In MassThe liturgical celebration in which the Eucharist is central. It consists of two main parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The main parts of the Liturgy of the Word are the prayers for mercy, the Bible readings, and the homily. The Liturgy of the Eucharist begins with the offertory, whereby bread and wine are placed on the altar. This is followed by the Eucharistic Prayer, during which the praise of God is sung, and the consecration takes place. Fixed elements are also the praying of the Our Father and a wish for peace, and so one can symbolically sit down at the table with Jesus during Communion. Mass ends with a mission (the Latin missa, from which 'Mass' has been derived): the instruction to go out into the world in the same spirit., the Bible reading(s) preceding the gospelOne of the four books of the Bible that focus on Jesus's actions and sayings, his death and resurrection. The four evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. ‘Gospel’ is the Old English translation of the Greek evangeleon, which literally means 'Good News'. This term refers to the core message of these books. reading. According to the lectionaryA liturgical book holding the epistles and Gospel readings to be read at Mass according to a fixed schedule. The Gospel reading forms the basis, and the epistles complement and/or parallel it. It concerns a three-year cycle: in the A-year from Matthew’s Gospel, in the B-year from Mark’s Gospel and in the C-year from Luke’s Gospel. Texts from John's Gospel are spread over the three years., there are always three readings on Sundays: one from the Old TestamentPart of the Bible with texts from before the birth of Jesus., one from the non-gospel texts of the New TestamentPart of the Bible with texts from after the birth of Jesus. This volume holds 4 gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, 14 letters of Paul, 7 apostolic letters and the Book of Revelation (or Apocalypse). and one from a gospel. The first two readings are often called the epistle but strictly this word refers only to the letters of St Paul and other apostles.