Episode Transcript  

One

Sign of the Cross

Every Mass begins with the Sign of the Cross. We make it so often, before meals, before we pray, sometimes even on the athletic field, that it can become routine. We do it without thinking, and we rarely stop to ask: Why do we begin every prayer with this sign?

When we make the Sign of the Cross, we declare our belief in the Trinity. With this little sign we are saying, “I believe in one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity in unity.” When we make the sign of the Cross, we profess that Jesus saved us by his death and Resurrection. (CCC 786, 1235) With the sign of the Cross, we proclaim our identity: I am a Christian, I am an adopted son or daughter of God. That is who I am, and no one can take that away. (CCC 1235) By the sign of the Cross, we dedicate our day to the glory of God and place ourselves under His protection and guidance. (CCC 2157)

That is why it’s the most fitting way to begin Mass.

The next time we make the sign of the Cross, let’s remember what we are proclaiming with this sign.

Two

And With Your Spirit

After the Sign of the Cross, the priest greets us with words from St. Paul, such as, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” And we reply, “And with your spirit.”

At first, that response may sound odd, like some kind of old English, but it carries a profound meaning. In the Mass, Christ’s sacrifice is not just remembered. The Holy Spirit makes the saving event of Calvary present here and now, so that what took place in Him can also take place in us. The Catechism explains, “In the Eucharist the Church is, as it were, at the foot of the Cross with Mary, united with the offering and intercession of Christ” (CCC 1370).

On the Cross, Jesus was both the High Priest who offered the sacrifice and the Lamb who was slain. In every Mass, He remains both Priest and Victim. The ordained priest is the visible sign of Christ. With our response of “And with your spirit,” we are not just answering politely. We are acknowledging that Christ Himself is at work through the priest.

Three

Penitential Rite

To prepare the Apostles to enter the first Mass, Jesus cleansed their souls by the outward sign of washing their feet. Likewise, we need to be cleansed of our venial sins to be prepared to enter into Calvary made present in the Mass and to receive God himself in the Eucharist. So, the Priest invites us, “Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.” And we pray, “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.”

Immediately Christ forgives our venial sin when the Priest prays, “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.” And we accept this forgiveness saying, “Amen.”

At the beginning of Mass, Jesus forgives our daily, or venial, sins. This doesn’t replace the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which we still need for grave or serious sins. But here, right at the beginning, the Lord gives us a fresh start.

St. Ambrose put it beautifully, “Because I always sin, I should always have a remedy. The remedy is the heavenly and venerable Sacrifice.” That’s why daily Mass can be our daily remedy for sin.

Four

Gloria

In chapter 17 of the Gospel of Luke, ten lepers stood at a distance, lifted up their voice and cried out, “Jesus, master, have mercy on us.” Our sin is like spiritual leprosy, and so we take up their words, saying three times in the Kyrie, “Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Lord, have mercy.”

All ten of the lepers were healed, but only one came back to thank Him. In the Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass, Jesus forgives our venial sins.

The best thing to do next is to thank him in the Gloria as we say, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory.”

Do you know where the first line of the Gloria comes from? Christmas. At the first Christmas (Luke 2:13-14), the shepherds were surrounded by a multitude of Angels who were singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.”

In the Mass, Heaven and Earth are joined together. We are united with the Angels and saints and all our friends and loved ones praising God as we say or sing the Gloria. When we lift our voices in the Gloria, we are joining the Heavenly Host, thanking and praising God.

Five

Collect

After the Gloria comes the “Collect,” the short opening prayer that sums up the meaning of this Mass and asks God to grant us the specific grace of that mystery so it may take effect in our lives. Let’s take the Collect for the Mass at Christmas, “O God, who wonderfully created the dignity of human nature and still more wonderfully restored it, grant, we pray, that we may share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.” Amen.

From the Sign of the Cross to the Collect, the Church is doing something profound. We have declared who God is and who we are in Him. We have confessed our sins and received His mercy. We have joined the Heavenly liturgy praising God’s glory. And in the Collect, all our thoughts and prayers, scattered in a hundred directions when we walked in, are drawn together and offered to God through the priest.

The Church calls this part of the Mass the Introductory Rites, and they are not a warm-up. They are our spiritual reorientation, gathering us from the distractions and burdens of daily life into the one great act of worship that spans Heaven and Earth. Having been forgiven, united, and focused, we are now ready to hear the living Word of God.

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