> ioy

in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher.

means

Dess?djf?3ci



INTRODUCTION

There is nothing that makes life more understandable—more
charged with meaning and purpose—^than the Mass. The Mass is
the center of Catholic life. To offer Mass is the greatest act a

human being can perform.

I'HIS IS YOUR MASS was first delivered at the Eastern
Shrine of St. Therese, Englewood, N. J. It is here printed exactly

as it was delivered.

The purpose of this explanation of the Mass is merely to sug-

gest some interesting and helpful thoughts that will make the Mass

com^e to life each Sunday, or perhaps, each day.

THIS IS YOUR MASS was first given as a spoken com-
mentary on the Mass while the priest at the altar actually said the

Sunday Mass. This explanation was most effective when the priest

said Mass facing the people; a portable altar, placed at the altar

railing, was used for this purpose. Those who heard this explanation

urged its publication so that in every parish the booklet can be first

read in the pulpit while Mass is being offered; the priest saying

the Mass may be obliged to pace the prayers and actions of the

Mass to fit the explanation being read by a fellow-priest in the pulpit.

The members of the parish can then take the booklet with them to

be read at home and during several subsequent Masses until they

are fully aware of what is happening at the altar during Mass.

This booklet is not intended to be a substitute for the Missal;

rather it should be an excellent preparation for an intelligent use

of the Missal.

To understand the history and meaning of each part of the Mass

is a long step toward a proper and living appreciation of this

supreme act of the priest at the altar
;
the Mass begim to assume its

proper importance in our Catholic life. Before long the Maas be-

comes the true high point of each day—and a day without the Mass

is entirely pointless.



I

AS THE MASS BEGINS

We watch the priest come to the foot of the altar and see him

dressed in what was the ordinary street dress of people living almost

nineteen centuries ago. He wears a cross on his back to recall how

Our Lord carried His cross for our sins, our own personal sins.

As the priest ascends the steps of the altar, we can picture to

ourselves Our Lord struggling up the hill of Calvary on the fir^t

Good Friday. The priest places the chalice (a gold cup) on the

altar and goes to the side of the altar to arrange the book from whi:h

he will read the prayers of the Tvlass. Many of the prayers n

the Mass are taken from the i:>ible—remarkable proof for our
critics of the respect Catholics have for the Bible.

Now going to the center of the altar, the priest pauses one

moment, bows his head. He is recalling to mind the intention for

which he is about to offer this Mass to God. The Mass may be

offered for a deceased person, or for the health or some other inten-

tion of a living person.

The priest goes to the bottom of the a^tar steps and begins

the Mass: IN THE NAME OF 'FHE FATHER AND OF
THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

I Confess

The priest is now reciting the confession prayers—he is con-
fessing to God, to the Bless-d Mother, to the saints that he is a

sinner, so unworthy to offer to God this sublime act of worship

and praise. Fie is stunned, humbled, crushed by the enormity of

his sins—he is bowed over in sorrow and shame as he confesses his
sins. He is pleading that God overlook his unworthiness and allow

dim to offer the death of Our Lord on the cross once more for his

O'vn sins and the sins of everyone in the congregation.

4 —



As the priest bows down at the foot of the altar, we arc

reminded of Our Savior in the Garden of Olives—we can see the
-entle Christ prostrate with the weight of the sins of all mankind

as He reminds His Father: “Thy will, not Mine, be done.”

The altar boy, too, confesses that he and you, the people

present at Mass, are sinners; that you are not worthy to be present

at this highest act of worship. He too pleads, beseeches God for

His merciful forgiveness. You, the people, should recite these con-

fession prayers with the priest and altar boy.

After Forgiveness, A Kiss

After confessing his guilt, the priest now takr<? new courage

and stands erect. When the priest has ascended the altar steps, he

bows over and kisses the altar at the spot where the relics of

martyrs are encased in the altar stone. This is the symbolic kiss

of peace and forgiveness between Our Lord and His people-—the
priest representing God’s people, and the relics of the martyrs

representing the God from Whom they gave their lives.

Introit

The priest now goes to the side of the altar and begins a

prayer called the INTROIT. It is really an ENTRANCE prayer
This prayer originated in the very early centuries of the Church and

was chanted or recited as the priest walked through the church on

his way to the altar. Unlike our custom of coming to the altar from

a side entrance to the sanctuary, the priest in the early centuries came

in solemn procession through the church on his way to the altar.

