The Mass Is Ended… Or Is It?

You’ve been at Mass for an hour now and things are beginning to wind down. This Sunday has been pretty good. You’ve paid attention during the readings. Father’s homily was remarkably insightful. The music was spot on. And, although they felt long and your mind wandered a bit, you were actually able to pull some spiritual insights from the Eucharistic Prayers today (fueled, of course, by these wonderful little articles that you’ve been reading in the parish Newsletter each month…).
 
You’ve been kneeling in silence for a few minutes since receiving Communion, trying to contemplate on the profound mystery that you’ve just received the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. But you let out a sigh of relief when Father stands up and announces, “Let us pray.” Paying this close attention throughout Mass is exhausting!
 
Maybe you embarrass yourself a bit by thinking, “It’s finally almost over… I hope there aren’t too many announcements.” – Don’t worry. We’ve all been there and had that thought. No judgement here. – “All that’s left is a quick prayer, a blessing, then the closing hymn and it’s off to the parish coffee hour! And boy could I use some coffee!”
 
It’s understandable. A lot happens during the Mass, and it takes a lot of energy to concentrate on the liturgical action, even if you don’t have children! At this point you’re likely so exhausted that you risk missing your great commission…
 
My Great What?
Yes. You saw that right. Your great commission. The Mass doesn’t simply end with a dismissal: “Good bye. God bless. Drive safely getting home.” The Mass ends with a command; your marching orders from Jesus Christ Himself!
 
The “Great Commission” refers to Jesus’ final command to the Apostles at the end of the Gospel of Matthew: “Go… make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commandments I gave you” (Mt. 28:20). This “Commission” is echoed at the Dismissal in the Mass, although we don’t really catch it in translation.
 


The most common dismissal that you’ll hear at Mass is “Go forth, the Mass is ended.” It’s kind of uninspiring; and yes, it sounds like we’re just being booted out the door. But let’s remember that English is not the original language of the Mass. Latin is. So let’s do a bit of linguistics…
 
Glorifying God With Your Life
Okay. Take a breath. I won’t force you through a crash course in Latin. Let’s just look at the very last phrase of the Mass. What we translate as “Go forth, the Mass is ended,” is the phrase Ite, Missa est. This phrase literally means, “Go, she – as in you, the Church – has been sent.”
 
What does this tell us? The priest isn’t just announcing the end of the Mass. He’s sending us out on our divinely appointed mission in the world. Two other dismissal options illustrate this point:
 
“Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.”
 Or
 “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”
 
Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It.
At Mass Jesus has nourished and strengthened us with His own Body and Blood for another week in His service, announcing the Good News to everyone around us simply by how we live our lives. Through the Eucharist we become, effectively, Jesus’ hands and feet in the world, announcing the Good News in both word and action, just as He did. How do we become Christ’s hands and feet in the world? Look at what’s said in the Eucharistic Prayer for Various Needs:
 
“Open our eyes to the needs of all;
Inspire us with words and deeds
To comfort those who labor and are burdened;
Keep our service of others
Faithful to the example of Christ.
 
Let your Church be a living witness
To truth and freedom, to justice and peace,
That all people may be lifted up
By the hope of a world made new.”
 
So, far from being an announcement that Mass is over and it’s time to go home, the Concluding Rites are probably the greatest challenge in the entire Mass. We’re challenged to take the mysteries we’ve contemplated in the Scriptures, and the nourishment we’ve received in the Eucharist, out into the world to transform the world by allowing ourselves first to be transformed.
 
So here’s my challenge for you this coming Sunday: As you listen prayerfully to the Dismissal, think of one thing that challenged you at Mass. Then go home, write down some practical steps on how you’re going to live that out, then go “glorify the Lord by your life.”