Devotion to Holy Mass: what you need to know about the most powerful prayer

It would be easier for the earth to stand without sun, than without Holy Mass. (S. Pio of Pietrelcina)

The liturgy is the celebration of the mystery of Christ and, in particular, of his paschal mystery. Through the liturgy, Christ continues in his Church, with it and through it, the work of our redemption.

During the liturgical year the Church celebrates the mystery of Christ and venerates, with special love, the blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God, indissolubly united with the saving work of the Son.

Furthermore, during the annual cycle, the Church remembers the martyrs and saints, who are glorified with Christ and offers their bright example to the faithful.

The Holy Mass has a structure, an orientation and a dynamic that must be kept in mind when going to church. The structure consists of three points:

In the Holy Mass we turn to the Father. Our thanksgiving goes up to him. Sacrifice is offered to him. The whole Holy Mass is oriented to God the Father.
To go to the Father we turn to Christ. Our praise, offerings, prayers, everything is entrusted to him who is "the only mediator". Everything we do is with him, through him and in him.
To go to the Father through Christ we ask for the help of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Mass is therefore an action that leads us to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit. It is therefore a Trinitarian action: that is why our devotion and reverence must reach the maximum degree.
It is called HOLY MASS because the Liturgy, in which the mystery of salvation was accomplished, ends with the sending of the faithful (missio), so that they will perform the Will of God in their daily life.

What Jesus Christ historically did over two thousand years ago does now with the participation of the whole Mystical Body, which is the Church, which is us. Every liturgical action is presided over by Christ, through his Minister and is celebrated by the whole Body of Christ. This is why all the prayers included in the Holy Mass are plural.

We enter the Church and mark ourselves with holy water. This gesture should remind us of Holy Baptism. It is very useful to enter the Church some time earlier to prepare for recollection.

Let us turn to Mary with filial trust and confidence and ask her to live the Holy Mass with us. Let us ask her to prepare our heart to welcome Jesus worthily.

Enter the Priest and the Holy Mass begins with the sign of the Cross. This must make us think that we are going to offer, together with all Christians, the sacrifice of the cross and to offer ourselves. Let's join the cross of our lives with that of Christ.

Another sign is the kiss of the altar (by the celebrant), which means respect and greeting.

The priest addresses the faithful with the formula: "The Lord be with you". This form of greeting and greeting is repeated four times during the celebration and must remind us of the real Presence of Jesus Christ, our Master, Lord and Savior and that we are gathered in his Name, responding to his call.

Introit - Introit means entrance. Before starting the Sacred Mysteries, the Celebrant humbles himself before God with the people, making his confession; therefore reads: "I confess to Almighty God ... .." together with all the faithful. This prayer must rise from the bottom of the heart, so that we can receive the grace that the Lord wants to give us.

Acts of humility - Since the prayer of the humble goes straight to the Throne of God, the Celebrant, in his own name and of all the faithful says: “Lord, have mercy! Christ pity! Lord have mercy! " Another symbol is the gesture of the hand, which beats the chest three times and is an ancient biblical and monastic gesture.

At this moment of the celebration, the Mercy of God floods the faithful who, if they are sincerely repentant, receive the forgiveness of venial sins.

Prayer - On holidays the Priest and the faithful raise a hymn of praise and acclamation to the Holy Trinity, reciting "Glory to God in the highest heavens ..". With the "Gloria", which is one of the oldest songs in the church, we enter into a praise which is the praise of Jesus himself to the Father. Jesus' prayer becomes our prayer and our prayer becomes His prayer.

The first part of the Holy Mass prepares us to listen to the Word of God.

"Let us pray" is the invitation addressed to the assembly by the celebrant, who then recites the prayer of the day using verbs in the plural. The liturgical action, therefore, is not carried out only by the main celebrant, but by the whole assembly. We are baptized and we are a priestly people.

During the Holy Mass several times we answer "Amen" to the prayers and exhortations of the priest. Amen is a word of Hebrew origin and Jesus also used it often. When we say "Amen" we give our heart's full adhesion to all that is being said and celebrated.

Readings - The liturgy of the word is neither an introduction to the celebration of the Eucharist, nor just a lesson in catechesis, but it is an act of worship towards God who speaks to us through proclaimed Sacred Scripture.

It is already a nourishment for life; in fact, there are two canteens that are accessed to receive the food of life: the table of the Word and the table of the Eucharist, both necessary.

Through the scriptures God thus makes known his plan of salvation and his will, provokes faith and obedience, urges conversion, announces hope.

We sit down because this allows for careful listening, but the texts, sometimes very difficult at first hearing, should be read and somewhat prepared before the celebration.

With the exception of the Easter season, the first reading is normally taken from the Old Testament.

The history of salvation, in fact, has its fulfillment in Christ but it already begins with Abraham, in a progressive revelation, which reaches up to the Passover of Jesus.

This is also underlined by the fact that the first reading normally has a connection with the Gospel.