This prayer reminds us of the entrance of Our Lord into the

world on the first Christmas—^the beginning of God’s plan to re-
deem, to save mankind from sin.

_ 6



Kyrie Eleison

The priest, once the entrance prayer has been finished, says

something in Greek, one of the original languages used for the offer-

ing of Mass. The priest says : KYRIE ELEISON, etc.
;

it means

‘‘Lord have mercy on us.^^

Originally this prayer was said on the way to the church. The

first Christians made it a practice to gather at some point a short

distance from the church and to walk in procession to the church for

the offering of Mass. As the faithful marched in procession, they

chanted the Litany of the Saints; today all that remains of the

practice is the KYRIE ELEISON.

We are reminded by this prayer of the reason why Our Lord
came into this world—to show His mercy to sinners. “Lord have
mercy on us.^*

Glory to God

Now the priest, standing at the center of the altar, says : “Glory

to God in the highest.” This is part of the hymn sung by the angels

on Christmas night. Originally it was recited only in Masses offered

on Christmas day; now it is said in almost every Mass. It is not

said, however, in Masses for the dead.

Following our fervent plea for mercy in the KYRIE ELE-

ISON, we are compelled to proclaim to the four corners of the

world the glories of the Merciful God. In our exuberance we

use the words of angels to sing the praises of God—Gloria in Excelsis
Dear

Collect

Turning to the people and extending his hands, the priest now

speaks a greeting to the congregation. He says "Dominus Vobiscurn*
meaning “The l^rd be with you.” Today Christian people use

similar expressions: “Grod be with you; God protect you” is often

heard in lands where Faith flourishes.



Returning to the book at the side of the altar, the priest now

invites the faithful to say with him a prayer called the COLLECT.

Notice the hands of the priest as he prays— the hands are extended
and the palms of the hands face each other in the early Christian

manner of prayer; today we fold our hands.

The COLLECT has an interesting history. You remember we

pointed out that the first Christians gathered at a place not too far dis-

tant from the church and came in procession to the church for the

Mass? Now when everyone had COLLECTED at this meeting

place, a prayer was said before the procession started on its way. This

prayer is the COLLECT said in each Mass. It is different for

each Mass. Today in most churches, it is followed by prayers for

peace and for the Holy Father.

The Letter

When the COLLECTS are finished, the priest relaxes and puts

his hands on the altar. He is now reading a letter. You know

this letter as an EPISTLE. In the early days of the Church when St.

Paul (and the other Apostles for that matter), was preaching to

the people of Asia and founding new churches, he was constantly on

the move. Sometimes he found it necessary to write the Christian

people in distant missions a brief note of explanation or encourage-

ment; at the service of Christian worship the priest would ask the

people to be seated and then would read the message from St. Paul.

Today at Mass we still read portions of these letters of the

Apostles. We also read other instructions taken from the Bible. The

EPISTLE of the Mass treats of problems that concerned the people

of the early centuries of Christianity and still has application today.

The people sit while the EPISTLE is being read.

(Now read the EPISTLE of today's Mass).



The Book Is Changed

When the reading of the letter or instructions has been com-

pleted, a signal is given to the altar boy to move the Mass book.

While the boy is going to change the book from one side of the

altar to the other, the prayers known as the GRADUAL PRAYERS

are recited.

The changing of the book from one side of the altar to the

other has a noteworthy significance: it recalls for us the gradual

recession of the Jewish religious practices in favor of those taught

by Our Lord—it shows the transformation of the Old Testament
worship into the Christian practices of the new era.

The Good News

At this point comes the reading of the GOSPEI^—all stand.
The word—GOSPEL—means “good news.’’ And so it is. This is
the account of man’s redem.ption from sin and the announcement

of man’s eternal destin}^ The priest and the people sign little crosses

on the forehead, the lips and the breast—reminding us that the
Cross and the Word of God should always be in our minds, on our

lips and in our hearts.

By standing as soldiers at attention during the reading of the

GOSPEL, the people indicate their respect for the WORD of God
-—they are publicising their readiness as soldiers to go to battle, if

necessary, in defense of the Word of God, the Word of life. Each

Sunday a short episode from the life of Our Savoir is read as the

seed thought for that day.

