Whose Mass is It Anyway?
By Stephen Tholcke
Purpose
This session helps high school students recognize the impact
history and culture have on us as we celebrate the Eucharist.
Session at a Glance
7:00 pm
Gathering and Welcome
7:05 pm
Introduction and “Stormy Weather/Bright Sunshine” Activity
7:15 pm
Opening Prayer: “A Prayer for Living the Eucharist”
7:20 pm
Influence of American Culture
7:35 pm
History of the Mass
7:45 pm
Video: “The Faithful Revolution: Vatican II”
8:00 pm
Discussion
8:20 pm
Refreshments and Announcements
8:30 pm
Good Night!
Materials Needed
• Nametags and markers
• Video, “The Faithful Revolution: Vatican II” available from Resources for Christian
Living (RCL). This is a five-part video series; you will need tape #1: Genius of the Heart
($19.95).
Note to Leader: If using the video is not possible, invite your DRE, liturgy director,
pastor, or other knowledgeable person to offer a 15-minute presentation to the group on
the changes in the liturgy brought about by Vatican II.
• TV and VHS player
• Table with cloth, Bible, candle, crucifix, and some items representative of culture and
the Mass.
• Laptop computer with broadband Internet access, video projector, and computer
speakers
Note to Leader: If these are unavailable, see #1 in Prepare in Advance for two other
options.
• Newsprint and colored markers
• Large sheet of newsprint, 18” x 24” or larger, for each small group of 3-4
• Resource 1, A Prayer for Living the Eucharist, one for each of the five readers
• Resource 3, Discussion Questions, one for each small group leader
Whose Mass is It Anyway? p. 1
Copyright © Center for Ministry Development, 2007. All rights reserved.
Prepare in Advance
1. Collect three or four television commercials that would be particularly relevant to
youth. The 2007 Super Bowl commercials are available by visiting:
http://sports.aol.com/nfl/superbowlads. Preview the following commercials:
First Quarter: Doritos (crash); Bud Lite (wedding)
Second Quarter: Coke (love)
Fourth Quarter: FedEx Ground; Honda CR-V
Review the commercials and decide what they have to say about our culture.
Note to Leader: If a laptop, broadband Internet access, and an LCD projector are
unavailable, use of the two options offered:
Option 1: Videotape three to five commercials that show the influence of media
on our culture.
Option 2: Clip five to seven magazine ads. Attach to poster board.
2. Prepare two large sheets of newsprint. Write “Stormy Weather” at the top of the first
sheet. On the second sheet write “Bright Sunshine” at the top. Tape each sheet on the
wall with markers nearby.
3. Invite enough adults so you have one adult for each small group of 4-6 participants.
Give them a copy of Resource 3, Discussion Questions.
4.
Prepare a 10-minute presentation on the history of the liturgy. See Resource 2, Whose
Mass is It Anyway?, for ideas in developing your presentation.
Session Outline
Gathering and Welcome (5 minutes)
As the participants arrive, welcome them to the evening. Be sure to welcome guests and
new participants. Make sure each person makes a nametag.
Stormy Weather & Bright Sunshine Activity (10 minutes)
When you are ready, give this explanation to the group:
Tonight we are going look at the impact culture has on our experience of liturgy.
Culture, whether past or present, affects how we see and experience everything.
Let’s start by reflecting on our own experience of Mass. Think about all the Masses
you have attended since you were a little child. Think about the times when you
came away feeling good about the experience and the times you did not. Once a few
experiences come to mind, I’ll invite you to the wall to jot down your thoughts.
Over here on the wall are two sheets of newsprint. One says, “Bright Sunshine,”
meaning the positive experiences of Mass you have had. The other sheet says
“Stormy Weather,” meaning those experiences that were disappointing or when you
felt left down by a particular Mass experience. When you’re ready, write a word or
phrase that describes your experience or what the occasion was. For example, on the
“Bright Sunshine” newsprint, you might write ‘my First Communion’ or ‘our
Whose Mass is It Anyway? p. 2
Copyright © Center for Ministry Development, 2007. All rights reserved.
congregation’s singing’—experiences that lifted you up. On the “Stormy Weather”
newsprint, you might write ‘dull music’ or ‘unfriendly congregation’–those
experiences that were disappointing or that let you down.
Debrief the examples written on the sheets of paper. Circle the common themes as you
read them aloud to the group. Ask clarifying questions if needed. Then invite the
community to bring their experiences to prayer.
Opening Prayer (5 minutes)
Gather
Prayer Leader: (begin with the Sign of the Cross)
Let us remember we are in the holy presence of God.
(pause)
Lord God, Creator of all good things, we have gathered this day to explore your
presence in our lives. Open our hearts and minds that we may recognize your
presence in our discussions and sharing with each other. We ask this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Listen
Invite the readers to proclaim their Scripture passages. Allow about 10 seconds between
each reading for quiet reflection.
