 The study of Mary and her place in the
Mariology
- is the study on the doctrine of the mother of
God.
- is the systematic study of the person of the
Blessed Virgin Mary and her place in the
economy of salvation within the theology of
the Catholic Church.
- this doctrine cannot be separated either from
the person as from the work of the Redeemer
and therefore has the deepest connection with
both Christology and Soteriology.
Soteriology
- The Doctrine of Salvation. This is God’s plan
to provide a solution to man’s problem called
Salvation. It embraces all of time as well as
eternity past and future. It relates in one way
or another to all of mankind, without
exception. It is the theme of both the Old and
New Testament. It is personal, national, and
cosmic.
- It centers on the greatest Person, Our Lord
Jesus Christ.
- Salvation is the translation of the Greek word
soteria which derived from the word soter
meaning “Savior”
 Mary has a precise place in the plan of
salvation and a special place within tradition
and devotion.
 She is seen as having a singular dignity and
receives a higher level of veneration than all
other saints.
 For Roman Catholics, Mariology studies not
only her life but also veneration of her in daily
life, prayer, Hymns, art (where she has been a
favorite topic) music, architecture in modern
and ancient Christianity throughout the ages.
 Anglicans share some of the beliefs of Roman
Catholic Mariology but not all.
The Eastern Orthodox Church call Mary the
“God – bearer” emphasizing Mary’s status as the
mother of God Incarnate, gives her the title
“Ever Virgin” and emphasizes her sublime
holiness, her share in redemption and her role as a
mother of Grace.
STUDY OF MARY AND HER PLACE IN THE
CHURCH
Catholic Church has been undertaken from the
number of perspectives and within a number
of contexts and in his address to the 2012
Mariology Congress, Pope Benedict XVI
stated that this study must be “understood and
deeply examined from the different and
complementary viewpoints”
 The path of truth (via veritatis) remains for
ever valid and the path of beauty (via
pulchritudinis) and the path of love (via
amoris) should also be followed in this study.
Pope Benedict XVI - has also emphasized that the
study of Mary cannot be performed in isolation from
other disciplines and that “Mariology can never be
purely Mariology” but is inherently related to the
study of Christ and of the Church and expresses the
inner coherence of these disciplines.
Pope Benedict XVI - has stated that Marian studies
have three separate characteristics:
1. First personalizing the Church so it is not seen
as a structure but as a person.
2. Secondly, the incarnational aspect and the
relation to God,
3. Third, Marian piety which involves the heart
and the emotional component.
Mary’s position in Church can be compared to the
aspect of the Petrine Office in a dual sense. This
perspective on the duality of the roles of Mary and
Peter highlights the subjective holiness of the heart and
the objective holiness of the structure of the church.
In this duality The Petrine office logically examines
the charisms for their theological soundness, while the
Marian dual provides a balance in the spiritual and
emotional sense via the service of love that the office
can never encompass. Mariology and the doctrine
are not “side chapels” in Roman Catholic teachings,
but are central and integrating elements of it.
Early Christians and numerous saints focused on
this connection and popes highlighted the inner link
between Marian doctrines and a fuller understanding
of Christological themes.
Given the Catholic perspective that the Church lives in
its relation to Christ, being the Body of Christ, it also
has a relation to his mother, whose study is the subject
of Roman Catholic Mariology. In his l946
publication Compendium Mariologiae, by Gabriel
Roschini explained that Mary did not only participate
in the birth of the physical Jesus but also, with
conception, she entered with him into a spiritual union.

The divine salvation plan being not only material but
including a permanent spiritual unity with Christ. This
was echoed by Pope Saint Pius X who in Ad diem
illum stated: “there is no more direct road to Mary
for uniting all mankind in Christ.
Importance of the Holy Mass
Our daily lives have their rituals also:
1. greeting people
2. eating
3. responding to a text
The basic “shape” of the ritual of the Mass can be
described as a meal
1. Gathering
2. Storytelling
3. Meal sharing
4. Commissioning
PART ONE: GATHERING RITES
 Coming together, assembling, is at the heart
of our Sunday worship.
