Copyright © 2001 by

Rick Swenton
106 Melinda Lane
Bristol, CT 06010-7199
All Rights Reserved

Permission is granted for use of this work in parish liturgy or music programs in a non-commercial setting provided that no fee is charged and that this copyright notice remains on all copies.

We are blessed with a beautiful church building, but our church is more than a building. We are blessed with wonderful parishioners, but our parish is more than a community of good people. We are Church: We are the Body of Christ!

What does this mean? In this article I would like to continue the discussions about "why we do the things we do at Mass" and explain some of the recent activities to improve our reverence during worship.

This article is in response to recent discussions of the St. Joseph Pastoral Council. It is our hope that we can use articles like this to reach parishioners to explain what is really happening during Mass.

The Presence of Christ
When some Catholics think of the presence of Christ, they often think of Holy Communion. While it is true that Christ is present in the form of consecrated bread and wine, the church teaches that there are three other ways we experience Christ’s real presence during our celebration of the Eucharist. In all, there are four ways that Christ is present in the Eucharist:

• He is present in the gathered assembly.
• He is present in the presiding priest.
• He is present in the Word – the sacred scripture.
• He is present in the shared meal – the consecrated bread and wine.

This is not a new church teaching. It is based on a long tradition of the church and was reaffirmed before the reforms of the Second Vatican Council by Pope Pius XII. Let’s discuss these four presences individually:

The Gathered Assembly
When we celebrate Eucharist, we celebrate as the whole Body of Christ, acknowledging each other as members while at the same time acknowledging Christ as the Head. Some Catholics who want to go back to the ways of an older time make fun of this concept by saying things like "These people are celebrating themselves instead of God." But the truth is that you can not acknowledge the presence of Christ without acknowledging the members of the Body. Likewise, you can’t acknowledge the Body without acknowledging the presence of Christ. That is why we extend loving concern and hospitality to all people who enter our community to worship. During our gathering for worship it is appropriate for us to greet one another in the name of Christ and share his love and peace. We recognize Christ in one another and share his love as members of his Body. "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." -Matt 18:20

The Presiding Priest
The priest is the one who presides at the Eucharist. He is the "president" of the assembly. As presider over the community in the person of Christ, the priest, in the name of the whole community, addresses our prayers to God and offers the celebration of the Eucharist with us. A very important role of the priest at Eucharist is to lead us to a deeper knowledge of Sacred Scripture by delivering an effective homily. It should open our hearts, minds and souls to the wonderful words of God, strengthen our faith, and inspire us through the Holy Spirit
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The Word of God – The Sacred Scripture
Christ is present in his Word, for it is he who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in church. When the Church proclaims both the Old and the New Testament, it is proclaiming one and the same mystery of Christ. We discover the New Testament hidden in the Old Testament. We see the Old Testament fulfilled in the New Testament. The four scripture readings (The First Reading, Responsorial Psalm, Second Reading and Gospel) deserve our attention and respect, for it is through these readings that God speaks directly to us today. We are reminded of the history of salvation – the promise God made to us. We are reminded of God’s love that continues to care for us today. And we are given a foretaste of heaven. "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." -Luke 4:21

The Shared Meal – The Bread and Wine, The Body and Blood
Christ is present in the form of bread and wine, blessed, broken and shared at the meal. The presence of Christ in the tabernacle is derived from the celebration of the Eucharist at Mass. It is the place we reserve consecrated hosts that remain after Mass for distribution to the sick and homebound. The presence of Christ in the tabernacle is secondary to the living presence of Christ in the celebration of the Eucharist.

To experience the fullness and richness of the Eucharist, we should experience all four presences of Christ, not only Holy Communion.

Running Out of Hosts During Communion
Some parishioners may think that running out of hosts during communion is caused by poor planning or carelessness. Church teaching requires that the communion bread be consecrated and distributed at Mass and not drawn from a source of previously consecrated bread in the tabernacle. The Eucharist is a meal of celebration and all are invited to share in the meal. When you come to Mass, you are invited to share the food prepared at this meal. So we do our best to estimate the number of hosts to use without going under or over. Running out of communion may be viewed as a good sign caused by the large number of people who want to come forward to share in the meal.

Unnecessary Movement During Mass
In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the Four Presences of Christ during Mass. Because many Catholics don’t think about all four: The Word, the Eucharist, the Priest, and the Assembly, they don’t realize the significance of Christ’s presence during the scripture readings. The holy nature of the readings requires our attention and reverence for it is Christ who speaks directly to us when the holy scriptures are read in church

That is why we ask those who come to Mass late to wait until a reading is finished before trying to find a seat. We also ask parents to teach their children to respect the holy nature of the Mass. Reminders for children to use the restrooms before Mass go a long way to reduce unnecessary distractions during worship. We also need to be highly sensitive and welcoming to those with special needs or disabilities. All are welcome to worship in this place.

Why Can’t We Do Things the Way They Do At My Friend’s Church?
Tell us your ideas. We may be able to implement them. Keep in mind, though, that the church has specific instructions about liturgy. Based upon ancient tradition, the liturgy has been given to us by Christ but it is we who do the work of liturgy. Because liturgy is the prayer of the Church, it holds to common rules (called rubrics) so that all Catholic liturgies are celebrated the same everywhere. This is symbolic of the one Body of Christ acting in unity with all its members. While there is some latitude and options available to the presiding priest and the liturgical planners, there are other things that are hard and fast. At St. Joseph Church we always try our best to understand and follow the rubrics while exploring the permitted options to affect the most profound experience of worship we can offer to those who attend Mass here.

There are some Catholic Churches who do not follow or understand the rubrics. Keep in mind that while visiting another church, you might have experienced a special service where the rubrics allowed greater latitude than is normally permitted at a regular weekend Mass.

In today’s culture, we expect to be entertained. We like to receive value for our effort and we dislike being bored. Liturgy does not work well with these expectations. That’s because we only get out of liturgy what we put into it. It requires full, conscious and active participation, not passive attendance. Liturgy means "the work of the people." We have to work at it. Everyone works: the assembly, the priest, readers, cantors, ushers, altar servers, musicians and those who prepared the church, altar, linens and vestments.

Liturgy is not like watching a show. It is like being in a show, with God as the single member of the audience. We sing, we move, we listen, we pray. We experience the senses: sound, sight, smell, taste – and silence.

We experience Christ’s presence, in four ways: We hear his Word, we share his meal, we are led by his minister – the priest, and we acknowledge Christ the Head of the Body and Christ alive in all of us – the members of the Body of Christ.

May your celebration of the Eucharist be truly blessed as you experience Christ in the Mass.