The prjv Sts kisses the GOSPEL book when he has finished read-
ing the chapter from the Life of Our Lord and says: “By the

words of the holy Gospel may our sins be blotted out.”

(Now read the GOSPEL in today’s Mass).

— 8 —



Sermon

In the early days of the Church the Bishop gave the sermon at

this point. It was always the Bishop who preached because Our

Lord commissioned His Apostles, the first Bishops, “Go forth and

teach all nations.” Teaching is done by word of mouth. But the

Bishop cannot be present in every church; so today, each priest is

commissioned by the Bishop to fulfill this sacred function.

I Believe

After the sermon, or instruction, again to demonstrate our faith

in the teaching of Christ and His Church, the priest usually recites

the CREED. This is similar to the Apostles^ Creed known by all

Catholics; it contains a list of all the principal teachings which

Catholics believe because revealed by God Himself. We are asked
to kneel at the words “He became Man” to express our gratitude for

this remarkable sign of God’s love for all sinners.

When the CREED is finished, the priest turns to the people
and again salutes them with the greeting: “The Lord be with you.”

Now we all sit down.

II

THE MASS UNFOLDS

y
We have now just completed the first part of the Mass, which

you probably recognized as a series of preparatory prayers and in-

structions—intended to prepare us for the central part, the unfolding
of the Mass, which is just about to begin.

In the first days of the Church when the CREED was finished
those who were not baptized, i.e., those who were still under in-

struction before being received into the Church, were asked to leave

the building. Only baptized persons remained. Today anyone as-

— 9 —



sisting at the Mass may remain for the entire service.

In times of persecution defections from the Faith sometimes

occurred. It was natural, therefore, that prospective converts be

thoroughly screened before they were given the secret knowledge

of the sacraments. They were trained, instructed and tested
;
grad-

ually were they introducted to the inner life of the Church. Thus, at

Mass, they were asked to leave the group after the instructions had

been completed.

Bring Your Gifts

We now come to the part of the Mass known as the OFFER-
TORY. The priest reads the brief OFFERTORY prayer and
removes the cover from the chalice—reminding us that Our Lord
died for us, stripped of His garments, clothed only with our sins.

The practice of the early Christians at the OFFERTORY of

the Mass reveals how closely the people cooperated in the offering of

Mass with the priest. Each person in the church made his own per-

sonal contribution to the Mass. Each came to the altar with his

bread and wine that the priest, as minister of the people, would

change into the Body and Blood of Our Savior. Individuals brought

also flax, linen, wax for the candles, silver and gold for the ornaments

of the altar. All brought their own offering to God and personally

placed it at the altar.

Today it is not practical for each one to bring the bread, the

wine, etc., used at Mass. However, we do contribute to the fund

used to purchase these things for the church—this is the OFFER-
TORY collection, usually taken up each Sunday. We must re-
member that the amount given in this collection is really less im-

portant than the spirit with which it is given.

This is your real share in the Mass, for in the Offertory you

are really giving yourself to God by giving Him some of your

prized possessions. It is this return to God of your very self in

10



your most treasured gifts, that you fulfill the basic duty of every

human being to recognize God as the Supreme Creator of the

world.

You are encouraged to give to the altar whatever you know

you can give to God—with the understanding that it is given, not
to seek favor or preference, but simply because your gifts represent

the donation of your life itself to the Merciful God. You cannot

actually give your life—but you can give, instead, some of life’s
treasures and necessities—these things that are your other self.

The priest now offers the bread to God. After he pours wine

into the chalice, it too is raised on high and offered to God.

Now Wash the Hands

When the priest has offered to God the bread and wine, he

goes to the side of the altar to wash his hands. While rinsing his

fingers, he is sa^dng a psalm: “I wash my hands among the

innocent.”

In the early days of the Church it Vvas necessary for the priest

to cleanse his hands. He had just received, handled and touched

the gifts of bread, wine, linen, gold, silver, etc., brought by the

faithful to the altar. Naturally by handling these articles, his

fingers became soiled. He then washed his fingers as a practical

necessity. Today the washing of the fingers of the priest reminds

us of the fickle Pilate who washed his hands before the crowd, say-

ing: “I am innocent of the blood of this just man.”

