Catholic Massterclass: All About Holy Mass

35. Penitential Act and Gloria

After the Sign of the Cross and greeting, the Mass continues with the Penitential Act, a moment of humble preparation to enter the sacred mysteries. We begin not by pretending we are worthy, but by admitting that we are not — and trusting in the mercy of the God who calls us here. Maybe you remember last Sunday’s Gospel about the Pharisee and the tax collector. The tax collector stood off at a distance, beat his breast, and said, “Be merciful to me, a sinner.” We take that into our worship, for Jesus was clear that his approach was the righteous one.
 
The priest invites everyone to acknowledge their sins in silence, followed by one of three approved forms, the most familiar being the Confiteor (“I confess to almighty God…”). As we recite the Confiteor, we strike our chest just as the tax collector in the Gospel did. This is not a replacement for sacramental confession, but it truly disposes us to receive grace. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal notes that the priest’s prayer that concludes the rite — “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life” — is an absolution, though “it lacks the efficacy of the Sacrament of Penance” (GIRM 51). Still, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains (CCC 1436, 1458), venial sins are forgiven through the penitential act when we sincerely repent. This simple, honest moment clears the way for us to encounter the Lord with renewed hearts.
 
Immediately following this act of repentance, we cry out for mercy in the Kyrie eleison (“Lord, have mercy”). These ancient Greek words, among the oldest in the Mass, are not gloomy but hopeful — the plea of those who know God’s mercy is greater than their sin.
 
Then, on Sundays outside Advent and Lent, our tone changes from penitence to praise. We sing the Gloria, beginning with the angels’ hymn from Christmas night: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.” Having confessed our unworthiness and received mercy, we are now free to glorify God with joy. The Gloria praises the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, marveling at God’s holiness and goodness. It is not a request for anything, but a song of pure worship — a foretaste of the praise of heaven. The Gloria has been present from the beginning, and our current form of it has been virtually unchanged since the 9th century! One of things about the Gloria that I always like to mention is that it is so clearly focused on proclaiming God’s glory, which is yet another reminder that we are here for Him. Maybe some of us are getting a little tired of being reminded of this reality, but it’s one that has been unacknowledged too often in the past and we need the reminder.
 
Together, the Penitential Act and the Gloria form a rhythm of the Christian life itself: repentance leading to rejoicing, humility giving way to worship. Every Mass begins this way because every encounter with God begins this way — with mercy received and glory given.

34. Introductory: Sign of the Cross; The Lord Be With You

What most people would understand to be the official beginning of Mass is the Sign of the Cross, something all Catholics are taught to do from as early an age as possible. Interestingly enough, almost no other Protestant denomination makes the Sign of the Cross, even while they may begin “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” When we trace the Cross upon ourselves and invoke the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we proclaim that:
We belong to the Trinity, the God we are about to worship.We have been redeemed through the Cross of Christ.We enter this liturgy not as individuals, but as baptized members of His Body.
The Sign of the Cross draws a clear boundary: what follows is holy. It marks the moment when we step from the ordinary into the sacred — from daily life into divine worship. Just as the priest and people crossed the threshold of the church to enter the building, the Sign of the Cross marks the spiritual threshold into God’s presence. Our physical act of tracing the Cross on our bodies reminds us that we are bodily creatures and the Cross is meant to be something we fully embrace by way of suffering and acts of self-denial, for it is through the Cross that salvation comes to us.
Following the Sign of the Cross is the first dialogue between the priest and the people: “The Lord be with you.” “And with your spirit.” We find phrases similar to these in the Old Testament whenever God was about to give someone a mission that was much bigger than they could handle. We even see this in the Gospel of Luke when Gabriel comes to visit Mary: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you…” From there he told her that she would bear God’s own Son in her womb - a much bigger mission than she could handle, but God’s grace and presence with her could bring it to completion. When the priest says, “The Lord be with you,” there is an acknowledgment that we are entering into a mystery that is much bigger than we can understand: our own mystical participation in the Paschal Mystery and heavenly worship. God’s grace and presence is necessary for us to understand and fully engage our worship of Him. Your response to the priest, “And with your spirit,” is an acknowledgment that God has given the priest a much bigger mission than he can naturally carry out, but God’s grace and presence in his core makes it all possible to be fulfilled. God’s grace makes the priest capable of acting in the Person of Christ as he leads everyone in heavenly worship on earth. Incredible!
Just as with the Sign of the Cross, a gesture is included with the words. The priest extends his hands as he speaks to the people, as though saying to them, “I’m here for you, with you.” Remember, the priest is acting in the person of Jesus, and the dialogue is meant to be a dialogue of love. For the priest to say, “The Lord be with you,” is really for Jesus to be speaking through him in love. As a little note, the Roman Missal doesn’t list the people as extending their hands in return while they say, “And with your spirit,” so there is no need for you to do so.

