Introductory Rites Help Prepare Us For Worship During Mass
The Introductory Rites (Entrance Song, Greeting, Penitential Act, Kyrie, Glory to God in the Highest, and Collect) precede the Liturgy of the Word. These Rites provide a beginning, an introduction and a preparation for our worship (GI46).
The new Roman Missal of 2011 explains that “when the people are gathered, and as the Priest enters with the Deacon and ministers, the Entrance Chant begins. Its purpose is to open the celebration, foster the unity of those who have been gathered, introduce their thoughts to the mystery of the liturgical feast, and accompany the procession of the Priest and ministers” (GI47). Reflect a moment on the expression “foster the unity of those who have been gathered.” Although each person makes the decision whether or not to participate in the Sunday Mass, we must always remember that God is the One gathering us together. Our presence is a response to God’s inspiration helping us realize the great communion with God and one another we are now part of. We need always to be attentive to God’s inspiration when we would rather do something other than worship God with the community on Sunday.
Imagine being in a Roman Church in Christianity’s earliest days. The vesting room for the clergy was near the church’s front door. The clergy’s entrance and procession (along with the bishop, until the church spread into the countryside) was an action of great significance. To enhance the clergy’s entrance, the schola (small choir) would sing the entrance chant or “Introit,” whose verses were from the psalms, emphasizing the meaning of the feast. In my young days, when the priest’s vesting room was located next to the sanctuary near the altar, at most Masses (other than the high Mass), there was no need of an entrance chant since only one priest entered to celebrate Mass without a great procession. Once the priest arrived at the altar, he recited the introit psalm verse in silence.
In today’s renewed liturgy, with the procession once more restored, we usually sing a hymn emphasizing the meaning of the feast as the priest, deacon and ministers process from the main entrance of the church to the altar. This music is not meant to continue only until the priest and ministers arrive in the sanctuary because the music is also meant to prepare us for worship. The song is now usually sung by the entire community as we share our gifts with one another. Singing together is a communal action. The late Father Deering, who was the Liturgical Director in our diocese for many years, would often say (jokingly, yet seriously), if you sing like a canary or a crow, sing anyway and make God listen to you!! Our entrance procession reminds us that we are on a journey of faith. We are moving through this world to the life of heaven, already prefigured here in our worship as we gather around the Lord’s Table as one Body [not yet around the throne of God and the Lamb (Revelation)].
Arriving near or in the sanctuary, the priest, deacon and other ministers make a profound bow to the altar as a sign of reverence to the Lord’s Table where we will soon celebrate Christ’s giving of himself as our Food for everlasting life. Next week we will look at the historical development of venerating the altar with a kiss.
(Note: the historical information is from The Mass of the Roman Rite by Rev. Josef Jungmann, S.J., who taught sacramental theology at the University of Innsbruck where many of our priests were privileged to learn from him. Fr. Jungmann’s insights helped shape the liturgy of Vatican II.)