Reader #1
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be
hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)
Reader #2
Christ has no body now on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but
yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out
on the world. Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good. Yours
are the hands with which He is to bless His people. (St. Teresa of Avila)
Reader #3
The church can be church only as long as it goes on being the Body of Christ. Its
mission will be authentic only so long as it is the mission of Jesus in the new
situations, the new circumstances of history. The criterion that will guide the
church will be neither the approval of, nor the fear of, men and women, no
matter how powerful or threatening they may be. It is the church's duty in
history to lend its voice to Christ so that he may speak, its feet so that he may
walk today's world, its hands to build the reign of God, and to offer all its
members to make up all that has still to be undergone by Christ. (Colossians 1:24 &
Archbishop Oscar Romero)
Whose Mass is It Anyway? p. 3
Copyright © Center for Ministry Development, 2007. All rights reserved.
Reader #4
This holy Mass, this Eucharist is clearly an act of faith… This body broken and
this blood shed for human beings encourage us to give our body and blood up to
suffering and pain, as Christ did—not for self, but to bring justice and peace to
our people. (Archbishop Oscar Romero)
Reader #5
"The bread is one, and we, though many are one body." Understand and rejoice
in unity, truth, faithfulness, love. "One bread," he says. What is this one bread? Is
it not the "one body," formed from many? Remember: bread doesn't come from a
single grain, but from many. (St. Augustine)
Reader #6
Be what you see, and receive what you are. (St. Augustine)
Respond
Prayer Leader:
If any of you have seen the movie, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” you know many
words have their origins in the Greek language. The word Eucharist comes from the
Greek word meaning thanksgiving. Let us take a few moments to give thanks. Think
of a few things in your life for which you are thankful, and let us offer our thanks to
God.
Please name something you are thankful for and then say, “Lord, I give you thanks.”
The community’s response will be “Thanks be to God.”
Go Forth
Prayer Leader:
Creator God, we have much to be thankful for including the gift of your son. Jesus
came to show us how to love unconditionally. Help us to love one another, help us be
your hands, heart, ears, and mouth this day. Help us celebrate the community of
peace which you call us to through our experience of Eucharist. We ask this in Jesus’
name. Amen.
Influence of American Culture (15 minutes)
The influence of one’s culture has affected human activity since the beginning of time.
Share the commercial clips you have collected with the participants and surface the
themes which are embedded in the commercials.
Commercial
Possible Theme for Discussion
Doritos®™ (crash)
Coca Cola®™ (love)
FedEx®™ (ground)
Honda CR-V®™ (crave)
Bud Lite®™ (wedding)
Connecting teen romance with a product
Connecting a higher good—love with a product
Judging books by their covers—how do we do this with
Replacing our yearning for fulfillment with material items
What does this commercial say about the important part of a
wedding?
Whose Mass is It Anyway? p. 4
Copyright © Center for Ministry Development, 2007. All rights reserved.
After the commercials have played, talk about how commercials, video games, and the
media culture in general have influenced us. The constant changing of images, the high
tech imagery and has trained us to be passively entertained. Does this have any impact
upon our expectations of our experience of liturgy? Should it?
History (10 minutes)
Present a history of liturgy through the ages using the notes you developed.
Video and Discussion (35 minutes)
Note to Leader: Before watching the video clip, divide the participants into small groups
of 4-6 for the discussion that follows.
Introduce the video clip from “The Faithful Revolution: Vatican II” by saying:
This video segment looks at the changes in the liturgy which the Second Vatican
Council enacted. We’ll be listening to various people talk about the changes, what
they meant at the time, and what they mean for us today. Some of the people we’ll
see on the clip had a direct connection to the Second Council while others are people
just like us.
Begin the tape at 26:25 when Msgr. Glenn Gardner says: “When you talk to Catholics
about Vatican II, 98% will talk to you about the changes that took place in the Mass.”
Stop the tape at 41:15 with Tom and Vickie Napier; Vickie says “A place where we
could come together.”
Divide the discussion questions from Resource 3 among the small groups. Ask them to
talk about their questions and be ready to share their highlights with the rest of the
group. Allow 10-15 minutes, depending on the number of questions each small group is
discussing.
(These questions are on Resource 3.)
• In the clip we just watched, what was something new you didn’t know before?
• How has this video and the historical information presented impacted your
understanding of the Mass?
• According to recent studies more than half of all Catholics do not attend Mass
regularly. Why do you think this is so?
• What could be improved in our parish’s Sunday Masses so that more people would
attend and participate?
• What do you think can be done to make Sunday Mass more meaningful for you and
others?
• What can you do to better participate in the Mass?
• What do you like the most about attending Mass?
• How does going to and participating in the Mass (either as a member of the
congregation or as a liturgical minister) increase your Catholic identity?
Whose Mass is It Anyway? p. 5
Copyright © Center for Ministry Development, 2007. All rights reserved.
• If you were part of a group the bishops were consulting about the participation of
teenagers in the Mass, what would you say to them?
Ask for reports from each of the small groups. Identify common experiences.
