Reflection on the Mass (1)--- Introibo ad altare Dei

6th August 2021

Feast of the Transfiguration

The Traditional Latin Mass has been called, especially by the Saints, the Most Beautiful thing this side of Heaven.

Indeed, it is truly beautiful but its beauty needs to be frequently meditated and reflected upon in order to gain a deeper appreciation of this immense treasure.

Regardless of whether we are dealing with a Pontifical High Mass in a glorious Cathedral or a Low Mass in a humble little chapel, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass always begins with the sign of the Cross.

How often do we make the sign of the Cross without reflecting? Yet that quintessentially Catholic act sums up our Faith. We adore the One True God. His oneness is shown in that we pray in the Name and not names. One name. One Divine Being. Yet God is Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Three distinct Persons, one Divine Being.

The sign of the Cross tells us that our Communion with the One True God is through Jesus' Sacrifice on the Cross.

At Baptism we were marked and claimed by the sign of the Cross. This sign is in everything we do as Catholics and it is present in all of the Sacraments.

This is most especially true of the Sacrifice of the Mass.

The priest, in the person of Christ (Persona Christi), stands at the Foot of the Altar and invokes both the Cross and the Trinity.

From this moment a prayer rises up to his lips as well as ours:

Introibo ad altare Dei

Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy : deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man.

For thou art God my strength : why hast thou cast me off? and why do I go sorrowful whilst the enemy afflicteth me?

Send forth thy light and thy truth : they have conducted me, and brought me unto thy holy hill, and into thy tabernacles.

And I will go in to the altar of God : to God who giveth joy to my youth.

To thee, O God my God, I will give praise upon the harp : why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou disquiet me? Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him : the salvation of my countenance, and my God.

Here, priest and people stand at the edge of God's Holy Mountain, the Holy Hill mentioned in the Psalm.

This is Mount Sinai. This is Mount Moriah. This is Mount Tabor. This is the Holy Hill of Calvary.

Throughout Scripture we see that God has descended from Heaven to the mountain tops to meet man. At the Incarnation God Himself descended into the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. His goal was the summit of Calvary, there to reign as our King from the Cross.

We pause at the foot of the Holy Hill, the Altar, with bated breath. We brace ourselves to enter, in and through the priest, unto the Holy of Holies. This is the Holy Mystery of the Mass, a foretaste of Heaven.

God is our Salvation and our Joy. The Sacrifice of the Mass is the greatest act of adoration and thanksgiving we can offer Him.

But we are all sinners. We are unworthy and impure. The littleness of our sinful nature can never match the awesome and unutterable majesty of the all Holy God.

We tremble. We dare not approach without first acknowledging our true nature. We are sinners.

Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti

The priest, himself a sinner, publicly confesses before Almighty God, the Blessed Virgin, all the angels and Saints as well as before us that he has sinned and fallen short.

Since it is he, in Persona Christi, who will stand in the breach before God and His people, the priest must acknowledge his own need for repentance, forgiveness, grace and mercy. We all may approach God but we must repent of our offences against Him.

We, too, publicly confess our sinfulness. No sin, no matter how secret it may be, is ever truly private. God sees. The whole of Heaven sees. Our sins not only offend the Most Blessed Trinity but they wound humanity. They help to widen the gap between God and man. Not only that but on Judgement Day all ours sins will be laid bare. Nothing will be hidden. This is why the Mass forces us to acknowledge our sins as we will be forced to do on the Day of Days.

After seeking God's mercy the priest slowly ascends the steps to the Altar, whispering 

Take away from us our iniquities, we beseech Thee, O Lord; that being made pure in heart we may be worthy to enter into the Holy of Holies. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

We beseech Thee, O Lord, by the merits of Thy Saints whose relics lie here, and of all the Saints: that Thou would vouchsafe to pardon me all my sins. Amen.

It is with a humble and trembling spirit that the priest should utter this prayer as he approaches the Holy and Terrible Mystery. 

The priest now kisses the centre of the Altar. Here lie the relics of the Saints. The priest is now in the Holy of Holies. This is where Heaven and earth touch. Heaven and earth are wedded. The priest is beyond the reach of the profane and the mundane. He stands before the Throne of the Trinity. In this sacred moment filled with the immensity and majesty of eternity the priest steps aside and prays the Introit. 

This stepping aside is no mere trifle. It is no mere accident of Liturgical history. There are no accidents in the Traditional Liturgy. Every gesture, every act has been gently sculpted over the centuries by none other than the Holy Ghost who hovers over the Church, the Bride. This gesture teaches us that we must step aside in order to allow God His rightful place. It also teaches us that we, each in our personal lives, must give way to the action of the Holy Ghost. 

Once again the priest moves to the centre of the Altar. Joining with the Nine Choirs of Angels he pleads for mercy for mankind 

Kyrie Eleison x 3 

Christe Eleison x 3 

Kyrie Eleison x 3 

The Kyrie has sadly been truncated in the Novus Ordo. This is a deep tragedy. Not only do the 3 + 3 + 3 represent the Nine Choirs of Angels but most importantly it brings to mind the Most Holy Trinity.

 

The Father is Kyrie. 

The Son is Christe 

The Holy Ghost is Kyrie. 

It is a cry to each Person of the Most Holy Trinity, begging for mercy. 

The symbolism of 3, the Thrice Holy God, is completely obliterated in the Novus Ordo Kyrie. 

This moment in the Traditional Mass is a perfect opportunity to reflect on how the Mass incarnates the Catholic Faith. 

Yes, it is prayer. But it is also dogma, teaching and Catechism. The Mass forms us. 

It is truly Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi. 

As we pray so we believe. As we believe so we pray. Each feeds into the other, forming our hearts, minds and souls in the Catholic Faith. 

This part of the Mass, called the Mass of the Catechumens, is not just something to get through. We are already being washed in the Blood of the Lamb. We repent. We petition. We tremble. We wait for God's Mercy. 

We are surrounded by the whole host of Heaven. Around us the Nine Choirs of Angels ascend to the Throne of God and descend to the Altar, carrying our prayers to the Most High.

The moment has now come to join our voices with theirs 

Gloria! 

(To be continued...)