“Ite Missa Est”
At the end of Mass the Deacon or Priest proclaims: “Ite Missa Est” (if said in Latin) Translated into English, it means:
“Go forth, the Mass is ended.” The word “Mass” actually stems from that Latin phrase “Ite Missa Est.” Liturgically, there are optional ways in which that phrase may be spoken:
“Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.”
“Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”
“Go in peace.”
The Mass is the guide as to how we are to live our lives. In the Epistles and Gospel we see Christ, our model, and we see how He served others. In the “Gloria” we praise our Father; in the Creed we affirm our faith and all that we stand for—our values; in the Offertory we offer our egos to God — and our gifts and our talents; in the Consecration we are crucified with Christ and sacrifice our lives for others; and in the Great Doxology, we do all “In Him, with Him, and through Him” as we do all in the name of the Christ; in the Our Father we promise to do the will of God and to love and forgive one another; finally in the Eucharist we are one with Christ, one in community; and at the end of Mass we hear the commission given to us by Christ to “go and live the Mass.” So Jesus really is our “Way, Truth, and Light.” We are to live our lives as an extension of the Mass. Mass is never really “over”; our lives are to be a continuation of that Paschal Mystery, and we do that through ministering to others.
The Mass Means Ministry
Each of the final “blessing” phrases are calling on us to take what we have shared in the Mass and to share it with the world. So we are all called to spread the Gospel and to live our lives according to the Gospel: that is what is meant by ministry. Each time we are given the Final Blessing, or any blessing, we are also given a mission: from a practical view, we can ask ourselves “What does God want me to do this week?” “What is God’s will for me at this time?” He has given me life, food, lodging, money, a car, the Internet, family, friends, community, joy, and even suffering. The question is “How can I use those blessings today and this week to spread the Gospel?” Ministry is an extension of the Mass: we are to go forth and live the Gospel. How do we do that? One way is by sharing of our talents and our goods. To paraphrase St. Francis, who often reminded his Friars that whatever you have, whatever blessing you have, hold it with an open hand. It is ours to possess temporarily, and ours to share, as it permanently belongs to God. We are only his ministers. This applies to all our blessings: they are only ours to use for His purposes.
The Mass is also called the “Holy Sacrifice of the Mass” as the Mass is a re-presentation of the once and for all sacrifice of Himself on Calvary. By fully participating in the Mass we too can sacrifice our lives for others —- and that is the meaning of ministry. We can put our egos aside and focus on our spouse, our children, our co-workers, our fellow parishioners etc. We can be a “continuing Offertory”, giving ourselves to God. We must listen to the Holy Spirit and proactively seek out ways that we can be ministers to others. We need to recall that ministry is not a position, but a role we perform in our relationship to others and to God.
How did Christ model “ministry” to us. At the last Supper, Christ, in his humanness, knelt down and washed the feet of his disciples. He fed the hungry, He healed the sick. He gave comfort to others to those who called on him.
We can minister to others by a smile, a pat on the shoulder, by calling a person by “name”, encouraging others to express themselves, making another feel important, greeting them before Mass, choosing to be present to another, helping with hospitality, singing at Mass, listening to my spouse or my child, by becoming genuinely interested in others, and to provide physical comfort in so many ways. Ministry is to uplift our neighbor as we recall Christ’s words that “whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me.” Again, Ministry is not a position, but a way of life. And, how do I live my life? What can I do in my parish to ad-”minister” to others?
At the end of Mass the Deacon or Priest proclaims: “Ite Missa Est” (if said in Latin) Translated into English, it means:
“Go forth, the Mass is ended.” The word “Mass” actually stems from that Latin phrase “Ite Missa Est.” Liturgically, there are optional ways in which that phrase may be spoken:
“Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.”
“Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”
“Go in peace.”
The Mass is the guide as to how we are to live our lives. In the Epistles and Gospel we see Christ, our model, and we see how He served others. In the “Gloria” we praise our Father; in the Creed we affirm our faith and all that we stand for—our values; in the Offertory we offer our egos to God — and our gifts and our talents; in the Consecration we are crucified with Christ and sacrifice our lives for others; and in the Great Doxology, we do all “In Him, with Him, and through Him” as we do all in the name of the Christ; in the Our Father we promise to do the will of God and to love and forgive one another; finally in the Eucharist we are one with Christ, one in community; and at the end of Mass we hear the commission given to us by Christ to “go and live the Mass.” So Jesus really is our “Way, Truth, and Light.” We are to live our lives as an extension of the Mass. Mass is never really “over”; our lives are to be a continuation of that Paschal Mystery, and we do that through ministering to others.
The Mass Means Ministry
Each of the final “blessing” phrases are calling on us to take what we have shared in the Mass and to share it with the world. So we are all called to spread the Gospel and to live our lives according to the Gospel: that is what is meant by ministry. Each time we are given the Final Blessing, or any blessing, we are also given a mission: from a practical view, we can ask ourselves “What does God want me to do this week?” “What is God’s will for me at this time?” He has given me life, food, lodging, money, a car, the Internet, family, friends, community, joy, and even suffering. The question is “How can I use those blessings today and this week to spread the Gospel?” Ministry is an extension of the Mass: we are to go forth and live the Gospel. How do we do that? One way is by sharing of our talents and our goods. To paraphrase St. Francis, who often reminded his Friars that whatever you have, whatever blessing you have, hold it with an open hand. It is ours to possess temporarily, and ours to share, as it permanently belongs to God. We are only his ministers. This applies to all our blessings: they are only ours to use for His purposes.
The Mass is also called the “Holy Sacrifice of the Mass” as the Mass is a re-presentation of the once and for all sacrifice of Himself on Calvary. By fully participating in the Mass we too can sacrifice our lives for others —- and that is the meaning of ministry. We can put our egos aside and focus on our spouse, our children, our co-workers, our fellow parishioners etc. We can be a “continuing Offertory”, giving ourselves to God. We must listen to the Holy Spirit and proactively seek out ways that we can be ministers to others. We need to recall that ministry is not a position, but a role we perform in our relationship to others and to God.
How did Christ model “ministry” to us. At the last Supper, Christ, in his humanness, knelt down and washed the feet of his disciples. He fed the hungry, He healed the sick. He gave comfort to others to those who called on him.
We can minister to others by a smile, a pat on the shoulder, by calling a person by “name”, encouraging others to express themselves, making another feel important, greeting them before Mass, choosing to be present to another, helping with hospitality, singing at Mass, listening to my spouse or my child, by becoming genuinely interested in others, and to provide physical comfort in so many ways. Ministry is to uplift our neighbor as we recall Christ’s words that “whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me.” Again, Ministry is not a position, but a way of life. And, how do I live my life? What can I do in my parish to ad-”minister” to others?
Ministry is a Continuation of Pentecost
We are instruments of the Holy Spirit. Recall Francis’ prayer: “Lord, make me an instrument of your Peace.” A continuation of Pentecost. We are to bring the fruits of the Holy Spirit to others. At Pentecost Christ gave us the Holy Spirit and the power to administer the Gospel to others. This was a “commission”; not a suggestion.
We are instruments of the Holy Spirit. Recall Francis’ prayer: “Lord, make me an instrument of your Peace.” A continuation of Pentecost. We are to bring the fruits of the Holy Spirit to others. At Pentecost Christ gave us the Holy Spirit and the power to administer the Gospel to others. This was a “commission”; not a suggestion.