Summarize the main points you hear from the reports and connect them to the learning
from the video clip.
Announcements, Refreshments, and Good Night! (15 minutes)
Make any necessary announcements, and invite the participants to enjoy some
refreshments. Thank everyone for their participation.
All websites mentioned in this session were successfully accessed on February 19, 2007.
This session was written by Stephen Tholcke, campus minister at St. Francis of Assisi
Catholic High School in Sacramento, California. Fr. Roy Shelly, Ph.D. served as
theological consultant on this session.
Whose Mass is It Anyway? p. 6
Copyright © Center for Ministry Development, 2007. All rights reserved.
Resource 1
A Prayer for Living the Eucharist
Reader #1
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be
hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
(John 6:35)
Reader #2
Christ has no body now on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the
world. Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good. Yours are the
hands with which He is to bless His people.
(St. Teresa of Avila)
Reader #3
The church can be church only as long as it goes on being the Body of Christ. Its
mission will be authentic only so long as it is the mission of Jesus in the new
situations, the new circumstances of history. The criterion that will guide the church
will be neither the approval of, nor the fear of, men and women, no matter how
powerful or threatening they may be. It is the church's duty in history to lend its voice
to Christ so that he may speak, its feet so that he may walk today's world, its hands to
build the reign of God, and to offer all its members to make up all that has still to be
undergone by Christ.
(Colossians 1:24 & Archbishop Oscar Romero)
Reader #4
This holy Mass, this Eucharist is clearly an act of faith… This body broken and this
blood shed for human beings encourage us to give our body and blood up to suffering
and pain, as Christ did—not for self, but to bring justice and peace to our people.
(Archbishop Oscar Romero)
Reader #5
"The bread is one, and we, though many, are one body." Understand and rejoice in
unity, truth, faithfulness, love. "One bread," he says. What is this one bread? Is it not
the "one body," formed from many? Remember: bread doesn't come from a single
grain, but from many.
(St. Augustine)
Reader #6
Be what you see, and receive what you are.
Whose Mass is It Anyway? p. 7
Copyright © Center for Ministry Development, 2007. All rights reserved.
(St. Augustine)
Resource 2
Whose Mass is It Anyway?
A Brief History of the Liturgy
The premise of this session is that the Mass has seen both great change and yet little
change over the years since Jesus called us “to do this in memory of me.” The culture of
various time periods has had an impact upon how we celebrate our liturgy today. To
see this impact in a particular way, we need to look at specific time periods in our
history and show the connections to our Eucharistic liturgy today.
Develop a 15-minute presentation on the history of the liturgy through the ages up to
Vatican II. Some important points and time periods to cover include:
• The years immediately following the death of Jesus, when the disciples would
still attend the synagogue and then go to the homes of followers to break bread.
• The years of persecution when the church was forced “underground.”
• The years of Constantine when Christianity became the favored religion.
• The Middle Ages.
• The impact of Luther and the Council of Trent.
Note: The changes in the liturgy resulting from Vatican II, which represent a significant
shift from the Council of Trent, will be addressed in the video.
Listed below are a few resources which will make this task easier than it appears.
What Every Catholic Needs to Know About the Mass by Kevin McGloin. San Jose CA:
Resource Publications, Inc., 2001.
“Chapter 14—Introduction to the Liturgy” in The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth by
Brian Singer-Towns. Winona, MM: Saint Mary’s Press, 2004.
“Chapter 6—The Sacrament of the Eucharist” and “Chapter 7—The Eucharistic Rite” in
Catechetical Sessions on Liturgy and the Sacraments by Therese Brown, Laurie Delgatto,
Christine Schmertz Navarro, and Mary Shrader. Winona MN: Saint Mary’s Press, 2004.
“The Liturgy of the Eucharist” by William H. Shannon. Catholic Update, May 2003.
Cincinnati OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press.
“Changes in the Liturgy Brought Changes in Churches” from Ask the Wiseman on
www.americancatholic.org.
“The Church’s ‘Work’ of Praising God” by Carol Luebering. Catholic Update, April
1987. Cincinnati OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press.
Whose Mass is It Anyway? p. 8
Copyright © Center for Ministry Development, 2007. All rights reserved.
Resource 3
Discussion Questions
• In the clip we just watched, what was something new you didn’t know before?
• How has this video and the historical information presented impacted your
understanding of the Mass?
• According to recent studies more than half of all Catholics do not attend Mass
regularly. Why do you think this is so?
• What could be improved in our parish’s Sunday Masses so that more people
would attend and participate?
• What do you think can be done to make Sunday Mass more meaningful for
you and others?
• What can you do to better participate in the Mass?
• What do you like the most about attending Mass?
• How does going to and participating in the Mass (either as a member of the
congregation or as a liturgical minister) increase your Catholic identity?
• If you were part of a group the bishops were consulting about the participation
of teenagers in the Mass, what would you say to them?
Whose Mass is It Anyway? p. 9
Copyright © Center for Ministry Development, 2007. All rights reserved.