33. Reverence the Altar

When the priest enters the sanctuary at the beginning of Mass, one of his first actions is to bow to the altar and then reverence it with a kiss. (Whenever the tabernacle is in the sanctuary, the bow to the altar is replaced by a genuflection.) This gesture is rich with meaning, even though it is often quiet and unnoticed.
 
The altar is the central symbol of Christ in the church. It is not just a table where bread and wine are placed—it represents Christ Himself, the “living stone” rejected by men but chosen by God (1 Peter 2:4). It is also the place of the sacrifice, because on it the Eucharist is offered, which is one with the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. For this reason, the altar points us both to Christ and to Calvary.
 
By bowing to the altar, the priest acknowledges Christ’s presence and honors Him with a gesture of humility. When he kisses the altar, it is an expression of love and reverence for Christ, who is both the priest and the victim of the sacrifice. In ancient times, altars were built over the tombs of martyrs, so the kiss also recalls the communion of saints who gave their lives for Christ and share in His victory.
 
The priest’s kiss, then, is a greeting of Christ and a recognition of the holy mystery about to unfold. It ties together Christ, the Cross, the saints, and the Eucharistic sacrifice into a single act of reverence. By beginning Mass this way, the priest shows that everything to follow is centered on Christ, whose love is at the heart of our worship.

32. The Entrance Procession

At the beginning of every Mass, the priest walks in while the people stand and sing. This might seem like a simple way to “get things started,” but in reality it connects us with a deep biblical pattern of worship.
 
In the book of Exodus, we read that whenever Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to encounter the Lord, “all the people would rise and stand, each at the entrance of their tent, and look after Moses until he had gone into the tent” (Ex 33:8). Moses entered God’s presence on behalf of the people, and they stood in reverence, watching and praying as he went. They remained outside of the Tent while Moses encountered the Lord, but they were attentive to the reality before them.
 
When David was king and the place of worship had moved into Jerusalem, he instituted the practice of chanting with music during the worship. Later, in the Temple of Jerusalem, the priests would enter the holy place to minister before God while the people and Levites outside joined in song and psalms of praise. The movement of God’s minister into the sacred space was never silent or casual — it was surrounded with prayer and music.
 
This pattern continues in the Mass, but now in its fullness. Jesus is the new Moses who enters the true dwelling of God — heaven itself — to intercede for us. The priest walks to the sanctuary in persona Christi, in the very person of Christ, and so it is most fitting for the people to stand as he enters. At the same time, the priest walks forward also as a representative of the baptized, who share in Christ’s priesthood by their baptismal identity. The people are not left outside, as Israel once was, but are invited to participate in Christ’s own offering.
 
That is why the entrance is not usually silent or passive. The whole assembly joins in song — whether a chant or a suitable hymn. The Church intends this entrance chant to echo the psalms of old, or at the very least to lift our hearts and minds to the worship of God. By standing and singing as the priest enters, we show that we are a pilgrim people, led by Christ into the presence of God, and united in the worship about to unfold.

