In this rich excerpt from The Blessed Eucharist: Our Greatest Treasure, Fr. Michael Mueller explains the profound meaning behind the sacred ceremonies of the Mass. Though not instituted directly by Christ, these rites—many of Apostolic origin—draw our hearts to the Passion and foster deeper reverence in the faithful. Each gesture, prayer, and vestment tells the story of Calvary, making every Mass a living memorial of Christ’s sacrifice.
Did Jesus Ordain the Ceremonies of the Mass?
YOU may ask, dear Reader, if Our Lord also ordained the ceremonies of Mass. I answer, “No.” He instituted only the essential parts of the Mass. He left it to His Church to prescribe the rites and ceremonies to be observed in its celebration. However, most of the ceremonies of Mass are of great antiquity, and many of them are without doubt of Apostolic origin. It is principally for two reasons that the Church has prescribed so many ceremonies in the celebration of Mass: first, because Mass being the highest act of religious worship, the Church desires that it should be celebrated with a solemnity and reverence corresponding in some degree to the greatness of the Sacrifice; secondly, because, if the various ceremonies of Mass are well understood, they will greatly excite and foster a reverence and spirit of devotion in the hearts of the faithful. They all refer to our Saviour’s Passion and death, of which the Mass is a commemoration. Hence the ritual of the Mass is arranged in accordance with the awful tragedy of Calvary.
The Representative of Christ
The priest, the representative of Christ, is clad in garments like those in which the Redeemer was attired on the day of His cruel death. The amice, or white cloth worn around his neck, represents the handkerchief with which Our Lord was blindfolded; the alb, or long white garment, signifies the white robe which Herod put on our Saviour in mockery; the cincture or girdle, the maniple on the left arm, and the stole passing round the neck and crossed upon the breast represent the cords and strings with which Our Lord was bound, and by which He was dragged through the streets of Jerusalem; the chasuble, worn over all the others, signifies the scarlet robe in which He was arrayed when Pilate showed Him to the people, saying: “Behold the man!” The altar, with its crucifix, represents Mount Calvary; the chalice signifies the Saviour’s tomb; the paten, His tombstone; and the purifier, with the pall and corporal, the linen cloths in which His Sacred Body was wrapped when it was laid in the tomb.
A Preparation for Mass
When the priest begins Mass, he says with the server some prayers at the foot of the altar, during which he bows very profoundly. This signifies Our Lord’s entering upon His Passion in the Garden of Gethsemani, where He sweat blood and prayed prostrate on the ground. These prayers of the priest are a kind of preparation for Mass. He begins by saying: In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti—“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” It is as much as to say: “I act now by the authority of God the Father, whose priest I am; and of God the Son, in whose place I am priest; and of God the Holy Ghost, by whom I am priest.” Or, “I offer this sacrifice in the name of the Father, to whom I offer it, and of the Son, whom I offer, and of the Holy Ghost, by whom I offer it.”
Then he recites a Psalm expressive of humble trust in God, which is followed by the Confiteor and the Ordinary prayers accompanying it. After this he ascends the altar and kisses it. This part reminds us of the seizure of Our Lord by the Jewish multitude, into whose hands He was betrayed by the perfidious kiss and cruel treachery of Judas.
The Preliminary Part of the Mass
And now begins what may be called the preliminary part of the Mass, which answers to the time when Our Lord was interrogated about His doctrine before the tribunals of Caiphas and Pilate; it lasts till the end of the Creed. Having read the Introit, or short verses from Scripture, the priest says nine times, Kyrie eleison—“Lord have mercy on us,” thereby giving us to understand how constant and persevering we ought to be in prayer. Immediately after the Kyrie follows the Gloria in excelsis, the hymn which the angels sang at the birth of Jesus Christ. Surely if such a hymn of praise was sung by the heavenly choirs when our Saviour commenced the work of our redemption, we ought to render to Him a tribute of gratitude no less fervent when at Holy Mass we commemorate and participate in all His benefits and merits.
Therefore, everyone should recite this divine hymn along with the priest, or at least join his intention with him and say some Gloria Patri, by way of thanksgiving. After the Gloria, the priest turns to the people and says, Dominus vobiscum, and the server, in their name, replies, Et cum spiritu tuo, a salutation and response which occur very often during Mass. The meaning of the former is, “The Lord be with you,” and of the latter, “And with thy spirit,” and the Church intends by this frequent interchange of holy affections between the priest and the people to excite devotion, and to teach us how we should desire above all things to remain always in the peace of God.
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This article is taken from a chapter in The Blessed Eucharist: Our Greatest Treasure by Fr. Michael Mueller, CSSR which is available from TAN Books.