 The reason behind each of the ritual actions
of the first part of the Mass can be found in
this word: gathering.
 The purpose of these rites is to bring us
together into one body, ready to listen and to
break bread together.
Holy Water - one of the first things Catholics do when
they come to church is dipped their right hand in
water and make the sign of the cross. This ritual is a
reminder of our Baptism: We were baptized with
water and signed with the cross. At every Mass we
renew our promises to die to sin.
POSTURE
1. Sit
2. Stand
3. Kneel
In the celebration of Mass, we raise our hearts and
minds to God. We are creatures of body as well as
spirit, so our prayer is not confined to our minds and
hearts. It is expressed by our bodies as well. When our
bodies are engaged in our prayer, we pray with our
whole person.
Using our entire being in prayer helps us to pray with
greater attentiveness. These postures and gestures
are not merely ceremonial. They have profound
meaning and, when done with understanding, can
enhance our participation in the Mass
Three Reasons Why Catholics Genuflect
1. Humility
2. Service
3. Love
Genuflection - traditionally, Catholics genuflect on
entering and leaving church if the Blessed Sacrament
is present in the sanctuary of the Church. The priest
and deacon genuflect to the tabernacle on entering
and leaving the sanctuary. The priest also genuflects
in adoration after he shows the Body and Blood of
Christ to the people after the consecration and again
before inviting the people to Holy Communion
Standing
- is a sign of respect and honor. From the
earliest days of the Church, this posture has
been understood as the stance of those who
have risen with Christ and seek the things that
are above
- when we stand for prayer, we assume our full
stature before God, not in pride but in humble
gratitude for the marvelous things God has
done in creating and redeeming each one of
us.
- we stand for the proclamation of the Gospel,
which recounts the words and deeds of the
Lord
- the bishops have chosen standing as the
posture to be observed for the reception of
Communion.
- we stand as the celebrant who represents
Christ enters and leaves the assembly.
Sitting
- is the posture of listening and meditation, so
the congregation sits for the pre-Gospel
readings and the homily and may also sit for
the period of meditation following
Communion.
- all should strive to assume a seated posture
during the Mass that is attentive rather than
merely at rest.
Kneeling
 - in the early Church, kneeling signified
penance. So thoroughly was kneeling
identified with penance that the early
Christians were forbidden to kneel on Sundays
and during the Easter season, when the
prevailing spirit of the Liturgy was one of joy
and thanksgiving
- in the Middle Ages kneeling came to signify
homage, and more recently this posture has
come to signify adoration, especially before
the presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Bowing
1. reverence
2. respect
3. gratitude
Bowing
- In the Creed we bow at the words that
commemorate the Incarnation
- We also bow as a sign of reverence before we
receive Communion.
- The priest and other ministers bow to the
altar, a symbol of Christ, when entering or
leaving the sanctuary.
- As a sign of respect and reverence even in our
speech, we bow our heads at the name of
Jesus, at the mention of the Three Persons of
the Trinity, at the name of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, and at the name of the saint whose
particular feast or memorial is being observed
(see GIRM, no. 275)
Prostrating
- A posture of deep humility, it signifies our
willingness to share in Christ's death so as to
share in his Resurrection (see Romans 6)
- It is used at the beginning of the Celebration
of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday
- During the Litany of the Saints in the Rite of
Ordination, when those to be ordained
deacons, priests, and bishops prostrate
themselves in humble prayer and submission
to Christ
Singing
"He who sings prays twice." How I wept, deeply
moved by your hymns, songs, and the voices that
echoed through your Church! What emotion I
experienced in them! Those sounds flowed into my
ears distilling the truth in my heart. A feeling of
devotion surged within me, and tears streamed down
my face - tears that did me good. St. Augustine of
Hippo
Every procession in the Liturgy is a sign of the pilgrim
Church, the body of those who believe in Christ, on
their way to the Heavenly Jerusalem.
Oftentimes, at the front of the procession, one of the
servers (a crucifer) carries a crucifix symbolizing that
Jesus is our “leader to salvation” (Heb 2:10).
