Liturgically Speaking: The Introductory Rites of the Mass

For the last few weeks these posts have focused on different aspects of the liturgy, trying to get a sense of what the liturgy is and how it is a distinct and unique form of prayer.  Now over the next several months, we’ll be focusing on the parts of the Mass, seeking a deeper understanding of the mysteries in which we are participating.

The Mass is divided into two major parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  These describe the two principle means by which we encounter Christ in the Mass: through His word in the Scriptures and through His body and blood in the Eucharist.  In the Mass is spread the table both of God’s Word and of the Body of Christ, from which we are instructed and refreshed.  We also find the Introductory Rites at the beginning of Mass, and the Concluding Rite at the end.

The Introductory Rites are intended to bring us together as one and to prepare us to listen to the Word of God and to worthily celebrate the Eucharist.

Mass begins with the entrance procession.  The procession is not merely a pragmatic means of getting from point “A” to point “B.”  Like so many elements of the liturgy, the entrance procession is pregnant with meaning.  It symbolizes the pilgrim Church, those of us still on our journey, approaching our heavenly homeland.  From the doors of the Church and the fallen world outside, the priest and other ministers process to the sanctuary and the altar, where Heaven meets earth.  This pilgrim journey is emphasized by carrying in procession a Crucifix, symbolizing Christ guiding us safely on our journey.  Each procession can also remind us of the procession we specifically celebrate once a year on Palm Sunday.  It reminds us that Jesus has entered into our presence as he once triumphantly entered into Jerusalem at the beginning of His Passion.

When the priest and deacon reach the sanctuary, they reverence the altar with a kiss.  Why kiss the altar?  The altar is a symbol of Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that “the Christian altar is the symbol of Christ himself, present in the midst of the assembly of his faithful, both as the victim offered for our reconciliation and as food from heaven who is giving himself to us. ‘For what is the altar of Christ if not the image of the Body of Christ?’ asks St. Ambrose” (CCC 1383).  So to kiss the altar is to kiss Christ, and is an image of the Church and Christ, Bride and Bridegroom in the wedding feast of the Lamb.

The kissing of the altar is also an act of veneration of the relics of the saints contained in the altar stone.  In the early Church, Mass was often said at the tombs of the martyrs.  This is the origin of having relics in most altars.  In the traditional Latin Mass, as he kissed the altar, the priest would pray “We beseech You, O Lord, by the merits of Your Saints whose relics lie here, and of all the Saints, deign in your mercy to pardon me all my sins.” 

This action is accompanied by the Entrance Antiphon.  For decades now, most parishes have completely replaced the Entrance Antiphon with various opening hymns.  There is a very real difference here.  While a hymn chosen from a hymnal is singing at Mass, singing the Entrance Antiphon is singing the Mass.  A hymn is something brought from outside the Mass itself to be used within the Mass (and there’s nothing wrong with this; it’s given by the Church as an option).  The Entrance Antiphon, however, is an actual prayer text of the Mass for the day, just like the Collect (opening prayer) or Prayer after Communion.  Besides accompanying the procession, the Entrance Antiphon is meant to open the celebration, foster our unity, and introduce us to the mystery being celebrated in that particular liturgy.  For instance, the Entrance Antiphon for “Laetare Sunday” the 4th Sunday of Lent, is “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her.  Sing out in exultation…”  If we drop these antiphons completely, we are replacing the very texts the Church is asking us to pray!