Catholic Sensibility

This could headline a celebrity liturgical smackdown. It's not that big a deal to me: the tussle over calling the post-intercession liturgical action "Offertory" or "Preparation of the Altar and Gifts." What used to be called "Offertory" now has more things going on that just the people offering their gifts to God. The servers, deacon, or priest are also preparing the altar for the Eucharist. In my parish, chalices are placed on the side, the Sacramentary is brought to the middle, and the priest chalice and purificator are placed in between. After the bread and wine are received, they are also put on the altar. So a bit more is going on than just the "Offertory." But if a cantor announces "Offertory Song," I don't go into a hissy over it. "Offertory" is also passe in some circles where pastors and liturgists want to be sure people know the main offering takes place during the Eucharistic Prayer. Setting up the altar just right is important, but it's only a preparation for more important rituals to come. The closest parallel I can think of is from football. When a quarterback is trying to complete a pass, more is going on than his physical act of throwing the ball far enough for the other player to catch it. A pass play is much more than one guy throwing. A receiver is running a pattern, avoiding coverage, trying to get open. The line is blocking the pass rush from the other team. Other receivers are trying to deceive the defense. So yes, you can say it's about the guy throwing, but that would not be the whole story. And if you watch tv football, the announcers are wise enough to inform you of other things going on. Similar would be referring to the part of the Mass as the "Lamb of God" or "Agnus Dei." Strictly speaking, either term refers to the music. Inclusive of the presider's action of breaking the bread is the "Fraction Rite." In most parishes, that includes a) The last few (or not so few) greetings of peace, b) the music, c) the priest breaking the large host, and d) the Eucharistic Ministers getting ready for service. When someone says, "At the Lamb of God ..." we know what they mean. But if this were a test for a nitpicky teacher who took off for spelling, expect to be marked off a sliver if you talk of "Offertory" or the "Lamb of God" and aren't specific about what else is going on at Mass.