The Traditional Latin Mass - Part XI - The Communion Rite

Dec 12

The Prayer of Christ, the Breaking of the Sacrificial Lamb, and the Feeding of God’s People with the Bread of Heaven

I. The Canon Concludes — The Sacrifice Stands Completed

When the priest chants the doxology “Per ipsum…” and the people proclaim the Great Amen, the Sacrifice of Christ has been:

made present,
offered to the Father,
united to the heavenly worship,
joined with the prayers of the Church.

What remains is communion—for sacrifice without communion is incomplete.

This is the pattern found in all biblical worship:

The Passover lamb was not only slain; it had to be eaten (Exod. 12:8).
The thanksgiving sacrifice required participation in the victim (Ps. 21:27).
Christ Himself said:
“Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you.” (John 6:53)

Thus begins the Communion Rite.

II. The Pater Noster — The Prayer of the Only-Begotten Son

Immediately after the Canon, the priest intones the Pater Noster—the only prayer Christ Himself placed on human lips. In the Traditional Latin Mass, it is recited by the priest alone, except for the final petition.

A. Why does the priest alone recite it?

Because in this moment, the priest speaks in persona Christi, repeating the prayer the Son addresses to the Father.
St. Augustine explains:

“He prays for us as our Priest, He prays in us as our Head, and He is prayed to by us as our God.”[1]

The faithful answer only the final words:
“Sed libera nos a malo” — “But deliver us from evil.”

B. The Structure of the Lord’s Prayer in the Mass

Our Father who art in Heaven
—The priest lifts his eyes, aping Christ at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:41).
Hallowed be Thy name
—The priest prays that the Father be glorified in the Sacrifice just offered.
Thy kingdom come
—The Eucharist is the Kingdom present sacramentally.
Thy will be done
—Echo of Gethsemane.
Give us this day our daily bread
—The Fathers unanimously say this refers primarily to the Eucharist: the supersubstantial bread.[2]
Forgive us our trespasses
—Communion presupposes reconciliation with God.
Lead us not into temptation
—The Eucharist strengthens the soul against spiritual trials.
Deliver us from evil
—Sung by the people as their plea to be delivered from sin before receiving Christ.

III. “Libera nos” — Deliverance Through the Precious Blood

After the Pater Noster, the priest prays the embolism—a continuation of the final petition:

“Deliver us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all evils, past, present, and to come…”

This prayer corresponds to the blood of the Passover lamb protecting Israel from death.

A. The Priest Signs Himself with the Paten

He traces the Sign of the Cross with the paten, symbolizing:

the Cross as the source of deliverance,
the return of the paten after being hidden under the corporal (symbol of Christ’s burial),
the imminent restoration of the Body to the priest’s hands.

B. Peace and Order Restored

The priest prays for peace:

“And by the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever-Virgin Mary… grant peace in our days…”

This peace is not worldly tranquility but the shalom that flows from the Cross.

IV. The Fraction Rite — The Lamb of God Is Broken

The priest now breaks the consecrated Host.

A. Why break the Host?

Christ was broken for us, though none of His bones were physically broken (John 19:36).
The Fraction symbolizes:

The death of Christ,
The distribution of His graces,
The unity of the Mystical Body from the one Bread.

St. Augustine says:

“One bread is broken, yet many are fed; and in that breaking, the unity of the Church is signified.”[3]

B. The Commingling — A Particle Is Dropped Into the Chalice

The priest drops a small fragment of the Host into the Precious Blood.

This ancient rite expresses:

The Resurrection — the reunion of Christ’s Body and Blood.
The unity of the Sacrifice — one Christ, whole and entire.
The communion of the universal Church, once symbolized by the “fermentum” (a particle from the papal Mass in Rome sent to bishops worldwide).

Aquinas writes:

“The mingling signifies the Resurrection, whereby Christ’s Blood was reunited with His Body.”[4]

V. The Pax (Kiss of Peace) — The Peace of Christ, Not the World

At Low Mass, this rite remains implicit. At Solemn Mass, it is explicit.

The priest kisses the altar—the place of Sacrifice—and then transmits that peace through the ministers.

A. The Source of Peace

Peace comes only from the Cross.

This is why the priest kisses the altar first, not the people:
peace comes from Christ, not from human goodwill.

