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General Instruction to the Roman Missal Update
The General Principals of the
General Instruction to the Roman Missal (third typical edition)
The General Instruction of the Roman
Missal (third typical edition) contains the
norms for our Eucharistic celebrations. As
with all our endeavors, concepts change and
are updated over time. Through the GIRM,
the Church strives to revise and help its
members to "grow continually in holiness by
its conscious, active, and fruitful
participation in the mystery of the
Eucharist." Since the second edition of the
General Instruction of the Roman Missal in
1975, the Church has experienced a
diversity of ways in which the GIRM has
been interpreted and expressed.
Our culture seems to promote a rugged
individuality. Even though humans enjoy
their independence at times, they also know
that without others, they would not be who
they are capable of becoming. The Church
calls us to community in order to give
glory, praise, and thanksgiving to God. Our
presence is important not just for our own
salvation, but the salvation of everyone.
Unity is important in our celebrations. St.
Paul reminded his community that, "there is
neither Jew or Greek, slave or free man."
Oneness has always been a trademark of the
Church. But unity and oneness do not equal
uniformity that demands conformity to some
ridged standards, rules, or patterns. The
Bishop of the diocese, in union with all
the bishops, has the ultimate say in the
established standards for worship set within
the diocese. This may answer some
questions of why some dioceses you visit
have minor differences in the way they
worship.
We express our unity by consciously and
actively participating through our outward
behavior and gestures. When we stand in
respect, kneel in adoration, raise our hands
in praise, and join our voices in song, we
engage ourselves in every aspect of our
being in our worship of God. Our non-verbal
expressions throughout the Liturgy express
what cannot be articulated in words, and at
times, these non-verbal expressions enhance
the words we use. A common posture
observed by all participants is a sign of the
unity of the members of the Christian
community. It expresses the spiritual attitude
of all who are present.
While the Church emphasizes unity through
the expressions of community, silence is
essential in our celebration. Silence allows
the voice of the Holy Spirit to be heard in
our hearts. Through this silence, our
response to the divine moment becomes less
of a habit and more of a healthy response to
the God who loves us.
Excerpts taken from the General Instruction to the Roman Missal (third typical edition) and the Directives for the
Implementation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal in the Diocese of Columbus
Index
General Instruction of the Roman Missal
An Update
GIRM: Preparation for The Celebration
You have been invited to a festive gathering.
Important dignitaries will be there along
with your family and friends. You know that
it is extremely important for you to be there
because you will be a part of the program.
When preparing for the occasion, you clear
your schedule so that nothing else will
conflict with this occasion. You plan on
what you are going to wear for the occasion.
Since you are not the focus of the event, you
dress in a way that does not draw attention
to yourself. Your family and friends
probably will not recognize you since they
always see you in shorts or jeans, t-shirts or
tank tops, flip-flops or exercise shoes.
You plan to arrive early so that you will not
show disrespect for the gathering. You make
sure that your electronic devices such as
your cell phone and pager are turned off
or at least placed in the vibrating mode.
You've decided to bring your young ones,
but you have made sure they are well
prepared to entertain themselves, if their
attention span is short. Before the festive
program begins, you make sure that your
children go to the restroom so that others
will not be distracted with a trip to the
facility. And even when one plans so
carefully for any unforeseen event, you still
take a seat close to the exit and restroom so
that you can leave quietly without
interrupting the program. While waiting for
the festivities to begin, you quietly reflect
upon your role in the program so that when
the program begins, you will be able to give
your full attention to this wonderful
celebration.
The preceding description of preparing for a
festive gathering would not shock us if we
were invited to a celebration involving a
famous celebrity that we admired and
respected. So why wouldn't the same
description apply to our preparation for
Mass? Good liturgy requires preparation by
all who are involved. From the presider
preparing to energize us in leading the
assembly and creating a well-constructed
homily to the liturgical ministers who have
rehearsed and prayed that their roles would
bring others closer to God, all of us as
participants need to prepare our minds and
hearts to celebrate a festive meal with the
King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
The General Instruction of the Roman
Missal emphasizes the importance in
preparation for the sacred liturgy. The focal
points within our worship space should
always be the assembly, altar, ambo, and
presider's chair. Art and environment of our
sacred space should enhance and not distract
from our focal points. Every parish follows
the guidelines set out by the GIRM. Not
only is the sacred space carefully prepared,
but the whole liturgy is well versed. An
essential part of every liturgy is the
assembly. The people of God as the Body
of Christ are prepared to participate actively
in celebrating the Lord's feast.
