Finding the Texts for Mass

Finding the Texts for Mass

A series of articles from ‘Spirit of the Season’

Finding the Texts for Mass 1

A question which teachers, chaplains etc. often ask is “How do I know what readings and prayers are given for a particular day?”. Related to that question is ‘and I change them?’ Though the guidance is found in the liturgical books it is not conveniently gathered in one place. Before looking at the texts one has to know what day it is.

Understanding the Calendar

The Liturgical Calendar has two separate parts which interact: the Liturgical Seasons and Sunday, and the Calendar of Saints. The first includes the Liturgical Seasons of Advent and Christmas, Lent, Triduum and Easter, and Ordinary Time. The dates in this Calendar shift every year. It begins on the First Sunday of Advent which is 4 Sundays before 25 December, Christmas; the other main date which shapes it is Easter Sunday which is different every year. In this Calendar is given what each Sunday is and from the Sunday the week. So following the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time is the 5th Week in Ordinary Time and each day will be identified: Monday in 5th Week in Ordinary Time.

Overlaid on this is the Calendar of Saints where Saints are commemorated on a particular calendar date, e.g. 2 February is the Presentation of the Lord. The various celebrations have different ranks, the highest being Solemnity, Feast and Memorial (obligatory or optional). A Sunday in Advent, Lent and Easter will take precedence over a Saint’s day, so for example, in 2015 the Feast of the Chair of St Peter is replaced by the First Sunday in Lent. In Christmas and Ordinary Time a Sunday can be replaced by either a Solemnity (e.g. St Peter and St Paul) or Feast of the Lord (The Presentation of the Lord).

The different ranks affect what Mass texts are used. We are used to on a Sunday there being the Gloria and Creed as well as there being two readings and a psalm before the Gospel. The same pattern applies to Solemnities. On Feasts there is a Gloria but not a Creed, and there is only one reading and a psalm before the Gospel. On normal weekdays and Memorials there is neither the Gloria nor the Creed and there is one reading and a psalm before the Gospel. This difference between the different grades of celebration is sometimes referred to progressive solemnity the more important the celebration the more elaborate the liturgy. A challenge sometimes in schools is to take account of this difference, for example, though we may be familiar with singing the Gloria on a Sunday it is not sung at every celebration of Mass.

Engaging Children

Enable the children to have a good grasp of the liturgical year: the Advent–Christmas cycle, the Lent–Triduum– Easter cycle and Ordinary Time. Relate the year to the life of Christ.

Explore the different ranks of celebrations — why might one celebration be more important than others. Make a set of liturgical ‘top trumps’.

Further information

Consult the Liturgical Calendar at the back of your diocesan Yearbook.

Finding the texts for Mass 2

The Readings

The readings for use at Mass and other Celebrations are found in the Lectionary. In England and Wales we have a 3 volume Lectionary which is divided as follows:

1Seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Triduum and Easter — Sundays and Weekdays

Sundays in Ordinary Time

Solemnities and Feasts of the Lord (which can replace Sundays)

2Weekdays of Ordinary Time

Proper of Saints

Commons

3Ritual Masses — Sacraments

Various Needs and Occasions, Votive Masses

Masses for the Dead

The Lectionary comes in two sizes: an Ambo size edition and a Study edition. People’s Missal come in 3 selections: Sunday (drawing on volume 1), Weekday (drawing on volumes 1 and 2) and Daily (from volumes 1 and 2). They may include some material from volume 3.

Sundays follow a three-year Cycle: Year A – Matthew and John, Year B - Mark and John, Year C – Luke and John. The first Gospel, particularly in Ordinary Time, is read chronologically through the year; the Gospel of John does not have a year to itself but is significant in each year particularly in Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter.

Weekdays in Ordinary Time follow a two-year Cycle: I and II. Year I is in odd-number years (i.e. 2015), Year II in even numbered years. The gospel is common to both years but the first reading and psalm is different.

On Sundays and Solemnities there are 2 readings and a psalm before the Gospel. In other celebrations there is, normally, only 1 reading and a psalm.

To find the readings you should first check the date in a liturgical calendar. If it is a Sunday you will need to know what year its (A, B or C); if it is a weekday in Ordinary Time which cycle (I or II). For a weekday the week will be named from the preceding Sunday, e.g. the 23rd week follows the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings given for a particular day are described as ‘proper’.

