Short Instructions

on the Mass

For Children

AMERICAN PUBLISHING SOCIETY
1328 Lawrence Street, Denver, Colo.





Short Instructions

on the Mass

For Children

American Publishing Society

1328 Lawrence Street

Denver, Colo.



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EDITOR’S NOTE.

The idea of these twenty-eight instructions

is to take those incidents of the Mass which

are most easily OBSERVABLE by children,

and to use them as vehicles for some instruc-

tion. As they stand, the instructions are

arranged to he given by the priest at Mass

itself, one every Sunday, before Mass begins

or at the Gospel; and this is probably the

best way; but doubtless they will also be

found useful and suggestive to those who

have to instruct in other ways and at other

times.

July 10, 1922.



Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2016

https://archive.org/details/shortinstructionnull



Short Instructions on the Mass

1.—The Sign of the Cross.
Every Sunday I am going to tell you about

something that is done in the Mass, so that you

will be able to watch out for it, and understand

better what is going on, and join yourselves

better to it. So we’ll begin to-day with the very

first thing you do, at the very beginning of the

Mass. You do it at the same time as the priest

and the server, and it shows you are really going

to take part in that Mass. What is it you do ?

You make the Sign of the Cross.

Try now, just for a minute, to think why you

do it, and what it means.

As you make the Sign you say, ‘Tn the name

of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy

Ghost, Amen.”

That means, in Their name, or for Their sake,

you are going to do this good action of hearing

Mass. Everything you do in your lives must

be done as for God; even quite little things like

washing and dressing and having meals. You

should try and remember to offer them to God,

and do them well for His sake. A good way to

[ 5 ]



do it would be just to make a Sign of the Cross.

In old days people used to do that much more

often. For instance, when they lighted a candle

they always made a Sign of the Cross, because

the flame reminded them of the Light of the

world, Christ Our Lord. When they got out of

bed in the morning they made a Sign of the

Cross, and offered God all their day. As they

went out of the house to go to work they made the

sign. When they wrote letters they put a Cross

at the beginning and the end. And they made a

Sign of the Cross last thing before getting into

bed; and at many other times, too. It is a good

thing to do, and very pleasing to Our Lord,

because it is His Cross you are making over

yourself.

But if you do it before unimportant things

like meals, of course you must do it before Mass,

because hearing Mass is the biggest, most im-

portant thing you do in the week, the thing most

pleasing to God you can do. If you start with

a good Sign of the Cross, God will help you to

hear Mass well; that is, with real love in your

hearts for Our Lord, and the thought of pleasing

Him.

You must make the Sign slowly and carefully,

thinking what it means, for it is like a signal to

Our Lord that you are on His side, in the big

game of life. When Our Lady appeared in the

grotto at Lourdes to the little girl Bernadette,

[ 6 ]



she taught her how to make the Sign of the Cross

very reverently and carefully, and Bernadette

always remembered what Our Lady had said.

Afterwards people who saw Bernadette make the

Sign of the Cross never forgot it, ' for she did

it with so much love and meaning. Try and copy

Bernadette in this, especially at Mass.

2.-r-The Confiteor.

Last Sunday I talked to you about the Sign

of the Cross. Remember always to make it

specially well at the beginning of Mass. Make

up your minds that all your lives, even when you

are grown up, you will do it well; it is a signal

to Our Lord, and He never fails to see it.

After the Priest has made the Sign of the

Cross, and said through a Psalm, he bows down

and says something, and then the Server bows

and says it, too. What is it they say? And why

do they bow down?

It is the Confiteor, which means the “I confess.*^

The Priest says it because he is just going to offer

the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and he must have

a pure heart to do that. Why does the Server
say it? For you. Because you are going really

to take part in the Mass, and you can only do

that if you have got rid of your sins by being

sorry for them, confessing them, and getting God

to forgive them. In your heart you join with

the Server in what he is saying so that your soul

. [ 7 ]



majr be made quite pure, before the real part of

the Mass begins.

Besides confessing to Almighty Gnd and ask-

ing for forgiveness, the Server (and you) con-

fess to Our Lady and the Saints, and to the Priest

;

because it is a good thing to own up to other peo-

ple when you have done wrong; it shows you are

really ashamed of yourself and really sorry. And

at the end you say: 'Tray to the Lord Our God

for me.”

The priest hows down because that is a sign

of being humble—that is, owning you are noth-
ing, and God is everything, and that you are

ashamed of being a sinner, and adore God, who

is all good.

At the words "through my fault” we strike

our breast three times. That reminds us that

sins deserve a punishment. Our Lord was beaten

with scourges. Was it for sins? Yes. Not for

His own, because He had none. It was for ours,

to save us from punishment. So when we strike

our breast it is another sign that we are really

and truly sorry.

Saying the Confiteor is like the publican in'

Our Lord's story, who went up into the temple

to pray, and would not so much as lift up his eyes

towards heaven, but struck his breast and said:

"0 God be merciful to me a sinner.”

So remember always to join in the Confiteor

with all your heart.

[ 8 ]



3.
—“By the Merits of the Saints Whose Relies

are Here.”

After the Confiteor the priest walks up the

steps to the Altar, and when he gets to the Altar

you’ll notice that the first thing he does is to bow

down and kiss it. In fact, if you notice you will

see that the priest kisses the Altar several times

during the Mass. That is because in the middle

of the Altar there is a square stone called the

Altar-stone. It is specially consecrated by the

Bishop, and it is the Altar really, because you

must always have a consecrated Altar-stone to

say Mass on. If a priest has to say Mass in all

sorts of different places (like the priests who said

Mass for the soldiers in the war)
,
he must have

a little thin Altar-stone that he can carry about.

Of all the bricks and stones in the Church, the

Altar-stone is the chief. So it stands for Christ

Our Lord, because He said He was the stone

which the builders rejected, and which God had

made the head of the corner. And the priest

kisses the Altar-stone because it stands for Christ

Our Lord. There’s one day in the year when

you can come up and kiss the stone, too, and

that is Good Friday, after the Altar is stripped

in the morning.

