Deacon Mike Meyer / Sunday, March 12, 2023 / Categories: Blog, Homilies An Encounter with Jesus Homily for a Teaching Mass on the Third Sunday of Lent, Year A It’s been the long tradition of the Church to celebrate what we call the First Scrutiny on this Third Sunday of Lent. The Scrutinies are rites of repentance and conversion that invite our RCIA candidates into a deeper relationship with Christ as they prepare to receive the Sacraments at the Easter Vigil. They’re intended to help our candidates encounter Jesus in their lives and develop their relationship with him. It’s also the Church’s tradition to proclaim the Gospel passage of the Woman at the Well for the First Scrutiny because the woman at the well is the quintessential model of repentance and conversion: she encounters Jesus, acknowledges her faults, listens to him, and accepts him as the One called the Christ. That’s exactly what we’re doing in the Introductory Rites and the Liturgy of the Word, so it’s no coincidence that we chose this Sunday to begin our Teaching Mass series with an explanation of these first two parts of the Mass. We come to Mass to encounter Jesus. Jesus, of course, is with us everywhere, but we believe that Mass is the privileged place of encounter with Christ, the place where we know for sure that we can find him in Word and Sacrament. We acknowledge his real presence when we enter by genuflecting toward the tabernacle and sitting in quiet prayer to calm our hearts and minds in God’s presence before Mass. The Introductory Rites set the tone of the Mass and prepare us to listen to God’s Word and to celebrate the Eucharist worthily in communion with one another. The clergy and ministers of the Mass process in to mark the solemnity of the occasion and bow to the altar or genuflect to the tabernacle to show due reverence to the table of the Lord and Jesus’ presence among us. The clergy enter the sanctuary and kiss the altar to venerate the place where the holy sacrifice will take place. The celebrant opens the Mass with the sign of the cross, the ancient symbol that marks us as Christians, expresses our desire to be set apart from corrupt ways, and invokes God’s protection. As Saint Cyril of Jerusalem said, “the sign of the cross is the badge of the faithful and terror to devils.”[1] Following a brief greeting, we recite an Act of Penance to “prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.” Like the Israelites, who washed their garments before standing in God’s presence at Mount Sinai, we cleanse ourselves of venial sins before meeting God in his Word and the Eucharist. The Act of Penance doesn’t absolve us from mortal sins, though—we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation for that. Sorry. There are three options for the Act of Penance: the Confiteor, or one of two call and response formulas invoked by the priest or deacon. Here at Saint Catherine’s, we usually use the third formula, which incorporates the Kyrie – Lord have Mercy; Christ have Mercy; Lord Have Mercy. If the Confiteor or the second formula are used, the Kyrie immediately follows. The Kyrie is our threefold plea for God’s mercy that comes after our threefold admission of guilt in the Confiteor— “Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. We next shift from sorrowful penance to joyful praise as we sing or recite the Gloria, our ancient and venerable hymn where the Church glorifies God the Father and the Lamb of God, his Son. The hymn offers a three-act summary of Jesus’ saving work: his coming as the “only begotten Son,” recounting the song of the angels at Bethlehem in its opening words; his sacrificial redeeming death as the “Lamb of God,” who takes away the sins of the world; and his triumphant resurrection and ascension where he’s “seated at the right hand of the Father.” The Gloria, of course, is omitted during Advent and Lent, which take on a more solemn character. The Introductory Rites conclude with an opening prayer called the Collect (KAH-lekt), even though it’s spelled like the English word collect. That’s how the Church just messes with us. The Collect takes its name from the Latin word collecta, which means gathering people together. The priest’s invitation, “Let us pray,” draws us together in prayer, and the Collect that follows expresses the character of the particular Mass we’re celebrating. We next begin the Liturgy of the Word, the first of the two anchors of the Mass along with the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Word consists of readings, a responsorial psalm, a homily, the Profession of Faith, and the Universal Prayer. In the readings, “God speaks to his people, opening up to [us] the mystery of redemption and salvation, and offering [us] spiritual nourishment.”[2] Christ himself is present among the faithful in his word, which means that the lectors and cantor aren’t simply reading or singing God’s Word. They’re God’s instruments through whom God proclaims God’s Word. The lector and cantor lend her or his human voice to God. We proclaim the readings from the Lectionary, the liturgical book that contains the scripture passages chosen for each Mass. The Sunday Lectionary runs on a three-year cycle, which Holy Mother Church has creatively named, years A, B, and C. We’re currently in Year A, where the Gospel readings predominantly come from Matthew. Next year is Year B, which emphasizes Mark’s Gospel, and Year C focuses on Luke. What about poor John? you ask. The Gospel of John is mixed into the three-year cycle here and there but takes a prominent place during the Easter Season every year. The first reading comes from the Old Testament, except in the Easter Season when it comes from the Acts of the Apostles. The Old Testament passage usually corresponds with the themes of the Psalm and the Gospel. The second reading is a New Testament passage from the Epistles or Revelation. It rarely corresponds with the other readings, making it very difficult to incorporate into a homily. It typically explains the mystery of Jesus Christ, whom we meet in the Gospel. The Gospel’s set apart from the other readings with special marks of honor: the Alleluia or another Gospel Acclamation during Lent, standing, a blessing or prayer, and marking ourselves three times with the sign of the cross. The Gospel’s always proclaimed by the most fetching man in the sanctuary, but if he’s not there, then by the priest. Only a deacon, priest, or bishop proclaims the Gospel to reflect its special place as our principal source for the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The deacon, priest, or bishop who proclaims the Gospel stands in the person of Jesus Christ when he does so. The homily, which follows the Gospel, is an exposition of the Scriptures that’s intended to make the readings relevant to the congregation’s lives. It should take into account the mystery being celebrated and the particular needs of the listeners. Not all homilies achieve that lofty goal, but we try. The Profession of Faith, or the Creed as we call it, comes next. The Creed’s a summary statement of our faith. We recite the Creed so the whole gathered people may respond to the Word of God with a profound statement of faith—I believe. The Creed takes two forms, either of which is acceptable at Mass. Here at Saint Catherine’s, we typically recite the Nicene Creed, the longer version. We hear the shorter Apostle’s Creed when we pray the Rosary. Having been nourished by the Word, and strengthened in our declaration of faith, we lay our petitions before God in the Prayer of the Faithful, also known as the Universal Prayer or the Intercessions. In the Prayer of the Faithful we exercise our baptismal priesthood by offering prayers for the Church, civil authorities, the salvation of the world, those weighed down by various needs, and our local community. The Prayer of the Faithful concludes the Liturgy of the Word. If we think about it, the story of the Women at the Well parallels the Introductory Rites and the Liturgy of the Word beautifully. Like the Woman at the Well, we meet Jesus here at Church. We acknowledge our faults in the Introductory Rites, and listen to him, and accept him as the One called the Christ in the Liturgy of the Word. The parallels between the story of the Woman at the Well and the Mass continue in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the Communion Rite, and the Closing Rites. But if you want to hear about those parts of the Mass, you’ll have to come back on the next two Sundays. Readings: Exodus 17:3-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-2, 6-7,8-9; John 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42 As a special bonus, follow the link to enjoy Peter, Paul, and Mary singing Jesus Met the Woman at the Well. [1] Edward Sri, A Biblical Walk Through the Mass: Understanding What We Say and Do in the Liturgy (West Chester, PA: Ascension Press, 2011), 20. [2] United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, General Instruction of the Roman Missal (Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2003), 55. A Matter of Trust Fickle Faith Print 364 Please login or register to post comments.