KISSING THE ALTAR
- Every time a priest kisses or reverences the
altar, he does so in order to honor the altar of
sacrifice (which represents Christ) where the
miracle of the Eucharist occurs. Kissing the
Altar
- The kiss also signifies the union of the Spouse
(Christ) and his Bride (the Church).
- Another reason, deeply rooted in ancient
Christian tradition, is to reverence the relics of
the saint or martyr placed within the altar
itself.
Sign of the Cross
- The Mass then officially begins with the priest
and people making the Sign of the Cross, a
gesture that dates back to the first century of
Christianity and summarizes the Christian
belief in a Trinitarian God who descended
from heaven to earth, who is now seated at
the right hand of the Father, and whose death
on a cross opened heaven’s gates.
Greeting
- The priest may echo St. Paul’s words in 2
Corinthians 13:13, “The grace of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, and the Love of God, and the
Communion of the Holy Spirit be with you
all.”
- He can simply say, “The Lord be with you.”
Either way, the people respond, “And with
your Spirit,” acknowledging that the priest
stands there in the person of Christ by the
power of the Holy Spirit.
- We find its biblical roots as a blessing for
success, such as when Boaz greets his
harvesters: “The Lord be with you!” (Ruth
2:4)
- King David too utters this as a prayer for his
son Solomon while instructing him to build
the temple: “Set to work, therefore, and the
Lord be with you!” (1 Chr 22:16)
 - “The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). Unlike the
previous statements, this announcement is
one of fact; it points to the current reality,
rather than expressing a prayer or wish.
- All these biblical expressions flow seamlessly
into the liturgy’s “The Lord be with you.” The
priest greets the congregation with the
greeting of Boaz and blesses them with
David’s blessing for Solomon. Yet the
Annunciation changes everything. We are to
hear the expression “The Lord be with you”
not only as a greeting or a blessing for success
in carrying out the Lord’s work. Rather, in the
liturgy we relive the encounter between the
Word of God and Mary, the mother of the
Word.
Penitential Rite
- Following the example of the tax collector in
Luke 18:10-14, who Christ commended for
approaching God by first crying out, “O Lord,
have mercy on me a sinner,” Catholics
acknowledge our sinfulness and ask God’s
forgiveness.
- This can happen through the Kyrie — “Lord
have mercy; Christ have mercy; Lord have
mercy.” It can also happen through the
Confiteor, Latin for “I confess,” which calls us
to admit we’ve sinned by our own free will
(“through my fault, through my fault, through
my most grievous fault”).
- Both expressions of contrition also call us to
imitate the tax collector from Luke in another
way, gently striking our breast in sorrow,
demonstrating with actions as well as words,
our remorse.
THE GLORIA
- Part of the Church’s liturgy since A.D. 128, the
Gloria is the hymn of praise the angels sang at
Christ’s birth, and that John heard in heaven.
(Lk 2:13-14, Rv 15:4). The hymn is a doxology,
literally “word of praise,” a prayer expressing
the Church’s great joy in God becoming man
and revealing himself to us.
Collect/ Opening Prayer
- At the close of this first part of the Mass the
priest will ask us to join our minds in prayer,
and after a few moments of silence he will
collect our intentions into one prayer Collect/
Opening Prayer
• In Romans 1:25 and elsewhere, Paul uses it to
punctuate worship of our Creator.
• Saying “amen” assumes you understand and are
aware of what you are affirming in worship.
PART TWO: STORY TELLING (LITURGY OF THE WORD)
 When we gather at a friend’s home for a
meal, we always begin with conversation,
telling our stories.
 At Mass, after the rites of gathering, we sit
down and listen as readings from the Word of
God are proclaimed.
 They are the stories of God’s people
 When the Word of God is proclaimed from
the pulpit, Christ is really and truly present to
his people. This encounter with Christ in his
Scriptures has, since the days of the apostles,
occupied a central place in the liturgy, with
Catholics seeking to heed St. Paul’s
admonition that “Faith comes from what is
heard” (Rom 10:17).
