2. The Introductory Rites

The Eucharist is the most important celebration of our Catholic community. Weekend after weekend we come together to celebrate it in obedience to the Lord’s command, “Do this in remembrance of me” (1Cor 11:24).

The Development

The Mass as we celebrate it today evolved through many stages of development. The four evangelists, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John tell us of Jesus instituting the Sacrament, but it is Paul in I Corinthians and Luke in the Acts of the Apostles who give us an idea of how the earliest celebrations looked. As it evolved, it borrowed some elements from the Jewish liturgy and came to consist of reading from the Scriptures, praise and thanksgiving of God, remembering the last supper, breaking of the bread and the sacrificial communion. The original language was the mother tongue of Jesus, Aramaic, and later it was changed into Greek, the language of most Christians. Centuries later the common language of Latin was preferred. The bread and wine used were those brought by the people. Originally celebrations were in the homes and no specific vestments were used by the celebrant. Emperor Constantine the Great who gave freedom of worship in Rome to Christians, also gave numerous buildings for Christians to gather for worship. They were later called ‘Basilicas,’ prototypes of the present churches. In Rome the regular robes worn for the celebration began to be reserved for that purpose only. Later liturgical music and other ceremonies were added. As it continued to develop the liturgy also got diversified. In the East and in the West it took different forms. Today in the general structure of the Mass of the Roman Rite we can discern four integral parts: (1) The Introductory Rites, (2) Liturgy of the Word, (3) Liturgy of the Eucharist and (4) The Concluding Rites.

The Introductory Rites 

The rites before we read the Word of God, namely the Entrance, Greeting, Act of Penitence, Gloria and the Collect Prayer form the Introductory Rites. The purpose of these rites is to ensure that the faithful gathered establish a communion and to dispose them to listen properly and celebrate worthily.

          Entrance: Celebration begins as the priest and the other ministers enter the sanctuary. This procession symbolizes the journey of the pilgrim Church towards heaven. Usually on weekends a hymn accompanies this procession. On weekdays the priest and the people together recite the words of the entrance antiphon.  As they enter the sanctuary, the priest and the deacon venerate the altar with a kiss and other ministers by a deep bow.  Greeting: Everyone makes the Sign of the Cross while the priest says the words and the people respond “Amen.”  The priest then greets everyone with a formula chosen from the three in the book and the people respond accordingly. Penitential Rite: The priest invites people to the Penitential Rite after a brief silence. There are three different options for this rite and it concludes with the priest’s absolution. Gloria:  What follows is the very ancient and venerable hymn called the Gloria. When it is not sung, it is recited by all. On weekdays and Sundays in Advent and Lent this solemn hymn is not used. The Collect: The priest invites everyone to pray and pauses in silence. Then the priest says aloud a prayer specific for the day, addressed to God the Father, and the people conclude it with “Amen.” With that the introductory rites conclude.

The Changes

The form of the introductory rites remains the same though some words change. Greeting: The three formulas of greeting available to the priest will be slightly changed. The most common one is “The Lord be with you.”  It will not change, but its response will be “And with your spirit.” Penitential Rite: There are three options for this. The words of the priest or deacon will change a little, but the response “Lord, have mercy” will remain the same. The most popular Penitential Act is the prayer called Confiteor. The words of that prayer will have considerable changes. Gloria: One of the biggest changes we will notice in the new Roman Missal will be for the prayer Gloria, though the rules regarding the use of this prayer will remain the same. The Collect: This is the prayer of the priest and the people respond to it with “Amen.” The new prayer will be different, but the response will not change. All the collect prayers are being retranslated and hence it will sound different though the meaning will remain the same. 

                                                                          Fr. Xavier Thelakkatt