Your S'aorifice

Returning to the center of the altar, the priest bows, silently

says a prayer, and then turns to the people Vv^ith a request. He

says Orate Frairesf' “Pray brethren, that my sacrifice and

YOURS be acceptable to Almighty God.” Your sacrifice! Again
you see that you are not sitting there passively, mere spectators—this

11 —



is YOUR sacrifice—you are offering YOUR gifts to God with
the priest.

Gifts Selected for God

Continuing the Mass, the priest recites the SECRET prayer

or prayers. These prayers are not secret in the sense that they are

not to be known. They are really prayers asking God to accept the

gifts that have been selected or secreted from the large contribution

toward the altar. Because usually a large offering of gifts took

place at the Mass, it was necessary for tlie priest to select part of

the gifts for immediate use at the altar. The remaining portion of

the offerings was used for the sustenance of the priest or distributed

to the needy and the poor. Over the portion of the offerings se-

lected for the Mass the priest said the SECRET prayers.

A Preface

After praying that God accept the gifts of bread and wine,

tlie priest begins the PREFACE. A preface to a book is really an
INTRODUCTION; the preface gives one an idea of what is to
come—it sets the theme of the book. This is what the PREFACE
of the Mass does—it is an introduction to the stupendous miracle
about to take place when bread and wine will be changed into the

r al Body and Blood of Our Lord.

As a preface to a book, this ancient and beautiful prayer intro-

duces the theme of the Mass pra^^rs—a governing thought to be
carried through the rest of the Mass. The feast days and special

occasions in the Church year regulate the theme: Christmas, Lent,

Easter, Pentecost, etc., all sound special keynotes of joy or penance

that run through the prayers of the Mass.

The PREFACE closes with the words which the angels

constantly chant before the throne of God: “HOLY * HOLY *

HOLY, Lord God of Hosts.” Here the bell is rung and we all kneel.

12 —



Prayer for the Church

Bowing down, the priest prays for all the members of the true

Church, asking God to accept the gifts we are offering in the name

of the entire Church, in union with the Holy Father, the Bishop of

our diocese, and all true believers.

Prayer for the Living

Pausing for a moment, the priest with his head bowed, prays

for his friends among the living. He may pray for his mother and

father, for his brothers and sisters—he prays for a sick woman bed-
ridden for twenty years with arthritis for a friend whose husband is

a drunkard, for the man himself, for the tiny shawled creature who

stopped him on the street and said: “Father, say a little prayer for

me.^’ You, too, should here remember in the Mass your living

friends and companions who are in need of God’s grace and help.

In the early Church a chart on which were written the names of

those to be remembered in the Mass, was placed on the altar so the

priest could refer to it with ease. Why not make a list yourself and

place it in your Missal—a list of all your friends to be remembered
in the Mass?

We Remember the Saints

The priest now calls to memory the Blessed Virgin and the

apostles and early martyrs, Peter, Paul and Andrew, Linus, Cletus

and Clement, etc.,—asking God that because of their virtues and
merits we may all be protected from danger.

Peace in Our Day

Holding his hands over the bread and wine, in a moment to

become the living Body of Our Lord, the priest prays that this

bread and wine, the symbols of our life, will be so acceptable to

God that He will give us peace in our day, will preserve us from

eternal damnation, and number us among the saints in heaven.



The Miracle

We nov/ come to the changing of the bread and wine into

the Body and Blood of Our Lord. A hush comes over the church

—a little bell tinkles. If we had e)^es of faith, we could probably
see the sanctuary around the altar crowded with adorning angels

—because the God of heaven is about to come on earth. A great
miracle will take place in a few seconds—bread and wine will cover
from our view the real Body and Blood of Our Savior Who will

be on the altar. As Our Lord came into the world for the first

time at Bethlehem, so He comes again—only this time He is clothed,
not in swaddling clothes, but with the appearances of bread and

wine, food for our souls.

If you were at Calvary on Good Friday you would have seen

the precious Blood leave the lifeless Body of Our Lord and trickle

to the ground. Now on our altar again the Body and Blood of

Our Lord is separated, a real repetition of Our Lord’s death on

Calvary. The forgiveness of sin that the death of Our Lord

gained for all men on Calvary is now applied to your soul directly.

