C. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. Introibo ad altare Dei.
C. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. I will go in to the altar of God.
R. Ad Deum, qui laetificat juventutem meam.
R. To God, who gives joy to my youth.
C. Judica me, Deus, et discerne causam meam de gente non sancta: ab homine iniquo et doloso erue me.
C. Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from an ungodly nation: deliver me from an unjust and deceitful enemy.
R. Quia tu es, Deus, fortitudo mea: quare me repulisti, et quare tristis incedo, dum affligit me inimicus?
R. For you are my strength, O God: why have you cast me off? Why do I go around sadly while the enemy afflicts me?
C. Emitte lucem tuam, et veritatem tuam: ipsa me deduxerunt et adduxerunt in montem sanctum tuum, et in tabernacula tua.
C. Send out Your light and Your truth; they have led me and brought me to Your holy hill, into Your tabernacles.
R. Et introibo ad altare Dei: ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam.
R. And I will go in to the altar of God: to God who gives joy to my youth.
C. Confitebor tibi in cithara, Deus, Deus meus: quare tristis es anima mea, et quare conturbas me? C. I will praise you on the harp, O God, my God. Why are you sad, my soul, and why do you trouble me?
R. Spera in Deo, quoniam adhuc confitebor illi: salutare vultus mei, et Deus meus.
R. Hope in God, for I will continue to praise Him, my salvation and my God.
The priest bows his head to the Cross for the Gloria Patri, at the end of the psalm - and at any other time the prayer is said during Mass.
C. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
C. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost..
C. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.
C. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Qui fecit coelum et terram.
R. Who made heaven and earth.
In a humble confession of his sins before God and the people, the priest bows profoundly with his hands joined and begins the Confiteor. This prayer recalls the confession of the Jewish priests of the Old Law before they offered sacrifice. At the mea culpa, the priest places his left hand below his breast and strikes his breast three times with the extended and joined fingers of his right hand.
C. Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatae Mariae semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistae, sanctis apostolis Petro et Paulo, omnibus sanctis, et vobis, fratres: quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo, et opere: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum Michaelum Archangelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes sanctos, et vos, fratres, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum.
C. I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever virgin, to blessed Michael the archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, to all the saints and to you, brethren, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed (strikes breast three times): through my fault, through my fault, through my own most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, all the saints and you, brethren, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
C. Aufer a nobis, quaesumus, Domine, iniquitates nostras: ut ad sancta sanctorum puris mereamur mentibus introire. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
C. Lord, we pray you to take away our wickedness from us, so that we may worthily enter into the Holy of Holies with pure minds, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bowing moderately, the priest rests his joined hands on the edge of the altar, the tips of his little fingers against the front of the edge as he says silently the Oramus te Domine. Recalling the saints whose relics are in the altar, he places his hands flat on the altar outside the corporal, and kisses it in the middle.
C. Oramus te, Domine, per merita sanctorum tuorum, quorum reliquae hic sunt, et omnium sanctorum: ut indulgere digneris omnia peccata mea. Amen.
C. We beseech You, Lord, by the merits of Your saints whose relics are here, and of all the saints, to deign to forgive me all my sins. Amen.
Continuing the prayer, the priest then moves directly to the Epistle side where, facing the altar, he makes the Sign of the Cross and begins, in an audible voice, the Proper of the Day by reciting the Introit with his hands joined. This Sign of the Cross marked the opening of the liturgy at the time of St Patrick. The Introit was formerly a psalm sung as the priest entered the church - hence the word introit. At the Gloria Patri, the priest turns slightly and bows towards the crucifix. He does not cross himself when repeating the antiphon.
After the Introit, the priest returns to the centre of the altar. With joined hands and without bowing to the crucifix, he immediately begins the Kyrie, the only surviving Greek prayer in the Mass, taken from a fourth century Byzantine rite.
