The Introductory Rites - Part 12
Part twelve of a series I'm writing for inclusion in the weekly Parish Bullet of St Francis of Assisi Parish, Dungog Gresford - this is the last instalment of the series
As we have seen over the course of this particular series on the Introductory Rites, there is much to be considered about this aspect of our liturgical celebrations.
Although not one of the primary divisions of our celebration of Mass – that honour jointly belongs to the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist – the Introductory Rites play a vital role in our liturgies, as outlined in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal itself:
“…to ensure that the faithful, who come together as one, establish communion and dispose themselves properly to listen to the Word of God and to celebrate the Eucharist worthily.” (n.46)
The Introductory Rites are thus not some mere ornamental precursor to the ‘main event’; they are necessary to ensure the primary parts of what we celebrate can be celebrated worthily and well.
For this reason alone, great care should be taken to ensure that the Introductory Rites are able to be celebrated well and that their inherent structure is not ignored or interfered with out of some misguided ‘pastoral sense’.
There are some obvious exceptions to this, of course, but these are outlined in other ritual books and should be the only time the standard pattern of the Introductory Rites is amended.
This care of and for the Introductory Rites should also extend to the manner in which they are enacted. Their importance requires that they be celebrated well and with the level of solemnity required by the occasion, rather than becoming pedestrian in nature.
Celebrating the Introductory Rites with the kind of solemnity their nature calls for ensures that they are able to achieve their purpose and permit those liturgical acts which follow them to be all that they are meant to be.
It is hoped that this brief journey across the various elements of the Introductory Rites has been of some help to readers and might assist develop a greater appreciation of what is being celebrated when the Church gathers and begins our liturgy.
Fine!
Editor’s note: While this particular series has now come to an end, there will be more to follow. After a short break for the Christmas-New Year period, the series will return to cover the other shorter part of the liturgical structure of the Mass, i.e., the Concluding Rites.
Stay tuned for the next series starting in a few weeks’ time.