In each Mass you can offer Our Lord’s death for your own sins, your

own infidelities. If you have sins on your conscience, you cannot

afford to miss Mass ever.

This is what takes place at the CONSECRATION, the chang-

ing of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Our Lord.

As the priest kneels before the white wafer, now the real Body

of Our Lord, and he raises the Sacred Host on high to be seen, we

should make sure that it is SEEN. We are asked to look at the
Sacred Elost—and likewise to look at the raised chalice containing

the Precious Blood of Our Savior—to adore God present on our
altar. It is not correct to bow 3-^our head at this moment; look at

Our Lord hidden under the veils of bread and wine and say each

time the words of St. Thomas: “My Lord and my God.’^

(Now adore God truly present on our altar).

— 14 —



Abel, Abraham, Melchisedech

Almost immediately after the changing of bread and wine into

the Body and Blood of Our Lord has taken place, the priest asks

Almighty God to regard our gifts at the altar in the same favorable

light in which He regarded the sacrifice of Abel, of the Patriach

Abraham and also of His high priest Melchisedech; the sacrifice of

Abel, child of Adam, who was killed by his jealous brother, Cain

—reminding us of Christ Who was also killed by his brothers;
the sacrifice of Abraham who ordered his son, Isaac, to carry wood

to a mountain top so that Abraham could fulfill God’s command

that he sacrifice his son—reminding us of God the Father Who
allowed His Son to carry the wood of the cross to the top of a hill

called Calvar)^; the sacrifice of Melchisedech, one of the first to

offer bread and wine to God—in each Mass today Christ, through
his priest, offers bread and wine to His heavenly Father.

The Angel

Bowing down the priest prays again that our gifts be carried

to the throne of God by the hands of an angel—with the hope that
in our receiving of the Body and Blood of Our Lord we may be

filled with every heavenly blessing and grace.

The Dead

As the priest once remembered his living friends, so now he

remembers in pra}^er his friends who have, in the beautiful words

of the Mass, gone before him and now sleep the sleep of peace. The

priest remembers the dead members of his family, perhaps his friend

who died riddled with enemy bullets while swimming a river in

war-torn France, the young husband who dropped dead in the parish

last week. To these and to all the suffering souls, he prays “O

Lord, give a place of rest, light and peace.”

li—



Us Siimers

While the priest is remembering all the members of the

Church, he continues, striking his breast, and says: “To us also,

sinners, yet Thy servants . . . grant a place with the holy apostles and

martyrs and all the saints . , . not weighing our merits, but freely

granting us pardon.’^

Praise to the Blessed Trinity

Now the priest takes in his hand the Sacred Host, makes crosses

over the chalice and before it, saying: “Through Him (Christ),

and with Him, and in Him, is to Thee, God the Father Almighty, in

the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honor and glory, forever and ever.

Amen.’’

This is a prayer of praise to the Blessed Trinity. Christ had

become man to restore to God the honor and glory of which He

had been robbed by sin—it is now through Christ, and with Christ,
and in Christ that we now render to God in the Mass the highest

honor and glory He deserves.

Our Father

Now the priest dares to say the most beautiful prayer we

know. One day the apostles said to Our Lord: “Teach us how to

pray.” Our Lord replied: “When you pray, say: ‘Our Father Who

art in heaven . . ”. The priest says this prayer in the Mass.

The priest in praying for “our daily bread” requests not the

bread that keeps life in the body, but rather the heavenly bread that

brings life to the soul and which we will receive shortly in Holy

Communion.

Evils

When the ‘Our Father’ has been finished, the priest asks God

to deliver us from all past, present and future evils—from the
effects of our past sins, from the present evils we experience and

from evils lurking in the future.

.... 16 —



Break Bread

Here the priest does something that seems startling—especially
in view of the fact that we believe the Body and Blood of Christ

is present under the appearances of bread and wine. The priest

breaks the Sacred Host in two. Breaking a small fragment from

one part of the Host, he lets it fall into the Precious Blood after

he has said: “May the peace of the Lord be with you.” While the

priest is saying these words he holds in his fingers a small portion

of the Host and makes with this portion three small crosses over

the chalice. Here we are reminded that true peace will come to

us only when we live in harmony with God, with ourselves and

with our neighbor.

