Our Lady of Lourdes Church and School

The Liturgy: Our Greatest Gift

The Liturgy is the action of Christ, head and body; head represented by the priest and body represented by all of us, the baptized faithful. Our active and wholehearted participation in the Liturgy is the greatest gift we can give to God in union with Jesus.

Therefore, let us be encouraged…

• To greet one another as we enter the
  church as brothers and sisters in Christ.
• To generously move to the center of the pew when we take our seats so others won’t have to cross over us.
• To be present for the entire Mass, from beginning to end so that the sacrifice of Jesus can truly be offered with one mind and heart.
• To be here not as spectators but as active participants. Our active participation begins with our arrival. There are always unexpected traffic jams that may cause us on occasion to be late for Mass, but if you find that you are consistently late then plan to leave your home fifteen minutes earlier.

More silence has been incorporated into our worship. As you enter into the silences at each part of the Mass, think about why we are being silent and the posture we are using at that particular point.

•  We stand during the Preparation of the Altar and Gifts at the words, “Pray brethren,”
• We make a profound bow*  during the Creed at the words: “by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man.”
• Sign of Peace, before sharing in the Body and Blood of Christ we offer a sign of peace to those around us. This action concludes as soon as the Agnus Dei/Lamb of God begins.
• We remain standing after Communion until the last person has received Holy Communion as a sign of our unity as one body in Christ. Then we are to be seated for a period of communal silent prayer.

 * Profound bow - bending from the waist