When the Church gathers for the celebration of the Eucharist, the Introductory Rites are meant to focus the community’s attention on the mystery to be celebrated and prepare them to participate more worthily in that mystery. There are many elements used in these rites:
Entrance Procession and Hymn
In every celebration of the Eucharist, the procession of liturgical ministers into the midst of the people who have gathered is led by the Cross. We are Christians who follow the Cross on which Christ died to save us from our sins. That same Christ is here with us for He promised, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20). Christ is present in the community gathered. He is present in the priest who makes the invisible visible to the eyes of faith. Christ will lead us in this celebration. All have come together to praise and honor God for the gift of his only Son, who reveals to us the way to eternal happiness. The Cross is accompanied by at least two lighted candles and sometimes by incense. The Gospel Book is carried by the deacon and placed on the altar where, later, the bread and wine will be placed, because the food of the Word cannot be separated from the food of the Eucharist. And we sing.
Sign of the Cross
Upon reaching the chair, the priest leads the assembly in the Sign of the Cross to remind us of our baptism, which gave us the right to participate in this mystery. Romano Guardini, the noted theologian, wrote: “When we cross ourselves, let it be with a real sign of the cross…let us make a large, unhurried sign, from forehead to breast, from shoulder to shoulder, consciously feeling how it includes the whole of us… It is the holiest of signs” (Sacred Signs, 1956, p.13). Allow Christ who was crucified on the cross to touch our bodies and draw us into the mystery.
Greeting
Upon arriving at the chair, the priest greets the assembly. The Lord be with you. This greeting is, in reality, expressive of the desire that the people actually experience the presence and power of the Lord in the community they form. It is Christ who greets us with this wish. The assembly responds: And with your Spirit. This response will be new for us. It is a more formal language, to be sure, but it is there to remind us that this gathering is not like any other gathering. It is special. By restoring the more literal ancient greeting, “And with your Spirit,” the community will be calling more expressly on the “spirit” of the priest.
Next week: The Introductory Rites continued.
