Saints LightThe Mass, Explained
A walk through the Mass from the moment you enter the church to the final blessing: what each part means, what to do, and how the Mass is celebrated across the year and around the world.
The lessons
- What Is the Mass, Really?
The Mass is not a new sacrifice but Jesus' one sacrifice on the Cross made present on the altar. We offer ourselves with him and then receive him in Communion.
- Before Mass: What Should I Do (and Not Do)?
Arrive early and quiet, bless yourself with holy water, genuflect to the tabernacle, and follow the people around you. Only Catholics in the state of grace receive Communion; others are warmly welcome to pray or come forward for a blessing where it is the custom.
- Why Does Mass Begin the Way It Does?
Mass opens by gathering us together, admitting our sins and asking mercy, praising God with the Gloria, and praying together in the Collect, so we are ready to listen to God.
- Why These Readings? The Liturgy of the Word
At Mass God speaks to us through readings arranged in a cycle, so that over three years of Sundays we hear much of the Bible, with the Old Testament reading pointing to the Gospel.
- The Creed and the Prayer of the Faithful
In the Creed we answer God's Word with the faith of the whole Church, bowing at the Incarnation. In the Prayer of the Faithful we pray for the Church, the world and everyone in need.
- The Offertory and the Eucharistic Prayer
We bring bread, wine and our own lives to the altar. In the Eucharistic Prayer the priest calls down the Holy Spirit and speaks Christ's words, and the bread and wine become Christ, offered to the Father.
- How Do I Receive Communion?
Come to Communion in the state of grace, bow, answer Amen, and receive on the tongue or in the hand, consuming the Host at once. Then spend a few quiet minutes with the Lord you have received.
- Go Forth: The Concluding Rites and Your Week
Mass ends by blessing us and sending us out, which is where the name Mass comes from. We carry Christ, his Word and his love for the poor into the week.
- The Liturgical Year and Its Colors
The Church's year begins in Advent and walks through Christ's life, with Easter at its heart. The priest's colors tell you the season: green, violet, white, red, and sometimes rose or black.
- One Mass, Many Rites: East, Latin and the Older Form
The one Mass is celebrated in many rites and languages, East and West, old form and new. They are all the same sacrifice of the same Christ, and Catholics should treat each with charity.
Read The Mass in full
All 10 lessons of this course are in the Saints Light app, with Scripture, three questions each and your progress kept on your phone.
Every course is open free for your first 14 days. After that, one payment of $14.99 unlocks every course. There is no subscription.