Q: Just a comment, seeking your thoughts regarding the recent post on Communion Services.
I do follow exactly the rite prescribed in Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass – except – I find that the transition from the Confiteor to the Liturgy of the Word really needs a prayer. I could improvise, but I tend to use one of the generic Ordinary Time Collects. How wrong am I for doing that? My thoughts are that the more we pray, the better!
I always begin a Communion Service by telling everyone this is not a Mass, then making the Sign of the Cross.
The same goes for after Communion. I usually take several minutes of silence, then, to break the silence, say “Let us pray,” and pray the Prayer After Communion. Again, that prayer in Ordinary Time tends to be quite generic. In fact, the Closing Prayer given in the rite is the collect for Corpus Christi.
If the Prayer After Communion feels too Mass-centric, I might say the purification prayer aloud: “What has passed our lips as food, O Lord, may we possess in purity of heart …”
May I guess your answer? If the rite doesn’t say to do it, then don’t,
I have also wondered about the proper act of reverence at the altar. Should it still be kissed? It’s not a Mass; there is no sacrifice, but it’s still THE altar.
Finally, my pastor has asked me to do a benediction service after the Communion Service; as he says, “to give them something more.” So, I expose, sing O Salutaris, have time for silence, then sing Tantum Ergo, Benediction, say the Divine Praises, repose, and then sing a closing song. What are your thoughts about that?
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A: A collect is a prayer proper to the Mass. Outside Mass, you generally do not even encounter the word. You find repurposed collects, such as the one you note after communion, but it is not called a collect. That prayer at Mass has to do with the gathering of the people for the eucharist under the presidency of the priest. Again, a communion service is not a mini-Mass. It has its own structure. The penitential act prepares people for the Word of God. There is no prayer between them.
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