1. The “Language” of our Faith
Family Group
March 18, 2019

2. Bienvenidos a nuestra sesión del Grupo de Padres esta noche
Bienvenidos a nuestra sesión del Grupo de Padres esta noche. Vamos a hablar sobre el lenguaje de la misa y sobre cómo es similar a aprender un nuevo idioma: tienes que estar expuesto al idioma y practicar, practicar y practicar. Ahora, por favor, levántese y agite su mano si quiere que le dé un regalo muy caro.

3. Welcome to our Parents Group meeting tonight
Welcome to our Parents Group meeting tonight. We are going to talk about the Language of the Mass and how it is similar to learning any new language. You have to be exposed to the language and practice, practice, practice. Now, please stand up and wave your hand if you would like to me to give you a very expensive gift.

4. Learning a new Language
Have you ever tried to learn a new language OR been in a group of people all discussing a common topic that you know nothing about?
How does that feel?
How do you react?
From that example, it is clear that it’s difficult when someone is speaking a language you don’t understand:
Even if we are not talking about learning a new language, think about a time when you were in a group of people who all had something in common that you did not share.
How does that feel – you don’t understand, can’t contribute, feel left out, etc.
How do you react? - You ‘zone out’ because you don’t know what’s going on, and
You might miss out on some very important things
You feel like an outsider

5. Learning a new language - strategies
Exposure to the language
Hear others speaking it
Immersion experiences
Non-Verbal
Watch for non-verbal cues/clues to what is happening
The priest’s hands placed over the altar, calling down the Holy Spirit
The elevation of the Precious Body and Blood at the Eucharistic Prayer
Hearing something over and over again eventually sinks in.
Think back to a time in school when you had to memorize something – state capitals, presidents of the US, etc. You studied and studied, did drills, etc..
Who here remembers sitting down and memorizing the Our Father? The Creed?
The Gloria?
If we are coming to Mass weekly, eventually these prayers become second nature. We don’t ‘study’ them like we do an academic subject.

6. The ‘Non-Verbal’ at Mass
Stand? Sit? Kneel?
STAND
Posture of Prayer – “Let us pray”
SIT
Attentiveness/Listening
KNEEL
Reverence

7. The ‘Non-Verbal’ at Mass
Kiss of the altar
Focal point of the Mass
Priest venerates the altar by kissing it
Paying homage to Christ
Sign of the Cross
Reminder of our Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
Just before the Gospel
On your forehead, mouth and chest, with your thumb
“understand the Word, share it with others, and keep it deep in our being”
Genuflecting
Why?
How?

8. Singing at Mass is Prayer, not Entertainment
The sung portions of the Mass are just as much a part of the Mass as any other.
Lead by example – teaching your children that they should participate in the singing.
Mass ends when the last verse of the recessional song ends.
No applause – the Choir/Cantor are participating in the Worship and do not expect recognition – just as we don’t clap for a particularly good homily or proclamation from the Lector.

9. Patterns of Speech Peter’s Three-fold Denial
Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault
Peter’s
Three-fold Denial
There are some things in this language that are not intuitively obvious – think about idioms in our language: “out in left field”, “early bird gets the worm”
Those who are learning English find these types of phrases very difficult to understand and predict.
The same is true for our Language of Faith – some things are important for everyone to know, and other things are revealed the more we study and the deeper we go.

10. Holy, Holy, Holy = holiest possible (superlative)
Angels cover faces; bow before God
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!” Isaiah 6:3

11. A New Vocabulary

12. SANCTUARY
From the Latin word sanctus, meaning “holy”, the Sanctuary is clearly distinguished from the rest of the church, it is raised up a little, and has the altar at its center.
The tabernacle, ambo, and presider’s chair are located there as well.
This is where the priest presides during the Mass.

13. NAVE
Comes from the Latin word “navis” (meaning ‘ship’, as in ‘navigate’).
The nave is the area in the church where everyone gathers for the celebration of the Mass, facing the sanctuary.
Every pew is focused on (steering toward) the same thing:
God in the sanctuary.

14. TABERNACLE
Any consecrated hosts remaining after Communion are stored in the tabernacle; it is typically locked to protect the precious gift of Jesus inside.

15. Where is the focus? Altar or Tabernacle?
When Mass starts, the priest enters the sanctuary and kisses the altar, signifying where Jesus will become present during Mass.
At the end of Mass, the priest kisses the altar before leaving the sanctuary, at which point our focus returns again to the tabernacle.

16. AMBO
The place in the sanctuary where the Sacred Scripture readings are read and where the Responsorial Psalm is said or sung.
“... a place that is suitable for the proclamation of the word and toward which the attention of the whole congregation of the faithful naturally turns during the Liturgy of the Word.”

17. CRUETS
Cruets are two containers – one holding water and the other holding wine.
Even if the Precious Blood is not distributed at every Mass, the priest must consecrate wine, and drink some of it, to do what Jesus did at the Last Supper.
The priest will take all or most of the wine from the wine cruet and a drop or two of water from the water cruet into the chalice, symbolizing Jesus’ divinity and our humanity. Once mixed in the chalice, the water and wine cannot be separated.

18. PATEN
The plate holding the bread that becomes the Sacred Host.

19. CIBORIUM (CIBORIA)
The sacred vessel that holds the bread that becomes the Eucharist after the words of consecration.
The ciboria (plural of ciborium) are used to distribute the Eucharist at Holy Communion.

20. CHALICE
The sacred cup that holds the wine that becomes the Precious Blood of Jesus. This is the celebrant’s chalice.
The cups used to distribute Communion to the assembly are called Communion Cups.

21. PURIFYING THE SACRED VESSELS
As Catholics, we believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in the consecrated bread and wine. Therefore, we do not take lightly what happens to anything that may remain in the sacred vessels after communion.
Consecrated hosts may be held in reserve in the tabernacle.
Consecrated wine must all be consumed during the Mass.
The sacred vessels are first rinsed with water and that water is consumed.

22. SACRARIUM
Sacraria are typically found in the sacristy of a church, and they differ from an ordinary sink in a crucial respect: Instead of draining into the local sewer system, they drain down into the earth.
Sacraria are used for a variety of purposes, including these:
To dispose of ashes from objects that have been blessed and then destroyed by fire;
To dispose of the water that has been used to wash the altar linens;
To dispose of water that has been used to dissolve small particles of the host;
To dispose of water that has been used to clean up places where the Precious Blood has spilled;
We do NOT pour the Precious Blood into the Sacraria.

23. Make a Mass Kit with your Family