The word rite means the prescribed words and gestures of a ceremony. Since the time of the Last Supper there have been many different rites for the celebration of Mass. They were determined by the different customs of the many Christian nations throughout history.

In the beginning the Mass was celebrated in many languages. Later, the political uniformity of Christian nations reduced these ritual languages to the more commonly used tongues. Because certain definite ideas had to be communicated in the Mass by words and gestures, the Church had to prescribe certain rites for widespread areas similar in customs and means of communication; to jell, as it were, definite traditions.

In the East the common language was Greek, and later, over certain wide areas, Slavonic. In the West it was Latin. By the sixteenth century there were many different variations of the Latin Rite, which led sometimes to confusion and lack of conformity. So, following the Council of Trent, the Church saw fit to combine most of these variations into a single rite, known as the Tridentine Mass. Certain other variations were allowed to continue, among them the Dominican, the Carmelite and the Cistercian rites. These all uniformly, however, used the Latin language. Exercising her prerogatives, as she always must for the good of her children, the Church saw fit at the Second Vatican Council to inaugurate liturgical reform, in order that her beautiful Liturgy might become as it should be, as fully meaningful as possible to the People of God in today's world, and, at the same time, retain its essential, Christ-established integrity. Although Latin remained the official language of the Western Church and the norm of the rite of the Mass, the Church prescribed a certain "up-dating", both in words and in gestures, as a new rite of the Mass, and recommended the local vernacular languages in accurate translation of the Latin. Thus, the Vatican Mass has replaced the Tridentine Mass, just as the latter replaced older rites. Now the Mass is celebrated in our native tongue for our greater understanding and appreciation.

The new Vatican Mass is, of course, in all essentials identical with former rites, just as it is with all the rites of the East. If one were to compare our missals with, say, a Greek or Russian missal, one would discover the same essential structure of the ceremony and the same ideas expressed, despite the difference in language and music and the variations in prayers.

Every Mass, although a single action, is divided into two main parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

This first part of the Mass, formerly known as the Mass of Catechumens, is similar to the ritual of the Old Testament. It centers around the proclamation of the Word of God, the Scriptures, and consists of five parts:

1) The Entrance and Greeting. The celebrant and ministers of the Mass formally and in procession approach the altar. The celebrant kisses the altar and greets the people.

2) The Penitential Service. In the Old Testament, whenever the People of Yahweh were called together to hear the Word of God and to offer sacrifice, they first prepared themselves by confessing their sins in general and praying for God's forgiveness and reconciliation with one another. Thus the words of Our Lord, "If you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matt 5:23-24). This part of the Mass consists of a short examination of conscience, the general confession of unworthiness, followed by non-sacramental absolution and the Kyrie.

3) The Doxology and Opening Prayer. The Doxology, or Gloria, is a brisk hymn of praise to God, sung or recited on Sundays and feasts. The Opening Prayer, or Collect, follows a short pause for quiet, individual prayer and petitions God in the Church's behalf, usually according to the particular theme of the Mass, e.g. the feast or saint celebrated. Most prayers of the Mass are addressed to the Father, through Christ and in union with the Holy Spirit. The people respond with the ancient Hebrew liturgical word, "Amen", which means, "So be it!" or "We agree!"

4) The Readings and Responses. Now comes the solemn proclamation of the Word of God in the words of the Scriptures. The people should carefully attend, as God's Word is the Word of Life. The First Reading can be from the Old or New Testaments. It is followed by the Response, usually a psalm, recited or sung alternately by rector and people, as a kind of meditation upon the reading. On Sundays and feasts there is a Second Reading, usually from an epistle of the New Testament, followed by a sung Alleluia. "Alleluia" in the liturgy is a solemn term of joyous praise meaning, "Praise the Lord!" Then follows the climax of this first part of the Mass in the proclamation of the Gospel. The Gospel is the very word of Jesus, who is Himself the Word of God. The congregation hears the Gospel standing. The Gospel is always read by a priest or deacon.

5) The Homily and Intercessions. The Homily is a brief explanation and application of the Readings or the theme of the Mass to the particular congregation. It is followed, on feasts, by the Profession of Faith (the Nicene Creed) and the Intercessions, which is a litany of petitions for the present needs of the Church and congregation.

In former times this part of the Mass was called the Mass of the Faithful, since only the baptized were permitted to remain. This is the sacramental part of the Mass and is carried out at the altar. It consists of three major parts:

1) The Offertory. In Old Testament times the hearing of the Word of God was followed by the bloody sacrifice of an animal that symbolically represented the people, whether a ram, a lamb, a goat, a bullock, etc. The sacrifice to God sealed the covenant of reconciliation and friendship. In our times the gifts brought forward to represent us are bread and wine, the universal nourishment of mankind, used by Our Lord Himself at the Last Supper. In our rite the bread is always unleavened. These gifts are offered to God with a prayer that He might make of them something truly wonderful: the body and blood of His Son. The Offertory concludes with the Prayer Over the Gifts, which brings in the theme of the Mass.

2) The Eucharistic Prayer. This most solemn part of the Mass is introduced by the Preface, which recalls the great hallel psalms recited by the ancient Hebrews, and sung by Our Lord and the apostles at the Last Supper (Mark 14:26). It brings in once again the theme of the Mass and builds up to the cherubim's heavenly praise, the Sanctus.

The Vatican Mass at present usually provides eight possible Eucharistic Prayers. The first is the ancient Roman canon, the only one prescribed in the former Tridentine Mass. The second is a short canon reminiscent of the earliest celebrations. The third and fourth are new. The third stresses the catholicity of the Church; the fourth is a magnificent meditation upon the Incarnation. The other 4 are for occasional use.

There are also two accepted Eucharistic Prayers for children and two for Masses of Reconciliation.

All of these Eucharistic Prayers, however, are similarly structured. Tension builds. Prayers lead up to the words of Institution, or Consecration, when the priest, for a fleeting moment at one with Christ, changes the substance of the bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord. Here the death of Christ is proclaimed and realized, the Sacrifice of Calvary renewed. With Christ now truly present in the Sacrament, prayers of adoration, thanksgiving and petition are offered. The Church, the deceased, and the living are remembered. Finally, tension is released in the summary praise, Per ipsum, and the people respond most solemnly in the Great Amen.

3) The Communion. Sacrifice procures forgiveness and reconciliation with the Deity. The communion of celebrated in the Lord's Supper.

The Communion ritual of the Mass is the consummation of the rite. It begins with the most perfect of prayers, the Our Father. This is followed by two beautiful prayers for the peace of Christ. The priest then prays that Christ's peace might be with all participants and invites the people to signify this peace with one another in some way, such as a handgrasp or nod. The Agnus Dei is sung or recited, reminding us that the paschal meal of old now finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ. Meanwhile, the priest breaks the host and drops a particle in the chalice, thus signifying the wholeness of the risen Christ. Holding the host up before the people, he invites them to sup on the Lord. The people come forward to receive the living Christ and to become one with Him and one another in holy communion. After a short period of silent contemplation, the priest, in the people's name, recites the Communion Prayer. Then he blesses them and dismisses them with the age-old formula, "Go, the Mass is ended." In solemn recession, he and the ministers leave the sanctuary. God's people are one with Christ and one another.