31. Bells to Begin Mass

Finally, we move into the Mass with our Catholic Massterclass. Can you believe we spent the first 29 weeks talking about Catholic Mass before actually getting into the details of the Mass itself? I don’t know what you thought about that, but I have found the Mass to be such a rich source of connections between the past and the present and, of course, of the eternal future. I have especially enjoyed seeing all of the connections with Old Testament worship in the Temple. Let’s jump into the details.
 
The first thing you may notice at Holy Mass in our parishes is also something you may notice to be absent in many Catholic churches: bells are rung to signify the beginning of Mass. Many Catholic churches have the habit of ringing bigger bells outside of the church to signify that Mass is going to begin soon, but not as many have bells inside the church to signify the immediacy of Mass’ beginning. Either way, what is the deal with the bells? That’s what we’ll look at in this week’s Catholic Massterclass.
 
The practice of ringing bells in connection with worship of God has its origins in…Old Testament worship - what a surprise! 🙂In Exodus 28:33-35, the Lord instructs Moses to create vestments for Aaron the high priest, which are to have bells on them so they can be heard when he goes to offer worship to God. When the people hear the bells, they understand that something incredibly important and holy is about to take place. The bells serve as a call to attention, so the people can stop what they are doing or saying and pause for a time of reverence. They could know that the high priest is working for them, interceding for them before God. Perhaps strangely to us, the bells were so important that the high priest would have died if they couldn’t be heard both when he entered the Temple and when he departed. Evidently, it’s very important to the Lord that His people are aware of the sacrifices being offered.
 
For us as Catholics, bells serve a similar purpose. The bells you may hear outside a church, usually rung about ten minutes before Mass begins, serve as a reminder to everyone around, Catholic or not, that our worship of God is going to begin soon, “so you better pick up your pace and get in here.” The bells you may hear immediately before the entrance procession call attention to those in the church that the priest is about to enter the sanctuary, the Christian place of worship. The priest is about to go to work for you, interceding for you before God. Of course, you are meant to participate in the offering, but the priest acts as the head of the assembly just as Christ is the head of the Church. Hopefully when you come into the church, you are already striving for silent reflection and reverent preparation, but the bells still serve as a call to greater attention and reverence, to set aside any distracting thoughts and concerns so you may give your attention to the holy sacrifice of the Mass.
 
We will talk about bells a bit further down the road in our Massterclass, but here’s another neat development: some people have seen the bells to be an instrument that drives away evil spirits and calling upon the heavenly hosts of angels to protect us from temptation and distraction. It may be a helpful thought for you to think of the bells in this way: Heaven and earth are about to meet on the altar, and the sound of the bells reminds us that God prepares the way for us to focus on that reality by clearing the invisible realm around us, sending the enemy away and sending the aid of his angels. Lovely!

30. Latin, the Universal Language

For this week’s Catholic Massterclass, we’re going to dip our toes into something a little more controversial. To get to the point, I would like to ask a question: If you traveled to another country and tried to strike up a conversation, what language would you expect the people to speak? I hope the answer is obvious: you’d expect them to speak whichever language is primarily spoken in that country. In Germany, they would speak German, and you’d be ok with it because you know you’re not in your homeland. In France, they would speak French, and you’d be ok with it because you know you’re not in your homeland. We could go on and on with the different languages of each country. Some people enjoy going to other countries and listening to the local language - I’ve heard it said, for example, that French is such a beautiful language to hear, even if none of the words are understood. Others might go visit another country and wish the people would speak English, but they still expect that most won’t know English because that isn’t the main language of the land.
 
