If “Eucharist” means “Thanksgiving”, Then What Does “Mass” Mean? Why Do We Call the Liturgy “Mass”?
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“Mass” is an English rendering of the Latin term “missa.” In Latin the Mass ends with “Ite missa est,” which translated into English means “Go, it is sent,” the “it” being the Church. From the Latin word “missa” comes the English word “dismiss.” So “Mass” actually means “dismissal.” The celebration takes its name from the sending forth that occurs at the end of every liturgy, because to be sent (in the name of Christ) is the mission of every disciple.

The Mass has 5 parts: the gathering, the liturgy of the Word, the presentation of the offerings (gifts), the Eucharistic (thanksgiving) prayer, and Holy Communion. We can also think of the Mass as having two major sections: The Liturgy of the Word, which contains the first half of the celebration up to the homily; and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, which begins with the preparation of the altar and contains all the remaining actions of the Mass.

The Catechism tells us that that the Mass is a sacrifice, a holy meal, and the manifestation of the Real Presence of Christ. When we gather for worship, we recall and make present the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and we make that sacrifice a part of ourselves. We share a meal of bread and wine at which Christ is both host and victim. Everything we do at Mass is meant to help us experience the presence of the risen Christ in the assembly, in the Word that is proclaimed, and most especially in the Eucharist we receive.

 Each time we participate in Mass and receive the Eucharist worthily, we become what we receive – the Body of Christ. And then we are sent out into the world to make a difference, to bring the Christ we have inside us into the lives of those around us - to be a witness to God’s truth. So it’s kind of fitting that we gather every Sunday so that we can be dismissed. Because we aren’t called to be disciples so we can be fed on the Word and the Bread for our own benefit, but so we can be equipped for the mission Christ has given to us.
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What Does “Eucharist” mean? Is That the Same Thing as the “Mass”?