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WHY THE MASS?
Because the Mass Is The Sacrifice Of The New Law:
In this writing I shall attempt to answer questions some what left out of
our present day Catholic publications: The Question asked...
Why The Mass? is indeed a big one, because the Mass itself is
a big thing.
In order to make a valid explanation, I will proceed in stages, dividing
the subjects into three sections:
I- Why The Mass; because the Mass is the sacrifice of the New Law.
II- Why The Mass; because the Mass is the sublime sacrifice of Christ
Himself.
III- Why The Mass; because the Mass is also the sacrifice of the people,
and for the people.
Each of these reasons, taken by themselves, would be a proper answer to
the question we are examining. All three together, I believe, will help to
give many an inquiring mind a more complete and satisfying reply.
For some persons this answer will not be satisfactory at all. Their
problem lies deeper. It would be well expressed in the question:
"Why The Mass At All?" This question is also a very logical one, and I,
shall keep it in mind in these writings.
Because the Mass is the Sacrifice of the New Law, sacrifice was practiced
in the early church.
As a preliminary reply to this question, we may say that "a religious
sacrifice of some kind has been in existence almost universally
throughout the history of mankind." This is true even of primitive,
un-cultured man, who is, as science now knows; is not so beastly and
savage at all. He is, in fact, quite sensible, and child-like rather than
ferocious, and has acquired a practical intelligence. A noted student
of primitive religions said that.. "the most important act of worship
in the life of primitive man are prayer and sacrifice".
This is also true of all the great ancient civilizations and their
religions. All of these, with the exception of a certain forms of
Buddhism, had a religious sacrifice as an essential part of their
religion. It is true of the older Hindoo religions of Vedism and of
Brahmanism; of the old Persian religion; of the Chinese, the
Egyptian, the Greek and Roman religions; and especially of the Hebrew
religion.In all of these great civilizations the principle form of religious
worship was "Sacrifice." Since the time of Christ, there are only two
religions which have no real sacrifice, namely "Mohammedanism" and
"Protestantism." Hence a learned writer and authority on the
sacrifice could say that, apart from "pure Buddism", Mohamnmedanism,
and Protestantism, "there is and has been no developed religion which has
not accepted sacrifice as an essential portion of its cult."(Cath.Ecy)
HEBREWS:
Especially among the Hebrews, the direct forerunners of the
Christian religion, was sacrifice practiced very frequently. It was
essential in the Hebrew religion. The books of the Old Testament give
detailed rules according to which the rites of the sacrifice should
be performed. Thus, in the book of Leviticus chapter III, lays down the
rules for the peace-offering; Chapter IV, for the offerings or sacrifice
made for sins of ignorance; Chapter V, for the expiation of various
sins, Chapter VI, of sins of injustice; and Chapter VII, for offerings
made in expiation of trespasses and those made in thanksgiving for
some favor.
The Scriptures narrates the story of the sacrificial offering of
Abel. Later we read, that Noah offered up a sacrifice of thanksgiving after
landing safely from the Ark. It was his first act after descending again
upon dry land. Abraham sacrificed a ram after and angel had stayed the
hand with which he was about to slay his own son Isaac as an offering.
And previously Melchisedech, king and priest, had offered up a
sacrifice of bread and wine on the occasion of his meeting with Abraham.
With Moses, the great liberator of the Chosen People, the ceremonies of
sacrifice took definite form as outlined in the Book of Leviticus just
referred to. Thereafter an official priesthood offered up the sacrifice
for the people, the gifts offered up being given to them by the people
for that purpose. From the time of Moses, official sacrifice were
continuously offered up by the Jews, except when hindered by oppressing
enemies, as in the Babylonian captivity.
Besides these, sacrifices were also offered for special purposes.
Thus we read that King David built an altar and offered sacrifices.. "that
the plague which rage among the people may cease."(2nd Kings-24,21)
Likewise we read of Mary and Joseph that they came to the temple
after the birth of Jesus to "present Him to the Lord".. and to offer a
sacrifice according as it is written in the law of the Lord.
{Luke-2.24}.
But what was to happen after the Old Law ended? Surely the
prescriptions about sacrifice, made for the Hebrews, were no longer
binding after Christ had replaced the Old Law by the New Law.
And yet Christ said of Himself that He had not come to destroy the
Old Law, but to fulfill it.
The New Law was not to do away with the religious sacrifice, but to
substitute a perfect type of sacrifice for the imperfect ones of the
Old Law. Christ ended the Old Law by His sacrifice and death on Calvary.
But, on the eve of His death, He instituted the perpetual sacrifice
of the New Law at the Last Supper.
THE LAST SUPPER:
took place at the time of the Hebrew celebration of
the "Pasch." Where is the place that we should prepare for thee to eat
the Pasch? the Apostles had asked Him..Matt.-26,17.. And at the beginning
of the Pasch, Christ said: " With desire I have desired to eat this
pasch with you before I suffer" (Luke 22,15). It was indeed a special pasch
the last of the Old; and at the same time the first of the New Testament.
