Grassroots Liturgist

What, I wonder, are your thoughts when you hear the words of the Dismissal at the end of our celebration of holy Mass?   I am not sure that I even dare articulate some possibilities!! There are four options for the Dismissal that the priest or deacon may use.   The first is, “Go forth, the Mass is ended.”   The word ‘forth’ here is important; this is not the cry of a weary landlord, pleading with his customers to ‘Go! Go anywhere, but just get out!’   The use of ‘forth’ turns ‘go’ into something intentional, something purposeful. The next two options were explicitly added to the Missal by Pope Benedict XVI after the Synod on ‘The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.’   They were added so that the connection between liturgy and daily life would be more evident – they give us a greater insight into the meaning and purpose of the Dismissal:   “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord,” or “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” ...

“I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.”   Have you noticed that the word catholic in the Creed does not have a capital letter?   Have you wondered why not? It’s because ‘catholic’ is being used as an adjective, not a proper noun.   From the early to mid-2 nd Century, when the Church was still in its infancy, the Church Fathers described the church as catholic in the sense of ‘throughout the whole’ or ‘universal.’   So, the Church and the Good News that it teaches is not for a select few from certain countries or demographics, but for every single person in the world.   Our Lord said, “I will build my church” – not ‘churches’ (Mt 16:18).   His vision is that all are in communion in one faith; that we are united in faith with fellow believers that we will never meet.   The next mark of the Church articulates one way in which we are to be united – apostolic .   The birthday of the Church is Pentecost, the day when, fill...