Refuge of sinners; oasis of mercy. An Invitation.

One of the factors that motivated this convert-blogger to migrate toward the Ordinariate was the heroism of former-Anglicans whose courage at leaving behind the relative comfort of their Anglican parishes to launch out into the deep and to "swim the Tiber" recalls the acts of the disciples, and saints down through history, who left everything to follow Christ. The courage of those souls was an effective counterweight to my own tepidity. In their stories, I identified with the alienation from family and friends experienced at reception into the Church. In my case, in my twenties, some thirty-five years ago. Thankfully, in answer to prayer, my family became reconciled to my becoming Catholic in the years following my confirmation.

If people need a refuge from the ubiquitous confusion and a forum in which they can worship God and work out their salvation in trembling and fear (Philippians 2:12), that is, with awe and deference to the commandments of Christ (John 14:15-31), the Ordinariate offers a safe harbour for anyone committed to living in lifegiving conformity to the will of God.

The Ordinariate, established by Pope Benedict XVI, offers all truth-seekers the opportunity to live in communion with God's one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, the Church founded by Christ upon Saint Peter. That Church,

constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter (the Bishop of Rome) and by the Bishops in communion with him.

You will hear throughout the Ordinariate Mass prayers for the Holy Father and for our Bishop, His Excellency Steven J. Lopes. Unity in the truth is a hallmark of the Ordinariate experience.

The Mass is the Mission

The primary mission of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter is evangelization.

[...] 

Our mission is particularly experienced in our celebration of liturgy, which features Anglican traditions of worship while conforming to Catholic doctrinal, sacramental and liturgical standards. Through Divine Worship: The Missal — the liturgy that unites the Ordinariates throughout the English-speaking world — we share our distinctive commitment to praising God in the eloquence of the Anglican liturgical patrimony and Prayer Book English.

In addition, the founding documents of the Personal Ordinariate make clear that it is intended to be an instrument of Catholic unity: an opportunity to model what the future reconciliation of separated Christian communities could be. We wish to fulfill the Holy Father’s vision for Christian unity, in which diverse expressions of one faith are joined together in the Church.

Calvary

In Divine Worship, the Mass of the Ordinariate, the Gospel is proclaimed in the nave. There is a procession with the Evangelion, the Book of the Gospels, from the sanctuary into the nave during Solemn Sung Masses.

• The thurifer leads the procession into the nave and diverts to allow the crucifer to continue leading the procession until, upon reaching the appointed spot, he turns and faces the altar. That is, in the direction of the Book.
• Upon reaching the appointed spot, the Book is flanked by two torchbearers. The torchbearers turn toward the Gospel. The congregation, likewise, turns and faces in the direction of the proclamation of the Holy Gospel. We all turn toward salvation in Christ.
• The deacon or celebrant intones The Lord be with you. Everyone responds And with thy spirit. After the Gospeler has intoned the introduction to the Gospel - A reading from the holy Gospel according to N. - all bowing in response chant the reply Glory be to Thee, O Lord and trace the triple Sign of the Cross upon themselves as the Book is incensed, to indicate our intention to keep the Gospel ever in our minds, ever upon our lips, and ever in our hearts.
• The smoke rising to God images our praise and thanksgiving to God for His saving Gospel. God is present in and through His word. The soul-saving fragrance of the Gospel permeates the assembly, for God's temple is holy! It is made holy by God Himself.

Worship God in the beauty of holiness!

The priest, Book bearer, torchbearers, crucifer, priest and thurifer, form a cross in the midst of the congregation. Beautiful!

Where two or three are gathered... . 

In such an environment with so many reminders, so many embodiments of the Way, the Truth and the Life, one readily recognizes that Christ is truly in our midst. The cross - represented by the servers and Gospeler standing in formation; traced upon our bodies; raised in triumph by the Crucifer - saturates the proclamation of the Gospel. In a very real sense, the episode brings to mind Calvary, for we are situated at the foot of the Cross. Contemporary commentators would describe this encounter as an immersive experience. Welcome to the sacramental universe!

Grafted to the Cross

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,[a] that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. - 1 Peter 2:24

In the middle of the Solemn (Sung) Mass, in Divine Worship, the penitential rite is prayed. Most Latin Rite Catholics are used to the Penitential Rite occurring near the beginning of the Mass, prior to the Liturgy of the Word (Mass of the Catechumens). In the Ordinariate Form of the Mass, after the Creed and the Prayers of the People, we pause to acknowledge our dependence on God and to rededicate our lives to Him. The rite is worth quoting in full.

THE PENITENTIAL RITE

Facing the People, the Deacon or Priest says:

Ye that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbours, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in his holy ways: draw near with faith, and make your humble confession to Almighty God, meekly kneeling upon your knees.

The People kneel. Silence may be kept, and then the Priest, facing the altar, begins as follows and the People join in saying:

ALMIGHTY God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of all things, judge of all men: We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, which we from time to time most grievously have committed, by thought, word, and deed, against thy divine majesty, provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us. We do earnestly repent, and are heartily sorry for these our misdoings; the remembrance of them is grievous unto us, the burden of them is intolerable. Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, forgive us all that is past; and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please thee in newness of life, to the honour and glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Priest says:

May Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who of his great mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins to all those who with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him, have mercy on us, pardon and deliver us from all our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and bring us to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE COMFORTABLE WORDS

Then, facing the People, the Deacon or Priest may rehearse one or more of the following sentences:

Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all who truly turn to him.

Come unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you. St. Matthew 11:28

God so loved the world, that he gave his Only Begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. St. John 3:16

Hear also what Saint Paul saith: This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15

Hear also what Saint John saith: If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins (and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world). 1 John 2:1-2

Truly, those are comforting words.

The Cross is at the very heart of the Gospel. Later on, as we have moved further into the Liturgy of Eucharist, having been prepared by the word of God, i.e., Holy Scripture, the voice of God, we again approach Calvary. The Body and Blood of Christ are elevated at the consecration, and Christ's last words come to mind - It is finished. We have arrived at the one eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ made present at the hands of the priest-celebrant. If it isn't already apparent, time meets eternity in the Mass.

If the procession at the beginning of Mass recalls Christ's triumphal arrival at Jerusalem, the Gospel procession recalls the journey of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, among other realities. The disciples are present to Christ as he recounts salvation history. This part of the liturgical journey, too, leads toward a meeting with Jesus Christ. In Holy Communion we encounter Jesus - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity - in the flesh, not as mere symbol but really and truly Present!

The People kneel.

As the Priest takes the Host and breaks it, he sings or says:

Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;

People:

Therefore let us keep the feast (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).

 The disciples recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread.

The Priest genuflects, takes the Host and, turning to the People, holding it slightly raised above the paten or the Chalice says aloud:

Behold the Lamb of God, behold him that taketh away the sins of the world (St. John 1:29). Blessed are those who are called to the Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).

The People respond together with Priest [said once or three times, according to custom]:

Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof, but speak the word only, and my soul shall be healed (St. Matthew 8:8).

Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke 24:13-35

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emma′us, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cle′opas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, but they constrained him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?” And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, who said, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

An Invitation

And we humbly beseech Thee, O heavenly Father, so to assist us with Thy grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as Thou hast prepared for us to walk in; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to Whom, with Thee and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen. - from The General Thanksgiving

Dear Reader, if you are walking down that road and happen to find yourself near an Ordinariate community, consider yourself invited to serve (attend) Mass there. Introduce yourself to the community, the pastor. Indeed, all are welcome. We are taught to welcome Jesus in every person. Join us in the mission of Christ.