Preparing for Mass is an important step! Preparing for Mass helps us focus better and enter more deeply into the prayers.

1. Look up the readings prior to Mass at www.usccb.org. Read them, reflect on them and pray with them. This can be done at any point during the week leading up to Mass.
2. Fast an hour before Communion.  This means that we should stop eating and drinking 20-30 minutes before Mass begins (Canon Law 919).
3. Try to arrive a few minutes early to quiet your heart and mind and pray. Thank God, surrender your struggles, and share your petitions for the Mass in prayer.

-Long ago baptisms took place outside, usually in a river.  When Christian persecution began it wasn’t safe to baptize outside, so Christians began celebrating baptisms inside.

-Most baptismal fonts have 8 sides because Jesus rose from the dead on the 8th day according to the Jewish calendar.

-It is tradition to bless yourself with holy water when entering a church as a reminder of your baptism.

-“Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4

 

The act of genuflecting on one knee comes from court etiquette and was done while in the presence of a medieval king or noble. It was a sign of respect as well as a pledge of service.

Christians adopted this custom over time, and it became fully integrated into the liturgy of the Roman Rite by the 16th century. The left knee was always used to give reverence to a king, so Christians began genuflecting in church to God on the right knee.

We genuflect towards the tabernacle as a sign of reverence, acknowledging that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.

The only day we do not genuflect is on Good Friday, when the tabernacle is empty.

-The main aisle of the Church represents our journey to heaven.

-The steps going up to the altar represent a journey upward (to Heaven), just as people encountered God on a mountain throughout Scripture. At Mass we encounter God in the priest, in the Word, in the Eucharist, and in each other.

-The procession at the beginning of Mass represents the fact that we are a pilgrim Church on a journey to Heaven, our true home.

-In the entrance procession the priest is lead by the crucifix, which faces away from him towards the altar signifying that we don’t always see Jesus but we know he is there, leading us back to the Father.

-During the offertory procession, people process gifts up to the priest as a symbol of offering back to God what He has blessed us with.

-During the Communion procession we come up the main aisle to receive a foretaste of Heaven in the Eucharist.

-During the Recessional (end of Mass), The crucifix faces the people, representing Christ leading us out to proclaim the Good News that we just heard in the Gospel.

-Every altar in a Catholic Church is consecrated. The Bishop consecrates the altar in a special Mass, first blessing it with Holy Water, then anointing the altar with Chrism oil, then incensing it. The smoke from the incense symbolizes our prayers rising to heaven. Next, a white cloth is put on top of the altar, which symbolizes a new creation, just as an infant wears white at baptism and becomes a new creation in Christ. Then the altar is surrounded with candles, which symbolize that Jesus is the light of the world, and lastly the Bishop celebrates the Eucharist on the altar, which is now considered a permanent symbol of the presence of Christ.

-Regardless of what liturgical season we are in the white cloth always remains on the top of the altar.

-Just as we genuflect towards the tabernacle to acknowledge Christ’s presence, we should bow to the altar, the place of sacrifice and symbol of Christ.

-The church recommends that relics of Saints be placed in the altar as a reminder of all who have gone before us and given their lives for Christ.

-The only items that should be placed on the altar are a crucifix, candles, missal, and vessels for the Eucharistic celebration.

As the priest prepares to celebrate Mass, the first vestment he puts on is called an alb. The alb reminds us of the new and immaculate clothing that every Christian has received through Baptism. The alb is a symbol of the sanctifying grace received in the first sacrament and is also considered to be a symbol of the purity of heart that is necessary to enter into the joy of the eternal vision of God in heaven. It symbolizes the garment in which Christ was clothed by Herod and the purity of the soul with which the Sacrifice of the Mass should be offered. As the priest puts the alb on he prays, ”Make me white O Lord and cleanse my heart that, made white by the Blood of the Lamb, I may be able to serve Thee.”

The ciborium and chalice are sacred vessels that are used to hold the precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus.                                                                                         Sacred vessels are to be made from precious metal like silver or gold . If they are made from metal that rusts or from a metal less precious than gold, then ordinarily they should be gilded on the inside” (General Instruction for the Roman Missal, 328).                                                                It is a tradition in the United States that when a priest is ordained his family or friends gift him with his own chalice. Often times they will engrave the priest’s name and ordination year or a special message on the bottom of the chalice.