Introit, Kyrie,
Gloria
C. Kyrie eleison. C. Lord, have mercy.
R. Kyrie eleison. R. Lord, have mercy.
C. Kyrie eleison. C. Lord, have mercy.
R. Christe eleison. R. Christ have mercy.
C. Christe eleison. C. Christ have mercy.
R. Christe eleison. R. Christ have mercy.
C. Kyrie eleison. C. Lord, have mercy.
R. Kyrie eleison. R. Lord, have mercy.
C. Kyrie eleison. C. Lord, have mercy.
As soon as the Kyrie is finished, the priest starts the Gloria, the canticle of praise to the Trinity, attributed to Pope Telesphorus 130 years after Christ.(The Gloria is omitted when the vestments are black or violet and during certain votive Masses.) As the priest begins the prayer, he separates his hands horizontally and raises them to shoulder level before rejoining them and bowing his head at the word Deo. Standing erect, with hands joined, he continues to the end, reading from the centre altar card if necessary. He bows to the crucifix at the words adoramus te, gratias agimus, Jesu Christe, suscipe deprecationem and Jesu Christe again. At the words cum Sancto Spiritu he makes the Sign of the Cross. After the Amen, without rejoining his hands, he places his hands outside the corporal and kisses the centre of the altar.
C. Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te, gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam: Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe: Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris: Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis; qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram; qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus: Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu: in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.
C. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men of goodwill. We praise You, we bless You, we adore You, we glorify You, we give You thanks for Your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father. Lord Jesus Christ, only-begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; You take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; You are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For You alone are the Holy One, You alone are Lord, You alone are Most High: Jesus Christ, with the Holy Ghost in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Rejoining his hands and turning by the Epistle side with downcast eyes, the priest greets the people with the Dominus vobiscum, while extending his hands to the width of his shoulders horizontally, rejoining them and turning back by the Epistle side.
C. Dominus vobiscum
C. The Lord be with you.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo.
R. And with your spirit.
Collect, Epistle,Gospel
From the center of the altar, the priest moves to the Missal. Facing the altar, he says Oremus, bowing his head to the Cross, extending his hands to shoulder height and width, rejoining them and extending them again. During the reading of the ancient Collects, the priest bows his head to the Cross at the Holy Name and bows his head to the Missal at the name of Mary, the Saint of the day or the Pope. At the end of the prayer, on the words per Dominum or in unitate, the priest rejoins his hands for the Amen.
After the Collects comes the first lesson, the Epistle. The priest places the palms of his hands on the Missal during the reading - though he may pick up the book if he wishes. He may give a sign to the server that the reading is over by raising his left hand or laying it on the altar momentarily.
The response Deo gratias was originally a sign from the presiding Bishop that the reading had gone on long enough!
R. Deo gratias.
R. Thanks be to God.
Following the Epistle come the Gradual, Alleluia or Tract and, on five major feastdays, the Sequence. These are the remnants of the chants which separated the original three lessons at Mass. The priest reads them aloud, still holding the Missal, and bows as during the Collects.
From the Epistle side, the priest moves with joined hands to the centre of the altar where he lifts his eyes to the Cross, then casts them down and bows profoundly - without laying his hands on the altar - to say silently the Munda cor meum, a fourteenth century prayer asking God to purify his lips and heart.
C. Munda cor meum ac labia mea, omnipotens Deus, qui labia Isaiae prophetae calculo mundasti ignito: ita me tua grata miseratione dignare mundare, ut sanctum Evangelium tuum digne valeam nuntiare. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
C. Cleanse my heart and my lips, almighty God, who cleansed the lips of the prophet Isaias with a live coal. In your mercy, deign to cleanse me so I may be worthy to proclaim Your holy Gospel: through Christ our Lord. Amen.
C. Jube, Domine, benedicere. Dominus sit in corde meo et in labiis meis: ut digne et competenter annuntiem Evangelium suum. Amen.
C. Bless me, O Lord. May the Lord be in my heart and on my lips, that I may be fit and worthy to proclaim His Gospel. Amen.
The Missal is moved by the server to the right hand side of the altar (so called because the right hand of the crucifix points to that side) and placed diagonally on the altar. The congregation stand to greet the word of God. Standing before the Missal with joined hands, the priest says aloud the Dominus vobiscum. At the Sequentia, the priest lays his left hand on the book, while he makes the Sign of the Cross with the thumb of his open right hand, first at the beginning of the Gospel passage. Then - with his left hand on his breast - he traces the cross with his thumb on his forehead, mouth and breast.