In the old pasch the paschal lamb was slain and eaten. When Moses
announced the law on Mount Sinai, he slaughtered a lamb, and sprinkled
the blood upon the people with the words: "This is the blood of the
Covenant which the Lord has made with you"...Exod.-24,8..
At the great pasch of the New Law, Christ took bread and changed it
to His words: "Take ye, and eat; this is my body." In similar manner he
took the cup of wine; and said: "Drink ye all of this, for this is my
blood of the new Testament (Covenant) which shall be shed for you and for
many unto the remission of sins. Matt.-26; Mark-16; Luke-22...
With the institution of this, the holy Eucharist, Christ gave the
Apostles the power to do as He had just done, by saying to them: "Do
this in Commemoration of Me."Luke-22,19: Hardly had the institution
and perpetuation of the Eucharist been accomplished, when the bitter road
to Calvary was begun. The Eucharist was, as it were, as the last will of
Christ, sealed by His death on Calvary.
This, then, is the sacrifice of the New Law instituted by Christ
Himself and continued in His Church by means of power directly given the
Apostles by Christ, and handed down in an unbroken line from the Apostles
to their successors. Every Mass repeats the holy action performed by
Christ at the Last Supper. Thus there is in the New Law the same sacrifice,
re-enacted at all times and in all places.
It is truly a universal sacrifice, and admirably fulfills the
prophecy of Malachy: "For from the rising of the sun even to going down, my
name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice,
and there is offered to my name a clean oblation; for my name is great
among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of Host: Mal.1,11...
THE APOSTLES AND THE EARLY CHRISTIANS=
We know, that the early
Christians gathered together, especially on feast days (our Sunday)
"To break Bread"..Act-20,7.
And it was of this breaking of bread that St. Paul said:
The chalice of benediction which we bless, is it not the communion of
the blood of Christ? And the bread, which we break, is it not the
partaking of the body of the Lord? ( 1st.Cor.10,16 ).
And again: "Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the
chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of
the blood of the Lord."(1st. Cor.11,27). And this celebration of the
sacrifice of Christ was to continue until the final coming of Christ
on the day of judgment: "For as often as you shall eat this bread, and
drink the chalice, you shall renew the death of the Lord, until He
come" (1st. Cor.11,26).
The early Christians were zealous in assisting at the sacrifice. They had
to be very secret about it on account of their many enemies. But rumors
spread then; as today, and with the characteristic distortions.
Hence many stories spread among the pagans; as, for example, that
Christians sacrificed and ate infants at their religious gatherings. How
evident it is that pagans and Christians alike esteemed sacrifice as an act
of religion, can be seen from the persecutions. The pagans demanded from
accused Christians that they offer sacrifice to the "Pagan Gods;" but the
Christians refused even the mere external act of such sacrifice, preferring
death and torments to such an external conformity to any sacrifice other
than the one genuine sacrifice of the New Law.
From the very beginning, therefore, of the Christian era, a new sacrifice,
that of Christ Himself, was offered. St. Paul had already stated: "We have
an altar whereof they have no power to eat who serve the tabernacle"; that
is, the unconverted Jews. (Hebrews 13,10). St. Justin; one of the earliest
writers to defend the Christian religion, who was martyred about 165 A.D.,
wrote to one of the Roman emperors explaining the different parts of the
Christian sacrifice. And St. Irenaeus, who died in 202 A.D. having seen and
listened to St. Polycarp, who in turn was made bishop by the Apostles
themselves, wrote: "The oblation of the New Covenant is the Lord's Supper;
Christ instituted it as at once a sacrifice and a Sacrament, and throughout
all the world the Church offers this sacrifice."
Catholics and Protestants-From the earliest Christian times, there's always
been persons who defended heresies or false views. But the sacrifice of the
Mass was universally accepted and practiced in the Christian world as not
only a genuine sacrifice, but as the only sacrifice of the Christian era,
and at the same time as the most perfect form of Christian worship.
It was Martin Luther who caused a great change to take place in the
Christian tradition, and through him a large part of the Christian world of
his time gave up the idea of a visible sacrifice. Martin Luther, denied
that a continued sacrifice, was not found in the Bible, the New Testament.
He spoke of some sort of celebration in memory of the sacrifice of Christ
on Calvary. But it was to be a mere memorial celebration, something like
the celebration of "Novus Ordo Missa" of the Vatican council II, or
something like Washington's birthday, for instance, and in no way the
sacrifice, either bloody or unbloody, of Christ. It is commonly found in
our Vatican II,1962, new order of Mass...which comes from the era of Henry
VIII of the old English church. But Henry VIII, was not all bad. He wrote a
book in defense of the true nature of the sacrifice of the Mass and of the
sacraments against Martin Luther's claim. For this he even received the
title "Defender of the Faith:" from the Pope.(read the booklet the modern
mass) by-H.R. Williamson.
The Roman Catholic continues to stand by the old teachings on the sacrifice
of the New Law, and to celebrate the Mass as a true sacrifice. The Council
of Trent re-affirmed the true nature of the Mass as the sacrifice of
Christ, which is to continue to the end of time. While Protestantism lost
the institution of a Priesthood because it had no sacrifice, the Roman
Catholic Church continued to ordain priest for the specific purpose of
offering. St. Paul had said long ago: "For every high priest taken from
among men is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God, that he
may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins."