We know that at the Last Supper Our Lord broke the bread
before He gave it to his apostles. Breaking of bread has always

been a symbol of hospitality^—of welcome and friendship. It also
reminds us that Our Lord’s Body was broken, wounded for our sins.

Lamb of God

The priest now recites the words of John the Baptist, saying

three times: “Lamb of God, Who takes t away the sins of the

world, have mercy on us.” These words take us back to the river

Jordan wTere John the Baptist once saw Our Lord coming in the

distance and said to the people: “Behold the Lamb of God—behold
Him, Who takes away the sins of the world.” The priest strikes his

breast as a gesture of unworthiness while saying these words.

Persona! Prayers

As the time for receiving, the Body and Blood of Our Savior

approaches, the priest begins to pray for himself in particular. He

momentarily forgets the people and prays for himself the soul-stirring

prayers just before the Communion. These prayers should be read

slowly, thoughtfully, sincerely by every one at Mass in preparation

17



for the greatest act of receiving the Savior of the world within

one’s heart.

A Soldier Said

A Roman soldier’s words are used by the priest to indicate to

God his complete unworthiness to receive Holy Communion. Our

Lord once told a soldier: ‘‘I will come down to your house and

heal your servant.” The soldier said: “Lord, I am not worthy that

Thou shouldst come under my roof, but only say the word and my

servant will be healed.” The Church now applies those words of

the pagan soldier to each of us as the priest prepares for Holy

Communion, At these words
—

''D online non sum Dignus
''—the

bell is rung three times, a signal for all to come to the altar rail.

Tlie Bread Returned

Now we recall the custom of the first Christians. Everyone

present at Mass went to Holy Communion. It was logical for

ever3^one to do so—had they not brought the bread and wine—^was
it not rightly theirs?

Now they would receive it back—changed into the Body and
Blood of Our Savior. One of the greatsest privileges granted to man

is to receive into his heart the Lord Who made the world. Who

saved the world and Who will judge every creature. The real wonder

is not why God allows miserable creatures to receive Himself into

their hearts—the cause for sheer amazement is why all do not re-
ceive Communion every time they assist at Mass. This is the

mystery of mj^steries!

In addition to the singular privilege of welcoming God into

our human hearts, the receiving of Holy Communion has another

most important result. By receiving Holy Communion at Mass we

share more completely in the graces and blessings that Our Divine

Savior obtained for the world by His death. When we receive Our

Lord in Holy Communion we also take into our hearts and make our

very own the fruits of Our Lord’s passion and death—these fruits
being the complete forgiveness of sin and the restoration of man

— 18 —



to God^s friendship.

The practice of receiving Communion under the forms of bread

and wine was discontinued for the laity some centuries ago. Today

only the priest receives Communion under the two forms. The large

numbers of people receiving Holy Communion, the danger of spilling

the precious Blood of the Savior and hygienic reasons prompted the

Church several centuries ago to give Communion to the people under

the form of bread alone. In some Eastern countries Communion is

still given under both forms.

— (Now go to the altar to receive }^our Lord and Savior). —

III

After the priest has finished the distribution of Holy Com-

munion, you will notice that the Mass comes quickly to an end. The

Church wishes that those who received Holy Communion should

talk in private to the Divine Guest in their souls. We should al-
ways remain a few minutes in prayer even when the Mass is over.

The priest first of all purifies his fingers of any particles of

the Sacred Host clinging to them by pouring wine and water over

his fingers and then consuming the mixture. The chalice is dried

thoroughly with a linen cloth and the cover is placed on it.

After Commimion

The priest now goes to the Epistle side of the altar where the

server has rearranged the Mass book. The priest will recite the after-

Communion prayers—prayers of thanksgiving and praise to God
for the wonderful benefits given to man through Holy Communion.

Finished

Finally, the priest turns to the people and says: ‘*Go, the Mass

is over.^* Actually, the Mass is not over at this point—^though it
did terminate here in the early centuri^.

More

There is added to the Mass the blessing of the priest upon the

entire congregation* Before you ^ back to your homes, your offices.



your schools and your factories, the priest says: ‘‘Pvlay the omni-

potent God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, bless you. Amen.”

