Part II: The Opening Rites

When the music of the opening antiphon first fills the church, and the whole congregation rises in unison to their feet, one cannot help but feel that something has changed. Before, as each person made his private preparation for the mass, the unity of every Christian was present in a spiritual way, through the mutual bond of common prayer. Now, however, that spiritual reality is expressed in a physical way, as each voice takes up the same song, and every one faces forward, oriented as though by a magnet.

As the procession makes its way down the center isle, the cross is held forward for everyone to see, rising above the heads of the crowd. It is, indeed, the standard of the Christian people. But how dissimilar it is from the proud banners of nations! Where human societies proclaim the greatness of their achievements, the Church proclaims the death of her head. Where states proudly demand recognition of their might, the Church offers the icon of humility and love, of the God-man who willingly suffered ignominious death for love of his persecutors, of Christ who by his cross triumphed over death. Arrayed behind the cross are the various servers and ministers, who represent the whole Christian people, who have chosen to take up their own crosses daily and follow the Lord. Finally, in the back comes the priest who visibly represents Christ. It is appropriate that he come last, because he represents the one who came not to be served but to serve, and who urged his disciples to take the last place at table. Here then, the whole mystical body of Christ is presented in figure the ministers, each with their own gifts and functions, representing the various parts of the body of Christ called to evangelize the world, and the priest, representing Christ the head, who nourishes them with his own body and gathers them all into his kingdom. But lest we forget that this is only a figure of a greater reality, all process behind the cross of Christ, and all stop and genuflect to Christ dwelling in the tabernacle as they enter the sanctuary, showing reverence to the true Lord and Master, for whose sake all are gathered here today.

In the sanctuary, all take their places according to their proper function, the priest at the chair that represents the teaching authority of Christ. He turns to the people and begins with that same sign that preceded him into the Church; the sign of the cross acknowledging with one gesture the mystery of Christ who through His cross redeemed the world, and the blessed trinity into whose life the cross brought us.

"The Lord be with you" - the invocation of the name of the Lord serves to sanctify this gathering, which has taken place not for any human purpose, but for the Lord. Before the cross and at the invocation of the Name, all evil spirits must flee, and the space is cleared for its sacred purpose. The response "And also with you" shows the willing adhesion of the people to this spiritual goal, and invokes God over the priest, pledging the support of their prayers to sustain his sacred function. And so that all of the evil of the past may be set aside with this new beginning in Christ, the priest continues, inviting all to confess their sins to the Lord, so that nothing may hold them back from the saving exchange of the mass. The silence that accompanies the examination of conscience is a different silence than that which preceded the mass, for now all are together recalling their sins and placing them before God, so that they might receive His forgiveness, and each other's. The words of the Confiteor make this collective action clear "I confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters." Although each one has sinned through the fault of his own will, the sin has harmed not just him and his relationship with God, but also everyone else in the Church. Likewise, all are invited to help make reparation "to pray for me to the Lord our God." Indeed, not only is the Church on earth invited to engage in this supplication, but also the whole heavenly host the angels and saints. The reality of sin has been acknowledged, and by being acknowledged, has been crippled. Even so, the support of the whole Church on earth and in heaven is sought to obtain the grace to overcome it. Sin is conquered by the grace and mercy of God, as the priest reminds us in the absolution, "May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life." These words also remind us that sin is not the central reality to our life, but is only the distortion of what we are meant to be, and the deprivation of what we are meant to have eternal life.

After we have acknowledged our sins, the Kyrie becomes our prayer of supplication for mercy. We know that God is good, kind and merciful, but we also know that he has given us free will so that we can come back to him like the prodigal son. So, laying our shame and our transgressions at the feet of the Lord, we plead for His mercy. The repetition of the petition "Lord, have mercy," underlines the seriousness of our need for Christ's mercy, and our desire to have it. But our God is a generous one, and Christ went to the cross out of love for us and mercy for our sins. It is the mass itself that he established to share that mercy with us, and so if we are seeking mercy, we have come to the right place. We have truly "drawn near to mount Sion and the city of the living God, to myriads of angels arranged in festal gathering, to the assembly of the first born enrolled in heaven, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel."

©Theodore Book, 2007, reprinted with permission