The spirit which moves men to find tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, and sermons in stones, has always marked the Catholic people. In the ceremonies and prayers of the Mass they see depths of mystery, of meaning, of instruction. Every word, every action, tells them of the dealings of God with man. Two great schemes, or explanations, have been constructed. According to the one, the Mass is a drama, showing forth the history of the world from the creation of man to the consummation of all things. According to the other, the Mass is also a drama, which repeats the Passion of our Lord. These schemes or explanations are called the Allegorical meanings of the Mass.
The first scheme falls into three parts. The history of the world, from the Creation to the Passion, is symbolized in the rites of the Mass, as far as the Offertory. From the Offertory to the Communion, the Mass represents the Passion. From the Communion to the end, the history of our Lord and of His Church is set forth.
1. The entrance of the priest into the sanctuary is the figure of mankind entering into the world. The Confession tells us of the Fall, and, the Absolution, the promise of a Redeemer. The Psalm at the Introit, and the Kyrie call to our minds how kings and prophets longed to see the day of Christ, and how they foretold His coming. The Gloria reminds us of Bethlehem and the birth of the Messias; the Collects are the figure of His prayers and labors in His private life, and the Epistle, Gospel and Creed represent His public life and teaching.
2. The Offertory pictures the commencement of Christ's prayer in the Garden. The priest takes the bread and wine into his hands, and we remember how Christ fell into the hands of His enemies. The washing of hands calls to mind how Pilate washed his hands before the people. The Preface and Sanctus represent the sayings of our Lord during His trial. The Canon is the figure of the carrying of the Cross to Calvary; the Elevation tells us of the Crucifixion. The breaking of the Host stands for the death of Christ, and the dropping of the Leaven into the Chalice shows how He descended into hell. The Agnus Dei represents the con version of those who returned from Calvary beating their breasts, and the Communion and Ablutions show forth the Lord's burial.
3. The salutation after the Communion Psalm represents the Resurrection and the appearance of Christ to His disciples. The closing of the book shows how Christ's earthly career was closed by the Ascension. The blessing is the figure of the coming down of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost, and the Last Gospel is the preaching of the word of God to all mankind.
The second scheme or explanation connects the whole Mass with the Passion. It differs from the first scheme in this, that there are more details, and that the Mass of the Catechumens is made to stand for the Agony in the Garden and the trial.
1. The entrance of the priest represents our Lord going from the Supper Room to the Garden of Gethsemani. The Confiteor is the prayer and the agony. As the priest goes up the steps and kisses the altar, we think how Judas came and betrayed our Lord with a kiss. The Kyrie brings to mind the triple denial, and the subsequent salutation of the people is the look which our Lord gave His recreant Apostle. The change of the book shows how Christ was sent from Pilate to Herod, and the Gospel and Creed tell us how Christ stood before those various tribunals.
2. The unveiling of the Chalice is a symbol of the scourging. Christ was stripped of His garments and cruelly beaten. After the offering of the Chalice, it is covered with the pall; this is the crown of thorns. As, in the preceding scheme, the Lavabo represents Pilate washing his hands, and the Orate Fratres recalls the words, "Behold the man." The Preface and the Sanctus tell how Pilate confessed Christ's innocence, and the Hosannas of the Sanctus contrast with the cry of the people, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" The Sign of the Cross at the Te Igitur represents the carrying of the Cross; the Memento is the journey to Calvary; the spreading of the hands over the gifts at the Hanc Igitur is the nailing to the Cross. The Elevation is the lifting up of the Cross; the silent prayers which follow tell of the long and silent agony of our Saviour. The Confession reminds us of the conversion of the Good Thief. The Our Father stands for the seven last words. The Agnus Dei is, as before, the conversion of the multitudes, and the Communion represents how our Lord's body was taken down from the Cross and given to His mother.
3. The Communion Psalm stands for the Resurrection. The Post Communion figures our Lord teaching the Apostles for forty days, and the rest as in No. 241.
- taken from The Mass, by Father Peter Christopher Yorke