Teaching series on the Mass
Part 4 of 4
“The Liturgy of the Eucharist (part 2)”
A.
The Communion Rite a.
The Our Father – we stand now as a sign of our dignity as true children of God to call on Him as “Our Father”. The priest begins with these words which point to that very dignity: At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching we dare to
say… i.
“Give us this day our daily bread: daily in the original Greek really means
“supernatural.” We are asking the Father not just to give us our daily bodily needs but to give us the “bread that will last” which is the Bread of Life, the
Eucharist ( John 6 ) ii.
“Forgive us our trespasses…as we forgive others” : we place a condition on
God forgiving us as long as we are forgiving others who have sinned against us iii.
“Lead us not into temptation” : help us Lord to overcome the temptations to sin in our daily lives and deliver us from the evil of the world and Satan b.
The Sign of Peace – giving of Christ’s peace and also a gesture of reconciliation given to others around us i.
John 20:19 - On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ii.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. iii.
Matthew 5:23-24 - Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go
first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. c.
The Fraction Rite – Father now breaks off a piece of the host and places it in the
Chalice. He prays this prayer silently: May the mingling of the Body and Blood our
Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to those who receive it. i.
Historically – the early bishops would break a piece off into chalice and give the rest of the Eucharist to a runner who would take it to neighboring Mass. The priest there would place that piece in his chalice signify the unity with the Bishop ii.
Religiously – The placing of the Body and Blood of Jesus back together as the crucifixion and resurrection are re-presented to us at each Mass

d.
Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world… i.
In the Book of Exodus 12 Moses instructs the Israelites what to do at the
Passover meal. The instruction was to take an unblemished lamb roast it and use the blood to put on the doorpost of the houses. During the 10 th plague in Egypt the angel of death would “Passover” the houses of the Israelites and save them ii.
Up until Jesus, the Passover meal always consisted of a lamb…but at the Last
Supper Jesus is now the True Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world who died to save us from true death. It is the “New Passover” we celebrate every Mass.
e.
“Behold the Lamb of God” i.
We kneel know as a posture of adoration and worship as we gaze on Jesus in the
Eucharist. ii.
“Blessed are those called to the Supper of the Lamb”
– In the Scripture the
Kingdom of Heaven is often depicted as a wedding feast or banquet ( Mt 22; Lk
14) iii.
“Lord I am not worth to receive you under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed” – This comes directly from Mt 8:8 as a centurion asked that Jesus heal his servant but responses to Jesus saying he is not worthy to have him enter under his roof…Jesus can merely say the word and heal him
(we recognize our unworthiness have God enter under “the roof of the Temple of our Body”) f.
Reception of Communion i.
Jesus now comes to us and so we receive rather than take Jesus either in the hands or on the tongue ii.
After we receive, He is as close to us than at any other point. We are now “living tabernacles.” This is a moment to give thanks…there are some prayers of thanksgiving in the pews to help.
g.
Purifying the vessels (not just doing the dishes!) i.
Father prays a prayer to himself – What has passed our lips as food, O Lord, may we possess in purity of heart, that what has been given to us in time may be our
healing for eternity ii.
Every single piece of the Body of Jesus Christ and every drop of Blood is enough to save the world. This is why so much care is taken to clean the vessels.
B.
Concluding Rites a.
The final blessing - the request of God’s goodness upon you. b.
“Go in peace glorifying the Lord by your life” – after worshiping God and receiving
Him you are now to go back out into the world this week and be a light of hope, peace and God’s love to those who do not know Him…to glorify God by all that you do.