Here I Am, Lord. Aaron Ametorwo
I wil especial y try to help the Priest to make the church service a worthy celebration for the greater honour and glory of God. Amen.
Meaning of KNIGHT / LADY
K: Knowledge, Kindness, Kingly, Knowing.
N: Neatness, Noble.
I: Intelligence, Inventive, Initiative.
G: Goodness, Generous, Gifted, Gentleness.
H: Holiness, Helpfulness, Humility.
T: Truthfulness, Trustworthiness, Tolerance.
L: Lenience, Lovely, Light.
A: Awareness, Alertness, Accommodative.
D: Determination, Desire.
Y: Youthfulness.
GREETING
P: At your service…
R: Lord
MOTTO
P: Fel ow Knights and Ladies… R: Learn and Serve
CHAPTER ONE
THE HOLY MASS
The word ‘Mass’ is derived from the Latin word missio, meaning ‘sending forth’. Thus at the end of each Mass we are sent to extend to al the love of God which we have received. When was the last time you
told someone of the love of God? If you can’t remember, or have not done so before, you must start right away! As a matter of fact your ministry as a Mass Server is not limited to the sanctuary and the sacristy.
You must do well to reach to all.
The Mass is a very important aspect in the lives of Catholics. It is the center of our worship of God. It is the celebration that gives us the strength we need to live a Christian life. Because of its relevance the Church places a serious obligation on al its members to take part in the Mass every Sunday and Holy
day.
This is contained in the first commandment of the Church: “You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on
Holy Days of Obligation and rest from servile labour.”
In your call to ministry as a Mass Server, you wil assist at other services, but none is as important as your service at Mass as one of the leaders of the community.
The Mass is the re-enactment of the Last Supper when Jesus instituted the Eucharist and told his
followers, ‘Do this in memory of me.’ Although the Mass is a mystery, we accept the fact that bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus Christ because he told us that this is so. Some descriptions
will help us to understand it better.
First and foremost, the Mass is a sacrifice. The idea of sacrifice to God is at the very heart of religion. The Bible tells us how Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam, offered sacrifice to God. Abraham, whom the liturgy calls ‘our father in faith’, was prepared to offer to God, his only son, Isaac. The Old Testament Jews
through their Priests, offered sacrifices of lambs and goats to God. Jesus offered his Father a sacrifice: himself. Jesus promised us that ‘when we eat this bread and drink this cup’ he would continue his great sacrifice until he comes again. The sacrifice with reference to the Mass is a non-bloody sacrifice offered on the altar. Christ, who is offered for us is referred to as the Priest and the victim, for Christ is the High Priest, as wel as the Lamb who offered to die for our sins.
The Mass is a memorial. It is an event that helps people to remember. The most important event, the one remembered at every Mass, is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We also remember through the
readings other great deeds the Lord has done for his people. In fact, Jesus, at the Last Supper said, ‘…
do this in memory of me’.
The Mass is also a sacred meal called the Eucharist (from the Greek word eucharistia, meaning
‘thanksgiving’). In the Mass we give thanks for al that God has done for us, and we al eat the same food
– ‘the bread of life and the cup of eternal salvation.’ Jesus has told us that this bread and wine are his body and blood. So in this sacred meal, we Catholics believe that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection are continued for al of us through our celebration of this holy meal, begun at the Last Supper. The way in which the Mass is celebrated has developed for about two thousand years. The early Christians cal ed it
‘the breaking of the bread.’ Despite its development, two elements have always been the same: listening to God’s word in Scripture and partaking of the consecrated bread and wine, the Eucharistic meal. Today we refer to these elements as the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The fol owing is the basic outline of the Mass, which you should learn well.
The Order of Mass
The Mass is made up as it were of the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, two
interwoven parts that form but one single act of worship. For in the Mass the table of God’s word and of Christ’s Body is laid for the people of God to receive from it instruction and spiritual food for our journey in life. Let me pause here and explain the term liturgy. Taken literally from the Greek term leiturgia, meaning “work of the people” or “the action/activity of the people”, it is meant to be a public rite that al of us take part in and share in, not only with our minds and hearts, but also with our voices and our bodies.
The liturgy being the ‘work of the people’ implies that al who are present at Mass are participants and not spectators who have come to watch what is going on.
Now let us take a walk through the individual parts of the Mass:
Introductory Rites
· Procession: Usually from the back or main entrance of the Church down the centre aisle. Usual participants: Cross bearer, Other Servers, Lector, Concelebrants, Deacon, and Priest. The order of
procession is usual y as follows:
i.
A Server with a lighted censer, if incense is used
ii.
The Servers, who, according to the occasion, carry lighted candles, and between them the cross-
bearer if the cross is to be carried.
i i.
Acolytes and other ministers
iv.
A reader, who may carry the Book of the Gospel
Where a Deacon is part of the procession he carries the Book of the Gospels.
v.
The Priest who is to celebrate the Mass.
If incense is used, the Priest puts some in the censer before the procession begins.
· Veneration of the altar and Greeting: Upon reaching the sanctuary, the main celebrant, together with other ministers make a bow or genuflection. Afterwards, the Priest(s) kiss the altar. The main celebrant then incenses the altar and introduces the Mass.
· Blessing and sprinkling holy water: This is not always done, depending on the feast and local custom.
When it is done, the Kyrie is omitted.
· Penitential Rite: This can be done in various ways.
· Kyrie (Lord, have mercy): Said or sung unless used in one of