The "Annotated" Mass, continued

IV. Communion Rite

A. The Lord's Prayer--the priest invites everyone to pray as Jesus taught his disciples and this prayer can be sung or said...

Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come; thy will be done as earth as it
is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us; and lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

In order to break it from the Protestant version of the Lord's Prayer and yet remain ecumenical at the same time the Holy Fathers from the Vatican Council II inserted this prayer of petition as said by the priest.

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day.
In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety
as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Then you respond with the Protestant ending of the Lord's Prayer...

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever.

B. Sign of Peace--then the priest prays to Jesus Christ for peace to all of his people and for a Church united into one family by saying...

Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles:
I leave you peace, my peace I give to you.
Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church,
and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom
where you live and reign forever and ever.

And the congregation responds with the affirmation of Amen.

The priest then extends the sign of peace to everyone by saying....

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

And everyone extends that peace back to the priest by saying...

And also with you.

Then if a deacon is present he asks each of us to extend that same peace of Christ to each other.  If a deacon is not present then the priest says...

Let us offer each other a sign of peace.

C. The Breaking of Bread--while the priest is breaking the bread the Lamb of God is sung or said...

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
grant us peace.

As this is being sung the priest breaks off a small piece of the Body of Christ and mingles it with the Blood of Christ saying...

May this mingling of the body and blood our Lord Jesus Christ
bring eternal life to us who receive it.

D. Private Preparation of the Priest--while the singing of the Lamb of God is still going on the priest bows and prays privately in these words... or there is another shorter form.

Lord Jesus  Christ, Son of the living God, by the will of the Father
and the work of the Holy Spirit your death brought life to the
world.  By your body and blood free me from all my sins, and
from every evil.  Keep me faithful to your teaching, and never let
me be parted from you.

The priest genuflects in final adoration of the Body and Blood of Christ and then raises the Body/ Blood of Christ and proclaims to the people...

This is the Lamb of God
who takes away the sins of the world.
Happy are those who are called to his supper.

And the congregation responds...

Lord, I am not worthy to receive you
but only say the word and I shall be healed.

The priest consumes the Body of Christ and the Blood of Christ and then goes to the people proclaiming that what they are receiving is the Body of Christ and the Blood of Christ.

E. Period of Silence or Song--silence or a song may be sung at this time.

F. Prayer after communion--the priest says Let Us Pray and then following a period of silence says the final prayer and the congregation responds with Amen.

V. Concluding Rite

The priest extends the final greeting that is two thousand years old by saying...

The Lord be with you.

And the congregation responds in kind...

And also with you.

And then the priest gives the final blessing with all of the authority of Jesus Christ himself since he does not bless "in the name of", but instead blesses...

May almighty God bless you,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

And the congregation responds with the great Amen.

The deacon dismisses the congregation if he is present, otherwise, the priest does it in these words or words similar to...

The Mass is ended, go in the peace and joy
of our risen Lord.

And the congregation responds...

Thanks be to God

The priest/deacon reverences the altar by kissing it, comes to the front of the sanctuary and bows or genuflects before the Blessed Sacrament and then follows the altar servers, and the Word of God out of the church.