This week I will be exploring with you the four main parts of the Mass: the introductory rites, the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and the closing rites. These parts do not sound all that exciting and that is true, yet at Mass we are being invited to share in the worship of God in Heaven. Our imagination can do much to increase our appreciation of the Mass and help us to experience the glory of this awesome prayer. Our worship of God in the Mass is challenged due to our human weakness and the limitations of our language, distractions, physical, material and financial restrictions. Yet each of us can bring our imagination, and proper preparation so that we can be better focused and prepared to praise, honor and worship God at every Mass.
The first part of the Mass is the introductory rites which include the procession and opening hymn, the sign of the Cross, the penitential rite, the Gloria and the opening prayer. For today I will focus on the first of these - the procession and opening hymn. You may have noticed that procession proceeds with servers, readers, and always ends with the one who presides at the Mass or the most prominent or highest ranking clergy. For most of the Masses at St. Mark it is the priest who is the last one in the procession. However, if Bishop Coyne were to come preside or even be present at Mass, then he would be the last in the procession.
The reason for the procession to end with most prominent clergy is not because that human person is more special than anyone else, for outside of his ordination he is a human person just like us all. He is recognized, honored and respected in the procession at the Mass because of the office he holds as a priest or bishop. At Mass the priest or bishop acts in the person of Jesus Christ, the head of the Church (in persona Christi capitis). It is for this reason that we honor and respect them. They carry to us the authority, power and presence of Jesus when they preside at the Mass.
The bishop has the fullness of the priestly power of Jesus and the priest shares in the power through his bishop. As your priest and Bishop Coyne as your bishop, we have a duty to live as examples of Jesus Christ, because we are meant, indeed given, the power to act in His very person when celebrating the Mass and any of the other sacraments. Our honor and respect of our priest and bishop reflects then our honor and respect for Jesus Who calls them to act in His stead here on earth.
Tomorrow I will reflect with you on the remaining parts of the introductory rites. Truly the Mass is an extraordinary gift, and I hope we can all spend time as we are away from it for this time to come to appreciate, renew and deepen our understanding of this truly awesome and powerful prayer!