Mass and Liturgy
Simplest definition: The Massis a progression of prayers and ceremonies that culminate in service of the Eucharist.
Mass origin: Latin missa, past participle of mittere, to dismiss, to send, send out.
“Send out” makes sense. What is the meaning of “Apostle”? Greek: “one who is sent out.” Disciple? Latin: student, follower.
However, even the word “dismiss” is part of its history as there was a time it was during the training of catechumens (Christians-in-training) who were preparing for Baptism or other sacraments, and they had to leave before certain services could begin. But by the 5th century, the name Mass was only being used for the entire Mass service.
“When we leave Mass, we ought to go out the way Moses descended Mt. Sinai, with his face shining, with his heart brave and strong to face the worlds difficulties.” – St. Oscar Romero
Btw, the Eastern rite does not use “Mass,” only “Liturgy.”
Liturgy is from Greek (from leitos=public + ergo=to do) meaning “public duty” or “public service.” Eventually, this came to be used for public ritual worship by priests at the Temple, and the term was first used in the Christian sense in the NT book of Hebrews:
“But now He has obtained a more excellent liturgy, as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted upon better promises.” - Hebrews 8:6
Okay, let’s get into the actual Mass.
“Just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.” – GK Chesterton
Q: The Catholic Mass never changes. Is it boring? Is sameness a good thing or a bad thing?
There is something to be said for sameness. I can think of three good things:
1. Wherever I go there is a familiarity, and with this comes a feeling of belonging. Tradition has its place in humanity, does it not? What if you sat down for your annual Thanksgiving dinner and out came a roasted walrus on a platter garnished with seaweed? Would you not protest? How many of you have established Christmas traditions? You see, there is something very important to humans about having traditions. The Mass is in that category.
If you ever entered a Baptist or other non-Catholic service, you might feel out of place pretty quickly. When they look at you, it’s as though they know you are lost. That can also be true between different Protestant denominations – for instance, a Lutheran going to a Pentecostal service, or a Methodist service. Not with the Catholic Mass, anywhere in the world.
2. Although some Christian services strive for a certain uniqueness, or fitting in with the times, or even entertainment, those are often celebrations centered on the congregation, or of trying to make people feel good. At Mass, we are there to recognize and praise the glory of God (not for him but for us – to re-establish our personal North Star!), to give gratitude to Jesus Christ for our relationship to the Trinity through the Holy Spirit, to ask for forgiveness for the last week’s errors, and for help and guidance in days ahead. If Jesus taught us anything – no, showed us anything – it is that the essence of following him is self-giving love and humility. Thus, we do not to make the Mass about ourselves or our individuality.
Instead, the first half of our service follows the traditions God established – and that Jesus attended – in the Jewish Temple and synagogues, and the 2nd half of our service follows what Jesus himself instituted at his Last Supper with the Apostles.
3. Lastly – Christ taught that true greatness is grounded in one’s self-sacrifice and humility, and the Mass is our opportunity for exactly that – to “die” unto ourselves and let God be God. This is how one turns the negativity that the world threatens us with every day into a weekly continuum of positive, spiritual
Q: In spite of the sameness of our Mass tradition, there is something new at every Mass. What is it?
Jesus Christ comes to meet us in person each time, and enter into us in person.
Context for Jesus’ One Commandment John 15:1-8 7:40-8:00
Last week we read Jesus’ dialogue called “I AM the True Vine,” which was the beginning of John-Chapter 15. This week begins up right after that.
Q: In John-Chapters 13-17, Jesus has his final dialogue and instructions for the Apostles at the Last Supper in the Upper Room. What are these famous 4 chapters called?
Jesus’ “Farewell Discourses.” Also sometimes called the “Last Supper Discourses.”
Q: What are the topics in these Farewell Discourses?
