History:
In mid-second century Rome, a saint describes the celebration of Baptism and then adds that all “offer prayers in common for ourselves, for him who had just been enlightened and for people everywhere” (Justin, Martyr). Justin goes on Read more
In the 1960s the choice of Gospel was switched from hearing the same Gospel readings throughout the year to a 3-year cycle. In Year A the Gospel is taken from Matthew, Year B from Mark, and Year C from Read more
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten Read more
The Hebrew “alleluia” means “praise the Lord” or “Praise God.” In the Old Testament this joyful cry appears at the beginning or end of certain psalms, which are considered to have been intended for use in the temple Read more
For centuries, the Roman liturgy used the term “epistle” (which means the ‘the letter’) to designate the reading which preceded the gospel even when this reading was not taken from the New Testament letter. Now we use it Read more
The Psalms were songs of King David and all the people of Israel. Look them up in your Bible. You will see instructions on how to sing and use them. Because they are so old we’ve lost the Read more
History
On Sundays and major feast there are always three readings. The First Reading is usually taken from the Old Testament. Texts were chosen to prepare for the gospel, following such principles as prophecy-fulfillment or continuity of themes. In Read more
Although evidence is meagre, there is a good reason to believe that a proclamation of God’s word sometimes took place in conjunction with the early celebration of the Eucharist. Apostolic letters were read out at Christmas assemblies (cf: Read more
You’ll notice the Opening Prayer of Mass, Prayers over the Gifts and Closing Prayers are linked together. They are often called the Collect (Collecta – gather together). Usually the Opening Prayer follows a common theme for the Read more
The Gloria is a joyful hymn whose content is primarily that of praising God, emphasizes the festive and special character of certain Sundays and feasts. Mozart, Beethoven and others wrote magnificent settings for this.
General Instuction of the Read more