What does the word "Mass" mean and where did it come from?

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joshrp

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Hi,

I was told to pray a novena to St. Wenceslaus to help me understand the Mass and I ask you to pray for me as well in this intention.

I have a couple of questions. One is this. What does the word “Mass” mean, and where does it come from? What is the history and etymology of the usage of the word “Mass”?

Also, when the priest says the Lord be with you, and we respond “And with your spirit” What is the priest’s spirit we are referring to. Is a person’s spirit different from the soul? From what I am aware of, we have distinct human souls, but our spirit is what we share together with God, but I am not sure about this. I asked my pastor if we could talk about it later, and I look forward to the discussion.

Thank you for any help or prayers for me to hear God’s answer to these questions.
God be with your spirit,
Joshua
 
It comes from “ite, missa est”, the concluding words of the Tridentine Mass. “Missa” is “mass” in English. It means, “It is sent”, referring to the sacrifice of the Mass. The choir responds, “Deo gratias”, that is, in English, thank God or thanks be to God.

So, wandering a guess, “Mass” in English is a kind of short-hand from the Latin meaning “sending” or “offering”.
 
Khalid said:
It comes from “ite, missa est”, the concluding words of the Tridentine Mass. “Missa” is “mass” in English. It means, “It is sent”, referring to the sacrifice of the Mass. The choir responds, “Deo gratias”, that is, in English, thank God or thanks be to God.

So, wandering a guess, “Mass” in English is a kind of short-hand from the Latin meaning “sending” or “offering”.
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Yep!👍
 
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