Daniel 12:1–3
Some will wake to everlasting life, some to shame and disgrace.
Psalm 15(16):5, 8–11
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
Hebrews 10:11–14, 18
When all sins have been forgiven, there can be no more sin-offerings.
Luke 21:36
Be watchful and pray constantly, that you may be worthy to stand before the Son of Man.
Mark 13:24–32
The stars will fall from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
There should be harmony and diligence among all those involved in the effective preparation of each liturgical celebration in accordance with the Missal and other liturgical books, both as regards the rites and as regards the pastoral and musical aspects. This should take place under the direction of the rector of the church and after consultation with the faithful in things that directly pertain to them.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §111
In preparing our Sunday Mass, there is need to consult. Liturgy is not prepared alone by one person, no matter how competent they may be. There will be constant need to liaise with the presider, the readers, the musicians, the assembly and those who prepare the environment. Sometimes this consultation can be given to a liturgy group, but they must constantly reach out to the ministers and the assembly to know their needs and their plans. In this way, the liturgy is a celebration of the Church.
‘The Lord said: I think thoughts of peace and not of affliction. You will call upon me, and I will answer you, and I will lead back your captives from every place’
—entrance antiphon
1 Kings 17:10–16
‘Jar of meal shall not be spent, jug of oil shall not be emptied.’
Psalm 145(146):7–10
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
Hebrews 9:24–28
Christ, our high priest, has done away with sin by sacrificing himself.
Matthew 5:3
Happy the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Mark 12:38–44
This poor widow has put in more than all.
Liturgical functions that are not proper to the Priest or the Deacon … may even be entrusted by means of a liturgical blessing or a temporary deputation to suitable lay persons chosen by the pastor or the rector of the church. As to the function of serving the Priest at the altar, the norms established by the Bishop for his diocese should be observed.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §101
‘Let my prayer come into your presence. Incline your ear to my cry for help, O Lord.’
—entrance antiphon
Deuteronomy 6:2–6
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.
Psalm 17(18):2–4, 47, 51
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
Hebrews 7:23–28
Christ, because he remains for ever, can never lose his priesthood.
John 14:23
All who love me will keep my words, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them.
Mark 12:28–34
‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’
Other lay people may be deputed to proclaim the readings from Sacred Scripture, people who are truly suited to carrying out this function and carefully prepared, so that by their hearing the readings from the sacred texts the faithful may conceive in their hearts a sweet and living affection for Sacred Scripture.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §101
The first command of Christ is ‘listen’. It will be from our listening that our love of God and neighbour will flow. At every celebration of the Mass, we will be fed by the proclamation of God’s word. Our appointed readers, who have prepared themselves for this ministry by prayerful meditation on the Word, will give life to the written word of God so that God may be placed in our hearts. We are each then invited to allow that Word to give life through our love.
‘Forsake me not. O Lord, my God; be not far from me! Make haste and come to my help, O Lord, my strong salvation!’ —entrance antiphon
Jeremiah 31:7–9
I will guide them by a smooth path where they will not stumble.
Psalm 125(126)
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Hebrews 5:1–6
‘You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever.’
cf. 2 Timothy 1:10
Our Saviour Jesus Christ has done away with death, and brought us life through his Gospel.
Mark 10:46–52
Go; your faith has saved you.
The Christian people, ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession,’ expresses its cohesion and its hierarchical ordering. All, therefore, whether ordained ministers or lay Christian faithful, in fulfilling their function or their duty, should carry out solely but totally that which pertains to them.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §91
When we gather for Sunday Mass, we come as a priestly people ready to give thanks and sacrifice to our God. By our Christian initiation in the water of baptism, and by the gift of the Holy Spirit in confirmation, we are empowered to offer acceptable sacrifice to our God. The ordained presider of our Mass ensures that our gift is possible through the consecration of the gifts we have brought to the altar. Thus, as God’s chosen people, we are called to exercise Christ’s priesthood, which has been given to the Church. Each has their part to play in Christ’s priesthood.
‘Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face’ —entrance antiphon
Isaiah 53:10–11
If he offers his life in atonement, what the Lord wishes will be done.
Psalm 32(33):4–5, 18–20, 22
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Hebrews 4:14–16
Our high priest is one who has been tempted in every way that we are.
Mark 10:45
The Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for all.
Mark 10:35–45
The Son of Man came to give his life as a ransom for many.
Holy Communion has a fuller form as a sign when it takes place under both kinds. For in this form the sign of the Eucharistic banquet is more clearly evident and clearer expression is given to the divine will by which the new and eternal Covenant is ratified in the Blood of the Lord, as also the connection between the Eucharistic banquet and the eschatological banquet in the Kingdom of the Father.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §281
As we are offered the cup of the New Covenant in Communion, we are being asked by Christ, ‘Can you drink the cup that I must drink?’ By drinking of this cup and responding ‘Amen’, we ritualise that we are willing to take the path of the New Covenant by daily taking up our cross and following him.
‘To you I call; for you will surely heed me, O God; turn your ear to me; hear my words. Guard me as the apple of your eye; in the shadow of your wings protect me’
—entrance antiphon
Wisdom 7:7–11
I esteemed Wisdom more than sceptres or thrones.
Psalm 89(90):12–17
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
Hebrews 4:12–13
The word of God cuts more finely than a double-edged sword.
