The congregation stands for the closing rites of the Mass, which mirrors how the Mass began with the words “The Lord be with you” and the sign of the cross. This time the sign of the cross is made while the priest blesses the people in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The priest now says, “Go forth, the Mass is ended.” This is not an aimless dismissal. It is a dismissal with a mission, sending us forth as God’s people to bring the mysteries of Christ into the world.

The apex of the Mass is Holy Communion. Pope St. John Paul II described Holy Communion as the culmination of the Liturgy, an intimate union with our divine Bridegroom, Jesus, in the Eucharist. This is when we partake of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, our savior.

The next part of the Mass is the Agnus Dei, which is Latin for “Lamb of God.” It is actually three rituals: the breaking of the bread, the commingling of the Body and Blood of Christ, and the reciting of the prayer “Lamb of God.”

At this point, the priest recalls Jesus’ words to the apostles at the Last Supper, when he says, “Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your apostles, peace I leave you, my peace I give you…” Christ offers us a deeper, longer lasting peace — one that the world cannot give.

The Lord’s Prayer was taught by Jesus himself as recorded in the gospels of both Matthew and Luke. It has been used in the Mass throughout the centuries and has traditionally been divided into seven petitions.

The next prayer in Mass is called the anamnesis (a nam ne ses) or memorial. It refers to a prayer which identifies what is happening in the Mass and allows us time to ponder it in our hearts. The anamnesis serves as the basis for a second prayer known as the “offering.” This prayer reflects the awesome privilege we have of offering, in the Mass, what Jesus offered on Good Friday. As the Eucharistic Prayers near their conclusion, the priest makes various intercessions. Finally, the Eucharistic Prayers end with a final doxology which is an expression of praise known as “The great Amen.”

These words, “The mystery of faith,” express the priest’s profound wonder and awe over the mystery that is taking place. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whose body and blood were offered for our sins on Calvary, is now really present on the altar under the appearance of bread and wine.

The words of Institution and Consecration over the bread and wine are the highlight of our Mass. We have the opportunity to enter sacramentally into Jesus’ loving gift of himself to the Father. The words that the priest speaks over the bread and wine are directly related to the words of Jesus at the Last Supper.

We now come to a prayer called the Epiclesis which is the blessing over the cup. In this prayer, the priest prays that the Father send the Holy Spirit so that the gifts of bread and wine may be changed into the body and blood of Christ.

The Sanctus is the prayer we are probably more familiar with as the prayer, “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of hosts.” This prayer is designed to help us to see with the eyes of the angels just what is really happening in the Eucharistic liturgy.

The Preface is a prayer which is the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayers and is a three-part dialogue recited in the Church since at least the third century.

It was a common practice in the ancient world to dilute the wine with a bit of water. In the traditional interpretation of this practice, the wine symbolizes Christ’s divinity and the water symbolizes our humanity. Next, the priest washes his hands in a gesture that signals a dramatic event is about to take place. Soon after these prayers, the gift of the bread and wine will be changed into Christ’s very body and blood. Finally, in one last act of preparation, the priest turns to the people, begging them for prayers, as he is about to begin the Eucharist Prayer.

We begin the Liturgy of the Eucharist with what at one time was called the Offertory. The priest and people prepare for the Eucharistic Prayer which makes present Christ’s body and blood and his redeeming sacrifice. The altar is prepared and gifts of bread and wine are presented. This part of the Mass symbolizes a personal giving of one’s self to God.

At this point in Mass, we respond with the heart and mind of Jesus by praying for the needs of the Church and the world. We pray for those experiencing various needs, for those in authority, and for the salvation of all people.

The Creed is a summary statement of the faith used in the early church as a rule or standard for Christian belief. The Creed is not itself from Scripture but it summarizes the story of Scripture.

From the earliest days of Christian liturgy, the Word of God was not read on its own. It was accompanied by a homily explaining the meaning of the Scriptural readings and how they relate to people’s lives. Homily means “explanation” in Greek.

The liturgy shows special reverence to the Gospel. For this particular reading, the priest or deacon and we, the congregation, do things that we did not do for the other readings from Scripture.

The Second Reading comes from the New Testament: one of the epistles, the Acts of the Apostles, or the book of Revelation. The Second Reading is often selected independently of the first reading and the Gospel.

The Responsorial Psalm follows the first reading. After hearing God’s word proclaimed in the first reading, we respond next, not with our own meager, human words, but with God’s own inspired words of praise and thanksgiving from the book of Psalms.

The First Reading is the beginning of the Liturgy of the Word. The Lord uses the lector as the instrument through whom he proclaims his Word to the people. Think of this as the lector lending God his human voice so that God’s words can be spoken to us at Mass.