Elements of the Mass;
or, You Might Be Doing that Wrong

Part 5 in an ongoing series of essays on the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.

If I had to guess, I’d say that the part of the General Instruction that has been read by the fewest is Chapter II: The Structure of the Mass, Its Elements, and Its Parts. Why? Because when you read it, you quickly come to realize that the Mass celebrated by most parishes is not the Mass described in the General Instruction.

Chapter II is divided into three sections:

• I. The General Structure of the Mass
• II. The Different Elements of the Mass
• III. The Individual Parts of the Mass

This essay will briefly address the first section and a half or so.

The General Structure of the Mass

Any “how to” manual is going to begin with the basics, and the General Instruction is no different. This relatively short section packs a lot into just two paragraphs. In the first, it speaks of the presence of Christ in the Mass.

For in the celebration of Mass, in which the Sacrifice of the Cross is perpetuated,¹ Christ is really present in the very assembly gathered in his name, in the person of the minister, in his word, and indeed substantially and uninterruptedly under the Eucharistic species.²

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 27.
 

The second paragraph describes the main division of the Mass into two sequential parts, which here are called “the Liturgy of the Word” and “the Liturgy of the Eucharist”, which are “so closely interconnected that they form but one single act of worship”³ Previously, these two divisions were known as “the Mass of the Catechumens” and “the Mass of the Faithful”, as in ancient times the catechumens were dismissed before the Creed, a custom that has returned with the promulgation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

With these basics out of the way, the next section lays down some rules for how the Mass is to be celebrated.

The Different Elements of the Mass

We begin with the Liturgy of the Word, where the General Instruction reminds us:

When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his word, proclaims the Gospel.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 29.
 

We are to pay attention – God Himself is speaking to us! Even the homily is referred to as “a living commentary on the word”. What is the liturgical action of the people in the pews here? Active listening. We must fully concentrate so that we can understand and then remember what is being said – and then act on it.

The General Instruction goes on to remind the Priest:

Among those things assigned to the Priest, the prime place is occupied by the Eucharistic Prayer, which is the high point of the whole celebration. 

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 30.
 

This sentence gives the lie to the habit of some priests to pray the Eucharistic Prayer quickly and perfunctorily, or to use the shortest possible variants because the others are “too long” or because the homily was lengthy, or there are going to be a lot of announcements.

This subsection then gives the priest some additional instruction in his ars celebrandi. These include:

• adapting explanations that appear in the rite itself to “correspond to the capacity for understanding of those participating”⁴;
• introducing “in a very few words” and at specific times the Mass of the day, the Liturgy of the Word, and the Eucharistic Prayer;
• making concluding comments before the Dismissal;
• pronouncing the Mass prayers in “a loud and clear voice”⁵;
• quietly praying those prayers which he prays in his own name (e.g. the prayer before proclaiming the Gospel “Cleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel”).

Those last two points, indeed, are given an additional examination a few paragraphs later, specifying how the spoken parts are to be proclaimed.

In texts that are to be pronounced in a loud and clear voice, whether by the Priest or the Deacon, or by a reader, or by everyone, the voice should correspond to the genre of the text itself, that is, depending upon whether it is a reading, a prayer, an explanatory comment, an acclamation, or a sung text; it should also be suited to the form of celebration and to the solemnity of the gathering. 

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 38.
 

Mumbling is not allowed here! And notice that bit about “sung text”. We’ll get back to that in a moment.

The General Instruction takes four paragraphs⁶ to discuss those parts of the Mass which are in the form of dialogues, responses, and acclamations, saying in part that these “are not simply outward signs of communal celebration but foster and bring about communion between Priest and people.”⁷ In fact, these “constitute that level of active participation that is to be made by the assembled faithful in every form of the Mass”.⁸ A footnote here references paragraph 16a of the Instruction Musicam sacram, which (with its introductory sentence) reads:

Therefore the active participation of the whole people, which is shown in singing, is to be carefully promoted as follows:

(a) It should first of all include acclamations, responses to the greetings of the priest and ministers and to the prayers of litany form, and also antiphons and psalms, refrains or repeated responses, hymns and canticles.

Instruction, Musicam sacram, 16.
 

Singing again. Also, this particular section of Musicam sacram itself has a footnote referring to Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 30, which says:

To promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs, as well as by actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes. And at the proper times all should observe a reverent silence.

CONSTITUTION ON THE SACRED LITURGY, SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM, NO. 30
 

Again with the singing! It’s probably not a coincidence that the next subsection of the General Instruction is about singing.