Matthew 5:3
Happy the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Mark 10:17–30
Give everything you own to the poor, and follow me.
Moreover, the holy people of God is to form one body, whether in hearing the Word of God, or in taking part in the prayers and in the singing, or above all by the common offering of the Sacrifice and by participating together at the Lord’s table. This unity is beautifully apparent from the gestures and bodily postures observed together by the faithful.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §96
The mystery of Church is constantly being formed. This work relies upon the contribution of all members. As we gather to celebrate our Sunday Mass, we come to be formed by the Word of God. The proclaimed Word is like the two-edged sword that can both disturb us in our complacency and comfort us when we are disturbed. The ongoing work of the Holy Spirit requires our attentive listening so that the seed being sown is able to take root and flourish into the way we live.
‘If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you is found forgiveness, O God of Israel’
—entrance antiphon
Genesis 2:18–24
A man and his wife become one body.
Psalm 127(128)
May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Hebrews 2:9–11
The one who sanctifies is the brother of those who are sanctified.
1 John 4:12
If we love one another, God will live in us in perfect love.
Mark 10:2–16
What God has united, man must not divide.
Now the centre and high point of the entire celebration begins, namely, the Eucharistic Prayer itself, that is, the prayer of thanksgiving and sanctification. The Priest calls upon the people to lift up their hearts towards the Lord in prayer and thanksgiving; he associates the people with himself in the Prayer that he addresses in the name of the entire community to God the Father through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the meaning of this Prayer is that the whole congregation of the faithful joins with Christ in confessing the great deeds of God and in the offering of Sacrifice.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §78
Here in the eucharistic prayer, which is named as the central part of the entire Mass, the priestly people are called to exercise their priesthood in confessing their prayer of praise and in offering the Sacrifice. While the assembly may be silent while the presiding celebrant leads the prayer, their hearts must be engaged so that the prayer may be complete.
‘Within your will, O Lord, all things are established, and there is none that can resist your will. For you have made all things, the heaven and the earth, and all that is held within the circle of heaven; you are the Lord of all’
—entrance antiphon
Numbers 11:25–29
If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets!
Psalm 18(19):8, 10, 12–14
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
James 5:1–6
The Lord hears the cries of those you have cheated.
cf. John 17:17
Your word, O Lord, is truth: make us holy in the truth.
Mark 9:38–43, 45, 47–48
Do not stop anyone from working a miracle in my name.
If the tabernacle with the Most Blessed Sacrament is situated in the sanctuary, the Priest, the Deacon, and the other ministers genuflect when they approach the altar and when they depart from it, but not during the celebration of Mass itself. Otherwise, all who pass before the Most Blessed Sacrament genuflect, unless they are moving in procession. Ministers carrying the processional cross or candles bow their heads instead of genuflecting.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §274
In gathering for Mass, we move to the central part in Communion as we are nourished by the Body and Blood of the Son so that we may become one body, one spirit in Christ. If there are any remaining hosts, they are placed in the tabernacle to provide Communion for the sick and devotion to the faithful. During the celebration of the Mass, we do not focus upon the tabernacle but upon the sacrament of Christ in the gathered assembly.
‘All that you have done to us, O Lord, you have done with true judgment, for we have sinned against you and not obeyed your commandments. But give glory to your name and deal with us according to the bounty of your mercy’
—entrance antiphon
Wisdom 2:12, 17–20
The wicked prepare to ambush the just man.
Psalm 53(54):3–6, 8
R. The Lord upholds my life.
James 3:16–4:3
The wisdom that comes from above makes for peace.
cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:14
God has called us with the Gospel to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Mark 9:30–37
Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me.
According to traditional practice, the veneration of the altar and of the Book of the Gospels is done by means of a kiss. However, where a sign of this kind is not in harmony with the traditions or the culture of some region, it is for the Conference of Bishops to establish some other sign in its place, with the consent of the Apostolic See.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §273
Reverence for the signs, gestures, and elements of the Mass is crucial. However, it may be the case in certain instances that some gestures may not be in harmony with the particular culture of a region. Nevertheless, the liturgy is not something for us to creatively play with as we wish: the Conference of Bishops and, most importantly, the Apostolic See, regulate these kinds of significant provisions.
‘I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be their Lord for ever’
—entrance antiphon
Isaiah 50:5–9
I offered my back to those who struck me.
Psalm 114(116):1–6, 8–9
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
James 2:14–18
If good works do not go with it, faith is quite dead.
Galatians 6:14
My only glory is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, which crucifies the world to me and me to the world.
Mark 8:27–35
The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously.
In the celebration of Mass the faithful form a holy people, a people of God’s own possession and a royal priesthood, so that they may give thanks to God and offer the unblemished sacrificial Victim not only by means of the hands of the Priest but also together with him and so that they may learn to offer their very selves.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §95
Each time we come to Mass, we are expected to exercise our royal priesthood by fully participating in the celebration. This participation is to be expressed in our offering of the Sacrifice of the Mass. In the procession of gifts to the altar, each is invited to offer their very selves. These gifts are then consecrated by the ministry of the ordained presider. In our procession to the altar at Communion, we again share in the consecrated gifts so that we may continue to take up our cross and follow our Lord.
‘Give peace, O Lord, to those who wait for you, that your prophets be found true. Hear the prayers of your servant, and of your people Israel’
—entrance antiphon