On a weekday you may have a choice of celebrations. For example of Tuesday 9 September is either Tuesday in Week 23 of Ordinary Time (Year I) or the optional memorial of St Peter Claver. Both celebrations will have readings assigned to them but only one set of readings will be read at Mass. As a rule, the documents encourage that the readings of the weekday are given priority over those of either an obligatory or optional memorial. This is for two reasons: as way of connecting with the wider Church and for continuity from day to day. The exception to this rule is when the reading for memorial is ‘proper’, this usually occurs when it is a New Testament Saint and they are mentioned in the reading, in this case the readings of the saint would take precedence.

Finding the Texts for Mass 3

The Prayers

The prayers for the Mass are found in the Roman Missal. On a particular day the following prayers might be ‘proper’ (specifically assigned) to the celebration. The greatest number of proper texts occur on days of high solemnity such as Pentecost Sunday when the Collect (Opening Prayer), Prayer over the Offerings, Preface, Prayer after Communion and Solemn Blessing are all proper – there is also a special text which is inserted in Eucharistic Prayer I. In contrast for some Saints there is only a proper or given Collect.

The larger group of texts is true for Solemnities. For Sundays there will be a specific or proper Collect, Prayer over the Offerings and Prayer after Communion.

Where specific texts are not provided they are chosen from a selection such as Prefaces of Sundays in Ordinary Time. Any of the 8 Prefaces may be used on a Sunday in Ordinary Time. In a similar way there is a selection of Solemn Blessings.

For the celebration of the Saints: for Solemnities and Feasts a full proper will be provided. For many Memorial only a Collect is given. Where this is the case the appropriate Common is indicated. A Common is a name for a selection of texts. The Commons are grouped in the following categories:

• Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Common of Martyrs
• Common of Pastors (Priests)
• Common of Virgins
• Common of Holy Men and Women

There are further distinctions within each Common. A Saint may have reference to more than one Common so, for example, texts for St Angela Merici may be chosen from the Common of Virgins or the Common of Holy Men and Women: For educators. Only one set of prayers is used.

The Lectionary also includes a comparable section of Commons. On Memorials, apart from when there is a proper text (cf. last edition) the readings given are taken from the Common (e.g. of Martyrs) and other readings may be selected instead.

If you wish to celebrate a Saint who is not in the Roman Missal you would choose prayers and readings from the appropriate Common.

There are no proper texts for the Weekdays in Ordinary Time. They may be chosen from any of the 34 Sunday texts. The Missal notes that when choosing the pastoral needs of the congregation should be taken into consideration. It is common practice to repeat the texts of the preceding Sunday.

Finding the Texts for Mass 4

What can we change?

Having identified what prayers and readings are used on any day we will now look at what possibilities there are for replacing the texts. As a general rule to bear in mind the more important the celebration (i.e. a Solemnity) the less flexibility there is for changing texts.

Calendar

In addition to the celebrations marked by the Church across the world there will also be more local celebrations, such as national and diocesan calendars. If a school had connections with a religious order this may draw in other observances. There will be at least one celebration proper to the school or parish – its Patronal Solemnity, i.e. the celebration of who the school or parish is dedicated to. This is celebrated as a Solemnity with the Gloria, and two readings etc. As previously noted where there are not given texts they are taken from the appropriate Common.

Readings

The Missal and the Lectionary provide two sections of texts, Masses for Various Needs and Occasions, and Votive Masses, which offer a variety of additional readings and prayers. These can replace the texts on any weekday in Ordinary Time, and where there is good reason Weekdays of Advent, Christmas and Easter. Votive Masses have titles such as ‘The Mercy of God’ or ‘The Holy Eucharist’. The Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit is often used for times such as the beginning of term. The Masses for Various Needs and Occasions reflect a range of pastoral situations such as ‘For the Pope’, ‘For the Family’ or ‘For the Sanctification of Human Labour’.

The Directory for Masses with Children reiterates the approach of the Introduction to the Lectionary that when choosing readings the needs and capability of the listeners should be borne in mind. In Masses with children if the readings of the days seem unsuitable they may be replaced by others - keeping in mind the liturgical season. It is also possible in some circumstances to omit difficult verses. The principle given is quality over quantity whilst recognising that a well proclaimed long reading can be as engaging as a short one and the criteria is of the spiritual advantage of the children. (DMC 41-44)

Prayers

As already suggested the prayers from Masses for Various Needs and Occasions and the Votive Masses may replace those of a Weekday outside Lent.

The Directory for Masses with Children recognises that texts should be chosen from the Missal which are more suited to children with due regard to the liturgical season. Where this is not possible the Directory suggests that the prayers may be adapted while retaining the purpose, form and substance of the original prayer. (DMC 50, 51)