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Introductory Rites: Greeting and Penitential Rite

By Adam Schwend
Liturgy and Ritual

Q.   I know Sunday Mass is supposed to be the same every week, with the exception of readings, prayers, and different rites every once in awhile, but the time before the readings, right at the beginning of Mass, seems to be different depending on where I go or who the clergy is.  Is this normal?

A.   The period you are referring to is the Greeting and Penitential Rite, also called the “Introductory Rites.”  These opening rites of the Mass are an opportunity to come together, greet each other in the Lord, and show sorrow for our sins.  After we make the sign of the cross together, recalling our baptism and looking forward to the sacrifice of the Mass, where we join ourselves to the sacrifice of his cross, the priest says to his people “The Lord be with you.”  We respond, “and also with you.”  We don’t simply exchange pleasantries.  We don’t say “Good morning!”  What more could be said after, “The Lord be with you”?  Any cheery “good morning” or “hope everyone is doing well!” would be totally out of place and superfluous after such a strong exchange.  This exchange between the priest, the man standing in the person of Jesus Christ as head of the Church and the congregation, the Mystical Body of Christ, is an expression of a desire that the Lord be present with each and every one of us in a very real and ever-growing way.  That bold, firm greeting can be a statement of affirmation that the Lord is even present with us as we grow in our individual call to holiness, or it could be a source of conviction and a call to conversion for some of us who may be in serious sin, who may not be following the teachings of the Church, or who may be lukewarm in the faith.  It can also be a source of comfort to those who are afflicted with pain and suffering of mind, body, or spirit.  No matter what it may mean to the individual, this simple, yet multidimensional greeting expresses an intense desire that the Lord be with all of us in whatever way we need him to be.  How do you reply when the words “The Lord be with you” are said to you at Mass?  Half-heartedly, with that desire so prevalent in our society to be part of the crowd, but not to stand out?  When those strong words are directed towards you, I hope that you will reply equally as bold!

The next part of our opening rites has two options: the Rite of Sprinkling or the Penitential Rite.  In the Rite of Sprinkling, the priest blesses the water (and where it is customary, he adds salt, which is a sign of protection from evil) and sprinkles the people.  While he is sprinkling the people, an appropriate song or antiphon is sung.  It is important that this rite be one of solemnity and of penance, as we recall our baptism and pray for the cleansing of our sins.  I remember sitting in a pew in college watching people laugh and laugh as they were sprinkled with immense amounts of water.  This is contrary to the solemn nature of this rite.  After the sprinkling, the priest gives the absolution and then the Gloria is sung.  The Rite of Sprinkling is generally popular throughout the Easter Season, as we celebrate, in a particular way, Christ’s resurrection.  It seems to reason, then, that we would more often employ the rite that recalls our baptism, our dying and rising in Christ, during this season. 

The second and more prevalent option for this time is the Penitential Rite.  During this rite, the priest invites the people to recall their sins and to repent of them in silence.  In our society, reflecting on our sins is something we don’t do very often.  We use euphemisms to explain them away as simply part of the human condition and nothing to be worried about.  The reality is, however, that they are something to be worried about.  Certainly, fear of sin shouldn’t consume our being, but neither should we simply write it off and think nothing is wrong.  This is our chance to recall and repent of our sins during Mass.  There are three forms of the Penitential Rite.  The first form is what is commonly known as the “Confiteor”, the Latin word for “I confess.”  This prayer, which still retains the tradition of striking one’s breast as a sign of sorrow for sin at the phrase “through my own fault” (mea culpa), first was inserted into the Mass in a Missal that was attributed to 11th century theologian Bernold of Constance, when it was common for individual locations to have their own Missals.  The prayer is a beautiful one in which we admit our faults and ask our brothers and sisters on earth (our fellow congregants) and in Heaven (the saints) to pray for us.  Afterwards, the priest says the prayer of absolution and the Kyrie Eleison is said or sung.

The second option is the shortest and, for some reason, the least used.  The Confiteor is omitted.  The priest says “Lord we have sinned against you:  Lord have mercy.”  The people respond “Lord Have Mercy.” The priest then says “Lord, show us your mercy and love.”  The people respond, “and grant us your salvation.”  The priest then says the prayer of absolution.  Here the priest leads the people in admitting their sins and crying out for mercy, love, and salvation.  This option is certainly the shortest, but also quite beautiful and full of meaning.

The third option is to omit the Confiteor and incorporate petitions into the Kyrie.  For example; “You raise the dead to life in the Spirit.  Kyrie Eleison.”  There are eight versions of this second option the can be used.

The Kyrie Eleison (Lord Have Mercy) is the only part of the Roman Rite Mass that is said in Greek.  While some have said it is a left-over from the days when the Roman Rite was said entirely in Greek, that’s doubtful.  Greek wasn’t used in the Roman Rite after the second century and the very first time we see any sort of thing that remotely resembles the Kyrie is in the Eastern Church’s Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which came about in the fourth century.  After that, the Kyrie didn’t find its way into the Roman Rite until the sixth century, around the time of the Council of Vaison.  Rather than being from the vestiges of the Greek-language Roman Rite, it was most likely adopted by the aforementioned ecumenical council.  This is also backed up by the writings of St. Gregory the Great, who defended the Roman Church for adopting this eastern custom (Ep. ix in P.L., LXXVII, 956).  The Kyrie is a beautiful, simple way of expressing compunction and sorrow for sin.  Because of this and because of its place in the Mass, the Kyrie is one of the most oft texts set to music.

A final note regarding the prayer of absolution that the priest prays at Mass after the penitential rite.  The General Instruction of the Roman Missal states:  "Then the priest invites those present to take part in the Act of Penitence, which, after a brief pause for silence, the entire community carries out through a formula of general confession. The rite concludes with the priest's absolution, which, however, lacks the efficacy of the Sacrament of Penance." (GIRM #51)  It must, then, be emphasized that the “absolution” does not absolve mortal sins.  Only the absolution in the Sacrament of Confession can do this.  Because of this, the absolution the priest prays is called a “non-sacramental absolution”.  While it is generally accepted that this absolution forgives venial sins, this absolution DOES NOT forgive mortal sins.  If one has a mortal sin on one’s conscience, they certainly must not receive the Eucharist, but should make haste to a priest for confession.  St. Paul tells us, “A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1 Cor 11:28-29). 

The opening rites of the Mass are an opportunity to come together, as well as to reflect on our sinfulness and resolve to change, with the help of God.  This Sunday, when you go to Mass, resolve to be more mindful of the Lord’s presence with each one of us, as well as reflecting on and repenting of our sins and failures.  Have a blessed Lent.  Miserere nostri, Domine.