So from our appearance to our punctuality,
we need to prepare each time we celebrate
Mass so that we will lend to the celebration
and not distract from it.
Excerpts taken from the General Instruction to the Roman Missal (third typical edition) and the Directives for the
Implementation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal in the Diocese of Columbus
General Instruction of the Roman Missal
An Update
GIRM: Introductory Rites to the Celebration of Mass
The beginning of an event is so important
since it sets the stage, so to speak, for a
wonderful experience. So too, the beginning
of Mass sets the environment for us to have
a wonderful communal experience of prayer
and celebration with God and the Church.
We separate ourselves from our daily
activities and seek to be united with those
who have joined with us to be in the
presence of God when we come to Mass.
Since we have prepared for our celebration,
a few minutes of silence within our worship
space gives us time to reflect on God's
continual presence in our lives.
We have made a journey, an informal
procession so to speak, from our homes to
our celebration. This journey into the
porthole of the church reminds us of our
continual journey to heaven through the
waters of baptism. We remind ourselves of
the life-saving waters when we cross
ourselves with baptismal "holy" water.
Whenever we enter or leave the church, we
should genuflect on the right knee to the
tabernacle holding the Eucharistic presence
of our Lord. If the tabernacle is in a special
chapel, we should stop there either before or
after Mass to provide a special sign of
reverence and acknowledgement.
Our processions from various places are
symbolically collected and completed by the
procession of ministers. The presider should
be the last to enter the assembly. All
ministers, except those holding an object,
reverence the altar with a deep bow. The
presider and deacon venerate the altar with a
kiss, and if the occasion suggests, the
presider may incense the cross and the altar.
All of us sing hymns of praise as we
participate in the opening procession.
The ministers carry liturgical objects such as
the processional cross, processional candles,
and may carry the thurible (incense pot) if
the occasion suggests. The Lectionary, the
liturgical book of biblical readings, is placed
on the ambo before Mass begins and is
prepared for the first reader.
The Book of the Gospels is venerated above
all the books containing scripture by the
Church and is carried in procession by the
deacon. It may be carried by a lector if no
deacon is present, or it may be placed on the
altar before Mass begins.
The presider greets us officially and in a
unified way so as to join us with all other
Catholics throughout the world who are
celebrating liturgy. We are asked to reflect
in silence on the times we have sinned and
failed to live up to our baptismal call before
confessing our sinfulness and praise God for
his mercy.
The ancient and venerable hymn known as
the "Gloria" is sung or said on Sundays
outside the seasons of Advent and Lent, and
on solemnities and feasts, and at special
celebrations of a more solemn character.
This hymn gathers the Church together in
the Holy Spirit, glorifies and entreats God
the Father and the Lamb.
Our introductory rite concludes with the
Opening Prayer, when the presider says the
one prayer that brings all of our individual
prayers into one.
Excerpts taken from the General Instruction to the Roman Missal (third typical edition) and the Directives for the
Implementation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal in the Diocese of Columbus
General Instruction of the Roman Missal
An Update
GIRM: The Liturgy of the Word in the Celebration of Mass
The Liturgy of the Word is the moment within
our celebration when we share our stories, the
stories of salvation. Our Sunday celebrations
incorporate different readings from holy
Scripture. The first reading generally comes
from the Old Testament, the second reading
from the New Testament letters, and the third
reading comes from the gospels. The readings
are also chosen by the Church to emphasize
particular seasonal themes as well. The
readings are organized in a three-year cycle so
that over a three-year time, we have the
opportunity to reflect on the richness of God's
Word.
Since our stories of salvation are important and
special to us, we focus in on the revealed word.
Lectors have prepared to proclaim the Word in
order for it to come alive. As listeners, we don't
want to be distracted by unnecessary moment,
noise or following along in a missalette. This is
why you might be asked to wait in the doorway
by the ushers until the reading is finished before
taking your place.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal
calls for a lector for each of the readings. Since
the readings are usually of two different styles
of writing, they need to be proclaimed with
different intonations. While a single lector is
capable of mastering the readings, the sharing
of the readings between two lectors allows for
better proclamation since the lectors can prepare
and focus their skills on their particular reading.
The responsorial psalm is taken from one of the
psalms found in the Old Testament. The psalms
should be sung since they are songs. A psalmist
(one who leads the assembly in the
Responsorial Psalm) goes to the ambo and leads
the assembly.
Silence is important after each of the two
readings. These periods of silence allow time
for the assembly to savor the inspired words
they have heard and to ponder their meaning in
their hearts. This silence should not be disturbed
with movement from either the ministers or the
assembly.