The psalm is the choral response to what was proclaimed at the first reading.

The second reading is chosen by the New Testament, almost as if it wanted to make the apostles speak, the columns of the Church.

At the end of the two readings we respond with the traditional formula: "Give thanks to God."

The singing of the alleluia, with its verse, then introduces the reading of the Gospel: it is a short acclamation that wants to celebrate Christ.

Gospel - Listening to the Gospel standing indicates an attitude of vigilance and deeper attention, but it also recalls the standing of the risen Christ; the three signs of the cross mean the will to make one's own listening with the mind and heart, and then, with the word, to bring to others what we have heard.

Once the reading of the Gospel is over, Jesus is given glory by saying "Praise to you, O Christ!". On holidays and when circumstances allow, after the reading of the Gospel, the Priest preaches (Homily). What is learned in the Homily illuminates and strengthens the spirit and can be used for further meditations and for sharing with others.

Once the homily is over, a spiritual thought or a purpose that serves for the day or for the week is fixed in mind, so that what we have learned can translate into concrete actions.

Creed - The faithful, already instructed by the Readings and the Gospel, make the profession of faith, reciting the Creed together with the Celebrant. The Creed, or Apostolic Symbol, is the complex of the main truths revealed by God and taught by the Apostles. It is also the expression of the faith's adhesion of the whole assembly to the Word of God proclaimed and above all to the Holy Gospel.

Offertory - (Presentation of the gifts) - The Celebrant takes the Chalice and places it on the right side. He takes the paten with the Host, raises it and offers it to God. Then he infuses some wine and a few drops of water into the chalice. The union of wine and water represents our union with the life of Jesus, who has assumed the human form. The Priest, raising the Chalice, offers the wine to God, which must be consecrated.

Proceeding in the celebration and approaching the sublime moment of the Divine Sacrifice, the Church wants the Celebrant to purify himself more and more, therefore he prescribes that he wash his hands.

The Holy Sacrifice is offered by the Priest in union with all the faithful, who take an active part in it with presence, prayer and liturgical responses. For this reason, the Celebrant addresses the faithful saying "Pray, brothers, that my sacrifice and yours may be pleasing to God, the Almighty Father". The faithful reply: "May the Lord receive this sacrifice from your hands, in praise and glory of His name, for our good and for all his holy Church".

Private offer - As we have seen, the Offertory is one of the most important moments of the Mass, so that at this moment every member of the faithful can make his own personal Offertory, offering God what he believes will please him. For example: “Lord, I offer you my sins, those of my family and the whole world. I offer them to You to destroy them with the Blood of Your Divine Son. I offer you my weak will to strengthen it for good. I offer you all souls, even those who are under the bondage of satan. You, O Lord, save them all. "

Preface - The Celebrant recites the Preface, which means solemn praise and, since it introduces the central part of the Divine Sacrifice, it is better to intensify the recollection, joining the Choirs of the Angels around the Altar.

Canon - The Canon is a complex of prayers that the Priest recites up to Communion. It is so called because these prayers are exhaustive and invariable at every Mass.

Consecration - The Celebrant remembers what Jesus did at the Last Supper before consecrating the bread and wine. At this moment the Altar is another Upper Room where Jesus, through the Priest, pronounces the words of the Consecration and works the prodigy of changing the bread in His Body and the wine in His Blood.

With the Consecration done, the Eucharistic miracle took place: the Host, by divine virtue, became the Body of Jesus with the Blood, the Soul and the Divinity. This is the "Mystery of Faith". On the Altar there is Heaven, because there is Jesus with His Angelic Court and Mary, His and our Mother. The Priest kneels and worships the Blessed Sacrament, then raises the Holy Host so that the faithful can see and adore it.

Therefore, do not forget to aim at the Divine Host and say mentally "my Lord and my God".

Continuing, the Celebrant consecrates the wine. The wine of the Chalice has changed its nature and has become the Blood of Jesus Christ. The Celebrant worships it, then raises the Chalice to make the faithful worship the Divine Blood. To this end, it is advisable to say the following prayer while looking at the Chalice: "Eternal Father, I offer you the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ in discount of my sins, in suffrage of the holy souls of Purgatory and for the needs of the Holy Church" .

At this point a second invocation of the Holy Spirit takes place which is asked that, after having sanctified the gifts of bread and wine, so that they become the Body and Blood of Jesus, now sanctify all the faithful who feed on the Eucharist, so that become Church, that is, the only Body of Christ.

The intercessions follow, remembering Mary Most Holy, the apostles, martyrs and saints. We pray for the Church and for her pastors, for the living and the dead in the sign of a communion in Christ which is horizontal and vertical and which includes heaven and earth.

Our Father - The Celebrant takes the paten with the Host and the Chalice and, raising them together he says: “For Christ, with Christ and in Christ, to you, God the Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory for all the centuries ". Those present answer "Amen". This short prayer gives Divine Majesty an unlimited glory, because the Priest, in the name of humanity, honors God the Father through Jesus, with Jesus and in Jesus.