While the priest kisses the Altar this time he

says a little prayer like this : “We beseech thee,

O Lord by the merits of thy Saints, whose relics

are here, and of all thy Saints, that Thou wouldst

[9]



vouchsafe to forgive me all my sins.’^ Inside the
Altar-stone there are always some real relics of

the Saints; a little piece of their bones or some-

thing like that. The Bishop puts them in when

he consecrates the stone. Of course, the souls

of the Saints are in Heaven, but the Church

honors and treasures even the relics of their

bodies, because their bodies were part of them on

earth, and they will be part of them again in the

glorious resurrection of the body.

So when you see the priest go up and kiss the

Altar, you can remember the Saints, whose relics

are here in this Altar. We don’t even know who
they are; but most of the relics that are put in

Altar-stones come from the Roman catacombs,

which are full of the graves of the early martyrs.

So probably our relics belong to some man or

woman, or perhaps a child even, who refused to

give up Christ and was beheaded or thrown to

the wild beasts in the big open-air theatre called

the Coliseum at Rome. After the show was over

and all the people gone, the friends of the martyrs

would come and gather up the poor broken bodies

that had gone through so much, and bury them

safely in the catacombs, and that’s how we come
• to have their relics in our Altar-stone to offer the

sacrifice of the Mass on.

But as for their souls, of course, they’ve been

safe and happy in heaven with Our Lord all these

hundreds of years, and He can’t say no when they

[ 10 ]



ask Him anything
;
so that’s why we ask them to

pray for us that we may hear Mass well.

4.—The Introit.

After the priest has kissed the middle of the

Altar, where the Saints’ relics are, and which I

told you about last Sunday, he goes to the right

side of the Altar where the Book is, and reads a

short passage from it. The big Book is called the

Missal, and this first thing the priest reads is

called the Introit. In old days it was generally

a whole Psalm; now it is a few verses from the

Pslams, with sometimes a verse or two from some

other part of Holy Scripture.

You remember, the Psalms are by the Holy

King, David. David was one of the ancestors of

Our Lady; that is why Our Lord is called “the

Son of David.” God revealed to David many

things about Our Lord, and he wrote these down

in a collection of wonderful songs and hymns

called the Psalms.

The priest has already said a Psalm with the

server, while he stood at the bottom of the sanc-

tuary steps; and he says some more verses from

the Psalms later on—just before the Gospel, and
also while he washes his hands. So, you see.

King David’s beautiful words of prayer and

praise come into the Mass quite a lot. Isn’t it

wonderful to remember that Our Lord Himself

used to read these words when He lived on earth ;

[ 11 ]



and that He loved them and prayed to His Father

in them, and spoke of them to His disciples?

Perhaps He learnt them by heart, when He was a

little boy like .you, and said them over to Our

Lady. So we cannot think too highly of the

Psalms or love them enough. And in all the

world no one ever wrote songs so full of joy!

So while the priest reads the Introit, you can

think how it is a little bit of the worship given

to Our Lord by the great King David, though

as yet Our Lord had not been born on earth and

David only had the promise that He should be

born. So it is right that now, as we kneel ex-

pecting that Our Lord will soon come on the Altar,

we should pray in the words of King David.

5.—Kyrie Eleison.

What language is the Mass in?

Latin, you say. Yes, most of it. But there

are some words of it in two other languages,

Greek and Hebrew. If you listen carefully you

will hear the priest say them, and if you listen

now to what I am going to tell you, you will find

out what they mean. Then you will be able to

say you can understand words in three languages

besides your own!

But first I want to tell you something about

those three languages. They are called *'dead

languages,” because no one talks them, now, in

ordinary life, the same as we talk English, and

[ 12 ]



people in France talk French. But once, they

were spoken by the people of the countries they

belong to. They were all spoken in Palestine

when our Lord lived there. And when Pilate

wanted to write up; “Jesus of Nazareth, the King

of the Jews’" over our Lord,, as He hung on the

Cross, he wrote it in those very three languages

—

Latin, Greek and Hebrew. So, now, when the

sacrifice of Calvary is renewed in the Mass, again

those three languages are used. They have be-

come holy languages, and God no longer allows

ordinary people to put them to the common use of

daily talk.

After the Introit the priest goes to the middle

of the Altar and says “Kyrie Eleison,” and the

server answers the same words, and then the

priest says it again, and the server answers

“Christe eleison,” and so they go on till they have

said, the words nine times. These words are in

Greek. What do they mean? “Kyrie eleison”

means, “Lord, have mercy,” and “Christe eleison”

means, “Christ, have mercy.” They have been

said in the Mass, like that, for nearly 1,500 years.

We know that, because there is an account, in very
ancient books, of a Council held by the bishops in

France,, 500 years after our Lord lived, and the

holy bishop (Saint Caesarius of Arles) who was

at the head of it, explained how in Rome and in

the Churches of the East, they said “Kyrie elei-

son” over several times, “with much love and

[ 13 ]



compunction,” and so he wished his Churches to

do the same. So when you hear those Greek

words, try to say them in your hearts with “love

and compunction” (that means real sorrow for

your sins) and make “Lord, have mercy” a real

prayer for mercy for yourselves, and for every-

body else, because some people need mercy more

than you do.

6.—Gloria In Excelsis.

After the priest has said the “Kyrie eleison,”

he stays in the middle of the altar and says the

“Gloria in excelsis,” that is. Glory to God in the

highest and on earth peace to men of good will.

You remember who it was that first said these

joyful words.

It was the angels on the hills outside Bethle-

hem, as they appeared with a wonderful, shining

light in the cold, grey dawn, and announced to

the shepherds that our Lord had just been born.

So the priest says that, and a lot more, too, for

the Church’s song of joy and praise to Christ our

Lord. “We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we adore

Thee, we glorify Thee, we give Thee thanks for

Thy great glory,” and so on. It’s a very joyful

hymn, and so it is missed out in Lent and Advent,

when the priest wears the purple vestments, be-

cause those are times of penance. But the “Kyrie

eleison” is always said.

[ 14 ]



7.—Dominus Vobiscum.

Last time we got to the Kyrie eleison and

Gloria, which the priest says to our Lord; and

then he kisses the altar and turns right round,

and opening his hands out, he says something to

you. It is right that he should turn from speak-

ing to our Lord and speak to you, because our

Lord is the Head, and you are His Body. The

words the priest says are “Dominus vobiscum,^'

and they mean, “the Lord be with you.” He

says them to you seven times during Mass. Do

you answer anything? Yes—at least, the server
answers for you, aloud, and you answer in your

hearts. The answer is, “And with thy spirit.”

