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Formed in Christ

Friday, September 5, 2025Faith

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We must do our best with the Missal's prayers, keeping in mind that the only perfect liturgy is in heaven.

The procession has arrived and has entered the sanctuary while we sang the gathering or opening hymn. Following the sign of the cross and one of the apostolic greetings, these rites continue.
We are invited to prepare by calling to mind our sins so as to celebrate worthily. There are four options for the Penitential Act.
The first is the Confiteor, then there is an "absolution" by the principal celebrant and its responses, Kyrie, Christe, Kyrie eleison. While we usually use the English translation -- Lord, Christ, Lord have mercy, the Greek text is a brief reminder that the liturgy was also celebrated in other vernaculars centuries ago.
The second, or B, is a set of verses, followed by an "absolution" by the principal celebrant, and then the Kyrie. In many places, this is unknown, and so you may not regularly hear it. I have been asked why this is so, and I have no answer; it's almost a lost orphan.
The third, or C, is probably the most common. It has three petitions (litany style), each one has a verse by the deacon or priest, and the Kyrie from the assembly. Since the Kyrie is incorporated into Form C, it is not added following. There is an "absolution" by the principal celebrant.

There are multiple forms of Form C; several examples are in an appendix at the back of the Missal. The celebrant has the option, based on the samples, to create petitions. The petitions are not a list of sins for which we seek forgiveness, but a recalling, despite our sins, of the great mercy God shows us and which we receive from him.
There is no gesture either by the ministers or the rest of the assembly. The previous practice of making the sign of the cross was removed from the Missal, lest there be confusion with the absolution given during the Order of Penance in confession. Remember, we -- bishops, priests, deacons, or faithful -- do not have the right to introduce or reintroduce words, gestures, or postures, no matter how much they might mean, into our liturgy.
The fourth form, also in an appendix, is the Rite of Sprinkling. This is especially recommended during the Easter Season -- the Sundays, the Days of the Octave, and any solemnities within the Easter season, e.g., the Ascension of the Lord.
While most of the time these will be recited, there is always the option that all or some of any of the forms could be sung in part or completely, sung parts being distributed among the ministers and assembly as they are when recited.
The placing of the options in appendices is, admittedly, awkward and can lead to forgetting that there are indeed alternatives for the assembly.
A brief pause should follow the Penitential Act as we move to the singing or recitation of the hymn -- "Gloria" or "Glory to God."
This hymn is to be included in all Sunday Masses, except those celebrated during the Advent or Lenten seasons. Since it is a hymn, it is preferably to be sung by all. However, it could also be sung with parts or responses between a choir and the rest of the assembly or the cantor and the rest of the assembly.
There does not seem to be any indication that this hymn is to be sung only by a choir or a soloist. So whatever parts are for the various members of the assembly, we should sing accordingly. It is part of our active participation.
This hymn is an expanded form of the "Hymn of Angels" that Scripture tells us they sang announcing the Lord's birth to the shepherds, cf. Luke 2:14.
The "Gloria" is finished, and a brief pause should follow as we move to the collect, formerly called the opening prayer.
It is designated "collect" because it brings together and gives voice to the (mostly unspoken) prayers we each bring to Mass. The prayers provided in the Missal follow a rather precise style, particularly Roman in its composition -- concise and direct.
We are dealing with prayers translated from Latin, and they have been given in a "unified" English, which is something that simply does not exist. I think of a sentiment often attributed to George Bernard Shaw regarding American and British English: "two great peoples, separated by a common language."
Even with sufficient preparation and practice of these prayers, the priest and people can sometimes be dazed, or worse, confused by what was prayed. And this applies not only to the collect but to other prayers of the Mass. We must do our best with the Missal's prayers, keeping in mind that the only perfect liturgy is in heaven. While here, we must do our very best to celebrate the liturgy we have -- for God, the most and the greatest!
The collect, and there is only one per Mass, concludes with the assembly's response, making the prayer its own -- Amen.
Occasionally, there may be other times when the usual introductory rites are replaced (e.g., the First Sunday of Lent by the Litany of the Saints) or, if there are to be baptisms of infants, parts of the Order of Baptism also replace the usual introductory rites.