XXXV

Receiving the Body and Blood of Christ is a powerful time for us. We sing a communion song, raising our voices in joy and thanksgiving for this gift that we are receiving in the Lord. We also take time for silence, to listen to Jesus and what he wants for us. We need both the singing and the silence to fully express our love for this gift we have just received from the Father – his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, now present within us!

AFTER COMMUNION:

After communion, the priest, deacon or acolyte will purify the ciboria and cups ensuring that every particle and drop of the Body and Blood of Christ is reverently consumed before the vessels are washed. After the purification has taken place, everyone stands while the priest prays the Prayer after Communion. This prayer is not a concluding prayer for the Mass! Instead, it is a prayer on our behalf that the communion we have received bring us spiritual strength and growth in holiness. At the end of the prayer, we all respond, “Amen.”

THE CONCLUDING RITES:

The concluding rite of the Mass is very short but is nonetheless important! The priest gives us God’s blessing before we are dismissed to “go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” Both the blessing and dismissal are important! We are given the graces of God’s blessing that we will need as we live out our lives during the week. The dismissal reminds us that the Mass may be concluded, but our call to live out our Catholic identity goes with us to work, school, our family and friends! While we have been dismissed, it is a mark of respect to allow the priest and assisting ministers to leave first.

Someone said that Christians enter the church to love God and come out to love their neighbors.

As the deacon (or priest in his absence) announces the dismissal, the faithful are reminded that what we do in the Sacred Liturgy does not end when we leave the church. As the Second Vatican Council reminds us – the liturgy is the source and summit of the Christian life. As the source, we find our nourishment in the Most Holy Eucharist, so that we can be empowered to enter into the world and proclaim Christ crucified, died and risen! 

In each of the four options for the dismissal the word “go” begins each. It is no coincidence that the Lord Jesus prior to concluding His time on earth and ascending into Heaven also used the word, “Go!” He said to His disciples in Matthew 28:19: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” 

Having just marked ourselves with the Sign of the Cross in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, we are reminded that we are to go into the world proclaiming the Gospel in both word and deed, so that all the nations will come to know the One who has loved us beyond all our imagining — to make disciples of those around us. While each option of the dismissal is slightly different, at the heart of each is this message — this mission of the Church and of all her members.