To n. 279. - Appendix IV. Historical-Liturgical Appendix on the Sacrifice of the Mass

Although principally it is sacrifice and communion, nevertheless the Mass is not only this. For the Mass (the Mass itself, and not merely the external ceremonies, as someone might say) consists also of mutual salutations (Dominus vobiscum. Et cum spiritu tuo, etc.), exhortations (Oremus, Sursum corda, etc.), lessons (epistle, Gospel, etc.), hymns and canticles (introit, Gloria in excelsis, gradual, etc.), and very diverse prayers (collects, the eucharistic prayer, that is, the canon with its preface, the Lord's Prayer, etc.). Whence the Mass, if it is taken integrally, appears as the solemn rite of those assemblies by which the faithful of the Church are gathered, of which the divine sacrifice itself is only a part, yet the principal part.

According to the varied degree of solemnity, there is distinguished the papal Mass, pontifical Mass, solemn Mass, and low Mass. From the papal Mass, especially as it was celebrated in ancient times, the others arose, which therefore must be explained from it. Thus many things in low Mass are explained by this: that the celebrant by himself alone is accustomed, according to his powers, to do and sing all those things which in solemn Mass are sung or done either by the celebrant, or by the sacred ministers, or by the choir. Why, for example, must the priest hold the book while he reads the Epistle, but not while he reads the Gospel, except because the subdeacon reading the Epistle, but not the deacon singing the Gospel, holds the book in solemn Mass? Why, when the lessons or parts to be sung by the choir are recited by the priest, must the book be placed at the corner of the altar? Why, while saying Munda cor meum, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, does he not impose hands on the altar, except because these did not originally pertain to the ministry of the priest in solemn Mass? But that now he recites the same things in a low voice even in solemn Mass proceeds from this, that the solemn Mass itself has again been somewhat changed by the very rite of low Mass.

To solemn Mass also (or at least sung Mass) and conventual Mass, which is part of the choral office and of itself must always be sung, private Mass is opposed.

But since all Masses contain the same sacrifice, are offered equally in the name of the whole Church, and at the same time can be offered by special offerers; and since private Masses themselves are not rarely read before a frequent assembly of the faithful, imitate solemn Masses by their rite, and historically have gradually flowed from the use of those Masses, we shall more truly deny that private Masses are of a different nature from solemn ones, so that all Masses are to be called formally or virtually public. Wherefore the exterior participation of the people (which nevertheless sometimes, on account of circumstances, will not be expedient) seems more congruent with the nature even of private Mass.

Every Mass is divided into two continuous parts. The former is brought to the end of the Gospel or Creed; the latter is led from the following Dominus vobiscum all the way to the end. The former consists of lessons and chants; the latter of the oblation (offertory) and consecration of the gifts, besides communion with thanksgiving. The former is didactic, the latter sacramental. The former is called the Mass of the catechumens, the latter the Mass of the faithful, because even catechumens could be present at the former, but only the faithful at the latter. Hence perhaps moralists did not judge the former part, if omitted by the faithful on a feast day, to be a grave sin.

The Ordinary is called the whole structure of the Mass with the parts common to all Masses, excluding those things which vary with the various feasts.

How it has varied, while being substantially the same, we shall sketch in a few words.

From the first beginnings up to the reform of Pius V (a. 1570), five ages must be distinguished in the formation of the Mass.

1. Before the peace of the Church, i.e., in the first, second, and third centuries, the affinity between the Eastern liturgies and the Roman seems to have been much stricter than today; not only did the whole structure consist of the same principal parts, but the principal prayers and rites were the same; the same arguments of prayers were developed in the same way, indeed sometimes in the same words.