One of the things I’ve been mentioning about the Church is that she is Catholic - universal. The Catholic Church is present around the world, speaking every language under heaven. At the same time, being a universal Church, the Church also has a universal language, one that could be spoken anywhere in the world and is meant to be understood by all of her members. Unfortunately, this universal language is probably not known and understood by too many members of the Church today, but it is still worth mentioning. That language is Latin—at least for the Latin Rite, which is the largest part of the Catholic Church. The universal language of the Church is meant to be something that expresses our unity, especially during Holy Mass. As has been mentioned several times throughout our Massterclass, I know some of us grew up in a time when Mass was exclusively offered in the Latin language all around the world. When the Second Vatican Council changed the Mass, Latin was almost universally set aside in favor of the vernacular - the local language spoken in any given location. This switch helped people around the world become more familiar with the words being spoken and prayed during Holy Mass. It was a great gift for many people. What’s often forgotten, or has never been taught, is that the Church still holds that Latin is her mother tongue and that she would like her members to know at least some parts of the Mass in Latin.
This may come as a surprise, but the Church actually asks that we know how to recite the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer in Latin. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal even says: ‘Since the faithful come together from different countries, it is desirable that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Profession of Faith and the Lord’s Prayer.’ This seems like something worth pointing out, even if it seems difficult to imagine us getting to a place where we recite or chant the Creed in Latin each week at Mass. It is growing more common to hear the Lord’s Prayer chanted in Latin, but even that seems fairly daunting to accomplish in an average parish. I know some of us may not like “going back” to using Latin, but this will be just for today. It’s a chance to get a fresh taste of the Church’s native language, and to remember that our worship isn’t about what we prefer—it’s about offering God the glory that is His due. Even if it feels unfamiliar, it’s a small way of joining more fully in the sacrifice of the Mass. What a great opportunity to sacrifice by being present at Mass in a language you don’t prefer!

29. The Road to Emmaus

We have just two weeks left of this portion of our Catholic Massterclass before we FINALLY start going through Mass step-by-step.
 
In the Gospel of Luke there is the famous story of the Road to Emmaus. Jesus has risen from the dead and appears to two disciples who are making their way to Emmaus from Jerusalem. He is hidden from their vision - they take up a conversation with Jesus and don’t realize it - while they talk about the sadness of the Crucifixion. As they are walking, Jesus does something of a big Bible study, explaining how the entirety of the Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) reveal that the Messiah had to suffer in order to save the people. He shows them that everything points to the truth of who Jesus is. When they finally reach their destination, Jesus remains with them. During their meal, Jesus takes bread, gives thanks, and breaks the bread. During the breaking of the bread, Jesus’ true identity is revealed to them and then he vanishes out of their sight. The two disciples run back to the Apostles gathered in Jerusalem and tell their story of how Jesus was made known to them in the break of the bread. It’s a very lovely story, but it also tells us something about Mass.
We have two basic “parts” to our Catholic Mass, our time of worship. During the first part, we focus on the Word of God. This is usually called the Liturgy of the Word. The heart of the Liturgy of the Word is the reading of Sacred Scripture and the homily. The Word of God is proclaimed to us and we listen attentively with open hearts and minds, which is then followed by the priest explaining the Scriptures in such a way that, hopefully, we can see further references to Jesus. If you remember last week, I mentioned that the First Reading and the Gospel during Ordinary Time are meant to match up and make a connection with Jesus between the Old Testament and the Gospels. This is a great example of making a way for us to see Jesus more clearly in the full context of the Bible. Then with our minds more enlightened to understand Jesus, we move into the Liturgy of the Eucharist, which is focused on our participation in the Last Supper united to the Crucifixion. It is during the Liturgy of the Eucharist that the Body and Blood of Jesus are offered to the Father and then broken before us. The Eucharistic Bread is broken for us, which can help us to see Jesus’ true identity as the Messiah who has come to lay down his life for our salvation. At the end of Mass, we are dismissed: “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord,” or one of the other dismissals. Holy Mass is our own little Road to Emmaus, when Jesus opens our minds to understand the Scriptures, then reveals Himself to us more fully in the “breaking of the bread”, and then we are sent to proclaim the mystery to others who have not encountered Jesus in this way.. Lovely!

28. The Lectionary

Last week I spoke about the Roman Missal as the primary book used by the priest during Catholic Mass and this week I want to take a moment to look at the other main book used during Mass, which is the Lectionary. The word Lectionary comes from the Latin word lectio, which means “to read”. 
 