At this point the Celebrant recites the Our Father. Jesus said to the Apostles "When you enter a house you say: Peace be to this house and to all who live in it." Therefore the Celebrant asks for Peace for the whole Church. Follows the invocation "Lamb of God ..."

Communion - Those who want to receive Communion are disposed devoutly. It would be good for everyone to take Communion; but since not everyone is able to receive it, those who cannot make it do Spiritual Communion, which consists in the keen desire to receive Jesus in their heart.

For Spiritual Communion the following invocation might serve: “My Jesus, I would like to receive you sacramentally. As this is not possible, come to my heart in spirit, purify my soul, sanctify it and give me the grace to love you more and more ". Having said that, we are gathered to pray as if we had really communicated ourselves

Spiritual Communion can be done many times a day, even when staying outside the Church. We also remind you that you must go to the altar in an orderly and timely manner. By introducing yourself to Jesus, take care that your body is modest in look and clothing.

Received the Particle, return to your place neatly and know how to do your thanks well! Gather in prayer and remove any disturbing thoughts from the mind. Rekindle your faith, thinking that the Host received is Jesus, alive and true and that He is at your disposal to forgive you, to bless you and to give you His treasures. Whoever approaches you during the day, realize that you made Communion, and you will show it if you are sweet and patient.

Conclusion - Once the Sacrifice is over, the Priest dismisses the faithful, inviting them to thank God and gives the Blessing: receive it with devotion, signing yourself with the Cross. After that the priest says: "The Mass is over, go in peace." We reply: "We give thanks to God." This does not mean that we have exhausted our duty as Christians by participating in the Mass, but that our mission begins now, by spreading the Word of God among our brothers.

Mass is basically the same sacrifice as the Cross; only the way of offering is different. It has the same ends and produces the same effects as the sacrifice of the Cross and therefore realizes its purposes in its own way: adoration, thanksgiving, reparation, petition.

Adoration - The sacrifice of the Mass makes God an adoration worthy of Him. With the Mass we can give God all the honor that is due to him in recognition of his infinite majesty and his supreme dominion, in the most perfect way possible and in strictly infinite degree. A single Mass glorifies God more than all glorify him in heaven for all eternity, all angels and saints. God responds to this incomparable glorification by lovingly bending towards all his creatures. Hence the immense value of sanctification that contains the holy sacrifice of the Mass for us; all Christians should be convinced that it is a thousand times preferable to join this sublime sacrifice rather than to perform routine practices of devotion.

Thanksgiving - The immense natural and supernatural benefits we have received from God have made us contract an infinite debt of gratitude towards him that we can only pay off with the Mass. In fact, through it, we offer the Father a Eucharistic sacrifice, that is, thanksgiving, which infinitely exceeds our debt; because it is Christ himself who, sacrificing himself for us, thanks God for the benefits he gives us.

In turn, thanksgiving is the source of new graces because the Benefactor likes gratitude.

This eucharistic effect is always produced infallibly and independently of our dispositions.

Reparation - After adoration and thanksgiving there is no more urgent duty towards the Creator than the reparation of the offenses, which he has received from us.

Also in this respect, the value of the Holy Mass is absolutely incomparable, since with it we offer the Father the infinite reparation of Christ, with all its redemptive efficacy.

This effect is not applied to us in all its fullness, but is applied to us, to a limited degree, according to our dispositions; however:

- if he does not encounter obstacles, he obtains the present grace necessary for the repentance of our sins. To obtain the conversion of a sinner from God, there is nothing more effective than offering the holy sacrifice of the Mass.

- He always remits infallibly, if he does not encounter obstacles, at least part of the temporal punishment that must be paid for sins in this world or another.

Petition - Our need is immense: we constantly need light, strength and consolation. We will find these reliefs in the Mass. It, in itself, moves God infallibly to grant men all the graces they need, but the actual gift of these graces depends on our dispositions.

Our prayer, included in the Holy Mass, not only enters the immense river of liturgical prayers, which already confers on it a special dignity and efficacy, but is confused with the infinite prayer of Christ, which the Father always grants.

Such are, in broad lines, the infinite riches contained in the Holy Mass. This is why the saints, enlightened by God, had a very high esteem. They made sacrifice of the altar the center of their life, the source of their spirituality. However, to obtain the maximum fruit, it is necessary to insist on the dispositions of those who participate in the Mass.

The main provisions are of two kinds: external and internal.

- External: the faithful will participate in the Holy Mass in silence, with respect and attention.

- Internal: the best disposition of all is to identify with Jesus Christ, who immolates himself on the altar, offering it to the Father and offering himself with him, in him and for him. Let us ask him to convert us too into bread to be so completely available. of our brothers through charity. Let us unite ourselves intimately with Mary at the foot of the Cross, with St. John the beloved disciple, with the celebrating priest, the new Christ on earth. Let's join all the Masses, which are celebrated all over the world