The Traditional Latin Mass - Part II - At the Altar: The Kiss, Introit, Kyrie, Gloria and Collect
Part II continues with the ascent by the Priest to the Altar.
I. The Priest Kisses the Altar: The Embrace of Christ and His Saints
Having ascended the steps, the priest reaches the altar and performs one of the most ancient gestures in Christian worship: the kiss of the altar. This is no mere courtesy. In apostolic times, Christians celebrated the Eucharist on the tombs of martyrs; the altar was literally a grave—the burial place of those who died for Christ.
The priest’s kiss expresses two profound truths:
1. Christ the Bridegroom
The altar symbolizes Christ Himself.
St. Ambrose says plainly: “The altar is Christ.”[1]
Thus the kiss is an embrace: Christ the Victim and Priest is greeted by the one who will stand in His place.
2. Communion with the Saints
Beneath nearly every traditional altar are relics.
The Council of Trent teaches that the veneration of relics is part of the ancient faith of the Church.[2]
When the priest kisses the altar, he kisses:
the memory of martyrs,
the foundation of Christian worship,
and the mystical Body of Christ triumphant.
This fits the vision of St. John in the Apocalypse:
“I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God.” (Rev. 6:9, DR)
Thus, the Mass begins not in isolation, but in communion with heaven.
II. The Introit: The Coming of Christ into the Assembly
The Introit is the ancient entrance song of the Roman Rite, originally sung during the procession into the sanctuary.
Its meaning is twofold:
Christ entering the Church—His mystical approach to His people.
The Church entering Christ—in the words of St. Augustine, “the totus Christus,” the whole Christ, head and members, speaking with one voice.[3]
The antiphon, psalm verse, and Gloria Patri represent:
the persistence of prayer,
the unity of Old and New Covenants,
and the Trinitarian structure of Christian worship.
As St. Jerome writes, “The Psalms are the voice of Christ and the Church.”[4]
Thus the Introit places Scripture on the lips of the Bride as her Bridegroom arrives in sacramental mystery.
III. The Kyrie: The Cry for Mercy
The Kyrie eleison is one of the oldest rites in the Mass—older than Latin itself. It is preserved in Greek, the language of the apostolic Church. Its structure is 3 + 3 + 3, forming a Trinitarian rhythm:
Kyrie eleison (Father)
Christe eleison (Son)
Kyrie eleison (Holy Spirit)
This triple invocation reflects the triple “Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus” of Isaiah (Isa. 6:3) and Revelation (Rev. 4:8).
St. Gregory the Great says the Kyrie manifests “the continual cry of the Church, calling upon her Lord day and night.”[5]
Why “mercy” and Why “nine?”
Because the approach to Calvary requires humility:
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy.” (Ps. 50:3, DR)
St. John Chrysostom explains that the Kyrie is “the cry of beggars who know that everything is grace.”[6]
The nine invocations symbolize:
the nine choirs of angels,
the nine months of Christ’s gestation,
the nine Beatitudes,
the nine spiritual wounds of sin healed by grace.
By chanting the Kyrie, the Church acknowledges that before she can ascend the heights of the Sacrifice, she must first descend into lowliness of heart. Note—Vatican II relegated the nine-fold Kyrie as “needlessly repetitious.” What a shame…
IV. The Gloria: The Hymn of the Incarnate God
The Gloria in excelsis Deo is the Church’s great canticle of praise. Its origin is ancient and heavenly—it is the hymn sung by angels at Christ’s birth:
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.” (Luke 2:14, DR)
A. The Christmas Connection
The Gloria is profoundly Incarnational.
The Word has become flesh; therefore the Church sings the song of Bethlehem.
St. Athanasius says the Gloria expresses the “joy of God appearing among men.”[7]
B. When It Is Not Said
The Gloria is omitted in penitential seasons (Advent, Lent) and in Masses for the Dead.
Its absence emphasizes the silence before the Annunciation and the mourning of the Church.
C. The Structure
The text progresses through:
Worship of the Father
Praise of the Son—with titles such as “Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father”
Affirmation of Christ’s Divinity
Invocation of the Holy Spirit
This reveals the Trinitarian faith that defines the Roman Rite.
D. The Patristic Witness
St. Basil calls it “the ancient hymn of victory” used in the East and West.[8]
St. Augustine notes that its phrases “rise like steps of praise to the heavenly throne.”[9]
As the Gloria ends, the worship of the Church rises into the Collect.
V. The Collect: The Prayer of Christ the Head on Behalf of His Body
The Collect is the first great priestly prayer of the Mass—its structure dating back to the earliest Roman sacramentaries. The priest begins:
“Dominus vobiscum.”
“The Lord be with you.”
The people respond:
“Et cum spiritu tuo.”
“And with thy spirit.”
This dialogue is ancient; St. John Chrysostom referenced it as universally known.[10]
The phrase “thy spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit given to the ordained priest, empowering him to pray and offer sacrifice on behalf of the faithful.
A. Why the Orans Posture?
During the Collect, the priest extends his hands not horizontally toward the people, but vertically toward heaven.
This distinguishes:
priestly mediation (orans toward God)
from congregational fellowship (hands joined).
Aquinas teaches that the orans posture signifies “the raising of the mind to God.”[11]
B. The Structure of a Collect
The Collect always contains:
Address to God
Acknowledgment of His divine attribute
Petition for grace
Christological conclusion
This mirrors Christ’s own manner of prayer (John 17).
C. The Purpose
The Collect “collects” (hence the name) the silent prayers of the faithful, uniting them to Christ’s voice in the priest.
The Council of Trent affirms this mediation:
“The priest offers the Sacrifice… in the person of Christ, and for all the faithful, living and dead.” (Session XXII)[12]
Thus the Collect is the moment when Christ, through His priest, addresses the Father on behalf of the Church.
VI. The Ascent Toward the Sacrifice
With the Collect concluded, the structure of the liturgy has completed its first major movement:
Penitence (Kyrie)
Praise (Gloria)
Petition (Collect)
This mirrors the structure of Christian prayer itself.
St. Augustine writes: “We begin in humility, we rise in praise, and we approach in petition.”[13]
The Mass now transitions to the Liturgy of the Word, preparing the faithful to hear the voice of Christ in the Scriptures.
ENDNOTES
[1] St. Ambrose, De Sacramentis, V:7.
[2] Council of Trent, Session XXV, Decree on Relics.
[3] St. Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos, Ps. 85.
[4] St. Jerome, Epistle 130.
[5] St. Gregory the Great, Homilies on the Gospels, 29.
[6] St. John Chrysostom, Homily 3 on Eutropius.
[7] St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation, 54.
[8] St. Basil, Letter 207.
[9] St. Augustine, Sermon 225.
[10] St. John Chrysostom, Homily 36 on First Corinthians.
[11] St. Thomas Aquinas, ST II-II, q. 84, a. 3.
[12] Council of Trent, Session XXII, Ch. 2.
[13] St. Augustine, Sermon 52.