 In the Liturgy of the Word, the Church feeds
the people of God from the table of his Word
(cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 51). The
Scriptures are the word of God, written under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In the
Scriptures, God speaks to us, leading us along
the path to salvation.
Part Two: Story Telling (Liturgy of the Word)
1. First Reading
2. Psalm
3. Second Reading
4. Gospel
5. Homily
6. Creed
7. Prayers of the Faithful
First Reading - the first reading is drawn from the
books of the Old Testament, the Scriptures of ancient
Israel that tell of salvation history’s beginnings and
point forward to the promised Savior.
Psalm - In ancient Israel, the Psalms were sung
antiphonally, with a cantor singing a series of lines and
the congregation responding with a repeated line.
This is how Jesus and his mother prayed the Psalms,
and this is how Catholics today continue to pray them.
Second Reading - The second reading comes from the
books of the New Testament, which were primarily
letters from the Apostles to the Christian communities
of the ancient world, and which were, from the start,
intended for a liturgical setting.
Alleluia - The second reading is followed by the
Alleluia, the Hebrew word meaning “praise the Lord”
used repeatedly in the Book of Revelation. Whether
said or sung, the word calls the congregation to
abandon our posture of sitting (a gesture of
receptivity) and stand out of respect for Christ, who
will become even more immediately present in the
Gospel reading.
GOSPEL
- a priest or deacon proclaims the Gospel,
meaning “Good News.” Taken from one of
the four Gospels in the New Testament, the
Gospel often echoes themes from the earlier
readings, demonstrating the Church’s ancient
understanding that the New and Old
Testaments are only fully understood in light
of each other
- The high point of the Liturgy of the Word is
the reading of the Gospel. Because the
Gospels tell of the life, ministry, and preaching
of Christ
HOMILY
- After the Scripture readings, the celebrant
preaches the homily. In the homily, the
preacher focuses on the Scripture texts or
some other texts from the liturgy, drawing
from them lessons that may help us to live
better lives, more faithful to Christ's call to
grow in holiness.
- In the homily, the priest follows the example
of Christ on the road to Emmaus, explaining
and interpreting the Scriptures. Sometimes
this interpretation is biblical, sometimes
theological, sometimes moral or catechetical
(Lk 24:13-35)
PROFESSION OF FAITH – The Credo, literally “I
believe,” is a summation of Catholic belief. Notably, in
the middle of the Credo, at the words, “and by the
power of the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin
Mary,” the congregations solemnly bows,
acknowledging the pre-eminent importance of the
Incarnation.
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL – In obedience to St.
Paul’s request in 1 Timothy 2:1-3, the Church offers
“supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving
for everyone,” beginning with petitions for the needs
of the Church, then public authorities and those
oppressed by any need, and finally the local
community
PART THREE: MEAL SHARING (THE LITURGY OF THE
EUCHARIST)
As at the mean in the home of a friend
1. Set the table
2. Say grade (Prayer)
3. Share the food (we eat and drink)
At Mass these ritual actions are called
1. The preparation of the gifts
2. The eucharistic Prayer
3. The Communion Rite
THE OFFERTORY
- Every sacrifice requires an offering On
Sundays, at the beginning of the Liturgy of the
Eucharist, there is a collection, with the
congregation placing our individual offerings
in a basket. (Cash or Check)
- In third-century Rome, St. Hippolytus tells us,
they included grapes, figs, apples, even lilies
— anything that could support the
community.
- Tertullian, writing from second Century
Carthage, likewise said that the donations
went toward burying the poor, supplying the
wants of orphans, and providing for the
homebound.
What significance do bread and wine receive in the
Exodus? In the Exodus bread and wine receive the
following significance:
1. The bread remembers the hasty liberation of Israel
from Egypt and the manna in the desert
2. The wine adds joy and an eschatological
dimension.
Bread and wine - represent the fruits of the earth
offered by man, its steward. They also represent the
spiritual offering of the faithful, the offering of our
lives to Christ.
