History of the Mass: Part One

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To understand Pope Francis’ decree on the Latin Mass we must know its history

Guest Columnist

Father Wilmer Todd

(This is part one of a series of articles on the history of the Roman Catholic Mass.)

An interview on my phone featured a gentleman who was commenting on Pope Francis’ new instructions limiting the use of the Latin Mass. He said, “I prefer the English Mass, but we have to respect the Latin Mass because it is 1,500 years old.” I know he was not a historian, because Pope St. Pius V promulgated the Tridentine Mass in 1570 which is only 451 years ago.

This made me think that many Catholics and others do not know the history of the Roman Catholic Mass. I would like to submit a brief history of the Mass.

It all started at the Last Supper. Jesus was gathered with his followers for the Feast of the Passover. The Passover was a family celebration, so the apostles and their families who came to Jerusalem for the feast and those women St. Luke mentioned in his Gospel were probably in the Upper Room for the ritual. To think otherwise would be like someone at Thanksgiving announcing: “This year, we will only invite men for the Thanksgiving dinner.”

During this family ritual, Jesus took bread, blessed, and broke it saying, “Take this all of you and eat it; for this is my Body that is broken for you.” Later he said, “Take this all of you and drink of it; for this is my blood that is poured out for you. Do this in memory of me.”

The earliest account of the early church celebrating the Eucharist is found in St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians written around 53-57 A.D.: “For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Documents like the Didache (late 1st to early 2nd Century) show how the early Christians celebrated a

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the Eucharist; it was communal, and it was celebrated every Sunday at someone’s home sometimes in the context of a larger meal (1 Corinthians 11:20-22). The liturgy involved the sharing of the Word (oral tradition and Scripture including psalms) and the memorial of the Last Supper (loaves of bread and wine brought from the homes of the faithful).

Around the year 155, St. Justin Martyr wrote the pagan emperor, Antoninus Pius, in Rome explaining what Christians did at Mass. “On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place. We read the memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets as much as time permits. When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things.

“Then we all rise and offer prayers for ourselves, and for all others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and actions, and faithful to the commandments, to obtain eternal salvation. When we conclude the prayers, we exchange the kiss.

“Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who presides over the people. He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and the Holy Spirit and for a considerable time he gives thanks that we have been judged worthy of these gifts.

“When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to an acclamation by saying ‘Amen.’ When the presider has given thanks and the people have responded, those whom we call deacons give to those present the ‘blessed’ bread, wine and water and take them to those who are absent.”

This is the basic structure of our Mass today!

Next month, we will see how this same structure we have today has changed over the years. (Father Wilmer Todd is a retired priest of the Diocese of HoumaThibodaux.) BC

“The earliest account of the early church celebrating the Eucharist is found in

St. Paul’s First Letter “ to the Corinthians written around 53-57 A.D.

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