In the Roman church already in the second century (in other churches, at least in the fifth century) the Mass of the catechumens and the Mass of the faithful were joined, although perhaps in the beginning they had been separated. For it is probable enough that the Mass of the catechumens arose from the rite observed in the sabbatical assemblies of the synagogues, and soon used by Christians in solemn vigils and in the assemblies which they had on individual Sundays before light. On the contrary, the Mass of the faithful seems to be the exemplar of the Last Supper celebrated by Christ and of the eucharistic institution. These were the principal parts of the Mass of the catechumens: the entrance of the celebrant to the altar; his salutation to the people; lessons from the epistles of St. Paul and of the other Apostles and Fathers; the chant of psalms; litanic prayers (such as are made today in that part of the litany of all Saints in which the response is Libera nos Domine or Te rogamus audi nos); the dismissal of the catechumens. But in the Mass of the faithful: the oblation of gifts made by the faithful, i.e., of bread, wine, and water and of other things, which immediately after the canon were blessed at the words per quem haec omnia; solemn prayers (almost as today in the Mass of Friday in Parasceve); the eucharistic prayer with its preface; within this prayer, the "sanctification" or consecration of the bread and wine with water into the body and blood of Christ, effected through the narration of the institution (Qui pridie); then the commemoration of the passion of the Lord and of his resurrection and ascension (Unde et memores); the calling forth of the Holy Spirit or of the Word upon the consecrated oblations (Supplices te rogamus)⁽¹⁾; intercession for the living and the dead; the solemn elevation of both species; after the eucharistic prayer had been recited, the rite of fraction and commixture; the chant of the Lord's Prayer; the kiss of peace; communion of the celebrant and ministers and of the whole clergy and people; the prayer of thanksgiving; the dismissal of the faithful proclaimed by the deacon.

⁽¹⁾ Epiclesis is called an invocation by which the Holy Spirit, or even the Word, is suppliantly entreated that he descend upon the offerings and transmute them into the body and blood of Christ. That there was once in the Roman Canon an epiclesis of the true name is denied by some.

2. From the beginning of the fourth century to the year 600, the history of the liturgy is more obscure, and there is no document by which we have an integral description of the Mass. In this age the canon of the Mass was reduced to its present form. Besides, the order of the whole Mass was completed by the chant of psalms and antiphons at the introit, at the offertory, and at communion. But the gradual chant and alleluia after the Epistle seem to be more ancient. The hymn Gloria in excelsis (a Greek morning hymn translated into Latin by St. Hilary (?)) began to be sung in certain Masses. From the fifth century two lessons were read; whether already before this there were two alone or more is in controversy. The prayers at the beginning of the Mass of the faithful fell into desuetude. A trace of them subsists in the word Oremus, which today is said before the offertory.

3. In the seventh century and the following centuries up to the middle of the eleventh, because of the great number of liturgical books and treatises, the liturgy is much better known. In the first part of the ninth century these were the solemnities of Masses. At the entrance of the celebrant an antiphon was sung by the choir, then immediately Kyrie eleison was recited by the clergy (a vestige of the ancient litanies). Gloria in excelsis was sung much more often. The people having been greeted with these words, Pax vobiscum (in place of today's salutation Dominus vobiscum), the celebrant sang the collect, which the people concluded with the word Amen. Then the lector read the canonical lesson; the cantor sang the gradual and alleluia. Then the deacon read the Gospel. The Nicene Creed followed (at Rome not before the eleventh century). After this, oblations were brought by the whole people and by the celebrant himself, while the choir sang the offertory. Then the corporal was spread upon the altar, and on it were placed the paten and one chalice. In these soon there was arranged by the deacon that number of offered breads, and that quantity of wine was poured in, which would suffice for the communion of all. After he had washed his hands, the celebrant, the secrets having been recited, sang the preface, and after the hymn Sanctus had been sung by the choir, "entered into the canon." The things which follow were done almost as today, except that immediately after the consecrations no elevation was made, nor adoration, and before communion the solemn breaking of the breads was made; this rite, because of the custom of using small hosts, was necessarily abolished. The final blessing was given before the proclamation of dismissal, so that this truly terminated the Mass.

This is the description of solemn Mass; but the use of celebrating private Masses, and several of them in a day, had become very strong. Yet these do not seem to have had a special rite.

