And so we come to the fourth and final part of the Mass – the Concluding Rite. It is quite short.
Having been strengthened by the true presence of Jesus, we are now commissioned to go out into the world.
The Concluding Rite includes the following:
- Brief announcements, if necessary.
- The final blessing
- The dismissal
- Kissing and bowing to the altar
- The recessional.
The brief announcements speak for themselves – from time to time, the presider or the deacon will update the parishioners on what’s happening in the parish.
The Final Blessing
Just as we began the Mass with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the Sign of the Cross, so we end the Mass by referring to the Trinity in the final blessing.
The Roman Missal provides for 20 Solemn Blessings and 28 prayers over the people. On most occasions the presider can choose which one to use, however on major solemnities like Christmas and Easter, some are prescribed.
In the act of blessing, the presider turns towards God and his goodness, and invokes God’s favour upon all present. (Solemn Blessings spell this out more clearly.)
The presider then concludes the blessing by saying:
May almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We reply:
Amen.
The Dismissal
Having received a blessing, we now come to the dismissal, when we are sent back into the world in the name of the Holy Trinity. As St Paul said, we are all called to be an ambassador of Christ (2Cor.5:20), and the final blessing is where we receive our credentials.
To leave Mass before receiving this blessing suggests that we are operating in our own name, and following our own agenda. To wait the few seconds for the blessing totally changes this, for then we depart as ambassadors of Christ.
The Roman Missal provides four dismissal options to be used by the deacon or presider:
Go forth, the Mass is ended.
Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
Go in peace.
The people respond:
Thanks be to God. (+ ‘Alleluia, Alleluia’ during the Easter season)
It’s significant that all these dismissal options begin with the word ‘Go’, because having received God’s graces in the Eucharist, we are now being sent out into the world to continue the mission of Jesus Christ.
Indeed, the celebration of the Eucharist is called the ‘Holy Mass’ (Missa) specifically because the faithful are sent forth (‘Ite missa est’) so that they may fulfill God’s will in their lives (CCC 1332).
Kissing of the Altar
Just as the presider (and deacon) bowed to the altar and kissed it at the start of Mass, so they kiss it and bow towards it again at the end. This action signifies deep respect and love.
The Recessional
And just as the Mass began with a procession towards the altar where we received and were refreshed by Jesus himself, so now we conclude the Mass with a procession away from the altar and back out into the world, taking Jesus with us.
The few short minutes of the Concluding Rites set the tone for the rest of our week, until we return to the Eucharist once again.
The Ark of the Covenant
Archbishop Fulton Sheen said that when Jesus was conceived inside Mary, she immediately became the Ark of the Covenant, the original tabernacle containing the Son of God.
But Mary didn’t just stay at home. She made a point of going out into the world, to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Carrying Jesus inside her, she went to Ein Karem, and as she arrived John the Baptist leapt for joy inside Elizabeth’s womb. Jesus’ presence opened up John’s heart.
In the same way, we too become a blessed tabernacle containing the Lord after we receive Holy Communion. But instead of then focusing on ourselves, our challenge and responsibility after Mass is to take Jesus out into the world, to share with others.
This is what Mother Teresa did every day. Every morning she received Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, and then she went out into the world, taking Jesus with her into the gutters of Calcutta to serve the sick and the destitute.
Fulton Sheen said that communion with the Eucharist without communion with the suffering of humanity is only half communion. He said, ‘We cannot purchase Eucharistic charity and peace by simply offering someone the sign of peace in the Mass.’ Rather, we need to extend our full hand to those who are not there (Gal.2:10).
This is why Mary sang her Magnificat. Fulton Sheen said that Mary’s Magnificat had one theme, stuck on two notes: that God loves the poor, and that’s why God chose her in her poverty, lowliness and humility to be his tabernacle.
We, too, lowly as we are, have been chosen by God to serve as his tabernacle in the world today. We are the Ark of the Covenant.
In John 15:16, Jesus says: ‘You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last…’
Remember this:
In the Mass, whenever we are offered the Body of Christ, our reply ‘Amen’ means ‘yes, I will follow you, Jesus. I will be bread broken for others.’
And when we are offered the Precious Blood with the words, ‘The Blood of Christ,’ our reply ‘Amen,’ means ‘yes, I will follow you, Jesus. I will be wine poured out for others.’
This is a radical commitment. The Holy Eucharist is not meant to be received passively. It’s a gift that helps us to live like Jesus himself. That helps us build our spiritual lives, so that we may become saints.
Mother Teresa loved the Eucharist
St Teresa of Calcutta said that we cannot separate our lives from the Eucharist – Jesus has made himself the Bread of Life to give us life. Night and day, he is there. ‘If you really want to grow in love, come back to the Eucharist, come back to that Adoration,’ she said.
The Eucharistic Christ, she said, must therefore be at the very heart of our faith and of our lives. The better we understand the Eucharist and its role in our lives, the more we will be able to love Jesus in the Eucharist and in the lives of each other.
The Eucharist, as the foundation of Catholic life, will constantly renew our personal, loving and life-giving relationship with God, she said. ‘Always remember that Jesus is the fountain from which you will receive the strength, power and graces you need to get to heaven.’
Many years ago, Jesus appeared to St Augustine, and said: ‘Believe and eat me, and you’ll be changed into me.’
That’s what this is all about.