Especially around the holidays & the holy days that arise throughout the year, one of the most common questions that is asked by those calling into the Parish Office is, “What time is Mass?” But have you ever wondered, why it is called Mass?” Who came up with that name & what’s the meaning behind it? What about calling it the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper, perhaps? Or maybe even Liturgy or the Breaking of the Bread? All of those describe part of what we do at Mass, but only part. Our celebration consists of more than just the Eucharist & the word Mass encompasses the purpose & the meaning of our entire celebration.

  The word Mass comes from a Latin word, missa. In Latin, the Mass ends, “Ite missa est” which translates to, “Go, it is sent.” And what or who is sent, you might ask? The Church. One of the great Saints of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, in a commentary that he wrote on these words said, “And from the Mass derives its name...the deacon on festival days ‘dismisses’ the people at the end of Mass by saying: ‘Ita, missa est,’ that is, the victim (Jesus) has been sent to God through the angel so that it may be accepted by God.” Pope Benedict XVI expanded upon that idea in his encyclical “Sacramentum Caritas” as he reminded us, “In antiquity, missa simply meant ‘dismissal.” However in Christian usage it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word ‘dismissal’’ has come to imply a ‘mission’ These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church….”

  The word Mass implies a beginning, a starting point for a lifelong journey of missionary witness. While we receive the Eucharist, while we break bread, while we celebrate liturgy, what we do is ultimately best called Mass because of the mission that comes from it. We might think of the end of each Mass as saying our living victim (Jesus) who was sent for us has sent our offering to the Father and now we go for we are sent.

  Have a blessed week & we’ll pick up again next week as we enter more into our celebration of the Mass.