What is the significance of Catholic Mass and the Procedure?

The Mass:

• Is the principal sacramental celebration of the Catholic Church

• Was established by Jesus at the Last Supper

• Renews the mystery of our salvation through participation in the sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of Christ

In the Mass, we:

• Gather as one family

• Admit our sins, ask God for forgiveness, and the saints and each other for prayer and support

• Glorify God

• Listen to, ponder and reflect on His Word from the Scriptures

• Pray for the Church, the world, those in need, and ourselves

• Celebrate the Eucharist (Holy Communion) in obedience with Christ's command to "do this in memory of me."

• Are sent out into the world to love and serve the Lord and one another

It is called "Mass" (from the Latin missa) because of the "mission" or "sending" with which the liturgical celebration concludes.

Here is an outline of the Mass:

• Introductory Rites

. • Entrance (All stand)

. • Greeting

. • Act of Penitence

. • Kyrie Eleison (Latin for "Lord have mercy")

. • Gloria

. • Opening Prayer

• Liturgy of the Word

. • First Reading - usually from the Old Testament (All sit)

. • Responsorial Psalm

. • Second Reading - usually from a New Testament Epistle

. • Gospel Reading (All stand)

. • Homily (All sit for the sermon)

. • Profession of Faith (the Nicene Creed) (All stand)

. • Prayer of the Faithful (prayers of petition)

• Liturgy of the Eucharist

. • The Preparation of the Gifts - the bread and wine are brought forward and placed on the altar, our monetary offerings are also collected at this time (All sit)

. • The Prayer over the Offerings (All stand)

. • The Eucharistic Prayer - during this prayer the bread and wine change into the Body and Blood of Christ (Catholics kneel, visitors may kneel or sit)

. • The Lord's Prayer (All stand)

. • The Rite of Peace (We offer each other a sign of peace)

. • The Breaking of the Bread

. • Communion - non-Catholics are requested out of respect not to receive Communion, they may approach the altar with their arms crossed over their chest to receive a blessing (Stand or kneel according to local custom)

• The Concluding Rites

. • Announcements (All sit)

. • Blessing (All stand)

. • Dismissal

. • Procession

For more information, see the General Instruction of the Roman Missal: http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/chapter2.shtm...

and http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/catholic_mass_fu...

With love in Christ.

The Central Act of Worship in the Catholic Church:

Catholics worship God in a variety of ways, but the chief act of corporate or communal worship is the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In the Eastern churches, Catholic and Orthodox, this is known as the Divine Liturgy; in the West, it is known as the Mass, an English word derived from the Latin text of the priest's dismissal of the congregation at the end of the liturgy ("Ite, missa est."). Throughout the centuries, the liturgy of the Church has taken a variety of regional and historical forms, but one thing has remained constant: The Mass has always been the central form of Catholic worship.

The Catholic Mass is all Bible and all Jesus - - and we have the most kickin' altar call around - Holy Communion. Talk about getting up and coming down the aisle for the Lord. We actually meet Him in the Flesh when we hit the front.

http://catholic-resources.org/ChurchDocs/Mass.htm

The time (roughly an hour) is of no significance. It just so happens that the mass turns out to be that long/short.

As for the significance of mass, it does the following:

1) Allows us to celebrate the Eucharist, where we can receive the True Body and Blood of Christ.

2) Worship together and be in communion with our fellow Catholics, Clergy, Angels, and the Saints.

3) Allows us to here the word of GOD (liturgy). We go over 3 readings from the Bible each weak, with one of them being out of the Gospels.

4) Allows us to hear the homily, which Protestant Churches call "sermons"

So while Protestants have "service", we have "Mass".

Jesus offered the first Mass at the Last Supper when He changed the bread and wine into His Body and Blood. It is a sacrifice because it contains all the elements of the a true sacrifice: priest and victim are Jesus Christ, and the destruction consists in the separate consecretion of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus.

Jesus teaches that His Sacred Actions effect what it signifies. Jesus died on the Cross from loss of blood; His blood is the price of our Redemption, according to Scripture and Tradition.

In the Mass, the separate Consecration-first of the bread into His Body, then of the wine into His Blood-signifies the separation of Christ Body and Blood, which was the cause of His death on the Cross. This separation of His Body and Blood, therefore is the sacrificial nature of His act of Redemption for each of us in an unbloody manner until He comes again.

