3. What is Praying the Mass?
Praying the Mass is the fully
conscious and active participation
in the Eucharist. This participation
is prayerful engagement in the
Mass, aided by proper
understanding, good preparation
and the application of its power
and blessings to our lives.
KEY DEFINITION
4.
5. Jesus
raises the host which has become his body and
points to himself, indicating the Real Presence with
the words, “This is my body.”
Judas
is the only apostle without
a halo. Although present he
is not truly participating in
mind and heart.
The one cup
and one bread
emphasise the
communion that
participation in the
Mass should bring
about.
The tree
stands for the
wood of the
cross, where
the Last Supper
will culminate.
It also
underlines the
link of the Mass
with Calvary.
6. Preparation for Mass
Christ Washing the Feet of his Disciples by Duccio di Buoninsegna
This reminds us of the need for Christ to purify us of sin in preparation for Mass.
7. Preparation for Mass
The Mass nourishes the
Christian life, conforming
us to Christ.
Growth in the Christian
life in turn gives us a
deeper insight and love
for the Mass.
8. Preparation for Mass
We can also prepare well for
Mass in specific ways by:
• Meditating on the Scripture
readings.
• Studying the prayers and
structure of the Mass.
It is also helpful to make the Sign
of the Cross on entering the
church, to genuflect to the
tabernacle and to devote a period
to personal prayer before Mass.
9. Preparation for Mass
To prepare for Communion, we
must:
• First go to Confession if
we have committed any
mortal sins.
• Abstain for at least one
hour before Communion
from all food and drink
except water and medicine.
10. During the Mass
The Institution of the Eucharist by Joos van Wassenhover
The disciples show us how to be reverent in the Mass.
11. During the Mass
We can participate well
in general by being
attentive, and by uniting
our own interior prayers
to the words, actions and
gestures of the priest.
12. During the Mass
During the Mass it is also
important to:
• Respond and sing
clearly, listen carefully,
and try to understand
what is happening.
• Maintain prayerful
silence, receive the
Eucharist with the
greatest reverence and
genuflect with respect.
13. After the Mass
The Virgin in Prayer by Sassoferrato
Just as Mary “pondered these things in her heart”, so we are
called to thank God for his great gifts in the Mass.
14. After the Mass
It is good to spend a few
minutes of prayer in
church after Mass.
This is a way of thanking
God for the blessings we
have received and being
mindful of the resolutions
we have made.
15. Difficulties with praying the Mass
Detail from The Agony in the Garden by Giovanni Bellini
“The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
16. Difficulties with praying the Mass
Makes no sense
The Mass is rich in meaning
and is unlikely to make
immediate sense.
Patience, prayer and study help us
to appreciate its greatness.
17. Difficulties with praying the Mass
Boredom
The Mass is a prayer and
something we need for our souls.
It is not mere entertainment.
However, in practice it will
engage us deeply if we attend to
the words and think and pray
about what they mean.
18. Difficulties with praying the Mass
Inability to receive
Communion
The Mass is primarily a sacrifice,
and to attend Mass devoutly has
great value even when we cannot
receive Communion. We may still
make a ‘spiritual communion’.
19. The Mass and heaven
The Mystic Lamb by Jan van Eyck
20. The Mass and heaven
The most important help
in praying the Mass is to
realise the supernatural
and miraculous
dimension of the
Eucharistic sacrifice and
the presence of heaven.
21. The Mass and heaven
You have come to Mount Zion and to the
city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in
festal gathering, and to the assembly of the
first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and
to a judge who is God of all, and to the
spirits of just men made perfect, and to
Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and
to the sprinkled blood that speaks more
graciously than the blood of Abel.
Heb 12:22-24
23. Summary
Activities Menu Presentation Part II
• Praying the Mass is the fully conscious and active
participation in the Eucharist. This is prayerful
engagement in the Mass, aided by proper
understanding and the application of its power
and blessings to our lives.
• We pray the Mass well by good preparation,
especially by going to Confession and arriving
early, by being attentive to the Mass, and by
uniting our own interior prayers to the words,
actions and gestures of the priest.
• We should always be reverent towards the
Eucharist, including keeping a fast of at least an
hour before receiving Communion.
24. Questions to reinforce key points
Prayerful engagement
Proper understanding
Good preparation
Application to our lives
What is meant by full, conscious and active
participation in the Mass?
Activities Menu Presentation Part II
1
2
3
4
Click on a box to reveal one
of the answers
25. Discussion questions
Activities Menu Presentation Part II
Select one or more of the following:
• Discuss how we can
prepare well for the
celebration of the Mass.
• Discuss some personal
experiences of what can
help us to pray the Mass.
26. • Look through the common
prayers at the back of the
Compendium of the Catechism. Note
which of these may be of
particular value in preparing for
Mass or giving thanks after Mass.
• Look at a small Lectionary or
Missal containing the Sunday
readings. Practise locating the
readings for the following Sunday.
