The Catholic Mass is the ritual celebration of The Last Supper, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This celebration is done through four different parts; Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist and Concluding Rites. Everything contained in the prayers, songs and actions of the Mass are meant to reflect the Passover Sacrifice of Christ, by uniting the Earthly Church with the heavenly worship of God occurring throughout all eternity.

Introductory Rites

The Mass begins with the Introductory rites. The purpose of the introductory rites is to begin the celebration and orient the congregation’s heart towards God, with a primary focus on forgiveness of our sins. After an opening hymn and procession of the priest, the penitential act follows. The penitential act is a prayer said by the congregation that asks God for forgiveness of their sins, in order to cleanse and prepare their hearts for worship. It consists of acknowledging our fault in our sins, and asking our brother, sisters and the holy community to pray on our behalf to cleanse us of our sin. An example of the prayer is below:

“I confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned. In my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do. Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore, I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord, our God.”

After completion of the penitential act, a hymn of praise is sung (typically, Glory to God in the Highest”) and the introductory rites are concluded with a prayer.

Liturgy of the Word

After the introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word begins. This part of the Mass pays respect to the sacred Word of God, through different readings of scripture. The Liturgy of the Word will start with one or two readings (typically two on Sundays, but only one for other Masses). On Sundays, the First Reading will be from the Old Testament and the Second Reading will be from the New Testament, in order to recognize the rich history of the faith and it’s relationship to Christ and the Church. In between the two readings, an excerpt from the book of Psalms is read. The book of Psalms is a rich collection of poems and songs from the time of King David that were considered some of the richest pieces of scripture in the Jewish and Christian Faith.

Next comes the Gospel. An excerpt from one of the 4 books in the Bible that narrate the time of Christ - the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Gospel is the centerpiece of the Liturgy of the Word, and the focal point of this part of the Mass. All other readings and psalms were selected with an intent to relate or connect to the Gospel reading. After the Gospel, the priest will give a brief sermon on the themes, messages and theological discussions pertaining to the Gospel reading for the week.

The Liturgy of the Word concludes with the congregation reciting the Nicene Creed, and a series of prayers for intercession for a set group of topics, where the congregation will pray to God for a small set of intentions for the week. At the conclusion of the prayer for intercession, the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins.

Liturgy of the Eucharist

The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the focal point of the Mass. It contains the partaking in one of the seven Sacraments - the Eucharist, which is a celebration of breaking bread that mimics Christ’s Last Supper. The Liturgy of the Eucharist begins with the presentation of the gifts, where unconsecrated hosts and wine are brought to the altar by members of the congregation. These hosts and wine will be used in the Eucharistic prayer to become consecrated hosts of Jesus Christ.

The next part of the Liturgy of the Eucharist is focused on preparation for the sacrament. The altar is prepared and the priest begins a series of prayers that call to mind the Passion of Jesus Christ, which is the mystery that surrounds the Last Supper, His death and resurrection.

After this, a prayer called the “Institution Narrative” begins. This is a pivotal point of the Liturgy, this is the moment where the bread and wine are transformed by the Holy Spirit into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through a process known as “Transubstantiation” (there’s more discussion on this in the Eucharist section of the guide, this is considered a very theologically complex mystery). The Narrative recites the passages from scripture during the Last Supper such as:

“Take this all of you, and eat of it, for this IS my Body, which will be given up for you.”

Once the hosts have been consecrated by the Holy Spirit, a few more Eucharistic prayers are said and the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins to prepare for Communion. The congregation shares in the Lord’s Prayer (the “Our Father”) and shares a sign of peace. Next the people sing the “Lamb of God” hymn to recognize the role of Jesus’ sacrifice in the context of salvation, he is the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the World. After this, the congregation is invited forward to receive the Eucharist through the Rite of Communion. After Communion the Liturgy of the Eucharist is concluded.

Concluding Rite

At this point the priest will make any necessary announcements, offer a final blessing for the congregation and conclude with a reference to the Holy Trinity, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” From there the priest will exit and the congregation is dismissed. This concludes the Catholic Mass, the hope is that partaking in the celebration of the Eucharist, the participants have received the Holy Spirit and joined in Communion with Christ to be spiritually renewed. While people are invited to attend multiple masses per day, the CCC requires that Catholics only receive the Eucharist once per day (with certain exemptions, such as the priest). Below is a longer video that explains the mass a bit more in depth.