As Christ Himself says:

“Peace I leave you, My peace I give you: not as the world giveth.” (John 14:27)

VI. The Agnus Dei — The Plea to the Sacrificial Lamb

Three times the priest prays:

“Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi…”
“Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world…”

A. Why “Lamb of God”?

Because John the Baptist identified Jesus as:

“The Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

This title connects:

the Passover lamb,
the Suffering Servant (Isa. 53),
and the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 5).

B. Threefold Invocation

First: to acknowledge Christ’s power to remove sin.
Second: to implore mercy.
Third: to ask for peace.

The triple form mirrors many triple actions in the Mass—Trinitarian, Christological, and penitential.

VII. The Priest’s Communion — The High Priest Consumes the Victim

The priest prays silently:

“Domine Jesu Christe, qui dixisti…”
“Lord Jesus Christ, who said to Thy Apostles…”

Then:

“Panem caelestem accipiam…”
“I will take the Bread of Heaven…”

A. The Priest Must Communicate

The Sacrifice is not complete without the priest’s communion. This is dogma.

Trent declares:

“The fruits of the sacrifice are received especially by the priest who offers.”[5]

He receives:

the Body of Christ,
the Blood of Christ,
the grace to consummate the Sacrifice.

B. The Priest’s Humility

He prays:

“Domine, non sum dignus…”
“Lord, I am not worthy…”

Words of the centurion (Matt. 8:8).
Even Christ’s representative confesses unworthiness.

VIII. Communion of the Faithful — The Bride Receives the Bridegroom

After the priest communicates, the faithful may approach.

A. The Host Only

In the Traditional Latin Mass, the faithful ordinarily receive under the species of bread alone.

Why?

Because:

Christ is fully present—Body, Blood, Soul, Divinity—under each species.
The Chalice belongs symbolically to the priestly action of sacrifice.

Trent solemnly defined:

“Communion under one kind suffices for the faithful.”[6]

B. The Posture of Reception

The faithful kneel and receive on the tongue.

This posture expresses:

Reverence
Humility
The primacy of receiving, not taking
Equality of all communicants before God

St. Cyril of Jerusalem taught the early Christians:

“Approach not with hands extended or fingers open, but with reverence and devotion.”[7]

C. The Formula of Distribution

The priest says:

“Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam. Amen.”
“May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy soul unto life everlasting. Amen.”

This is a priestly blessing, not a mere declaration.

IX. The Purification — Reverence for Every Particle of the Lord

After Communion, the priest purifies:

the chalice,
the paten,
his fingers.

A. Why such meticulous care?

Because every particle of the consecrated species contains Christ whole and entire.

St. Francis of Assisi said:

“If I should find even a little fragment of the sacred host, I would place it in gold.”[8]

Aquinas teaches:

“The sacrament remains as long as the appearances remain.”[9]

Thus the priest rubs his fingers over the chalice, washes them with wine and water, and consumes the ablutions.

This is reverence toward the Real Presence taken to its highest perfection.

X. The Postcommunion — Thanksgiving to the Father

The priest then sings or recites the Postcommunion, the final proper prayer of the Mass:

thanking God for the gift received,
asking that the sacrament bear fruit,
and preparing the faithful for their dismissal into the world.

The Postcommunion is the liturgical expression of the Magnificat:
the soul magnifying the Lord after receiving Him.

XI. Summary of the Mystery in Article XI

By the end of the Communion Rite:

Christ has taught the Church to pray through the Pater Noster.
The Sacrifice has extended its fruits to the faithful.
The Lamb has been broken and given.
The faithful have communed with Christ Himself—Body, Blood, Soul, Divinity.
The purification ensures no fragment of Christ is dishonored.
The Church gives thanks through the Postcommunion.

Only two elements remain:

the dismissal (Ite, missa est), and
the Last Gospel, the proclamation of the Incarnation—
which will be treated in Article XII.

ENDNOTES

[1] St. Augustine, Sermon 85.
[2] St. Cyprian of Carthage, On the Lord’s Prayer, ch. 18.
[3] St. Augustine, Sermon 272.
[4] St. Thomas Aquinas, ST III, q. 83, a. 5.
[5] Council of Trent, Session XXII, Ch. 6.
[6] Council of Trent, Session XXI, Ch. 1.
[7] St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogical Catecheses, 5.
[8] St. Francis, Letter to All Clerics.
[9] St. Thomas Aquinas, ST III, q. 77, a. 4.

Filii Dei