I remember when I was younger & my mom or dad would ask how things went at school that day. I always had the same response, “Fine.” No matter what had gone on that day, unless it had been a really terrible day, that was my standard answer to my parents greeting.

  We have a similar situation at Mass, as the Priest greets us, “The Lord be with you,” every time we respond with our standard response, “And with your spirit.” Every Mass begins with the same interaction, just like every return trip from school to home began with the same interaction for young John. But, what exactly does that mean, “And with your spirit?” What exactly are we wishing or asking for the Priest in our response?

  “And with your spirit” is a much deeper response than my young “fine” was or ever could be. When we respond to the Priest’s greeting with those words, “And with your spirit,” we’re referring to the deep ontological (relating to the very being) change that occurs in a Priest’s soul. At his ordination, a Priest’s soul is conformed, in a very unique way to the person of Jesus Christ. That’s why we use the phrase in persona Christi (in the person of Christ) when we talk about the role of the Priest at Mass. It’s not just John standing up there, it is, but it’s also the person of Christ acting through me. The Spirit of God, who dwells in all of us, dwells in a very unique way in he soul of a Priest & enables him, through Christ working in him, to do actions like transforming ordinary bread & wine into the Body & Blood of Jesus Christ.

  When we say, “And with your spirit,” we are speaking to the very inmost being of the Priest. We aren’t just saying, “Hi Father,” or “How’s your day been so far,” we are inviting him, asking him to be a priest for us, to be who he is, & to being Christ to us.