The high point of the Liturgy of the Word is the
proclamation of the gospel. The gospel
proclamation is marked with special actions,
signs, and symbols. The Book of the Gospels is
a sign of the presence of Christ and is
proclaimed with great honor in the Church's
liturgy. The deacon, or in his absence a priest
carries the gospel book to the ambo in solemn
procession from the altar where the book is
enthroned. The Gospel procession marks the
coming of Christ and may be accompanied by
incense and candles. The actions of the deacon
preparing himself with a blessing and the
assembly standing and listening acknowledges
and confesses Christ is present and is speaking
to them.
Although the gospel is the summit of the
Liturgy of the Word, the homily is no less
important. The homily is different from a
sermon. A sermon is a religious lecture, but a
homily is intended to break open the Word and
make the connection between the life of Christ
and our journey in his salvation.
Silence after the homily allows the assembly to
reflect on the words of wisdom and how the
scripture may be applied to their lives and to see
better God's action in their daily activities.
Within the 'Profession of Faith' we state our
belief in the incarnation of our Lord. This
statement is our belief that God through his Son
became one of us. We are asked to bow in
gesture when we say, 'by the power of the Holy
Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and
became man.'
The deacon normally leads the petitions of the
General Intercessions. The Intercessions always
incorporate the needs of the Church, of the
nations in the world, of the sick and the poor, of
the local community, and intentions for the
dead.
Excerpts taken from the General Instruction to the Roman Missal (third typical edition) and the Directives for the
Implementation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal in the Diocese of Columbus
General Instruction of the Roman Missal
An Update
GIRM: The Liturgy of the Eucharist in the Celebration of Mass
Now that the Word of God has been opened for us to feast upon, we are ready to prepare the gifts
for the "Eucharistic Prayer" and "Holy Communion". The gifts of bread and wine are brought
forward as a symbol of ourselves. The collection of financial offerings is a visible sign of our
weekly concern for the community, especially the poor and the needy. The presider or deacon
accepts the gifts from those representing the community. The altar is prepared with the gifts. It is
a norm and not an exception that the Precious Blood is distributed to the community. A few
drops of water are placed into the carafe of wine before the wine is poured into the chalice and
communion cups during the preparation. After the wine has been consecrated, the Precious
Blood is not poured from one vessel to another.
The communion cups may be filled before Mass begins and placed on the credence table. As the
altar is prepared, the filled cups are placed on the altar around the chalice. The chalice is
prepared in the normal fashion.
A slight revision for the assembly according to the GIRM is for all to share in the common
posture of standing before the invitation to prayer when the presider says, "Pray my brothers and
sisters, that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father." Most of us are already
accustom to standing before the invitation when incense is used since the assembly stands to
receive the incensation of the deacon.
We along with our gifts are now prepared to be vessels of God's transforming love that makes
the paschal mystery a reality.
The Eucharistic Prayer begins with a "preface" to our thanksgiving. We respond with the sung
acclamation commonly known as the "Holy, Holy, Holy" acclamation. Our common posture is
kneeling during the Eucharistic prayer. Those parishes and schools which do not have kneelers
are to contact the bishop to request a temporary continuance for the practice of standing. Those
who do not kneel are to make a profound bow, as do the ministers at the altar when the presider
genuflects after the consecration.
The posture of the deacons and other ministers within the sanctuary should be the same as that of
the presider, thus creating a unity in their posture and service in the sanctuary. Altar servers who
are positioned in the assembly are to follow the common posture of the assembly either kneeling
or standing.
Thus the great prayer of thanksgiving, the Eucharistic Prayer, helps all of us to enter into the
paschal mystery of our Lord.
Excerpts taken from the General Instruction to the Roman Missal (third typical edition) and the Directives for the
Implementation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal in the Diocese of Columbus
General Instruction of the Roman Missal
An Update
GIRM: The Communion Rite in the Liturgy of the Eucharist
The Communion Rite begins with the Prayer
that Jesus taught us. Our unity is expressed
through common posture and gesture. Our
common posture is standing and the gesture
that expresses our unity is the orans position.
The presider, with outstretched hands facing
upward, models this position for us.
The title for those lay people who help the
presider and deacon share Holy Communion
has been changed from "Eucharistic
Ministers" to Extraordinary Ministers of Holy
Communion. The "ordinary" ministers of
sharing the Body and Blood of Christ are
bishops, priests, and deacons. The
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
approach the sanctuary during the "Lamb of
God". They should not extend the sign of
peace to one another, but simply move to a
place within the sanctuary unique to them.