Liturgy

We find our Jewish heritage in the church as well. The priest’s vestments at Mass have ancient origins. His outer garment, the chasuble, a large cone-shaped cloth with a hole for the head, was often worn in Palestine during the Greek and Roman occupations. Its beauty and adornments go all the way back to Aaron. God had told Moses, Ex 28:2, 4 “You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty … These are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a girdle; they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve Me as priests. They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet stuff, and fine twined linen.” Ex 39:1 “Of the blue and purple and scarlet stuff they made finely wrought garments, for ministering in the holy place; they made the holy garments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses.”

Every Catholic church has a tabernacle, where lives the Word Made Flesh. In the synagogues, the tabernacle holds the Word of God in ancient Torah scrolls. Beside the Catholic tabernacle, and beside the synagogue tabernacle, is a candle. Both go back to the time of Moses. Ex 40:35 “The glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle … For throughout all their journeys the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.” Today we still see that fire, now a steady candle, and know as then that God is inside.

That blood-red tabernacle candle, reminding us that Jesus who died to redeem us is present, reminds Jews as well of the yahrzeit or memorial candles they light each year to remember the departed.

As the Mass begins, the priest processes down the center aisle as rabbis from time immemorial have also processed. Our entrance antiphon continues an ancient Jewish tradition of singing from one of the 150 psalms.

When the priest arrives at the altar he kisses it. Altar is a Hebrew word that means, “place of sacrifice.”

On solemn occasions, the priest or deacon will spread incense around the altar. The rising smoke symbolizes our prayers ascending heavenward in God’s sight. Ps 141:2 “Let my prayer be counted as incense before Thee, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.” The evening sacrifice, of course, was the Passover sacrifice, Ex 12:6 when every Jewish family was instructed to sacrifice a paschal lamb in the evening twilight.

The priest’s greeting, “The Lord be with you” comes from the Book of Ruth. 2:4 “Boaz came from Bethlehem; and he said to the reapers, ’The Lord be with you.’”

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass uses three words in their original Hebrew. Amen comes from the Hebrew word emunah, faith, and means, “Yes, it’s true!” Alleluia means “Praise God!” Hosanna means “God saves!” These three words remind us at every Mass of our Jewish origins.

During our Shepherd’s time, synagogue worship consisted of prayers, psalms, and Torah readings. The Torah readings were based on a three-year cycle, starting on the Sabbath after the Feast of Tabernacles and reading a portion each week until the end three years later on the last day of the same feast. In that way the entire Torah was read aloud to be sure every Jew was exposed to it. Holy Mother Church continues the Jewish tradition with Sunday Gospel readings on a three year cycle. Year A relies on Matthew’s Gospel, Year B on Mark’s, and Year C on Luke’s Gospel. These readings cover over 7,000 verses, including nearly all of the New Testament, to help us know our sacred Scripture.

The deacon’s, or priest’s, homily continues the Jewish synagogue tradition that the rabbi offer a sermon. In the old villages, the rabbi was often the only educated man in town. While everyone was gathered together it was a good opportunity for a little teaching. In the church as in the synagogue, the idea is to explain to this particular congregation the Word of God that has just been proclaimed.

The ancient Jews brought offerings to their priests for sacrifice. Lv 7:29 “He that offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the Lord shall bring his offering … The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be for Aaron and his sons.” The early Christians continued this tradition by bringing up gifts of food as thank offerings in a procession very much like the one we have today.

Jews for thousands of years have prayed over bread, “Blessed are you, Lord our God, king of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.” As he begins the Preparation of the Gifts, the priest prays: “Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become for us the bread of life.” Jews have prayed over wine for thousands of years and still do today. “Blessed are you, Lord our God, king of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.” The priest prepares the wine for consecration by saying, “Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this wine to offer, fruit of the vine and work of human hands. It will become our spiritual drink.”

After the priest says, “Lord God, we ask you to receive us and be pleased with the sacrifice we offer you with humble and contrite hearts,” he washes his hands, continuing the Jewish tradition, Ps 26:6 “I wash my hands in innocence, and go about thy altar, O Lord.”

Morning synagogue prayer always includes the Kedushah. Its first part comes from Isaiah’s vision of the seraphim singing joyfully, 6:3 “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory!” The second is from Psalm 118, 26 “Blessed is He who enters in the name of the Lord.” Our Sanctus comes directly from the Kedushah: “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest.”

Jews end every prayer service with the Kaddish as a proclamation of God’s greatness. It begins: “Raise high and glorify the name of God. Throughout the world He created by His will. May He build a kingdom in your life, during your days, and during the life of all the House of Israel. Soon, and in a time close at hand.” We begin our Communion Rite with a very similar prayer: “Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”