The MASS: Introductory Rites

The Importance of Singing at Mass:

Everyone is supposed to be an active and conscious participant in the celebration of the Mass, and not just a passive spectator. Everyone must participate in the singing because it is part of the liturgy. It is not just the choir who is supposed to sing during the Mass, but everyone! This is why the songs that the choir should sing must be songs that people can follow. As I said, the choir is there to render a performance, but TO LEAD the congregation in the singing!

Why is singing important? St Paul, for instance, instructed the faithful to await the Lord’s coming by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Col 3:16). Accor-ding to the Acts of the Apostles, singing in a sign of the joy we feel in our hearts (Acts 2:46). And St. Augustine said: “Singing is for lovers,” and “the one who sings prays twice.”

Veneration of the Altar:

When the priest-celebrant (s), the deacon and the ministers enter the sanctuary, they reverence the altar with a profound bow or genuflection, for the altar sym-bolizes Christ. Usually, our altars contain relics of the saints. The altar should not be used for any other purpose but for the celebration of the Mass. We must show great respect to it.

Priest Kisses the Altar:

When he reaches the altar, the priest(s) kisses it to show his reverence for Christ. He greets Christ who is the cornerstone of the Church. St Paul says that Christ is the cornerstone on which everything rests (Eph 2:20).

The Priest Incenses the Altar:

Sometimes, especially during what we call a High Mass, the priest may also incense the cross and the altar. Incense is a symbol of our prayer rising up to heaven. We read, for instance, in Psalm 141:1-2: “O Lord, to you I call…, hearken to my voice when I call upon you. Let my prayer come like incense before you; The lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice.”