There should be no movement within the
sanctuary and the assembly following the
"Lamb of God" in order to prepare for the
sacred moment of unity between ourselves
and God. After the presider and deacon
receive communion, then communion is
offered to the Extraordinary Ministers of
Holy Communion and altar servers. These
extraordinary ministers are handed their
vessels to show their extraordinary role as
helpers in the distribution of Communion.
The communion hymn helps the assembly to
praise and thank God for his love and should
be sung by the assembly. The music begins
after the presider has received Holy
Communion. The assembly is encouraged to
sing while waiting for their time to process,
during the procession, and after receiving
Holy Communion as a common gesture that
unifies the assembly in their thanksgiving to
God.
Another sign of unity is our common posture
of movement and standing when receiving
communion. Our procession reminds us of
our life-long procession to the heavenly
banquet. The gesture of bowing the head
before receiving the Eucharist is a sign of
reverence for the true presence of Christ in
the Precious Body and the Precious Blood.
Since our celebration of the Mass encourages
all to be conscious, active and fully
participating, the assembly should receive
both the Precious Body and Blood at each
Mass. The Eucharist consecrated during the
Mass should be shared at that Mass. Only
when it becomes apparent that not enough
host have been consecrated should the
reserved sacrament in the tabernacle be used
and brought forward after the distribution to
the assembly begins. Sharing the Precious
Body and Blood of our Lord in the action of
Holy Communion makes real the very nature
of our calling as Christians, to become Christ
for others.
Another practice that has become a part of
some parishes is the blessing of noncommunicants.
This action is confusing and
runs the risk of diminishing the unique
importance of the common unity.
After the action of Holy Communion, the
ordinary and extraordinary ministers of
communion consume the excess Precious
Blood. Some of the extra Consecrated Hosts
may be taken to the tabernacle in order to be
reserved for the sick and for adoration. The
communion vessels are placed on the
credence table, covered, and cleansed after
Mass. After a period of silence to reflect and
give thanks for Christ's presence within us,
we stand to end the communion rite with a
communal prayer led by the presider.
Excerpts taken from the General Instruction to the Roman Missal (third typical edition) and the Directives for the
Implementation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal in the Diocese of Columbus
General Instruction of the Roman Missal
An Update
GIRM: The Concluding Rite of the Mass
As with all actions they come to an end. We
must soon depart from each other's
company in order to "go forth to love and
serve the Lord." We carry within us the
Sacramental presence of Christ who helps us
to continue the work that was begun in us at
our baptisms.
The concluding rite consists of gestures with
the emphasis on community.
Announcements are made before the
blessing and dismissal to inform the
community of the need for their time, talent,
and camaraderie. The blessing can either be
simple or solemn based on the occasion.
"The sending of the faithful" is to put into
effect in our daily lives the Paschal Mystery
and unity in Christ we have just celebrate
d. Recessional music, which has always
been a part of the tradition of the Church,
reminds us of our joy in the Risen Christ.
The recessional procession mirrors the
opening procession. The presider leads us
forth to our service in the Lord. The Book of
the Gospels is not carried out at the end of
Mass since the words of everlasting life
have been poured out into the assembly. We
are now the containers of God's Word sown
within our hearts. We are sent forth to share
the Word and be witnesses of Christ to the
world around us.
In many parishes the habit of leaving the
assembly before the concluding rite has been
a reality. When a member of the
assembly leaves before Mass has ended, it
becomes a distraction and also gives the
indication that the community of faith in
which the person has just prayed is not
important to them. This habit may have
developed from the understanding that the
Mass is a private encounter with God and
that receiving the Precious Body and Blood
is more important than the relational focus
of being united with each other as an
Eucharistic community. This type of
thinking has become easier today since our
fast pace society supports it. Even though
many reasons are given, this thinking lends
itself to the fast food restaurant atmosphere
where let's hurry up with the prayers so we
can get our food and run. It is sad that some
have made the heavenly banquet into an "eat
and run" experience.
Overall, the purpose of the General
Instruction of the Roman Missal is to
encourage unity throughout the whole
Church. The reading and application of the
document should not be so literal that they
become ridged rules and one-dimensional
interpretations. The goal of our liturgies is
not a strict adherence to a uniformity of
rubrics, but to be open to God with a well
trained heart.
The rites and prayers that the Church gives
us has as its primary means to bring all into
a full, conscious, and active participation in
the Paschal Mystery through which Christ
redeems his beloved and joins us to himself
in glory.
Excerpts taken from the General Instruction to the Roman Missal (third typical edition) and the Directives for the
Implementation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal in the Diocese of Columbus
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