Mass Monday: Introibo!

Welcome to Mass Monday: a chance to examine the Mass as the central act of Catholic worship.
The “Introit”, or entrance, is the first thing that happens at every Mass.  Most of us are used to this entrance being in the form of a hymn, sung by the congregation as the priest and servers process into the church building.

However, there is a rich meaning behind that hymn, going back to the oldest recorded prayers from the Mass, the special prayers said by the priest and servers at the foot of the altar in the Latin Mass.  The first word of those prayers, “introibo” means, “I will go!”  This is where we get the words introit and entrance. All three words signal a beginning, the first step.  The priest and servers are quoting King David’s psalms, “I will go up to the altar of God!”

Today at Mass, the priest says a small part of those old prayers when he goes up to the altar and kisses it.  Do you know why he kisses the altar?  Inside every altar in the world is a little stone with the relics of a saint inside.  He kisses the little stone and asks those saints to pray for him and all the congregation during Mass.  While he says the little prayer to the saints, the people say or sing the “introit” song (in Latin Mass, this is usually another psalm) or an “entrance hymn” whose words are about the same theme as the readings for the day.

Once all these are finished, the priest will be standing at his chair and ready to begin the Mass.  Did you know that so many important things happened before Mass even begins?  Thinking about the words of the song, and knowing that the priest is already asking for help from the saints to celebrate Mass worthily, should help us concentrate on the Liturgy and remind us that we have come to a holy place. 

I will go!