The Introductory Rites | Understanding Our Worship

As we begin a new liturgical year, we find a new opportunity to reflect on what the liturgical year offers to us. Over the course of the year, we reflect on and celebrate the entire life of Jesus. We start now in Advent, preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, which we celebrate in the Christmas season. We then have Ordinary Time to be nourished on the teachings and deeds of Jesus. Then, during Lent, we focus on Jesus’s suffering and mission of salvation, which we then get to celebrate fully in seeing that mission fulfilled in the Triduum and Easter Season. We go through this beautiful cycle each and every year, showing us how important these events are not just in history, but in our lives here and now, year after year.

What makes the Mass even more amazing is that at Mass, we also celebrate these events, though in a more subtle way. So, it is not only our liturgical year that reflects the life of Jesus, but each and every Mass as well. To start off, we have the Introductory Rites, which are the beginning portions of the Mass. Making a parallel with our liturgical cycle, this part of the Mass is our little experience of Advent and Christmas.

One of the keys to understanding our experience of the Mass is understanding the identity of the priest. Most Catholics have an understanding that the priest is someone who leads in prayer and represents God in some way. But, the exact nature of the priesthood goes much deeper. The priesthood is not primarily about what a priest does, but who the priest is. When we see a priest, his whole being should point to the reality of who Jesus is. There is no secular parallel to this. The priesthood is not like any other job. Other jobs rely on skills or the ability to do tasks. Yes, the priest must do some tasks and should develop some skills, but those should flow out from his being, a being that is uniquely rooted in Jesus Christ. This does not mean that others are less important, it just means that the priest has a unique role.

So, when the priest processes down the church toward the sanctuary and the altar, it is a very powerful sign of God entering into our world. This is the beauty of the Incarnation - that God became one of us, so that He can redeem us. As the priest walks down, he passes by many people: the stressed mother, the anxious student, the special needs child, the father who just lost his job, etc. Any person and kind of life situation could be in those pews. And Jesus wants to be a part of each and every one of those lives. Though we might not feel worthy to receive God’s love in those messy situations, Jesus absolutely delights in us and wants to be part of it all. The priest processing is our way of recognizing that Jesus is walking into our lives and we have a chance to greet Him.

At Saint John’s Seminary, we place a great emphasis on Jesus’s Incarnate love in the formation of seminarians. Priests are called to reflect God’s love in their being, which also includes their demeanor. When people see a priest, it should be a sign to them that God loves them and cares for them. We are forming the seminarians to be this kind of sign of God’s love both on and off the altar. We can’t underestimate the value of this image.

Then, the priest greets the congregation first with the Sign of the Cross, to indicate that our prayer has begun and that we are rooting in in the mystery of our faith, and some greeting along the lines of, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all,” to which the people respond, “And with your spirit.” There is no other kind of interaction like this in the whole world. God is greeting you with His very life and love - how amazing is that!

When the priest does this, he is ensuring that it is God who is greeting the people. Yes, having someone say “good morning” or “good afternoon” to us can make us feel welcome, but again, the Mass is unlike anything we do. The first words the priest says at Mass should not be “good morning” or “good afternoon,” but rather these very words that communicate God’s love. This is because the Mass is not about the priest, but about God, so God’s greeting should be the first the people hear when the Mass starts. Often, a lector or cantor might offer a word of welcome before the Mass formally begins, and the priest might offer a personal greeting after these words. This is all fine, as long as God’s greeting has its proper place.

Then, the priest invites the people, including himself, to recall our sins and bring them into God’s light so that they don’t impede us from celebrating the mysteries of our faith with full hearts. Then, we express sorrow for these sins and ask God for His mercy. In receiving that mercy, on Sundays, we sing God’s praises in the Gloria, singing about how wonderful He is and what He does. Then, the priest says the words, “Let us pray.” This is a key moment for us to remember those who need our prayers and any special intentions we may have. The Mass will work wonders for these intentions. Then the priest collects these prayers as He prays the opening prayer, known as the “Collect.” With this, God has made Himself known. He is here and He is about to do something amazing.

We get such an incredible experience of God just in these first few minutes of Mass. We will see in future reflections, how the other parts of the Mass will introduce us to other aspects of Jesus and what He desires to give us at the Mass.