Praying Holy Mass With The Priest : The Consecration

[fred_conty]

The question was: Should we pray/say the words of the Consecration as well, or should we leave those special words to the priest and ready ourselves for adoration at the Elevation ?

The special words of the priest are “this is my body”. Only an ordained priest has this power to make the change.

 

[O_Moriah]

For those at a Novus Ordo Mass:

1. You do what the ritual says without adding or taking away.
2. Since the host is being held for the people to see, you look at it.
3. Previous rituals are abrogated. So, striking of the breast and looking down and saying 'My Lord and My God" should not be happening.
4. Only the priest speaks. The rest listen attentively and pray along silently. If the words of consecration also happen to be in one’s mind, that’s fine. Telling people they can’t have those words in their mind is indeed thought-policey.
5. It is the theology of the Church that while a priest is necessary for a valid Mass, it is not the priest alone that makes the sacramental offering. The whole congregation together is offering up the sacrifice of the Mass. The sacrifice being offered is the whole Body of Christ, which is Christ himself (who was sacrificed just once and for all) with us united into his Body, the Church. So, we are being offered up with Christ. The sacrifice is offered by Christ with us united into his Body. So, we, the Church, are the ones offering the sacrifice with Christ. Thus, during the Consecration, we should be intentionally offering ourselves up to the Father in union with the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Christ’s self-offering to the Father.
   GIRM 2000: 95 In the celebration of Mass the faithful are a holy people, a chosen people, a royal priesthood: they give thanks to God and offer the Victim not only through the hands of the priest but also together with him and learn to offer themselves.