So don't forget to answer every time you hear

“Dominus vobiscum.” Think, if someone said

“good-bye” to you, you wouldn't keep silent and

answer nothing: that would seem very rude and

ungracious. Well, “good-bye” means ,'“God be

with you” (almost the same as “Dominus vobis-

cum'') and just as you would answer “good-bye”

to your friend, so, now, answer the priest, , and

really wish him the joy that the Lord may be

“with his spirit.”

You remember I told you that the Altar-stone

stands for Our Lord. That's why the priest kisses

it before he turns round and says Dominus vobis-

cum to you. It's like passing on Our Lord's spirit

to you. “May the Lord be with you,” he says,

because so long as you are in a state of grace,

[ 15 ]



really you are part of Our Lord—one body in
Jesus Christ, as the catechism says. That’s why

it’s so easy for a Catholic to be good, if he wants

to be
;
because he’s part of Our Lord and has Our

Lord’s life in him. Think of that when you hear

the priest say Doniinus vohiscum—the Lord be
with you.

8.—Collect and Lesson.

The priest stands at the right hand side of the

altar, and reads for some time out of the Missal.

Do you know what he is reading? First, two or

three prayers, called “collects,” and then the

Lesson, and then a Psalm. While he says the

collects he holds his hands up like this, but for

the other things he rests his hands on the book.

“Collect” means a prayer for everybody. That

is why, before he begins the prayer, the priest

says ''Oremus” which means, “let us pray.” So

don’t forget to obey, by lifting up your hearts in

prayer.

All those collects are said to God (the great

God, the one God in three Persons), and they

always end “Through our Lord Jesus Christ,” be-

cause He told us to pray in His name.

At the end of each collect the server says

“Amen,” and he says it for you. In old days all

the people said “Amen.”

Do you remember I told you there were three

languages used in the Mass? Well, this is the

[ 16 ]



third—Hebrew. ‘‘Amen’' is a Hebrew word which
means '‘Really and truly,” “So let it be,” “I agree.”

So when you say “Amen,” it means you are mak-

ing the prayer yours, and asking God to count it

as if you had said it.

After these collects, and without moving from

that side of the altar, the priest reads the Lesson.

It may be a bit of the Old Testament, or some

words from St. Paul or St. Peter or one of the

other Apostles who wrote, inspired by God.

There is a lot about our Lord in the Old Testa-

ment, though He had not been born yet. It is

called prophecy, and the men who wrote it knew

it because God revealed it to them. Our Lord

used to read the Old Testament and find all the

bits about Himself, and how He should be cru-

cified. One day, after He was risen. He saw two

of His disciples walking sadly along the road,

and talking about how He, their Master, had been

killed. So He joined them, without letting them

know it was He, and beginning at Moses and the

prophets He showed them in all the Scriptures,

the things about Himself. That made them un-

derstand how it was really God's purpose that Our

Lord should be crucified to save us, and that He

should rise again from the dead.

Before Our Lord left those two disciples. He

sat down at the table with them, and broke bread

and blessed it, and then they knew Him. So,

now, in the Mass we hear first the Scriptures

[ 17 ]



about Our Lord, and then He is known to us in

the breaking of bread, Holy Communion.

9.—The Changing of the Missal.

After all the things I was telling you last time,

we come next to the Gospel. 'Up to now the

Missal has been on the right side of the Altar,

but when it is time for the Gospel you see the

server take the book and carry it across to the

left-hand side. That is meant to remind us of

the difference that Our Lord’s coming made.

You see, all the things that happened before Our

Lord came—especially the things that happened
amongst God’s chosen people, the Jews—^were
simply a preparation for His coming. We call

that the Old Law; and when Christ Our Lord

came the Old Law came to an end, and He made

a fresh start. That is why the Missal is changed

across when we come to the Gospel, because the

Gospel tells us about Our Lord’s life on earth.

Still, the Old Law was the true religion in those

days; and Our Lord did not do away with it

altogether, but He kept what He wanted to keep

and used it in His own Kingdom. For instance,

the old Jewish sacrifices, the oxen and lambs ‘that

were killed and offered up—we don’t have those
any more

;
the sacrifice of Our Lord on the cross

did away with all those
;
but we do have our own

sacrifice of the Mass, which is one and the same

sacrifice with that of the cross.

[ 18 ]



Well, in a way, all this first part of the Mass

up to the gospel comes down from those times

before Our Lord. You know the first Christians

were mostly Jews. Before they were Christians

they used to meet together on the Sabbath day for

their service in the synagogue or chapel, where

they sang the Psalms and read the Holy Scrip-

tures. And when they became Christians they

didn’t stop doing that. They didn’t go to the syn-

agogue, indeed, because the other Jews wouldn’t

have them
;
but they met together on Sunday and

had their own service, like they had in the syn-

agogue, the Psalms and Scriptures
;
and then they

ended up with Mass and communion, and did

what Our Lord did at the Last Supper. So the

first part of our Mass now, when the book is on

the right side of the Altar, corresponds to the

Jewish service before Our Lord’s time
;
and when

we come to the Gk)spel, the book is changed across

to mark the difference.

10.—The Gospel.

When the time comes the server takes the Mis-

sal to the other side of the Altar, for the Gospel

and you all stand up. Why?

You stand up so as to do honor to the Gospel.

The Gospel is the most precious part of the whole

Bible, because it tells of the life, death and resur-

rection of Our Blessed Lord. He is our Divine

King, so we stand to hear about Him just as people

[ 19 ]



would stand to hear a proclamation from the

President of the United States read out, and also

we stand to show we are all ready to do what He

tells us.

But before the priest reads the Gospel, he does

something, and so does the server, and so do you

—or you ought to. He makes a little cross with
his thumb on his forehead and one on his lips

and one on his breast. (Do. it, now, and then I

will tell you what it means).

It is a prayer that the Holy words of the Gospel

may be, first, in yoUr mind. That is why you

make the cross on your foreheads. That you

may know about Our Lord, and understand all

the Gospel teaches, and believe it, and do as it

says, and never forget about Our Lord.

