About

This blog is published for the Westminster Liturgy Commission. It offers opportunities and encouragement to deepen our participation in Mass. It does this in two ways. First, there is a daily posting of the Gospel of the Day. You may find it helpful to pray with this when not able to attend Mass, or by way of preparation for Mass when you can and do attend. Second, there is a weekly post – a mini-essay – which over the coming months will focus on three things, pretty much alternately.

• The first – the ‘origins’ and historical influences on the contemporary regular form of the Mass of the Roman Rite. And for some readers they may already appreciate a little unpacking of how ‘contemporary’, ‘regular’ and ‘Roman Rite’ are used in that sentence. There’s a lot to explore!
• The second – the prayers of the Mass, and especially on the Eucharistic Prayer itself.
• The third – the Ars celebrandi – the ‘art’ of celebration. Very often this theme is considered from the point of view of the principal celebrant of the Mass – the bishop or priest. Here full consideration will also be given to how the congregation and any individual members of the Faithful take part in the celebration of the Mass – not only on the external actions that are evident to all but the inner, spiritual participation which is always at least as important, and mostly more so.

It may be that looking at these three things, pretty much in turn, will leave us all in a mighty muddle. But my hope is that there will prove to be a certain synergy between them, to our benefit in deepening our understanding and appreciation of this Sacrament, that we might still more find in it nourishment and derive from it the true Christian spirit.

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