C. Dominus vobiscum
C. The Lord be with you.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo.
R. And with your spirit.
C. Sequentia (or Initium) sancti Evangelii secundum N.
C. A passage from (or The beginning of) the holy Gospel according to N.
R. Gloria tibi Domine.
R. Glory to You, Lord.
The priest reads the Gospel aloud with his hands joined. If he needs to bow his head or genuflect, he does so to the Missal. If he has to turn a page, he uses his right hand, laying the left on the altar. At the end of the Gospel, the priest lifts the Missal with both hands, and bows to kiss it where he signed the cross, saying the Per evangelica dicta.
C. Per evangelica dicta, deleantur nostra delictur.
C. Through the words of the Gospel, may our sins be wiped away.
R. Laus tibi, Christe.
R. Praise to You, O Christ.
Standing erect, the priest replaces the Missal on the stand which he moves diagonally closer to the middle of the altar next to the corporal. At this point, the priest may move to the pulpit or lectern to read the Epistle and Gospel in the vernacular and to deliver a sermon. If so, he removes his maniple and lays it aside.
The Epistle and Gospel readings must be according to the old calendar and may not be taken from the new rite of Mass. The 1982 Vatican instruction forbids any mixing of rites. The homily - in the people's own language - dates back to the time of the Apostles. St Paul himself preached at the Eucharist, as we read in the twentieth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.
Following the homily, the priest moves to the centre of the altar for the Creed and, if necessary, puts his maniple back on. As he says the words Credo in unum Deum, he extends his hands, lifts them to the height of his shoulders and rejoins them at his breast, bowing at the same time to the Cross.
The Nicene Creed, which dates from the Council of Nicaea in the early fourth century, is a late addition to the liturgy, after people had become used to the declaration of faith as a protest against the heretics. The Eastern Churches first adopted the prayer in the sixth century.
From there it spread to Spain, to Gaul in the eighth century and it was only introduced in Rome in 1014 at the request of the German Emperor St Henry II. Pope Benedict VIII told the Emperor the Creed had never been needed in Rome because the Church there had never been stained by heresy!
The priest bows when he mentions the Holy Name. At the words Et incarnatus est, the priest lays his hands on the altar outside the corporal and genuflects slowly on his right knee, without bowing his head. He rises after the words Et homo factus est. The priest bows his head at the words simul adoratur. At the end of the Creed, with the words et vitam venturi saeculi, he makes the Sign of the Cross. At the Amen, the priest places his hands flat on the altar outside the corporal and kisses the altar.
Creed, Offertory,
Preface, Sanctus
C. Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem coeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum. Et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero. Genitum, non factum, consubstantialem Patri: per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines et propter nostrem salutem descendit de coelis.(genuflects) Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine: ET HOMO FACTUS EST.(stands) Crucifixus etiam pro nobis: sub Pontio Pilato passus, et sepultus est. Et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas. Et ascendit in coelum: sedet ad dexteram Patris. Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, judicare vivos et mortuos: cujus regni non erit finis. Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum, et vivificantem: qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur; qui locutus est per Prophetas. Et unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum. Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum. Et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.
C. I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, maker of everything, visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all time; God from God, light from light, true God from true God; begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father; through whom all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, He came down from heaven,(genuflects) by the power of the Holy Ghost, He became incarnate of the Virgin Mary AND WAS MADE MAN.(stands) For our sake too, He was crucified. He suffered under Pontius Pilate and was buried. On the third day, He rose again from the dead, according to the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and Son, He is adored and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. I believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
This point marks the end of the Mass of the Catechumens, that part of the liturgy which was attended by intending converts to Catholicism. What follows is the Mass of the Faithful, formerly reserved to baptized Catholics alone.
(I will continue tomorrow. I hope you have enjoyed this experience of the Holy mass in Latin with english explanations. It is a joy to experience,
and the reverence to the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord, is like no other mass!)
Deo gratias
