Mass at Our Home Parish

I love how we, as Catholics, can go to Mass anywhere and celebrate the Mass together in much the same way. We are united in our worship. You will find the breaking open of The Word in the Liturgy of the Word and then we share Jesus' precious body and blood in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

But . . . .I admit I am getting a tad homesick for my home parish. Let's face it, I am missing my (familiar) family in Christ, the voices I know, the familiarity of the architecture and the favorite music choices. Thank God my son and I have been able to go to Mass anywhere we have been so far.

I found this over at A Catholic Mom in Minnesota . . . . this happens to be how we sing Lamb of God at our parish. Thank you Minnesota Mom!



Wonderful! Counselor!
Mighty God and Prince of Peace
Emmanuel! Morning Star,
King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Lamb of God . . . . you take away the sins of all the world, miserere nobis.
Bread of Life . . . . you take away the sins of all the world, miserere nobis.
Agnus dei . . . . you take away the sins of all the world, dona nobis pacem.

A bit of historical (and other) background:

Lamb of God is the familiar name of our litany beginning with these same words. I believe it was introduced into the Mass by Pope Sergius I (687–701). It is based upon John 1: 29. The Latin form (with translation) is:

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

This litany is spoken or sung during the Rite of Fraction and Commingling. What is the Rite of Fraction and Commingling? I am glad you asked!

The breaking of the host is known as the "fraction," and there is a special place for it in the Mass—namely, in the Fraction Rite, which occurs after the Sign of Peace and immediately before the Communion Rite.

The rubrics in the Sacramentary tie the meaning of the Fraction Rite to the commingling, where a piece of the host is placed in the chalice. The symbolism of this is commonly explained today as representing the resurrection of Christ, the reuniting of his Body and Blood.

The rubrics of the Mass link the meaning of the fraction to the commingling, stating: "Meanwhile, [the priest] takes the host and breaks it over the paten. He places a small piece in the chalice, saying inaudibly: ‘May this mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.’"

As always, the dictum of Vatican II applies: "No person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the Liturgy on his own authority" (Sacrosanctum Concilium 22, cf. CIC 846 §1).

source: Jimmy Akin shared this information over @ This Rock, in response to a question about the re-ordering of certain elements of The Mass that was done at a reader's parish. I definitely paraphrased!