Grassroots Liturgist

“There follows the Rite of Peace, by which the Church entreats peace and unity for herself and for the whole human family, and the faithful express to each other their ecclesial communion and mutual charity before communicating in the Sacrament.” (CCC 82) What do you make of the Sign of Peace?   What are your feelings when you exchange the Sign of Peace during mass?   What is going on in your heart and in your mind?   Is it just a little light relief from the drama of the Mass unfolding before you?   A chance to greet others or to catch the eye of someone that you haven’t seen for a while? The early Christians exchanged peace during their celebration of the Eucharist, but the practice fell out of use until after the Second Vatican Council. Let’s explore a little what is behind this ancient symbolic act in the holy Mass. Christian peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but rather the unity of spirit and of and purpose under God.   A unity of love f...

Do you ever mentally switch off during the Homily? Perhaps my favourite Resurrection appearance is when two of Jesus’ disciples were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. (Luke 24:13-35)   They were both deeply disconsolate and confused: they had followed Jesus, seen the power of God in his words and deeds, and had hoped that he was the one who would redeem Israel.   But then, they witnessed his crucifixion and death – all their hopes and dreams were dashed and the very foundation of their understanding of the world was taken from under their feet.   To make matters worse, Jesus’ body was now missing from the tomb and there were rumours that was alive. Then Jesus walked with them, though they didn’t recognise him.   As they walked, he went through the Old Testament, explaining to them all that was relevant to him as the promised Messiah.   He clearly had their full attention, because later they commented, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked wi...

The Estonian people love their choral singing, at least as much as the Welsh do.   And, if you were to meet anyone from Estonia, they would tell you how they literally sang their way to independence through the ‘singing revolution’ of the 1980s.    This singing both expressed the unity of the people and, at the same time, helped to build up, to strengthen that unity.   And this unity of identity, as Estonians, kept them strong and resilient during the years of Soviet oppression. This bears repeating: their singing both expressed the unity that they already shared, and it promoted and fortified that unity. In some ways, this echoes our experience of Holy Mass. At the beginning of the Mass, the bell is rung, we stand for the Entrance Procession…..and we sing! The purpose of this Entrance Song (usually a hymn, though this is a relatively recent practice) “is to open the celebration, foster the unity of those who have been gathered, introduce their thoughts to ...

I  previously mentioned my experiences of the Sign on Peace at youth Masses back in the early/mid-80s.  Although the days of raucously singing "Let there be peace shared among us" have long-since (mercifully) gone, it is still a part of the Mass that I don't feel we quite get right.  Too often it becomes little more than a "good morning" - a chance for limited social interaction.  Indeed, the sound of brief conversation can sometimes be caught. What is it that we should be doing here? The General Instruction tells us that in the Rite of Peace "...the Church entreats peace and unity for herself and for the whole human family, and the faithful express to each other their ecclesial communion and mutual charity before communicating in the Sacrament." (GIRM 82)  So, in the Sign of Peace we are recognising the union, fellowship, love and dignity that we share as members of the Church.  Our faith is not a 'private love affair' between ourselves a...

One thing that I try to keep to the front of my considerations when planning liturgy is to remember that the music must serve the Mass - the Mass is not there as a vehicle for the music.  To this end it is so important that we understand the Mass more and more - through both study and prayerful participation - so that our music is sensitive to the ebb and flow of what is happening during the Mass. Back in the day, when attending yoof Masses, the "Sign of Peace" was often followed by "Let there be peace shared among us".  It was always sung enthusiastically but (and leaving aside the fact that there is no provision for this in the General Instruction to the Roman Missal) it was a rude interruption on what is a very solemn part of the Mass.  It just doesn't fit!  Immediately following this lively rendition we were expected to behold, in prayerful wonder, the Lamb of God in the Blessed Sacrament.  As human beings we cannot go from such exuberance to such wondrous...