The Importance of Singing

A brief paragraph introduces the importance of singing in worship, quoting Saint Paul⁹, Saint Augustine¹⁰, and even an ancient proverb: “Whoever sings well prays twice over”.¹¹ The General Instruction stresses that “great importance” should be placed on singing, particularly on Sundays and Holydays of Obligation.

Referring again to Musicam sacram¹², the General Instruction says,

[I]n the choosing of the parts actually to be sung, preference is to be given to those that are of greater importance and especially to those which are to be sung by the Priest or the Deacon or a reader, with the people replying, or by the Priest and people together.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 40.
 

Gregorian Chant and Latin

So at least the “most important” parts of the Mass are to be sung. But how? The General Instruction answers in the following paragraph. This is worth quoting in full, as there’s a lot to dig into here (emphasis mine).

The main place should be given, all things being equal, to Gregorian chant, as being proper to the Roman Liturgy. Other kinds of sacred music, in particular polyphony, are in no way excluded, provided that they correspond to the spirit of the liturgical action and that they foster the participation of all the faithful.¹³

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 41.
 

The music proper to the Mass is Gregorian chant. The footnote quotes our old friend, Sacrosanctum Concilium, one of the great documents of the Second Vatican Council. So those who claim that the Council abolished chant, or at least relegated it to certain feasts or seasons, are just plain wrong.

You might think this is enough of a bombshell for one paragraph, but then paragraph 41 continues:

Since the faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it is desirable that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Profession of Faith and the Lord’s Prayer, according to the simpler settings.¹⁴

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 41.
 

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal desires that the faithful can sing the Mass in Latin. In particular, the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer are singled out. And how are the faithful to become familiar with these Latin Mass parts if they don’t sing them regularly?

Does your parish use the Latin Mass parts regularly? The Pater Noster?

Has your parish ever sung the Creed in Latin?

Why not?

 

The footnote for this single sentence references three documents, and it’s worth looking at them. (Emphases mine.)

In Masses which are celebrated with the people, a suitable place may be allotted to their mother tongue. This is to apply in the first place to the readings and “the common prayer,” but also, as local conditions may warrant, to those parts which pertain to the people, according to the norm laid down in Art. 36 of this Constitution.

Nevertheless steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them.

And wherever a more extended use of the mother tongue within the Mass appears desirable, the regulation laid down in Art. 40 of this Constitution is to be observed.

CONSTITUTION ON THE SACRED LITURGY, SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM, NO. 54
 

Articles 36 and 40 refer to the norms of adaptation to the vernacular, and within the context of the translated Missal and its General Instruction, they are already accounted for. So what we’re really looking at is that middle paragraph, highlighted above.

Pastors shall carefully see to it that the Christian faithful, especially members of lay religious institutes, also know how to recite or sing together in Latin, mainly with simple melodies, the parts of the Ordinary of the Mass proper to them.

Instruction, Inter Oecumenici, No. 59
 

That’s pretty straightforward. Finally, back to Musicam sacram, which quotes extensively from Sacrosanctum Concilium before concluding with a final, double quote:

Pastors of souls should take care that besides the vernacular “the faithful may also be able to say or sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them.”¹⁵

Instruction Musicam sacram, No. 47.
 

So, to sum up: sing. And sing in Latin.

Next time: Gestures and Bodily Postures.

1. Cf. Ecumenical Council of Trent, Session XXII, Doctrina de ss. Missae sacrificio, September 17, 1562, chapter 1: Denz-Schön, no. 1740; Paul VI, Solemn Profession of Faith, June 30, 1968, no. 24: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 60 (1968), p. 442.
2. Cf. Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 7; Paul VI, Encyclical Letter, Mysterium fidei, September 3, 1965: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 57 (1965), p. 764; Sacred Congregation of Rites, Instruction, Eucharisticum mysterium, May 25, 1967, no. 9: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 59 (1967), p. 547.
3. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 28; citing Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 56; Sacred Congregation of Rites, Instruction, Eucharisticum mysterium, May 25, 1967, no. 3: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 59 (1967), p. 542.
4. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 31.
5. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 32.
6. Numbers 34 through 37.
7. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 34.
8. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 35.
9. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16.
10. “Singing is for one who loves.” Sermo 336, 1: PL 38: 1472.
11. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 39.
12. Sacred Congregation of Rites, Instruction, Musicam sacram, March 5, 1967, nos. 7, 16: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 59 (1967), pp. 302, 305.
13. Cf. Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 116; cf. also no. 30.
14. Cf. Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 54; Sacred Congregation of Rites, Instruction, Inter Oecumenici, September 26, 1964, no. 59: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 56 (1964), p. 891; Instruction, Musicam sacram, March 5, 1967, no. 47: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 59 (1967), p. 314.
15. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, No. 54; Inter Oecumenici, 59.