We Got to Pray Just to Make it Today

Quick recap of the Introductory Rites so far:

The Entrance

The Greeting of the Altar & the People

The Penitential Rite (Act of Penitence)

The Gloria

Rounding out the Introductory Rites, we now come to the Collect (pronounced KAHL-ehkt).  This is the point where the priest invites the congregation to pray.  He does this by saying, “Let us pray” (complicated, I know…).  There is a brief moment of silence for everyone to remind themselves that they are in the presence of God.  Then the priest reads the prayer from the Sacramentary (which will be called the Roman Missal beginning in Advent 2011) for that day’s Mass. For weekday Masses, there is only one prayer, but on Sundays, there are two options to choose from.  Unfortunately, I cannot find the purpose as to why there are two options, rather than one universal option, but my best guess (let me say that again: this is MY guess, and not necessarily theological fact) is that there are two slightly different themes presented in the two prayer options, and the priest celebrant is able to choose which theme might best fit with the direction his homily will take.  Again, that’s just my thinking, and if any priests (or other people more well-educated than I) out there are reading this and know the answer, please don’t hesitate to explain it in the comment section below.

The Collect is usually addressed to God the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, and is concluded with a Trinitarian ending (“Trinitarian” referring to the “Trinity,” or three persons of the one God, which I’ll attempt to explain in a later post, but will most likely fail miserably at, since the concept of the Trinity has thoroughly baffled theologians for centuries now). So the Collect will end up looking something like this:

Father, (Addressing God the Father)

Guide and protector of your people,

Grant us an unfailing respect for your name,

And keep us always in your love. (General prayer of the congregation)

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son (through Christ)

Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, (in the Holy Spirit)

One God forever and ever. (Trinitarian ending)

Then the people respond: Amen.

This concludes the Introductory Rites, which are meant to ensure that the faithful who come together as one establish a communal connection and prepare themselves to hear the Word of God in the scripture readings in order to be better prepared to receive the Eucharist.

In our next post we’ll move into the second part of the Mass, which is known as the Liturgy of the Word.  This is where we encounter the Biblical readings, the homily, the Profession of Faith, and the Prayers of the Faithful.

Until then, keep praying, keep asking questions, and keep learning.