The cross on your lips means that you must be

able to speak the words of the Gospel. “Gospel”

means “good news”
;
and who ever heard of some-

one knowing a bit of good news and not telling it

!

When you get older you will have plenty of

chances of telling people the good news about

Our Lord and the Catholic Church; but even as

children you can, too.

The cross on your breast means the life of

Christ in your heart. If it is there it will mean

that you love Him. If you love Him you will

not be able to love anything wrong or mean or

low or selfish. If you love Him you will keep

His words and try to please Him. If you love

[ 20 ]



Him you will really want to receive Him in Holy

Communion very often.

So when you see the Missal put on the Gospel

side of the Altar stand up quick to do honor to

the royal message and to show you are ready to

carry it out and make those three little crosses,

letting each be a real prayer,

11.—The Creed.

When the priest turns back to the Altar after

reading out the notices and the Epistle and Gos-

pel in English, he stands in the middle and

recites something, while you stand, too. ^What

he is saying is called the Credo. Credo is a Latin

word which means, “I believe.” Most of you can

say the shorter creed, anyhow; and the one the

priest says at Mass, is much the same. You know

that the creed tells about all we believe, as Cath-

olics. When the priest stands and says the

creed, even if you do not say through the words

to yourselves, too, you should say to Our Lord:

'‘Lord, I believe all that, that the priest is say-

ing. I’m quite, quite sure about it. Please give

me grace always to believe it, and never to for-

get about it. I am glad I believe it. I would

rather die than say I did not believe it. I know

it is true, because the Catholic Church says it is

and the Catholic Church is Your Own Church that

you made.”

You have all heard of Martyrs. Well, the

[ 21 ]



Martyrs all died simply because they would go

on believing in the creed, and would not say they

did not believe, when cruel men told them to.

Some of them had to suffer awful tortures; and

when they were in such pain that you would

have thought no one could bear it, the cruel men

used to say, “Now, if you will give up believing

in your creed we will let you go and not hurt you

any more.” But the Martyrs would clench their

teeth and think of Christ on the cross, and say

“no, no—I believe” Then they would be tor-
tured some more, and at last put to death. Of

course, it meant they went straight to Heaven

and Our Lord received them with joy, and said

“Well done, good and faithful servants.”

Doesn’t it make you feel proud to think you

can stand up and say you believe in the same

creed, and would die for it, too, if you had to?

There were lots of children martyrs, you know.

And when, in the middle, you bow your knee,

that is because the Creed tells of Jesus being

born, and you bow your knee to worship Him

—

for if He had not been born a little baby on

earth, there would be no creed and no martyrs

and no Catholic Church, and no hope of heaven

in the life to come.

.
12.—The Offertory.

Last Sunday I talked to you about the creed.

When the creed is finished you all sit down.

[ 22 ]



Perhaps some*of you think this is a nice quiet

time when you can sit comfortably back in your

benches, and think of all sorts of things and not

attend any more, until the ringing of the bell

calls you back to attention, and you have to kneel

down.

Now, of course, that is quite wrong. Really,

the more important part of the Mass is just be-

ginning, and you ought to have your eyes fixed

on the altar to see what the priest is doing, and

join with him, in your hearts.

If you look, you will see that he now uncovers

the chalice, and takes up in his hands a kind of

little plate, called the paten. On this is the host.

But, of course, it is not Our Lord's body yet; it

is still only bread because the consecration has

not yet taken place.

Watch the priest. You will see he holds up

the paten with the host on it. Presently that

little white host is going to be changed into the

Body of Our Lord, and become a sacrifice. So

now the priest holds itl up and offers it to God;

and he prays a special little prayer in which he

says he is offering it for his own sins and fail-

ings; for all those present; and for all faithful

Christians, living and dead. So, you see, he is

offering it for you children. Don't you think

you ought to be attending, and joining your hearts

in that offering?

The priest offers up that host asking that it

[ 23 ]



may be a way of getting health for life exerlast-

ing
;
that means, that you may have strong, happy

souls for ever and ever, and live in Heaven full

of joy. What a big thing to ask! For ever and

ever is such a long time that no one can under-

stand it. But it is not too big a thing for Jesus

to ask for us, and it is He who is going to ask it,

when He comes, Himself, on the altar, presently.

So now, while the priest offers up the host,

ask God the Father to let you share in the won-

derful thing it is going to get for all faithful

Christians
—

“health for life everlasting.”

13.—The Wine and Water.

If you are watching the altar, as I told you

last Sunday that you ought to do, you will notice

that after the priest has offered up the Host, he

takes the chalice in his hands and goes to the

side of the altar, where the server is waiting.

Taking the little cruet containing wine, he pours

some of it into the chalice. (Later, it will be-

come Our Lord’s Precious Blood). And then

the priest takes the other little cruet, and there

is only water in that, but he pours some of it

into the chalice, too. Do you wonder why the

priest mixes water with the wine?

We are told why in the prayer that he says

while he is doing it. There are two reasons, and

you must try to understand them.

1. “The mystical union of this water and

[ 24 ]
I



wine’’ teaches us something about Our Divine

Lord Himself. You know that He was Man and

God; that He had two natures, the human and

the Divine, so closely joined into one that nothing

could divide them. Well, the wine so closely

mixed with the water is meant to show Our

Lord’s Divine Nature joined with His human

nature. There were some heretics who didn’t

believe Our Lord had two natures. To show this

they used to use only wine in their Mass.

2. Another thing we learn is about ourselves.

The beautiful, rich-colored wine stands for Our

Divine Lord. The pale, tasteless water stands

for us. When the water is mixed with the wine

it shows how we must be made one with Christ.

They are so closely mingled that no one could

possibly separate them. And this mingling means

that you can’t see the water any more.

That is how we must be joined to Christ. We
can only be saved that way. If we love Him very

much and try to be like Him; and, above all, if

we receive Him in Holy Communion, He will hold

us so close in His heart that when God the Father

looks at us. He won’t see poor, sinful us any more,

but only His adorable Son. That is what is called

(in the prayer the priest says) becoming “com-

panions of the Godhead of Our Lord Jesus

Christ.”

So now, whenever you see the priest pouring

water and wine into the chalice, think how closely

[ 25 ]



you are joined to Our Lord and how pleasing

that makes you to God, His Father and yours.

