The Traditional Latin Mass - Part XII - Mission, Blessing and the Last Gospel - The Conclusion…
“Ite, missa est:” The Sending Forth of the Mystical Body and the Final Proclamation of the Incarnation
I. The Postcommunion Has Ended — The Sacrifice Has Achieved Its Purpose
Once the priest concludes the Postcommunion, the purpose of the Mass has in a real sense been fulfilled:
The Sacrifice of Calvary has been made present.
The oblation has been accepted by the Father.
The fruits of the Sacrifice have been applied to the faithful.
The Church has given thanks (eucharistia) for the gift received.
Only one thing remains:
the Church must now be sent.
II. “Dominus vobiscum” — The Final Greeting Before Mission
The priest turns to the people and says for the final time:
“Dominus vobiscum.”
“The Lord be with you.”
This is not a repetition—it is a commissioning.
Having received Christ, the faithful must now go forth with Christ dwelling in them.
St. Ambrose writes:
“Having received the Body of Christ, you carry the Spirit of Christ; therefore you are sent to be light to the world.”[1]
The outward facing posture of the priest symbolizes his role in Christ’s words:
“As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21)
III. “Ite, missa est” — The Most Misunderstood Words in the Mass
The deacon (or priest) proclaims:
“Ite, missa est.”
This is not Latin for “The Mass is over.”
A. What “missa est” actually means
The phrase is a technical Roman expression meaning:
“The dismissal has been sent forth.”
“The mission is now initiated.”
“The assembly is now commissioned.”
The root word missa is the same word from which we derive mission and missio.
In ancient Roman usage, missio referred to the sending-out of soldiers, ambassadors, or envoys.
Thus, Ite, missa est literally means:
“Go — you are being sent on mission.”
B. Patristic Theology of the Dismissal
St. Thomas Aquinas teaches:
“The faithful are dismissed so that they may fulfill in their lives what they have received in the Sacrament.”[2]
St. Gregory the Great adds:
“The Mass does not end; its fruits begin.”[3]
C. The Dismissal Completes the Purpose of the Eucharist
The Eucharist is not a private devotion.
It transforms the faithful into living members of Christ who must:
evangelize,
sanctify the world,
offer their own lives as a spiritual sacrifice.
The dismissal is therefore ecclesial, apostolic, and missionary.
IV. The Final Blessing — The High Priest Blesses His People
Immediately after the dismissal, the priest extends his hands and blesses the faithful:
“Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus, Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus.”
A. Why does the blessing follow the dismissal?
Because the people are being sent into the world as ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor. 5:20).
They must be armed with divine grace.
This blessing is rooted in the Old Testament priestly blessing:
“The Lord bless thee and keep thee.” (Num. 6:24-26)
But now it is infinitely elevated, because:
Christ the High Priest blesses through His minister.
The faithful receive this blessing with Christ in their bodies, making them “Christ-bearers” (Christophoroi, as the Fathers said).
B. The Trinitarian Formula
The blessing invokes:
the Father (source of all being),
the Son (true Victim now present within the communicants),
the Holy Spirit (who unites the Mystical Body and empowers mission).
This final blessing seals the Eucharistic mystery in the soul.
V. The Last Gospel — The Return to the Word Incarnate
At a Low Mass and most sung Masses, the priest then moves to the Gospel side of the altar and proclaims:
The Prologue of St. John (John 1:1-14)
This is one of the most ancient additions to the Mass, established universally by the 13th century. It serves as a final contemplation of:
the Incarnation,
the divinity of Christ,
the mission of the Church,
and the gift of grace received.
A. Why John’s Prologue?
Because the entire Eucharistic mystery rests on the truth proclaimed here:
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14)
St. Athanasius says:
“If the Word had not become flesh, His flesh could not become our food.”[4]
Thus the Last Gospel completes the internal logic of the Mass:
The Word became flesh.
The flesh suffered and died.
The Sacrifice is made present.
The faithful receive the Word-made-Flesh.
They are sent into the world as witnesses to the Incarnation.
B. The Genuflection
At the words:
“Et Verbum caro factum est”
“And the Word was made flesh”
the priest and faithful genuflect.
This genuflection represents:
the bending of heaven toward earth,
the humility of God,
the gratitude of redeemed humanity,
and the Church’s final act of adoration before departing.
VI. The Final Formula: “Deo gratias” — Thanks Be to God
After the Last Gospel, the server or choir replies:
“Deo gratias.”
This is the last liturgical word of the Mass.
It is not polite gratitude; it is liturgical thanksgiving, echoing the very meaning of the word Eucharistia (thanksgiving).
St. Augustine writes:
“Let your life say what your tongue cannot cease to proclaim: Deo gratias!”[5]
VII. Summary of Article XII — The Mass Completed
By the end of the Traditional Latin Mass:
Christ has become present on the altar.
His Sacrifice has been offered to the Father.
The faithful have partaken of Him in Holy Communion.
The Church has given thanks.
The faithful have received the blessing of the High Priest.
The Incarnation is proclaimed anew in the Last Gospel.
The faithful are sent forth to evangelize the world.
The Mass does not end with the dismissal—
It begins its work in the souls of the faithful at that moment.
As St. Leonine Sacramentary states:
“Having received the Sacrament of immortality, go forth to shine as lights in the world.”
ENDNOTES
[1] St. Ambrose, De Sacramentis, VI.
[2] St. Thomas Aquinas, ST II-II, q. 83, a. 12.
[3] St. Gregory the Great, Homily 27 on the Gospels.
[4] St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation, 54.
[5] St. Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos, Ps. 33.