(1.2) The Order of Mass
The Order of Mass is a series of rituals consisting of prayers, offerings, reading of the Scripture and with the Eucharist being the climax of the celebration.
It was derived from the Roman Missal (Latin: Missale Romanum) which had been practiced for years until the Second Vatican Council in 1962 started revising the Roman Rite. The Council decided to mainstream the way we worshipped and put into order the Liturgy; emphasizing Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection as the centre of the mass.
In reflection of the need for greater understanding of the mass, the 2nd Vatican Council in 1964 also made a huge change by allowing the use of native languages where the mass was being celebrated.
Although you will sometimes hear that the two main parts of the mass are the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we generally follow the order of the mass as below:
1. The Introductory Rites
2. The Liturgy of the Word
3. The Liturgy of the Eucharist
4. The Concluding Rites
The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Excerpts from the English translation of Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation, (ICEL); excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, ICEL; the English translation of Eucharistic Prayers for Masses with Children © 1975, ICEL. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2017 by Bernardo Verdin. All rights reserved.