4. From the year 1050 to 1200 extends the age which reaches from the reign of Gregory VII, defender of the ancient Roman liturgy, to Innocent III, who himself also deserved well of the liturgy. In all Masses, yet especially, as is fitting, in private ones, it was gradually conceded to celebrants that they add various prayers recited privately, for devotion, both at the beginning of Mass, and at the offertory and at communion. A great number of these prayers existed in books, and from them the celebrant chose the ones he wished. New rites also were introduced, for example the rite of today's oblation of bread and wine. Yet the structure and principal parts remained intact. Thus it happened that several varieties were born in the Roman rite itself (e.g., the rite of Paris and of the Dominicans; the rite of Lyons and of the Carthusians; the rite of Liege). This new form of the Mass, born in Gaul and in Germany, thence transferred to Rome, was there admitted in some measure into the pontifical Curia itself.

The following are chiefly to be noted: the priest was accustomed to say Psalm Introibo with its antiphon when he was going to the altar, but to make the confession at the altar itself. Among the prayers which could be said at the offertory and communion, today's prayer Suscipe sancta Trinitas was already present and had very many and diverse formulas for the diverse "intentions" of Masses.

5. In the thirteenth century the order of Mass as it was celebrated in the Roman Curia was conceded to the Friars Minor, who soon diffused it through almost the universal Church. Although this order was already very similar to ours, nevertheless private prayers and certain secondary rites did not yet have fixed structures. This brought it about that soon a great variety again penetrated into the new rite itself. In the same thirteenth century there was introduced the custom of elevating the host immediately after the consecration, then the use of elevating the chalice, soon genuflections and the striking of the little bell and of the bells.

Finally, in the year 1570 Pius V took care that the Roman Missal, restored by decree of the Council of Trent, be published; Clement VIII, Urban VIII, Leo XIII, and Pius X were content to review it, with few things which pertain to the Ordinary changed in it.

The present Canon takes its beginning from the words Te igitur and is completed by the doxology Per quem haec omnia... omnis honor et gloria, Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen. But in antiquity the preface was often counted within the limits of the canon, so that the canon or eucharistic prayer, after the conclusion of the Secret (Per omnia. Amen) and the salutation (Dominus vobiscum), began from the acclamations Sursum corda, etc. (which are most ancient and common to all liturgies). The text and order of the canon already at the end of the seventh century were almost the same as today. Yet in the prayer Te igitur, the words et Antistite nostro N. are omitted in several manuscripts; the words et omnibus orthodoxis... fidei cultoribus likewise are more often lacking and certainly are interpolated. In the Memento of the living, no space is left for inserting names; the words pro quibus tibi offerimus either are always omitted.

In the prayer Hanc igitur, according to a certain more recent recension, after the words familiae tuae these are added: quam tibi offerimus in honorem... The Memento of the dead is lacking in several manuscripts, because it had a place only in Masses of the dead; yet it must certainly be numbered among the more ancient parts of the canon. The place for inserting names is always indicated by express words; but between the words pacis and ipsis no space is left. From diverse documents it can further be concluded that the Roman Canon had already at the beginning of the fifth century been reduced to the present order and contained several of today's prayers, namely: Quam oblationem. Qui pridie. Unde et memores. Supra quae (besides the words sanctum sacrificium, immaculatam hostiam, added by St. Leo the Great). Supplices. Memento defunctorum (to be said in certain Masses); the final doxology; indeed, although less certainly, Te igitur and the Memento of the living; this, however, without any names of the living, but on the contrary offering the faculty and space of commemorating all those saints whom anyone wished. Therefore the prayers which were lacking were added in the following centuries, chiefly, as it seems, in the fifth century. The last words of the prayer Hanc igitur, diesque nostros, etc., are reported to have been added by St. Gregory the Great. Finally, the words mysterium fidei seem to have been taken from the Gallican liturgy into the Roman; perhaps formerly they were said not by the priest himself but by some minister.

With the oblation communion is closely connected; for through it the sacrifice is extrinsically consummated. For through communion with the victim the faithful participate in its state; but by the sacrifice they were already professing that they wished to enter upon this state. Therefore the integral notion of communion is not had where Christ, whose body and blood we eat in it, is not considered as he is the victim offered in the Mass. Every communion, even received outside Mass, preserves this relation to the sacrifice.

I. M. H., S.I.