The Gloria is sung during Mass on Sundays after the Penitential Rite.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will,” (Luke 2:14) is an ancient hymn of praise, echoing the song of the angels at Bethlehem proclaiming Jesus’ birth.  Having asked for God’s forgiveness, now we praise Him for His goodness.

The Gloria is omitted during Advent as a reminder we are waiting for Jesus to come, so we hold off doing anything joyful until His birth; and it is also omitted during Lent because we are suffering with Christ for our sins until the joy of His resurrection.

Source: https://www.stedwardisidore.org/blog/ss-edward-isidore-blog/explanation-of-the-mass-introductory-rites-gloria-collect

The collect is the last part of the Introductory Rite of the Mass. It “collects” all the prayers of those present. This is when you silently share with God your intention for the Mass.

The collect invites people to pray in silence for a moment, and then offers a prayer to God that is drawn from the readings or feast of the day, or the purpose for which the Mass is being offered.

The structure of the collect first addresses God, generally the Father. Next, there is a clause referring to some attribute of God or one one His saving acts followed by a petition. Then the reason for the petition or desired result is stated, followed by the conclusion; which is a Trinitarian prayer addressed to the Father, through the Son, in unity with the Holy Spirit.

Some collects were written by Church Fathers.

“Ambo” in Greek means elevated or raise area. The Ambo is used for proclaiming the Word of God. There are many Scripture passages where people go up a mountain to meet God. At Mass we meet God in the Word with is proclaimed from an elevated area.
On the front of the ambo are the symbols for the four Gospel writers.
In the early Church, the “four living creatures” that encircle God’s throne in the Book of Revelation (4:7-8) became symbols for the evangelists. These symbols are also described by the prophet Ezekiel (1:5, 6 & 10).
The Gospel of Matthew begins with the Incarnation, so his symbol is a man (or an angel). Mark begins his Gospel with John the Baptist whose “voice crying out in the wilderness” was as solitary and powerful as a lion’s roar. Luke stressed the theme of sacrifice, so the

figure of the ox was associated with him. And John’s Gospel, according to St. Jerome, achieved spiritual heights and therefore soared like an eagle.

The Gospel Acclamation begins with Alleluia first sung by the cantor/choir, repeated by everyone, a verse from scripture sung by the cantor/choir and a final Alleluia sung by all. The scripture verse is foretelling of the Gospel that will be read. It clues us in to the theme and points out God’s goodness in the upcoming Gospel.

Alleluia is Hebrew for “Praise Yahweh or “Praise the Lord.” As we sing we join the heavenly worship of the choir of angels.

We do not sing Alleluia during Lent so that we can focus on our sins and repent. Refraining from singing and saying Alleluia during Lent also helps us appreciate the meaning of the word. When we sing it for the first time in forty days on Easter Sunday as we rejoice in the Resurrection, it means so much more.





 

If a deacon is going to proclaim the Gospel, the priest will give him a blessing where he recites the
following prayer, 
"May the Lord be in your heart and on your lips, that you may proclaim his Gospel
worthily and well, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

When the priest is the one to proclaim the Gospel, he prays these words silently,
"Cleanse my heart
and my lips, almighty God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel."

The laity (all who are not ordained), are invited to make a similar prayer and gesture before the
Gospel is read; "May the Word of the Lord be on my mind, on my lips, and in my heart," as we make
the sign of the cross on our forehead, lips, and over our heart.

This beautiful action has deep biblical roots. For example, God explains to the people of Israel to recite a particular phrase ("Hear, O Israel ...") on a daily basis, but also to put that phrase "as a pendant on your forehead" (Deuteronomy 6:8). Many Jews took that literally and placed a small scroll on their forehead. It was a visible reminder to keep the Word of God alwavs on their mind.
The prayer is also reminiscent of how the prophet Isaiah received a vision where an angel purified his lips with a burning coal (see Isaiah 6).