CATHOLIC DIALOGUE #13

(Jane is a Catholic who invited her friend John to attend Mass with her. He has read the Bible and gone to a few non-denominational services. That being the case, it is only natural that after his first Catholic Mass he has some questions.)

John: That was a lot different than I expected. Could you answer a few questions for me?

Jane: Sure. My pleasure.

John: What does Mass mean? I mean, why is it so important to you?

Jane: Mass is the heart of Catholic life. It is important because it is a re-enactment of Christ's sacrifice. At Mass, Jesus is present as both priest and victim.

John: Priest and victim? How?

Jane: As priest, He makes the offering, and as the victim it is His life that He offers.

John: Now hold on just a minute. Christ can not be sacrificed again and again. In the Bible it says, "He died once for all."

Jane: We don't say that He dies again at Mass. Our Mass is a re-presentation of the original sacrifice. The part of the Bible that says "once for all" is referring to people who are Baptized and then return to a life of sin. There can not be a second Baptism or Crucifixion for them. We don't think that the sacrifice of the Mass is an addition to Calvary. It is the application to each individual person.

John: Okay. So does the priest represent Jesus? I mean, does he make the offering?

Jane: It is primarily the priest, but we offer too, in a lesser way.

John: How is that?

Jane: Well, our main offering is ourselves to God through Christ. There was also a place in the Mass when the priest said, "we thy servants, but also thy holy people... offer... victim." You see, it's hard to describe, but suffice to say that the people are not just spectators at Mass.

John: Why couldn't I receive Communion? Where is your Christian hospitality?

Jane: It doesn't have anything to do with hospitality. We're not saying that you're not welcome. As members of the Church, we are all part of the Body of Christ. Our Communion is a sign of this unity. At this time, other Christian denominations do not share full unity with us. This is by their own choice. So you see that until our unity is restored, shared Communion would be a lie. You are welcome to receive Communion, but first you have to be in communion with the Church.

John: I see. Well what about spontaneity? Your services follow the same basic pattern every time. Don't you think it should be a little less rigid?

Jane: The pattern that you mentioned is called the Order of the Mass. As the Church grew, it became necessary to standardize this order. There are approximately 80 million Catholics in the United States alone. With that many people involved we only have two choices, order or chaos. We choose order in imitation of God who created a very well ordered universe. Another reason is that the word Catholic means Universal. It gives us a sense of our unity knowing that our Mass is celebrated the same at home as it is in the furthest corners of the world I would even go as far as to say that if man ever colonizes in space, the Mass there will be the same too. We offer the sacrifice of the Mass as one body, universally.

John: That's really beautiful. Would you explain the Order of the Mass? There were a few gestures and signs that I didn't understand.

Jane: Okay. I'll give you a brief outline. We start with the sign of the cross which is the oldest gesture known in our faith. It states that our actions are made in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Shortly after this, the priest kisses the altar which is a sign of reverence. It also symbolizes the kiss which the Church gives to Her Bridegroom which is Christ.

John: Cool.

Jane: The first prayers are known as the Introit. They produce an overall theme and mood for the Mass. Then comes the Kyrie (Lord have mercy), and the Gloria. In the Kyrie we acknowledge our need of God's help. The Gloria is then an expression of our gratitude for God's graces.

John: So first you admit that you need God and then you thank Him for it, right?

Jane: Yes. Now a little while later we have the readings. They are continual from week to week so if you go to Mass regularly, you will hear the entire Bible read in a period of about 3 years. This is always followed by a Homily which you would probably call the Sermon. The Homily is supposed to put the readings into perspective so that the people can apply them to their own lives. This is so important that Church law does not permit the Homily to be omitted except for a very serious reason.

John: I kind of enjoyed that part. Your Pastor had some very good insights.

Jane: The Homily is followed by the Creed which is our chance to tell God that we accept His truths that have been revealed in the readings. We use the Nicene Creed which is sometimes called the ecumenical creed because much of our stated beliefs are shared by other Christian denominations.

John: Okay. I have a question about the Creed. Why do you bow when you say, "Born of the Virgin Mary.?

Jane: The bow is actually done on the line after that one. "And became Man." We bow out of reverence for the Incarnation.

John: I'm glad you clarified that. I almost got the wrong impression.

Jane: In that case, I'm glad too. Why don't we take a little break now. We've covered quite a bit and I'm getting hungry. Would you like to join me for dinner?

John: Yes, but can we finish this discussion afterwards?

Jane: Sure can.

John: Cool.