The Church has always had a Lectionary, although it has taken different forms throughout history. Before Vatican II, the Roman Lectionary followed a one-year cycle, repeating the same readings annually. The Council (1963) called for “opening the treasures of the Bible more lavishly,” leading to a three-year cycle (A: Matthew; B: Mark with John; C: Luke; with John included each year). This reform greatly expanded exposure to both Old and New Testament texts, allowing the faithful to encounter a fuller range of Scripture.
 
At Sunday Mass, the structure is:
First Reading – usually from the Old Testament (Acts of the Apostles during Easter).
Responsorial Psalm – sung/recited response.
Second Reading – writings of the Apostles from the New Testament, especially St. Paul.
Gospel – high point of the Word, proclaiming Christ’s life and teaching.
The principles guiding selection of readings are:
Harmony: Old Testament foreshadows and New fulfills.
Semi-continuous reading: Books (esp. Gospels and Epistles) are read progressively across weeks.
Christ-centered: The liturgical year unfolds the mysteries of Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension.
 
The roots of a lectionary come from Judaism, where synagogue worship included fixed readings from the Law and Prophets (cf. Luke 4; Acts 13). Early Christianity continued this tradition—St. Paul urged public Scripture reading, and St. Justin Martyr (2nd c.) described Sunday worship with Old Testament and Gospel readings followed by a homily. Over centuries, the Roman Church often reduced readings to Epistle and Gospel only, but Vatican II restored the more ancient three-reading pattern.
 
I’ve mentioned this before, but a point worth making again is that, during Ordinary Time, the Old Testament reading, the Psalm, and the Gospel are meant to connect with each other. Sometimes that connection is obvious - for example, last week’s First Reading and Gospel both clearly speak about the value of humility - and sometimes that connection needs a little further exploration to find. The same pattern is not necessarily meant to be followed during the special seasons of the year, such as Lent and Advent.
 
The readings from the Bible come to us during the Mass and so even reading and listening to them contributes to our worship. At the same time, our souls can be fed by them as we hear God speak to His people. This is incredible nourishment that prepares us to love God better and follow Jesus more closely as His disciples.

27. The Roman Missal

One of the many great things about being Catholic is knowing that you can attend Holy Mass anywhere in the world and it will look and sound the same as everywhere else, even if it’s not being offered in your native language. On any given Sunday, the prayers and readings are the same all over the world. The offering of the Eucharist in worship is the same all over the world. It’s a great gift that many other Christians don’t have. In fact, the word “catholic” actually means “universal”, which means the Church is meant to spread all over the world, to reach all languages and nations in one universal religion. While we may have different cultural backgrounds, our worship is meant to share a kind of unity that transcends all of our differences. To assist us in that task, the Church has provided liturgical books as the source of our structure for Mass. This week and next, we’ll take a quick look at the two primary liturgical books that form the structure and content of our worship, namely the Roman Missal and the Lectionary.
 
The main book that you see the priest use for the prayers of the Mass is called the Roman Missal, commonly called the Missal. It is Roman because the Roman Catholic Church has its home base in Rome, where the Pope lives. The word Missal comes from the Latin word for Mass, Missa. We’ll talk more about Latin in a few weeks. The Missale (Latin again) is the Mass-book, which translates into Missal in English. The Roman Missal provides the structure of the Mass by way of instructions called “rubrics” and the various prayers of the Mass the priest offers on behalf of the people. They are called rubrics because they are written in red ink (ruby) and instruct the priest on what to do, while the prayers are written in black and reveal to the priest what to say. There is a common phrase: say the black, do the red. 
 
