Saints LightWhy 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.
What this lesson teaches
- The Introductory Rites gather us into one people ready to hear God's Word.
- The priest kisses the altar because it is a sign of Christ, who presides invisibly at every Mass.
- The Penitential Act and Kyrie ask God's mercy but do not replace Confession for serious sin.
- The Gloria is omitted in Advent and Lent, and the Collect gathers everyone's silent prayers into one.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 1088
- CCC 1346
- CCC 1348
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: Matthew 18:20; Luke 2:14; Psalm 50:3 (51:1 in most modern Bibles).
A sample question from this lesson
Why does the priest kiss the altar at the start of Mass?
- It is a sign of affection for his parish
- The altar is a sign of Christ himself
- To check that the altar cloth is clean
- Because relics are always kept under every altar
Show the answer
The altar is a sign of Christ himself. The lesson explains the altar represents Christ, who presides invisibly at every Mass (CCC 1348).
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Collect
- The opening prayer of Mass, which gathers the silent prayers of the people into one.
- Kyrie
- From the Greek Kyrie eleison, Lord, have mercy, an ancient cry for mercy at the start of Mass.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"Why Does Mass Begin the Way It Does?" is lesson 3 of The Mass, Explained. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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