Welcome

St Michael's Catholic Church

 

How did the Roman Missal originate?

In the early Christian Church, many of the prayers that were said at Eucharist were memorized and handed down by word of mouth. Eventually the prayers were collected and written down in books known as sacramentaries (book of sacraments). Scripture readings were recorded in other books and the Psalms were written in a book called the Psalter. Throughout the ages, as these manuscripts were passed down, modifications and additions were made. Eventually, all the chants, prayers, instructions and scriptures were organized into one book. It was written in Latin and as the texts contained in it continued to evolve over the next five centuries it became quite large. After the Second Vatican Council, the Mass was translated into many different languages (the vernacular).
The Lord be with you
A Walk through the New Mass

 New Mass

The Lord be with you

This greeting comes from Ruth 2:4.

After her father-in-law died, Ruth went, with her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Naomi’s original home in Bethlehem. There they gleaned wheat behind the reapers on the land of Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s late husband. In the story we read how Boaz greets his reapers, saying “The Lord be with you”.

When he asks a servant who the two new gleaners are, Boaz is told about Ruth. He is impressed that Ruth did not abandon her mother-in-law but is looking after her. Later Boaz marries Ruth, who becomes the mother of Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David, in the well-known line that leads to our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, as the priest greets the congregation at the beginning of Mass, we have an echo of Boaz, as well as of the Angel Gabriel talking to Our Lady. Great things have happened after those words were spoken!

• Based on notes by Msgr Bruce Harbert on the DVD ‘Become One Body, One Spirit, in Christ’.
 

Copyright © 2009 St Michael's Catholic Church. All Rights Reserved.
Website developed and maintained by Webwize.
Joomla 1.5 Templates by Joomlashack