The Novus Ordo Mass - Part V - The Communion Rite
The Communion Rite: Preparation for the Sacred Banquet
Having entered the Eucharistic Prayer and witnessed the consecration of the gifts, the Mass now moves toward its culmination: Holy Communion. Yet the Church does not rush from consecration to reception. As throughout the Roman Rite, sacred realities are approached through ordered preparation.
The Communion Rite prepares the faithful spiritually, ecclesially, and sacramentally to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Its elements—prayer, peace, fraction, and invocation—form a gradual movement from sacrifice toward communion.
This sequence expresses a theological truth: Communion flows from sacrifice. One receives the Body of Christ because that Body has been offered.¹
I. The Lord’s Prayer (Pater Noster)
Theological Meaning
The Communion Rite begins with the prayer taught by Christ Himself: the Our Father.
This placement is ancient and deliberate. Before approaching the Eucharistic banquet, the Church prays as children of the Father and asks for the coming of His Kingdom. In this context, the petition “Give us this day our daily bread” acquires Eucharistic depth.
Early Christian writers often interpreted this petition as referring not only to material sustenance but also to the Eucharistic Bread that sustains the soul.²
The prayer also contains the condition necessary for communion:
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Thus the Church teaches that reconciliation with neighbor is integral to worthy reception of the sacrament.
Development
The Lord’s Prayer has long stood in the Communion preparation of the Roman Rite. In the Traditional Latin Mass, the priest alone recited the prayer aloud while the faithful responded only at its conclusion.
Sacrosanctum Concilium emphasized that certain elements belonging to the whole assembly should be expressed more visibly in the liturgy.³
Accordingly, the reform encouraged the entire congregation to pray the Lord’s Prayer together. This development reflects the Council’s emphasis on conscious participation in the prayers of the liturgy.
The text itself remained unchanged.
II. The Embolism
Theological Meaning
After the Lord’s Prayer, the priest continues with the Embolism:
“Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil…”
The Embolism elaborates the final petition of the Lord’s Prayer, asking for deliverance from sin, protection from distress, and hope in the coming of Christ.
The prayer explicitly introduces eschatological expectation:
“…as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
This moment reminds the faithful that the Eucharist is not only remembrance of Christ’s past sacrifice but also anticipation of His future return.⁴
Development
The Embolism existed prior to the Council and remains substantially unchanged. However, the reform introduced a congregational acclamation immediately afterward:
“For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours…”
This acclamation mirrors the doxology attached to the Lord’s Prayer in certain ancient Christian traditions.
Its inclusion reflects the Council’s encouragement of liturgical acclamations by the faithful as expressions of communal worship.⁵
III. The Sign of Peace
Theological Meaning
The priest then invites the faithful to exchange a sign of peace.
This gesture reflects Christ’s teaching that reconciliation with one’s neighbor is a prerequisite for offering sacrifice:
“First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”⁶
The sign of peace therefore expresses ecclesial communion: those who approach the same altar must approach in unity.
The peace exchanged is not merely social goodwill. It is the peace of Christ, flowing from the sacrifice just made present.
Development
Historically, the Roman Rite included a sign of peace, though its placement varied across centuries. In earlier periods it occurred before the Offertory; later it was restricted largely to clergy.
The postconciliar reform restored the gesture to the whole assembly and placed it within the Communion Rite.
The rationale was that reconciliation and ecclesial unity should be expressed immediately before receiving Communion.
However, this relocation has been the subject of liturgical debate. Some scholars argue that the earlier placement—prior to the offering of gifts—better reflected Christ’s instruction in Matthew 5:23–24.
Recognizing pastoral concerns, later instructions emphasized that the sign of peace should be exchanged with dignity and moderation.⁷
IV. The Fraction Rite
Theological Meaning
The priest breaks the consecrated host. This action, known as the Fraction Rite, is ancient and profoundly symbolic.
In the earliest Christian communities, the Eucharist itself was sometimes called “the breaking of bread.”⁸
Theologically, the fraction signifies:
Christ’s Body broken on the Cross,
the sharing of the one Bread among many believers,
and the unity of the Church in the Body of Christ.
Saint Paul writes:
“Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body.”⁹
Thus the breaking of the host reveals both sacrifice and communion.
Development
The Fraction Rite remained intact through the reform. However, the introduction of larger hosts in many celebrations has allowed the symbolism of breaking to be more visible to the congregation.
The Council did not mandate structural changes to this rite but emphasized that liturgical signs should be clearer and more intelligible to the faithful.¹⁰
This development reflects that principle.
V. The Agnus Dei
Theological Meaning
During the Fraction Rite, the assembly sings or recites the Agnus Dei:
“Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us…”
This invocation draws directly from John the Baptist’s proclamation:
“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”¹¹
Theologically, the Agnus Dei identifies the Eucharistic victim with the sacrificial Lamb of Passover and Calvary.
Three times the Church addresses Christ as the Lamb whose sacrifice brings mercy and peace.
This acclamation reminds the faithful that the Eucharist is not merely nourishment but the sacrificial Lamb offered for the redemption of the world.
Development
The Agnus Dei entered the Roman Mass during the seventh century under Pope Sergius I.
The reform preserved the text and structure. The only adaptation permitted is that the final invocation may vary depending on liturgical circumstances (for example, “grant us peace”).
This represents continuity within flexibility.
VI. The Priest’s Communion Preparation
Theological Meaning
Before receiving Communion himself, the priest prays quietly for purification and worthiness.
These prayers emphasize that even the ordained minister approaches the sacrament with humility and dependence upon divine mercy.
The priest receives first not as privilege but because he acts in persona Christi, completing the sacrificial action before distributing Communion to the faithful.
Development
The reform simplified some of the private prayers previously recited by the priest but preserved their theological purpose: preparation for worthy reception.
Sacrosanctum Concilium encouraged removal of duplications while maintaining essential elements of the rite.¹²
The priest’s preparatory prayers remain, though fewer in number.
VII. The Invitation to Communion
Theological Meaning
The priest raises the consecrated host and proclaims:
“Behold the Lamb of God…”
This invitation echoes John the Baptist’s proclamation and directs the faithful toward the sacrificial identity of Christ.
The response:
“Lord, I am not worthy…”
comes from the centurion’s words in the Gospel (Matthew 8:8).
The Church thus teaches that humility is the proper disposition for receiving the Eucharist.
Development
This dialogue existed in the earlier Roman Rite, though the faithful recited it quietly. The reform made it a unified congregational response.
Again, the development reflects the Council’s emphasis on audible participation in liturgical responses.
Conclusion
The Communion Rite brings the Eucharistic sacrifice toward its sacramental completion: the faithful receive the Body and Blood of Christ.
Its structure reveals a deliberate spiritual progression:
Prayer to the Father
Deliverance from evil
Reconciliation with neighbor
Recognition of the sacrificial Lamb
Humble reception of the Eucharist
The reforms following the Council largely preserved these elements while emphasizing clearer communal participation and simplifying certain prayers.
The theological core remains unchanged: Communion is participation in the sacrifice of Christ.
Endnotes
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) §§1382–1383.
Early patristic interpretations of the Lord’s Prayer; see also CCC §2837.
Sacrosanctum Concilium §30.
CCC §1402–1403.
Sacrosanctum Concilium §30.
Matthew 5:23–24.
General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) §82.
Acts 2:42.
1 Corinthians 10:17.
Sacrosanctum Concilium §34.
John 1:29.
Sacrosanctum Concilium §50.
