Singing the Mass, part 2 — Liturgy of the Word

During the Liturgy of the Word on Sundays, solemnities, and feasts of the Lord there are actually five selections from Sacred Scripture: First Reading, Responsorial (Psalm), Second Reading, Gospel Acclamation verse, and Gospel.* For each day, all five are contained in the Lectionary, the liturgical book that contains the biblical texts for the Liturgy of the Word. The First Reading, Second Reading, and Gospel are normally spoken; the Responsorial and Gospel Acclamation are to be sung, and as with all singing at the Mass, the intention is that the assembly participates in singing them. The reason for this is to give evidence to the full, conscious, and active participation of the assembly. As mentioned in the previous post, the Mass is intended to be sung! It doesn't take full, conscious, and active participation to mumble some words by rote, but it thoroughly engages the mind and the body to tune up one's voice to sing in communion with others, even if it is only a brief acclamation.

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*On other days, there is no Second Reading.

Singing the Mass, part 1

Catholics in this country seem reluctant to sing in public. About the only time many of us raise our voices in song is to sing "Happy Birthday" on occasion. Yet, the liturgy of the Catholic Church is meant to be sung, most especially the Mass. The most important parts to sing are the dialogs between the presider and assembly ("The Lord be with you" etc.), the Responsorial Psalm, and the parts that are clearly acclamations, such as the Alleluia, the Holy, Holy, Holy, the Memorial Acclamation, and the Great Amen.
       It is especially moving to hear the presider-assembly dialogs chanted simply. The beauty of chant is that everyone is on the same pitch (as opposed to singing in harmony). We are not only raising our voices, but we are doing it in a way that emphasizes our unity — we're chanting the same words, at the same pace, on the same pitch! To do that, our voices must be in communion with one another. In doing so, we are praying in faith, hope, and love that it is not just our voices that are in communion, but our entire selves.

Keeping the end in mind, part 3

One liturgical practice of the ancient Christian Church was linked to the Dismissal. That part was the taking of food to those who couldn't be at the liturgical assembly. Over the years, this became a practice of taking the Body and Blood of Christ to those who could not be there.
       In recent years, a small number parishes have revived this practice, although there aren't any instructions in the Rite about doing this. The way it usually works in those parishes is that pyxes are filled at the altar following the Communion Procession. After the period of silence (or Hymn of Praise), the Prayer After Communion, and announcements (if any), the deacon invites the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion who visit the sick and shut-ins to come forward. He then hands them their pyxes. They stay in or near the sanctuary for the Final Blessing and Dismissal. They join the procession out and then proceed on to their ministry.
       What a beautiful thing this is for the community to see! If we really believe that we are sent to take Christ — or better yet, to be Christ — in the world, then seeing seeing three or four Communion Ministers with pyxes around their necks going out to literally do this can really drive home the point.

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I am very interested in hearing from people at parishes where this is done. In particular:

• how do you do this dismissal — like I described above, or some other way?
• how often do you do it — every Sunday Mass? one Mass each Sunday? etc.
  
• what fruit has it brought to bear in your parish?

Please post your experience as a comment to this post, or send a private e-mail to me at deacon.smith@gmail.com.
       Also, if anyone is aware of instruction or guidance from any bishop or diocese on a Dismissal of Extraordinary Ministers, please send that along, as well.

Keeping the end in mind, part 2

In the last post, I stated that the purpose of our gathering together is to receive what we need in order to be sent out again. This leads to the next question: sent out to do what? In the Catholic world, there is no simple answer to that question.

       Outside the Catholic Church, it may be simple, depending on one's congregation. Some Christian congregations act as if their primary mission is adding members to their congregations and promoting individual salvation through the promise that personal morality would be rewarded in the next life. The theologian Martin Marty called these "Private Protestants." Other non-Catholic congregations preach that the way to God is through the transformation of society. Marty called these "Public Protestants."* The Catholic Church doesn't say that it's either/or; rather, it's both/and. Both are biblical (with basis in the Old Testament and the New); both are well-ensconced in Catholic Tradition.

       We are sent out to live good and holy lives in and of themselves, and we are sent out to work, hope, and pray for a more just world. One need only look again at the two new forms of the Dismissal to realize that (see the previous post); one need only read Pope Benedict's latest encyclical to realize that.† There are times in everyone's life when one needs to take personal action to repent of evil ways and turn toward the good. There are also times in everyone's life when one needs to defend a just cause or to stand up in opposition to an unjust system. We are sent forth to do both.

       Hopefully, our gathering, hearing the proclamation of the Word, praying, and communing every Sunday help us discern what is most needed for us this week.

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* See The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-minded America is Tearing Us Apart by Bill Bishop for an analysis of this and how it is currently playing out in US society.

† See Caritas in Veritate and associated resources at http://www.usccb.org/jphd/caritasinveritate/index.shtml. 

Keeping the end in mind, part 1

When I was in the corporate world, we had a saying that helped focus us on projects: "Keep the end in mind." As a consultant who managed a workgroup, I would frequently remind the team what it was that we promised to deliver to the client, and that would do more than anything else to get us to deliver what the client needed on time and within the agreed-upon budget.

       If we apply that to the Mass, then we would keep the Dismissal in mind from the minute we left our homes until the presider says, "The Lord be with you" for the last time. 

       And what happens in the Dismissal? Very simply, after receiving God's blessing through the words of the priest, we are dismissed through the words of the deacon. It doesn't take very long, but it is crucially important. It is so important that the Mass is named for the dismissal rite. The words in Latin that the deacon uses to dismiss the assembly are, "Ite, missa est"; the word Mass is derived from the word missa. 

       And what does "Ite, missa est" mean? Probably the best translation is, "Go, you are sent." So, it is a missioning of sorts (notice that Latin word missa again!). We are sent out from our sacred assembly to carry on the mission of Jesus. That is what we should be keeping in mind beginning with our gathering, through the Penitential Rite, the Gloria, the Opening Prayer, the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and, yes, even the announcements. We have gathered so that we can receive what we need in order to be sent out again.

       The dismissal words in the current translation of the Roman Missal (again, see the missa?) probably don't do justice to what we are really trying to do in the Dismissal at Mass. "The Mass is ended, go in peace" really doesn't convey that sense of being sent on mission very effectively. "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord" is a little better, but only if our eyes are open to the fact that the Lord Jesus can be seen in the people around us (especially those most in need of our attention), and that the Lord God can be seen in the wonders of creation, of which we are the stewards.

       In recent years, Pope Benedict XVI has commented publicly in the need for Catholics to understand more fully what the Dismissal is all about. In order to help with that, he believes new words are necessary to make the purpose of the Dismissal clearer. So, he has instructed the Roman congregation that is responsible for liturgical rites to add two new options for the deacon to use in the Dismissal. They are:

          Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

and

          Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.*

       When the new Order of Mass is implemented in the US, these two options will appear in the official texts, to which we say, "Thanks be to God!"

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*Readers who have attended a Spanish Mass in the US may have heard the Spanish equivalent of this, as it has appeared for years as an option in the official Mass text for Mexico.