And let the thought make you fear to be sepa-

rated from Christ by sin more than you would

fear to suffer death.

14.

—

The Lavabo.

After the priest has offered up the chalice, in

the sam©, way as he did the host, he goes again

to the side of the altar, where the server holds a

little basin and a towel, and he washes his hands.

What does that mean? Well, of course, he washes

his hands to show how pure and clean we ought

to be when we come to receive the Blessed Sacra-

ment. And there’s something else it reminds us

of, too.

If you look over there at the first station of

the cross you will see Pilate washing his hands.

He has just condemned Jesus to be crucified,

and he washes his hands saying, “I am innocent

of the blood of this just man.” We know that

Pilate could not have put Jesus to death; that

it was Our Lord himself who ‘'laid down his life*'

as a sacrifice, and according to His Father’s will

;

that is what Pilate’s washing of his hands means

to us.

Well, in the Mass it is Jesus who offers Him-

self
;
no one would have power to renew the sac-

rifice of Him, otherwise. So when the priest

washes his hands it reminds us that the sacrifice

[ 26 ]



of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, now about

to be made in the Mass, is not his doing. After

this he acts for Christ and in His place.

So while the priest is washing his hands you

can be thanking Our Lord in your hearts that

He once offered Himself on the cross to save us,

and now lets the same sacrifice take place before

our eyes so that we may be there and may each

get for our souls some of the great grace He pours

out at this solemn moment.

Let the washing of the priest^s hands fix in

your minds how freely Christ offers Himself,

how freely He pours out His Precious Blood.

And, remember, only love could give so great a

gift so freely. And if He loves you like that

ought not you to love Him back in something the

same way? I mean, a way that costs you some-

thing, and yet is freely given. Every time you

are patient, and bear hardships willingly and

cheerfully without grumbling, and offer it up to

Our Lord, you are loving Him like that, and He

is pleased.

15.—The Preface.

If you are listening carefully you will notice

that a few moments after the priest has washed

his hands, he says some short sentences, answered

each time by the server, and then, with his hands

stretched out, he begins a long prayer, called the

Preface,

[ 27 ]



I want you to think carefully about those short

sentences, because they mean something special,

and are especially meant for you who are hear-

ing Mass. In English they are this

:

V. The Lord be with you. R. And with thy

spirit.

V. Lift up your hearts. R. We have lifted
them up unto the Lord.

V. Let us give thanks unto the Lord our God.

R. It is meet and just.

Now, I am going to tell you what a holy bishop

called St. Cyprian said about those words. He

lived only three hundred years after Our Lord

had gone back to Heaven.

He says that when we are about to begin the

great prayer called “The Canon'' that is, the most

solemn part of the Mass, we must have no more

thoughts of bodily things or of the present time,

and that is why the Church says, “Lift up your

hearts." He says the people answer, “We have

lifted them up unto the Lord," because now we

must think of nothing but Our Lord.

Try and remember what St. Cyprian said, be-

cause it is very true. From this moment in the

Mass you must think only of Our Lord, for soon

He will be there, on the altar.

The next words, “Let us give thanks unto the

Lord Our God," are the proper ones for us to

say, says another great man, St. Augustine. We
must, he says, “give thanks that we have our

[ 28 ]



hearts lifted up, for, if it was not for the gift of

God, we should have our hearts right down on

the ground.” So, remember, St. Augustine's

words, and say thank you.

The long prayer the priest now says is just a

long thank you; and it tells about the different

things we must specially thank God for at the

different seasons of the Church.

16.

—

The Sanctus.

At the end of the long prayer called the Pre-

face, which I told you about last Sunday, come

the words, "‘Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus,” and the

bell rings three times, and you all kneel down in

worship. What do those words mean?

They mean, “Holy, holy, holy,” and that por-

tion of the prayer is taken from the book of the

Prophet Isaias, in which he describes the sera-

phim, wonderful angels with six wings, crying

“Holy, holy, holy,” in Heaven.

While you are bowing your head in worship,

the priest is finishing this glad cry of praise,

“Holy, holy, holy. Lord God of Sabaoth. Heaven

and earth are full of Thy glory.”

Notice the word, “Sabaoth”—it is another word
in Hebrew, like I told you about before. It means

“army,” for Jesus Christ is the Chief of the Heav-

enly Hosts and of the Church Militant—or
'Church fighting, here on earth.

Then the priest goes on: “Hosanna in the

[ 29 ]



highest. Blessed is he that cometh in the name

of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest!'’

Those words were first said by the children of

Jerusalem, as Our Lord rode in on an ass, and

people strewed palm branches in the way. Now,

He is, coming to us, in our Church, so you chil-

dren must join in your hearts in those words of

joyful welcome. That word. Hosanna, that the

Jewish children shouted so gladly as they ran

along with their branches, is another Hebrew

word. It was their way of saying “hooray!’^

Don’t you wish you could have been among them^

to join in those cheers? Well, our Lord gives

you the chance every Sunday. Only, of course,

you can’t shout out loud, at Mass—only in your
hearts.

17.—The Consecration and Elevation of the Host.
When the bell has rung three times, and you

have knelt down at the Sanctus, you know that

before long will come the most solemn moment

of the Mass. But so as to remind you to have

your whole mind and attention fixed on the altar

and the wonderful thing that is happening there,

presently the bell is rung again just once.

Keep your eyes fixed on the altar, now; and

your thoughts on Our Lord. You should have

love in your hearts for Him, and joy to think

He is coming, and a desire to get grace for your-

selves and others in this great moment, and a

[ 30 ]



real will to please Him. He is going to give

Himself up wholly for you, by coming here, as a

little white Host in the priest's hands. So give

yourselves up wholly to Him, holding nothing

back. Make yourselves oiferings in the hands of

Our Lord to be offered up to God the Father.

By the time you have thought all this you will

see that the priest is bending over the altar, and

then it is time for you to bow your heads in rev-

erence. He has taken the Host in his hands, as

Our Lord took the bread in His holy hands at

the Last Supper
;
and now he says the very same

words Our Lord said that night, and he says them

speaking for Our Lord : ‘‘This is My Body."

At that moment Our Lord Himself comes on

the altar, by changing the bread into Himself,

and the priest bends his knee at once to adore

Him.

