How Do Catholics Worship?

The Mass

Catholics worship in a communal ceremony called Mass. Some aspects of the Mass have changed over the centuries, particularly since the 1960s. The priest now conducts the service in the local language, rather than in Latin, and he faces the congregation. Yet its essential form is much as it was in the days of the early Church. An officiant called a priest conducts the Mass and administers a blessing, or consecration, to bread and wine, which the congregation then eats. The consecrated bread and wine, as well as the act of consecration itself, are called the Eucharist. It is the Eucharist that is the center and the purpose of Catholic Mass.

The Eucharist

The Eucharist derives from New Testament accounts of the Last Supper, in which Christ blessed the Apostles' meal and told them to take it and eat of him. This act countered the blood sacrifice of the Old Testament, and predicted Christ's own sacrifice on the cross, an event key to the Christian idea of salvation. Many Christian churches offer a form of Holy Communion, but only the Catholic Church promulgates the tenet of transubstantiation. In this belief, the bread and wine of Communion are, through the consecration of the priest, transformed truly, and not symbolically, into the body and blood of Christ.

Transubstantiation

The concept of transubstantiation is a famously tricky one to grasp, but it is in fact the main thing that distinguishes Catholic worship from others. Only an ordained priest may consecrate the offerings of bread and wine, for the church considers a priest the direct descendant of the apostles, to whom Christ gave the authority to repeat his sacrifice. His blessing does not alter the offerings in a way evident materially, but changes them so that they now are Christ, despite accidents of appearance. For most, belief in transubstantiation is a leap of faith.

The Beginning of the Mass: Contrition, Praise and Anticipation

Surrounding the Eucharist are a series of prayers and readings. The church calendar rules the contents of the Mass, with certain bible passages occurring in conjunction with others on particular days. But in its general structure the mass remains the same throughout the year. After the priest has blessed the congregation and all participate in a ritual confession called the Act of Contrition, he leads everyone in singing or speaking the Kyrie Eleison, a short prayer of praise. Then follows a reading from the Old Testament and, if it is a Sunday or a Holy Day, another from the Acts of the Apostles. The congregation then participates in a call and response reading of one of the Psalms.

The Gospels and the Liturgy of the Eucharist

The ritual of the Mass thus far has reinforced, by Old Testament intimations of Christ's birth and death and by the miracles performed in the Acts, the significance of what is to come. With the reading of the Gospel, Christ's presence is announced. The priest delivers a homily following the Gospel, and then the part of the Mass called the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins. It consists of a series of prayers over the offerings of unleavened bread, usually in the form of pressed wafers, and wine. The kneeling for which Catholic worship is well known may begin at this point, although in some areas standing has for the most part taken its place.

Holy Communion

It is when the priest says the Eucharistic prayer that transubstantiation occurs. Before the congregation receives the host in communion, they first recite the Lord's Prayer, which requests both bread and forgiveness, and engage in a practice called the Rite of Peace. This involves shaking hands with or otherwise greeting other members; this reinforces the joy of the sharing to follow. Then the congregation lines up to receive the consecrated host and wine, though to take the wine is optional. After communion, the priest blesses the congregation and the people make their way out the door.

Obligatory Mass

Masses can occur at weddings, baptisms and other important events, but these lie outside of the Church Calendar. The Catholic Church expects its adherents to worship and receive the Eucharist on Sundays and on certain important religious holidays; taken together, these are called holy days of obligation. If a Catholic knowingly misses Mass on one of these days, he is in a state of sin, and a priest must absolve him in an Act of Reconciliation, or Confession, before he can take the Eucharist again. Commission of other serious sins makes Holy Communion similarly impossible without confession. Catholics are also not allowed to take Communion just after eating, but must fast for at least an hour before. Non-Catholics, whom the Church expects not to comprehend the presence of Christ in the offerings, are not to take Communion at any time.