Practical activities
Activities Menu Presentation Part II
Select one or more of the following:
27. The Structure of the Mass
INTRODUCTORY RITE
LITURGY OF THE WORD
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
COMMUNION RITE
CONCLUDING RITE
29. Introductory Rite
Greeting
In the name of the
Father ...
The Sign of the Cross commends the whole action of
the Mass to the two central mysteries of the faith: the
cross of Christ and the Holy Trinity.
Penitential
Rite
I Confess ...
An opportunity to repent of our sins before listening to
the Word of God and participating in the Eucharistic
sacrifice of the Mass.
Gloria
Glory to God ...
An ancient hymn of thanks, praise and triumph for our
redemption.
Opening
prayer
Let us pray …
With the whole Church, the priest offers this set prayer:
a request of God the Father, in the name of Jesus and
in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
30. Liturgy of the Word
Saint Matthew writing his Gospel by Caravaggio
31. Liturgy of the Word
Readings The proclamation of the Old and New Testament
Scriptures penetrates our minds and hearts, so that we
can know God, his works and how we are to be saved.
Responsorial
psalm
The prayers of ancient Israel that Jesus himself prayed.
Gospel In the gospel we hear the words of Jesus Christ himself
and what he did for us.
Homily The homily explains some point of the biblical readings
or teaching of the faith.
Creed The Creed is both a public profession of faith and a
prayer.
Intercessions The intercessions bring the needs of the Church and
world before God.
32. Liturgy of the Eucharist
Altarpiece of the Holy Sacrament by Bouts
33. Liturgy of the Eucharist
Offertory
Blessed are you,
Lord ...
The faithful offer bread and wine, the elements Christ
took in his hands at the Last Supper. These are the
tokens of our sacrifice, which the priest offers on our
behalf.
Preface and
Sanctus
Lift up your
hearts...;
Holy, holy,
holy ...
These prayers give thanks (the meaning of the word
‘eucharist’) to God the Father for his work of salvation.
They also remind us of the reasons for our gratitude. The
Sanctus unites this thanksgiving to the eternal worship of
the angels and saints in heaven.
Epiclesis The priest extends his hands over the gifts, calling the
Holy Spirit to sanctify these gifts, so that they may
become the body and blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.
34. Liturgy of the Eucharist
Consecration The priest speaks the words of Jesus over the gifts, by
which they become the body and blood of Jesus Christ
(‘This is my body ... This is the cup of my blood’).
He elevates the host and the precious blood for
adoration by the faithful.
Anamnesis,
offering,
intercessions
The anamnesis brings to mind the Paschal mystery
present in the Mass. The priest asks God to accept this
offering of Christ himself and makes intercessions on
behalf of the living and the dead, especially those for
whom the Mass is specifically offered.
Doxology
and Amen
Lifting the host and the precious blood, the priest
praises God. The acclamation of the faithful, Amen, is a
triumphal assent and a conclusion.
36. Communion Rite
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father ...
As well as being the model of all prayer, the
Lord’s Prayer expresses all the dispositions
needed for the worthy reception of Communion.
The Rite of Peace
Peace be with you ...
In the rite of peace the Church asks God for
peace and unity, and the faithful offer the sign of
this peace to one another.
The Fraction
and Agnus Dei
The priest breaks the host as a sign that the
faithful receive the one bread of life. The Agnus
Dei (‘Lamb of God’) implores the mercy of Jesus,
sacrificed for our sins.
Communion The faithful are fed with the body and
blood of Christ.
40. Summary
Activities Menu
• The Introductory Rite is the communal
preparation for the rest of the Mass.
• The Liturgy of the Word is the reading of
Scriptures culminating in the gospel.
• The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the re-
presentation of the sacrifice of Calvary and the
making present of Jesus Christ on the altar.
• The Communion Rite is the time of reception
of Holy Communion.
• The Concluding Rite is the blessing and
sending out of the faithful.
Concluding Prayer
41. Questions to reinforce key points
Introductory Rite
Liturgy of the Word
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Communion Rite
Concluding Rite
What is the basic five-part structure of the Mass?
Activities Menu Concluding Prayer
1
2
3
4
Click on a box to reveal one
of the answers
5
42. Discussion questions
Activities Menu
Select one or more of the following:
• Discuss, based on Luke 24:13-33,
how the story of the encounter with
Christ on the road to Emmaus links
to the structure of the Mass.
• Discuss why each part of the Mass
is important.
Concluding Prayer
43. Practical activities
Activities Menu
Select one or more of the following:
• Look at a Missal, find the five parts
of the Mass, and choose one or
more parts to read through.
• Visit a church and locate where the
main action of each part of the
Mass takes place.
Concluding Prayer
44. Final Prayer
O Sacred Banquet in which Christ is received as
food, the memory of His Passion renewed,
the soul is filled with grace and a pledge of the life
to come is given us.
Amen.