Jesus washes their feet and tells them this is what they must do (humility). He explains that he the Way, the Truth, and the Life; that he is the vine and we are the branches. He explains love. He explains his relationship with the Father and promises to send the Holy Spirit to them. He warns them that the world will hate them like they hated him. He prays for his disciples and for the Church. He tells them he will prepare a place in heaven for them, and that he will come back for them. In today’s reading, he explains his One Commandment.
Wait, I thought there were TWO greatest commandments? Let's find out.
Gospel Reading: John 15:9-17 Jesus’ One Commandment
Jesus said to his disciples:
As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Abide in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy might be full.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
Greater love has no one that this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command.
I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain so that whatsoever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
This I command you: love one another.”
Q: “As the Father loves me, so I love you.” We kind of take this statement for granted, but let’s not. Meaning?
We have discussed many times that love is a verb. But I think we need to dig deeper, because Jesus says “abide in.” He “abides in" his Father’s love and then he tells us to “abide in" his love. I had to look at the word translation to he sure and “abide in” doesn’t mean to continue with our own version of it. It means to “stay in” his love.
Q: Jesus said, "You are my friends if you do what I command you." Who says this?? If your friend said to you, “Hey, you can be my friend as long as you do what I tell you,” what you would say back? Yet, we know Jesus is full of love, so what does he mean?
The answer lies in what it means to abide/stay/remain in His love? Let’s go back to the picture of the vine and branches.
The life of the vine comes from God, the author and origin of existence. Therefore, the life of the vine is not its own, not separate.
Likewise, the life of the branches comes from the vine. It is never separate or on its own.
If that’s true, then the fruit of the branches is never really our own, either; although we do contribute to the fruit. When we do so, we are participating with God in his creation.
Now if we want to go our own way, we can; but then it is less likely we can last in this life, and we certainly won't in the next one, because we will have cut branches off from the vine. The rest of this life could be compared to a chicken with its head cut off, running around in circles with no purpose.
Or you could compare it to unplugging a computer, which is able to operate for a time on its backup battery. Then it’s over.
Q: If Jesus’ “command” is to abide/stay/remain in his love, does that also change the meaning of our response – to be “obedient”?
Obedience originally meant to hear (Latin, ob+audire = to hear), but as with a disciple or a child, it presumed that to hear was also to learn and to learn was to do. You can see how a rebellious child or disciple would see “obedience” was against one’s will, but that isn’t the meaning.
Q: Who tells us obedience to God is a bad thing?
Satan
Q: In this reading, what is Jesus asking us to obey (hear and do)?
He is telling us to stay connected to the vine and, by doing so God will be participating with us in producing fruit.
Q: How does God do that?
His love is running through the vine to us. By staying/abiding, we tap into God’s love and are able to do all kinds of good things we could not do on our own.
Q: Jesus says there is no greater love than to lay down one’s lives for his friends. Why? What is the clue that this is exactly what’s about to happen?
Why? Total giving. God’s love. Clue – what does he say right after these words?
Q: I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. Were they slaves??
Don’t get excited about the word slave. First, it can also be translated servant, but there’s no denying it is also slave. That being said, in the OT Moses (Dt 34:5), Joshua (Jos 24:29), and David (Ps 89:21) were called “servants” or “slaves of Yahweh.” The apostles would not be offended being compared to these lofty figures. More importantly, however, the role of the slave is mechanical obedience, without any relationship of love between the Master and the servant. Jesus is introducing a new relationship between God and man that will be WAY elevated over the next few days and leading to the Pentecost.
Q: Elsewhere, Jesus says that “we love Him because He has loved us first.” What the heck does this mean? (Think of the vine.)
Can the branches love before the vine? No. Love only exists for us because God’s love reached out to us first.
Q: So, are there two greatest commandments or one?
Love to God is proved by love to mankind. The two great commandments of the law are really one.
"If a man does not love not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" - John 15:12
Q: I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy might be full.
Joy is a state of consciousness. Jesus’ joy is a state of consciousness that surpasses human understanding; a Trinitarian joy. Troubled human hearts cannot darken this. It is what we sometimes refer to as equanimity (mental and emotional stability especially under duress).
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