As he holds up the white Host high for you to

see, it is the Body of Christ he holds up. You

should look at it with great love and wonder,

and say, “My Lord and my God," and then bow

your head again in worship, and keep very still

and quiet, with your eyes shut, and remember

that what is happening here, in the stillness of

the Church, is what happened first on Calvary.

That just as Our Lord’s Body was lifted up high

on the cross, and offered, a sacrifice, to God, so

now the same Body is lifted up in the priest’s

hands. You should kneel as quiet and as full of

[ 31 ]



love and awe, as if you were kneeling at Our

Lady’s side, on Calvary.

18.—The Consecration of the Chalice.

When the priest consecrated the sacred Host

and held it up for you to see, the bell rang three

times. Now, he uncovers the chalice, and holds

it in his hands. You should kneel very quiet wait-

ing for the bell to ring again.

You remember that when Our Lord hung on

the cross He shed His Blood willingly for us,

and so showed that He was a Sacrifice. Of cc.urse,

Our Lord can’t really die any more, but, in a way,

the words that the priest is now saying over the

chalice are like the thrust of the lance into the

Savior’s side. By them His Blood is shed anew,

in the chalice that is upon the altar. In this way

the shedding of His Precious Blood is renewed

in the Mass, and He shows again that He is truly

sacrificed.

The bell rings again three times, and as you

reverently raise your eyes to the altar, you will

see the chalice hejd up high, and you will know

that in it is the very Blood that Our Lord shed

to win our pardon.
^

Bow your head in adoration and thank Him.

Remember it was your sins that shed His Blood

just as much as those of the most wicked people

who ever lived.

Try and understand about its being a sacri-

[ 32 ]



fice. Join yourself to Our Lord in this sacri-

fice, asking Him to offer you with Himself, to

the Father. Ask God the Father to accept you

and your little sacrifice, because it is joined to

the great Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of

Christ.

Finally, thank Our Lord for coming; thank

Him for shedding His blood; thank Him for

letting you be there.

19.—Genuflection.
After the Consecration and elevation of the

Host and Chalice you remain on your knees, be-

cause people alwaj^s remain kneeling when the

Blessed Sacram.ent is on the Altar or the Taber-

nacle door open.

The priest is now saying many prayers, only

so softly that you cannot hear. If you keep your

eyes on the altar, however, you will notice some-

thing. Every now and then he genuflects—bows
his knee. He did not do that in the first part

of the Mass, and he does not do it in the later part,

after communion. Do you know why he does it?

It is to honor Our Lord, who is present on

the altar. At different places in the Mass the

priest has to touch the Sacred Host, and each

time before he touches it he bends his knee, and

again after he has touched it. You will notice,

too, when he opens the door of the Tabernacle,

to take out the Blessed Sacrament to give com-

[ 33 ]



munion, he genuflects before taking out the Cibor-

ium (or silver vessel containing the Hosts). The

same at Benediction—he always genuflects before
touching the Monstrance in which the Blessed

Sacrament is exposed.

When you come into Church do you always re-

member to genuflect very reverently? Here are

a few things to remember

:

1. It is to Our Lord Himself you are bending

your knee. Think of Him while you are doing it,

and keep your eyes on the Tabernacle where He is.

Remember, it is an act of reverence, so don’t ever

do it thoughtlessly.

2. Do it correctly. That is, bend your right

knee and touch the ground with it. (Don’t make

a sign of the Cross at the same time. It is un-

necessary, and upsets your balance.)

3. If the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, or

Communion is being given, or the door of the

Tabernacle is open, kneel down on both knees,

and bow your head.

20.

—

The Silence and Seven Words.

You will notice that after the Offertory, and all

through the more solemn part of the Mass that

follows, the priest says most of the prayers so

softly that you cannot hear them. In fact, there

is a long silence.

Just as Holy Mass is the same sacrifice as Cal-

[
34 ]



vary, this silence is the same silence that reigned

while Our Lord hung upon the Cross. That

silence was broken seven times by the Seven

Words of Christ. And this silence at Ma^s is

broken seven times, too.

The first time it is only by two words—orate
fratres: pray brethren. The second time by the

Preface. It is the third I want to talk to you

about now, for it comes soon after the Consecra-

tion, and it might be the good thief speaking.

Only the first few words of the prayer are said

aloud—the priest finishes it silently, and unless
you listen carefully you will not hear them. In

Latin they are : “nobis quoque peccatoribus,’’ and

they mean, “To us sinners, also.” They are the

beginning of a beautiful prayer that asks that

we may have some part and fellowship with the

Holy Apostles and other Saints of God, and at the

end it asks that we may be allowed into their com-

pany, not because we deserve it, but through

God’s “free pardon.”

If you have ever heard any stories of the Saints

you must feel that you can never be fit to be in

their company. But you must have hope, which

is one of the three great virtues. You must hope

that God will give you His free pardon for the

sake of Our Lord
;
and having hope means you are

sure He will, because He is God; remember. Our

Lord said to the thief: “This day thou sha^lt be

with Me in Paradise.” That was indeed “free

[ 35 ]



pardon,” for the thief had done nothing to merit

heaven.

Have you each a special friend among the

Saints ? Try and find one, if you haven’t : either

your name Saint, or one whose life you especially

admire. If you do him honor and ask his help,

and try and copy him, he will help you in this life

and welcome you into Heaven.

I will tell you, further on, what are the other

four words in the silent part of the Mass, which

make up the sacred number seven.

21.—The Pater Noster.
While the Body and Blood of Our Lord are still

on the Altar, and you are still kneeling as if you

were on Mount Calvary, the priest says aloud the

“Our Father.” You remember, the Our Father is

the prayer Our Lord Himself taught the Apostles

to use. While the priest says it in Latin, you should

say it quietly to yourselves in English. Say it in

union with the Church. What does that mean?

Well, it means say it together with all Catholics,

because you are a Catholic, and a member of Our

Lord’s Church. Supposing a great man was to

come to your school, and the school wanted to do

him honor, someone would say : “Let us give three

cheers. Hip, hip, hip . . .” and then, altogether,

in union, you would shout “hooray!” It wouldn’t

be just you, each one singly, doing it; it would be

the school giving the cheers, and you would cheer

[ 36 ]



because you were part of the school. In the same

way, you ought sometimes to pray because you

are part of the Church, and there is no better time

than when the “Our Father” comes, in the Mass.

