Ite Missa Est: The Meaning of the Final Blessing and Dismissal

The Mass closes with the priest's blessing — "May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit" — and the dismissal, Ite, missa est, "Go forth, the Mass is ended." Dr. Pitre shows how the final blessing echoes the high-priestly blessing of Aaron coming out of the tabernacle (Leviticus 9:22-23) and the risen Jesus lifting his hands to bless the disciples before the Ascension (Luke 24:50-52). He examines the mystical link between "Go in peace" and Jesus' words to the woman with the hemorrhage (Mark 5:30-34), then traces the dismissal through the Apostolic Constitutions, Ordo Romanus I, St. Robert Bellarmine, and Amalar of Metz — culminating in the Catechism's teaching that the word "Mass" itself comes from the missio, the sending forth of the faithful.

Key passages & sources examined: Leviticus 9:22-23; Luke 24:50-52; Mark 5:30-34; Roman Missal, Order of Mass nos. 140-144; Apostolic Constitutions 8.15; Ordo Romanus I no. 124; St. Robert Bellarmine, De Eucharistia 5-6; Amalar of Metz, On the Liturgy 3.36; St. Augustine, Sermons 62.5; CCC 1332.