This post is part of a series called The Mass: An Augustinian Perspective offered on AugustinianSpirituality.org.
Having placed our sins, our weaknesses and needs into the hands of a merciful God in the penitential act, the tone of the Mass now shifts from repentance to joyful praise in the Gloria. “The Gloria is the most ancient and venerable hymn by which the Church glorifies and entreats God the Father and the Lamb.”[1] Saint Augustine says:
So since we have all good things from God, in all our good works, when we think about the giver of all good things, we praise God without ceasing.
Saint Augustine (Sermon 114A, 1)
God is the giver of all good things, especially the mysteries that are about to be proclaimed and celebrated. It is therefore fitting before moving on to the remaining parts of the Mass to offer praise to God. In the Gloria, we prepare ourselves to welcome the presence of Jesus in the proclamation of Scripture and the Eucharist by repeating the same words of praise that the angels used to herald Christ’s coming to Bethlehem on Christmas: “Glory to God in the Highest!”
Reflection Questions: Is my heart prepared to welcome the good news I will hear proclaimed in the readings and the real presence of Christ I will experience in the Eucharist into the concrete experiences of whatever circumstances and intentions I brought with me to Mass today?
[1] General Instruction on the Roman Missal, no 50.