Remember, the first words are '‘Our Father,”

not “My Father” : that reminds you that you are

one of many children.

You will know when the “Our Father” comes

because it is the first time the priest says any long

prayer out loud after the Consecration and the

holding up of the Host and Chalice. It is the

fourth of the seven words of the silent part of the

Mass.

But if you are to take part in this prayer, and

in the other things I have told you about, it means

you must attend, all through, to the altar and

what is being done there. There is no time for

wandering thoughts, at Mass.

Besides, how foolish it would be to think of

other things when you have this wonderful chance

of asking Our Lord for all kinds of things for

yourself and those you love. Besides praying for

your father and mother and brothers and sisters

and friends, you ought sometimes to pray for

anyone who may die today
;
and for the dead

;
for

the Protestants, that they may become Catholics

;

for all the Catholic children, that they may grow

up good Catholics, and not forget our Lord as they

grow up.

[ 37 ]



22.—Fractio Panis.

A minute or two after the priest has said the
Pater Noster, you will notice that he genuflects,

which means he is going to take the Sacred Host

in his hands. What is he going to do with it?

If you watch carefully, you will see that he

breaks it in half, and lays one half down on the

paten. If you listen you can sometimes hear the

sound of the breaking.

Why does he do that?

Because Our Lord did it. In the account of the

Last Supper it says He took.bread and blessed and

broke it, giving it to His disciples and saying,

'‘Take and eat ye all of this, for this is My Body.”
Again, the time He gave Communion to the two

disciples after His Resurrection, He was known

to them “in the breaking of bread.”

And do you remember the story of how He fed

the 5,000 hungry people as they sat on the grass ?

That was not Communion, of course
;
but it was a

type of it, a kind of picture, beforehand, of how

later on thousands of people could eat the same

bread, without it failing till all had had as much

as they wanted. And in that story we read that

Jesus broke the bread, and as He broke it in His

holy hands, there was always more and more.

In the Mass the priest does again all that Jesus

did in the first giving of His Body, and so he

breaks the Host.

Then, holding one half in his hand, he breaks

[ 38 ]



off a little bit of it, and after laying down the

bigger part, he makes the sign of the Cross three

times over the Chalice with the little bit, saying,

“The peace of the Lord be always with you,” and

drops it into the Chalice. Those words are the

fifth time the silence is broken.

Why does the priest drop a little bit of the Host

into th^ Chalice containing the Precious Blood?

Because Our Lord did.

And if you remember how it was Our Lord

broke a little piece of bread and dipped it in the

chalice, it will make you feel rather sad. For that

bit He gave to Judas Iscariot, and it says, “When

Judas had received the morsel he went out to

betray Jesus.”

So that putting of the consecrated Bread in the

Chalice is a little silent reminder that even in the

inner circle of Our Lord's friends there may be

a traitor. Everyone who receives Holy Commun-

ion has to ask, like the disciples did, “Lord, is

it I?”

Judas was Our Lord's enemy. All traitors are

His enemies. Between a man and his enemy there

is war. But listen to what Jesus says, as this

reminder of Judas, the enemy, is being made. He

says : “The peace of the Lord be always with you”

(and at High Mass the kiss of peace is given soon

after)

.

So when you hear the Host being broken, re-

member Judas, and ask Our Lord to keep you

[ 39 ]



from ever being a traitor
;
and ask that your kiss

(Holy Communion) may be always the kiss of

peace, and never the traitor’s kiss.

23.—Agnus Dei.

The sixth time the priest breaks the silence it

is to say, “Lamb of God, who takest away the sins

of the world, have mercy on us,” and he repeats

it three times.

Do you know who it was said that first? It

was St. John the Baptist, as he saw Our Lord

walk past, one day, on the banks of the Jordan.

He pointed Him out to those who stood by, and

said, “Behold, the Lamb of God
;
behold Him who

taketh away the sins of the world.”

That was long before Our Lord was crucified,

of course
;
and it must have puzzled the men who

heard it
;
they didn't know, as you do, about Our

Lord taking away the sins of the world. And yet

they would have understood about the lamb better

than you do, perhaps.

You see, before Our Lord founded the Gatholic

Church, God was worshiped by the Jewish reli-

gion. And the way people were forgiven their

sins was not by each going to Confession. What

happened was this : A beautiful white lamb was
killed by the priests and offered to God as a sin

offering. (That is why St. John called Our Lord

a lamb.) And then the High Priest took a goat,

and tied some wool, soaked in the blood of the

[ 40 ]



lamb, between its horns. And over this goat he

confessed the sins of the people. Then the goat

was driven out, and went wandering away

through the desert, carrying the sins of the peo-

ple, and they were left pure and holy. That was

why St. John spoke of Our Lord “taking away

the sins of the world.”

So now in the Mass—the sacnfice of the Catho-
lic Church—Our Lord is offered like a pure lamb,
innocent, and holy. And He takes all our sins on

Himself and bears them away out of God’s sight.

Think of this when you hear the priest say,

“Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere

nobis.”

24.—The Priest’s Communion.

When the priest says “Domine, non sum

dignus,” so breaking the silence for the seventh

time, and the bell rings three times, the people

get up and begin going up to the altar rails. But

don’t think of the people; Mass is not done, yet.

We have been thinking, the last few Sundays,
how the Mass is a sacrifice. I told you last Sunday

that Our Lord is the Lamb, the Victim, offered up

on the altar, for our sins. The end of the sacrifice

is when the priest receives the Body and Blood of

the Lamb of God in Holy Communion.

In the old days the lamb or the goat could only

take away sins. In our sacrifice the Lamb of God

not only takes away sins, but brings holiness. He,

[ 41 ]



Himself, is all goodness, all holiness, so the end

of the sacrifice is for the priest, who stands there

for the people, to be as closely as possible joined

to the Lamb, to receive Him, in all His power, and

be made one with Him. So, while the priest re-

ceives the Host and Chalice (just after the bell is

rung) remain on your knees, and think what a

solemn moment it is—the end of the great sacri-
fice; the wonderful moment when God is joined

to His Church, and makes it holy by His Own

holiness.