Preparation of the gifts
- the blessing, which begins, “Blessed are you,
Lord of all creation,” echoes the blessing
Jesus pronounced at the Last Supper, the
blessing of the Passover meal, “Blessed are
you, Lord our God, king of the universe,
creator of the fruit of the vine.” It also echoes
the blessing of Melchizedek in Genesis 14: 19-
20.
 - Importantly, before pronouncing the blessing
over the wine, the priest mixes into it a small
amount of water. He does this in continuation
of the custom of Jesus’ time, where wine was diluted
before it was drunk, and as a symbol of the blood and
water that gushed forth from Christ’s side on the cross
(Jn 19:34).
- Next, the priest washes his hands, following
St. Paul’s advice in 1 Timothy 2:8, that when
praying, men should lift up “holy” or “clean”
hands.
Preface
- St. Hippolytus’ account of the Mass in Rome
included the dialogue between priest and people that
enjoins the congregation to “Lift up your hearts to the
Lord” and “Give thanks to the Lord our God”.
- His contemporary in North Africa, St. Cyprian,
records the same dialogue in his description of the
liturgy, a dialogue intended to remind Christians that
“wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be
also” (Mt 6:21).
Sanctus - with the reminder that we are praying “with
the angels and saints,” the congregation sings the
Sanctus, the “Holy, Holy, Holy,” taken from Isaiah
6:2- 3 and Revelation 4:8. This hymn, as we know
from a letter from Pope St. Clement (martyred in A.D.
99), has been sung in the Mass since at least the first
century of Christianity.
The Eucharistic - prayer It includes a prayer for the
sending down of the Holy Spirit, the epiclesis, for
nothing in the Eucharistic sacrifice happens by man’s
effort alone.
• the sounds of ringing bells
• proclaiming that a great miracle has occurred
Bread and wine are no longer bread and wine. Christ
is now present in the Eucharist, Body, Blood, Soul and
Divinity.
The Eucharistic Prayer
1. Taking
2. Giving thanks
3. Breaking
4. Giving
The Mystery of Faith
1. Christ has died
2. Christ has risen
3. Christ will come again
Lord’s Prayer - It’s there both as a reminder that our
relationship with God is essentially familial — he is our
Father — and as an act of supplication for “our daily
bread” — the Holy Eucharist.
The sign of peace Christ - adjured his followers that
before they could approach the altar, they first
needed to be reconciled with their brother (Mt 5:23-
24). Likewise both Paul and Peter instructed the early
Christians to “Greet one another with a holy kiss”
(Rom 16:16; 1 Pet 5:14).
Lamb of God
- In Revelation, the saints and angels worship
the Lamb, and in John 1:29 we hear John the
Baptist cry, “Behold the Lamb of God.”
- The priest repeats the words of John 1 and
Revelation 19:9: “Behold the Lamb of God”.
Behold him who takes away the sin of the
world. Blessed are those called to the Supper
of the Lamb.”
- The congregation answers in turn with the
words of the centurion in Matthew 8:8: “Lord,
I am not worthy that you should enter under
my roof, but only say the word and my soul
shall be healed.” That answer, like the
centurion’s, is an act of faith, a profession of
belief that there are no wounds of mind,
body, or soul which Christ cannot heal.
Holy Communion - healing comes in holy
Communion, when the faithful receive the Body and
Blood of Christ.
PART 4: COMMISSIONING
Finally, we prepare to go back to that world in which
we will live for the coming week. The burdens we
have laid down at the door of the church for this
Eucharist, we know we must now bear again—but
now strengthened by this Eucharist and this
community.
The priest again says, “The Lord be with you”— the
ritual phrase serves now as a farewell.
BLESSING AND DISMISSAL
 - We bow our heads to receive a blessing.
- As the priest names the Trinity—Father, Son
and Holy Spirit—we make the Sign of the
Cross.
- The priest or deacon then dismisses the
assembly: “Go in peace.”
- And we give our liturgical “yes” by saying,
“Thanks be to God.” Living the Eucharist in
the world.

EUCHARIST FOOD FOR THE JOURNEY

EUCHARIST - THANKSGIVING

THE MEANING OF LIFE IS TO GIVE LIFE A MEANING