RIore Good News

A last Gospel is read—the last bit of “good news” you are
given as you leave Church, This is actually a selection from the

Gospel according to St. John.

For Russia

At the end of Mass the priest and people recite prayers in

English, It is distinctly bad form to leave Mass before these prayers

—especially since these prayers are said today for the afflicted
people of Russia, for the “Church in Chains.”

The priest then returns to the sacristy (the room where he

keeps the vestments, etc.), and the Mass is over.

Forever

But . . . THE MASS IS NEVER OVER. You should take
with you into every walk of life the fruits, the blessings and con-

solations of the Mass You have been present at the death of Our

I./ord—you have received personally the forgiveness He sought when
He said: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

As you leave the church you are walking from Calvary: )^ou

are carrying into the world, into your daily life and routine the

peace and joy only obtained when you realize that as a creature you

have, with Our Lord’s help, given to God, your Creator, the highest

praise and most complete satisfaction that can ever be given by any

being. The whole world should feel the impact of your daily as-

sistance at Mass—because there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that
can give greater joy in heaven and bring more secure peace to your

souls than making every Mass your Mass.

ni

Conclusion

Among others, there are three important thoughts we must

keep in our minds whenever we assist at Mass.

— 20 —



1. Tlie first of these thoughts is:

YOU ARE NOT IN CHURCH TO WATCH
THE PRIEST SAY MASS—RATHER, YOU
ARE OFFERING THE MASS WITH THE
PRIEST.

^ ou t I'e not at an opera or a stageplay. You are not a mere

SPltC FAT OR—a mere LOOKER: you are one of the ACTORS.
You are vitally important at the Mass because you are offering

the Mass with the priest as your leader. You are so important to
the Mass that the priest is not permitted to offer Mass without

'omeone other than himself present while the Mass is being offered.

Remember! You are NOT just sitting in church to watch^

—

YOU ARE OFFERING THE MASS WH'H THE PRIEST.
2. The second point to remeber is this:

OUR LORD DIED ON THE CROSS NINE-
TEEN HUNDRED YEARS AGO FOR THE
SINS OF THE WORLD—NOW IN EACH
SIASS YOU OFFER OUR LORD’S DEATH
FOR YOUR PERSONAL SINS.

If
5
'oti regret not having been able to stand under the cross on

the first Good Friday to receive the sin-shattering forgiveness that
Our Lord gained for us by his death, do not regret it too much.
At each Mass you are actually standing under the cross—actually
receiving the same forgiveness Our Lord gained for you on Calvary.

On Calvary, Our Lord, the Son of God, offered to His Father
the only adequate act of adoration and satisfaction that any being
ever could offer. Now Our Lord has arranged that each time you
go to Mass, you can also offer to God that same act of adoration
and satisfaction for your personal sins.

Hence, to offer Mass either as priest or layman, is the greatest
act any human creature could perform. If you were to preserve one
million people from death by starvation, that act, when compared

— SI—



with spending one half hour in offering Mass, would be a mere

NOTHING. By saving one million people from death, you would

be doing something for creatures; in one Mass you are offering to

Almighty God the highest act of honor, praise and satisfaction that

can ever be offered.

If you rightly understood this, could you ever miss Mass ? When

will we Catholics completely understand that at the death bed there

will be no accounting of money in the bank—or a tabulation of
hours of rest and ease. The number of Masses we offered to God

for our long list of frightening sins, will then be a very important

tabulation.

Can you imagine the number of souls who are going to see their

lives completely wasted—-completely void, because they did not know
or understand that the Mass is the most effective, the most recom-

mended way for a sinner to wipe away the damning guilt of his

misdeeds ?

If you are a sinner, YOU NEED THE MASS—more than
you think.

3. The third point to remember is this:

THE BEST MANNER TO OFFER THE MASS
WITH THE PRIEST IS TO RECITE THE
PRAYERS IN YOUR MISSAL OR PRAYER-
BOOK.

There is no substitute—no, the rosary or private prayers or
novenas included—for the official prayers of the Church recited by
the priest in each Mass. You can only be a real OFFERER of the

Mass when you recite the prayers with the priest.

Be sure therefore, to get a Missal, a prayerbook containing the

prayers said during each Mass. Then recite and read these prayers

with the priest, because—^THIS IS YOUR MASS.

— M



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— 23 —

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