But though the priest receives the Sacrificial

Lamb on behalf of the whole Church, each of you

children may come up and receive Him for your-

selves. He is ready to be given to each of you, to

make you strong and holy and pure. He wants

to come to you
;
He is full of joy when He sees a

good crowd of j^ou come up to the altar-rails. I

think He likes coming to you even better than to

grown-up people. So don’t disappoint Him. And

come up very reverently and quietly, with just

one thought in your minds—love for Our Lord,
and a strong wish to please Him by receiving Him

in Holy Communion, and a real wish to have Him

each for yourselves, that you may tell Him all the

secrets of your hearts that no one else knows
;
all

your sorrows and difficulties; all your hopes, and

about the things you want: for He understands

like no one else can. Let these be your thoughts

as you walk up
;
and keep your eyes down so as to

[ 42 ]



see nothing distracting, and your hands folded

together.

25.—^People’s Communion.

As you kneel at the altar-rails, the server says

the Confiteor for you, and you, in the secret of

your hearts, tell Our Lord, again, how sorry you

are for your sins, and ask Our Lady and the

Saints to help you make a good communion.

Then the priest gives the Absolution, and you

make the sign of the Cross very reverently, so

applying the Absolution to yourselves, and being

by it made as pure as possible before Our Lord

comes to you.

Then the priest takes up one of the Hosts and

holds it high, saying, “Ecce Agnus Dei''
—

“Behold

the Lamb of God." That reminds you again of the

Sacrifice, and that you are now going to be joined

to the Sacrificed Lamb, and become part of Him,

and so a victim, too
;
and you know that all your

sufferings and sorrows will be part of Christ's

sufferings, if you bear them bravely for Him, and

by His strength.

Then the priest goes on, “Domine non sum

dignus"
—

“Lord, I am not worthy that thou

should enter under my roof
;
say but the word and

my soul shall be healed," and you strike your
breast each time the priest repeats the words, and

you feel with all your heart how unworthy you

are, and how wonderful it is thatOur Lord can love

[ 43 ]



you enough to want to come to you. Remember,

those words were said by the Centurion, whose

servant was dying. Our Lord didn’t go into his

house, but cured the servant from afar. You are

more lucky than the Centurion, for though you

tell Our Lord that the little house of your heart is

not worthy of Him, still. He smiles and says,

'Never mind; I know it isn’t; but I love you so

much that I shan’t notice. All I will notice is how

pleased you are to see Me, and how big a welcome

you give Me.”

26.—Corpus Domini Nostri.
And so, at last, the wonderful moment comes

when the priest stands in front of you, and holds

up the Body of Our Lord. Listen to the words

he says—for he says them separately to each one
of you, and not, now, to all the people in general.

“Corpus Domini Nostri—May the Body of Our
Lord Jesus Christ keep thy soul unto life ever-

lasting, Amen.”

That holy Body, so full of grace and power and

purity and strength and all healing, will keep your

soul in all the difficulties and dangers of this life.

And then, the last time you receive it, it will be

as food for your journey, as a Divine Companion

on the journey which you will take into Eternity,

the great land of Life Everlasting. You will not

be frightened, will you, when that day comes?

for Jesus will be with you. You will not be

[ 44 ]



frightened of death, and no more must you be

frightened of life, however many dangers it may

seem to hold for your body and soul. If ever you

are frightened, think of the last time you received

Holy Communion, and remember Our Lord is still

with you, unless you have forced Him to leave you.

by committing a mortal sin.

Receive Him, then, with great love and grati-

tude, and go very quietly back to your place, with

eyes down and folded hands. Never mind, now,

about prayer-books and prayers you have learned.

Surely you have enough to say to this best of

friends. Now is your chance to ask for things,

and to get comfort and sympathy in all your little

worries and sorrows. But above all, don't forget

to thank Him for having come, and for not mind-

ing your little house being so unworthy.

And when you go into your ordinary life, prac-

tice using the new strength He has brought you.

27.—The Blessing.

After you have received Holy Communion and

the priest has said a few prayers, he kisses the

altar, stretches out, lifts up and joins his hands,

and then, bowing his head, he says

:

“May God Almighty bless you," and turning

around, he blesses the people, by making a big

Sign of the Cross over them, saying, “Father, Son

and Holy Ghost."

The priest is giving you the Church's blessing,

[ 45 ]



so you should kneel down to receive it (if you are

not already on your knees)
,
and as he makes the

Sign of the Cross, you should cross yourself, in

that way each taking the blessing to yourselves.

You should not think lightly of this blessing;

it is the Church's blessing, and the Church is Our

Lord’s Mystical Body, so it is as much Our Lord’s

own blessing as when He took the children in His

arms and laid His hands upon them. I expect

you wish you were one of those happy children.

Well, you are happy children to have this chance

of receiving His blessing at the end of Mass. You

should make the most of all these things. They

bring you much grace. Don’t throw away your

privileges by being careless and inattentive. When

Our Lord is blessing you, wouldn’t it be ungrate-

ful to be sitting up staring about, or hunting for

your cap, or fidgeting with your prayer book ?

28.—The Last Gospel.

When you stand up for the last Gospel, you

make again the three little Signs of the Cross on

your forehead, lips and breast, like I told you

about before. You remember what they mean—

a

prayer that the Word of God may be in your mind,

on your lips, and in your heart. And you stand

so as to show honor to the Gospel, because it tells

of Christ Our Lord, and to show you are ready to

do what He says. Do you know what it is the

priest is reading? It is the first Chapter of St.

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John’s Gospel, and it tells how Our Lord, who had

always been, from the beginning, the Son of God,

was born on earth, the Son of Mary, Our Blessed

Lady; how He came unto His Own—His '‘chosen
people”—and His Own received Him not

;
but how

to those who did receive Him he gave power to

become the sons of God—as each of you became at
your baptism. So while the priest reads the last

Gospel, you should be thinking especially of Our

Lord. And when the priest genuflects, you also

should bend your knee, for that is when he comes

to the words, “And the Word” (that is. Our Lord)

“was made flesh, and dwelt among us.”

The more you think of Our Lord at such times,

the more He will show Himself to the eyes of your

mind. And the more you see Him, the more you

will become like Him. And to be like Our Lord is

' the thing that matters most in life. For, first, it

makes us pleasing to Him; second, it makes us

pleasing to other people
;
third, it makes us happy,

ourselves.

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