In the Mass today, we have such large congregations gathered together, that it’s not entirely practical to have a piece of bread large enough for everyone to share. We believe, though, that God’s power transcends the fact that we don’t all eat from the same “large piece” of bread, and that we spiritually partake of the one bread that St. Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 10:17: “Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” So don’t go nuts…I’m sure God’s happy enough for having so many people wanting to have a relationship with him by attending Mass that it doesn’t much bother him that we each have our own, individual pieces of bread that have been consecrated and have had their substance changed to the Body of Christ. It’s just one of those practical things we’ve evolved to over time.
After breaking the bread (Body of Christ), the priest then breaks off an even smaller piece that he places into the chalice of the Blood of Christ to show the unity of the sacrifice of Jesus’ Body and the Blood. And speaking of the sacrifice of Jesus, while this Fraction of the Bread is going on, we all sing (or recite together, if there’s no music at the Mass) the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) supplication (which is a fancy word for a humble prayer to God). It goes like this:
Everyone says together:
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
The “…have mercy on us” line is said at least twice, but can be repeated as many times as necessary (but be reasonable about it) to give ample time for the fraction rite. The “…grant us peace” line is said only once, and is said at the end of the supplication. Why three times with the third time having a different ending? I’d love an answer if anyone has one (and preferably a source of your information, too).
Now, I want to note here, that this is one of those times you may look around and see people inserting their own little gesture of making a fist and beating their chests. They don’t have something caught in their throat that they’re trying to dislodge, they’re crossing into “rubrics” territory. Rubrics are the little directions in the Sacramentary (soon to be the Roman Missal) that give the priest directions as to what to DO while he’s saying the things it tells him to say. The word rubrics comes from the Latin ruber, meaning “red,” and directly refers to the color of the words in the book…not very creative, I know, but true. Anyway, the rubrics here call for the priest to “strike his breast”—meaning make a fist and hit the chest—while saying, “Have mercy on us,” and, “Grant us peace.” Over time, people in the congregation noticed and figured they should do it, too, and it just spread and stuck over time. Nowhere does it say, however, that the congregation needs to do this, and we need to remember that we shouldn’t mindlessly add our own little nuances to the Mass wherever we feel like it—ESPECIALLY if our only reason for doing it is that “everyone else does it.”
After the Agnus Dei, you might notice that the priest stays quiet for a moment. He’s not just taking a break; he’s praying a silent prayer that prepares him to receive the Eucharist. That prayer goes like this:
Current Text:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, by the will of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit your death brought life to the world. By your holy body and blood free me from all my sins and from every evil. Keep me faithful to your teaching and never let me be parted from you.
Beginning Advent 2011:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who by the will of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit, through your death gave life to the world; free me by this your most holy Body and Blood from all my sins and from every evil; keep me always faithful to your commandments, and never let me be parted from you.
OR
Current Text:
Lord Jesus Christ, with faith in your love and mercy I eat your body and drink your blood. Let it not bring me condemnation, but health in mind and body.
Beginning Advent 2011:
May the receiving of your Body and Blood, Lord Jesus Christ, not bring me to judgment and condemnation, but through your loving mercy be for me protection in mind and body, and a healing remedy.
Don’t you just love those little tidbits you don’t catch at Mass being brought to light? But we’re about to cross over from the Fraction of the Bread to the Communion Rite, so we’ll stop here (even though we sort of already did cross over with the Priest’s preparation for Communion). Be back next time with the Communion Rite.
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