From the Pastor’s Desk:

From the Pastor’s Desk::

Continuing from last week, we move from the Liturgy of the Word to the Liturgy of the Eucharist as the offering of the people (bread,

wine & money) is brought to the altar. The money is important, needed to pay the bills, but it is to be placed off to the side as what

is about to take place at the altar is the center of our Catholic Worship.

The altar is prepared with the bread and wine and the Preface is prayed or chanted by the priest. It is the pre prayer before the

Eucharistic Prayer. The words of consecration with the proclamation of faith follows. As I was taught in graduate studies, the mass is

a living memorial as we join the saints and angels in prayer at the altar and the Eucharist Prayer concludes with the Great Amen.

The three prayers surrounding the Eucharistic Prayer: The Holy, Holy, Holy, the Our Father, and the Lamb of God all come from

scripture as we celebrate our living God through Salvation History. The receiving of the Body and Blood of Christ places us at the

Eucharistic Table of the Last Supper.

The Mass closes with the final prayer, blessing and procession forth to live what we have just celebrated. The Gospel Book is not

carried out in procession, because we carry forth the word of God and live it in our daily lives as an example for all.

Our mass today is much like the mass of the early church. It is a mass celebrated by the priest surrounded by the faithful responding

in their common everyday language. I pray that our church does not go back to the day when the mass was the prayer of the clergy

and people mere spectators. That was not the mass of the early church.

The Mass allows each parish to take on some of the traditions of the people of that community. Over time, some of the parish

traditions changed or dropped by the side as new pastors and lay leaders come forth into leadership. However, the Mass structure,

prayers and readings are always the same, coming from the Roman Missal and the Lectionary.

If you are interested in helping with one of our liturgical ministries as a eucharistic minister or a Lector, please contact me at 417-831-

3565 ext 102 or lhejna@sta-cathedral.org