As I mentioned back toward the beginning of our Catholic Massterclass, structure has always been an essential component of man’s worship of God. From the time of Moses onward, the Lord has provided a specific structure for His people as they come before Him to offer worship. The Catholic Church throughout history has understood this to be essential in offering Mass, especially as the Christian faith has spread around the world. There have been various changes to the structure of the Mass throughout history, but the same substantial reality has been present from the beginning and will be present until the end of time. Because of this reality, it is essential that the priest not deviate from the rubrics and prayers. Sometimes priests have thought that they could make a little addition or subtraction here and there, but these would be considered to be liturgical abuses. As I have mentioned throughout our classes, it’s incredibly important for all of us, clergy and laity alike, to remember that the Mass is about what we offer to God on His terms, which comes to us through His Church; it’s not about my preferences or yours. The Church teaches:
It is the right of all Christ’s faithful that the Liturgy, and particularly the celebration of Holy Mass, should truly be as the Church wishes, according to the stipulations as prescribed in the liturgical books and in the other laws and norms. (Redemptionis Sacramentum, no. 12)
You have a right to the proper celebration of Holy Mass and the priest has an obligation to properly offer the Mass. He does so when he follows the rubrics and offers the prayers with the Eucharistic sacrifices as the Church requires.

26. Sacred Vessels and Instruments Used During Mass

Chalice
Last Supper cup; also Roman banquet vessel (calix)
Holds the Precious Blood. Symbol of Christ’s Passion (“the chalice of suffering”) and salvation (“chalice of blessing”).
Noble materials (gold, silver, or gilded interior); dignified, non-porous.
Paten
Roman banquet plate (patina)
Holds the bread to be consecrated into Christ’s Body. Sign of the breaking of bread at the Last Supper.
Noble material, same dignity as chalice; gilded on top surface.
Ciborium
From cibus = food; in use by 4th c.
Holds consecrated hosts for Communion or reservation in the tabernacle. Lid = reverence & protection.
Same material as chalice/paten; fitted cover for reservation.
Pall
From pallium = covering; medieval use
Stiff square cover for the chalice. Protects Precious Blood from dust/insects. Symbol of Christ’s burial shroud.
Linen (traditionally), stiffened with insert; usually decorated with a cross.
Corporal
From corpus = body; ancient origin
Linen cloth on which Body and Blood of Christ rest. Symbol of burial shroud. Ensures no fragments are lost.
White, absorbent linen (traditionally pure linen). Folded carefully.
Purificator
From purificare = to cleanse; medieval
Used to wipe the chalice and purify vessels after Communion.
White linen, usually with small cross. Must be reverently washed (sacrarium or separate first rinse).
Altar Cloth
Early Christian practice; by 4th c. universal
Honors the altar (Christ Himself). Symbol of burial cloths and banquet tablecloth.
At least one white cloth must cover the altar (tradition: three). Fine, worthy fabric.
Altar Cross (Crucifix)
Required since Middle Ages
Visible reminder of Calvary; Mass is the same sacrifice as the Cross.
Crucifix must be on or near the altar; visible to priest and faithful.
Cruets
Roman dining flasks; adopted by Christians
Hold wine (Christ’s divinity) and water (His humanity). Also recall blood and water from His side.
Glass, metal, or dignified material; distinguishable, practical size.
Lavabo Towel
Ancient handwashing custom in Temple & Roman dining
Used by priest during lavabo ritual: “Lord, wash away my iniquity...”
White cloth, simple, dignified.
Chalice Veil (optional)
Medieval development
Covers the chalice before Mass; symbolizes reverence and mystery of the Sacrament.
Cloth of the liturgical color; fine material.
Burse (optional)
Medieval
Holds the folded corporal for transport to the altar.
Same material as chalice veil; dignified.
Monstrance (outside of Mass)
12th c., rise of Eucharistic adoration
Displays consecrated Host for adoration. Rays symbolize Christ, Light of the World.
Precious metals; luna with secure glass.
Thurible & Boat
From Jewish Temple & Roman practice; 4th c. Christians
Incense = prayer rising to God (Ps 141:2), reverence, purification.
Thurible = metal censer; boat holds incense grains. Dignified and functional.