(Hebrews 5,1).
In the rite of ordination to the priesthood, only a bishop, a direct lineal
descendant of the Apostles, can transmit the priestly powers coming from
the Apostles, and through them from Christ Himself. In this rite the
candidates for the priesthood, among other things, touch a chalice, which
is the symbol of sacrifice.
The bishop at the same time places his hands of their heads, as did the
Apostles at one time to their immediate successors, and says the solemn
words: "Receive ye the power to offer the sacrifice to God, to celebrate
the Mass, both for the living and the dead. In the name of the Lord." Amen.
At the end of the rite of ordination the Bishop dismisses the newly
ordained priests with a special blessing: "The blessing of Almighty God, of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, descend upon you, that
you may be blessed in the priestly order, and may offer acceptable
sacrifice for the sins and the offenses of the people to the omnipotent
God, to whom is honor and glory for ever and ever Amen."
SUMMARY: We may sum up the pages briefly by repeating that sacrifice has
always been considered an essential act of the worship of God; that the
sacrifices of the Old Testament were supplanted by the sacrifice of Christ;
and that the Mass is the perpetual continuation of this sacrifice, and is
therefore the essential act of worship of the New Law.
However, we may still repeat the questions, asked on the onset. "Why a
sacrifice at all?" Indeed, what is there in a sacrifice that makes of it
such an essential act of religion? Just how far does the act of sacrifice
express worship of or homage to God? What is the true meaning of sacrifice?
People often think of sacrifice as a meaning especially the destruction or
consumption of some object. The sacrificial oblation is often followed by
an act of destruction; but the latter is not essential. On Calvary it was
Christ who offered His own great sacrifice; but it was not Christ who
killed Himself. The sacrificial action in general is primarily an action by
which an object is offered to God.
In former days many types of animals and plants were offered in sacrifice,
and among some nations even human beings were sacrificed. Generally the
objects of sacrifice was some article of food ordinarily used by man.
Instead of using this in the ordinary way, man set it aside for God; and in
doing so he went through the performance of a series of actions or
ceremonies by which this offering of the object to God was expressed or
indicated.
The Purpose Of The Sacrifice-However, was not the literal giving of some
object to God, since God is already Lord and Master of all things. The
giving of the object had a deeper meaning. The object really stands for the
giver. "By taking something of his own and giving it to God, man indicates
that he offers himself to God." He then wishes to express his dependence on
God, and to acknowledge this dependency by external action, thereby to
sanctify himself.
It is therefore the internal act of the mind, expressed by the external
action, that gives us the essential meaning of the sacrifice. St.Thomas,
one of the greatest Christian theologians, said that..."The external
sacrifice is representative of the true internal sacrifice, in which the
human mind offers itself to God." And again: "The sacrifice which is
offered by external actions signifies the spiritual sacrifice by which the
soul offers itself to God as to the Author of its creation and the Goals of
its happiness." The whole external action is for the purpose of expressing
to God. But it has also another general function, as we shall immediately
see.
The sacrifice is usually a social act, rather than an individual one; it is
generally an act performed for many persons together. So; in the Old Law
the priest and levites really performed the ceremony of the sacrificial
action, while the people only brought the gifts to be offered. Only the
regularly ordained priests can perform the rite of the Mass. In all cases
of a social sacrifice, one or a few persons presided over the performance
of the external action. The rest stood by...as they do in these
times...standby and merely watch.. or occasionally helped, especially by
word and song....The sacrifice can be a true sacrifice, provided those who
are witness to it; join in mind in the action of the official leaders or
delegates. This was possible by means of the external actions of the
sacrifice, which could be perceived by all.
Through these actions all persons could follow the progress of the
sacrificial offering, could accompany it mentally; and it would also be a
true external expression of their own internal sacrifice of themselves to
God.
The External Ceremonies-Despite the social utility of the external
ceremony, we may ask a legitimate question about its necessity. Man is
essentially a rational creature. His mind is his special characteristic. Is
it not then sufficient if he offers himself to God in his mind? God reads
the innermost heart of man; and if in our minds we offer ourselves to God,
will not that suffice?
It is indeed true that man is distinguished from other animals by his own
reasons; and it is also true that God reads the innermost secrets of our
hearts? But it is likewise true that man is composed of both mind and body.
:If man's oblation of himself to God is to be complete, it should include
both mind and body, and should be performed by both mind and body
together." A moment's reflection will show us how evident this really is,
and how it seems to follow from man's natural way of acting among his
fellowmen.
We are all used to performing various external acts of politeness. Friends
who have not seen each other for some time shake hands most cordially when
they meet again. Now, it could easily be agreed upon that such friends
should feel a hearty welcome for each other, but should give no sign of
their friendly feeling, the latter being taken for granted. We see at once
that this would not be natural. Moreover, in the nature of man, a mental
state, a feeling or idea, does not last long if we refuse all external
expression to it. Will anyone believe that the boy who refuses all external
actions showing love for his parents can long feel a real affection for
them? If such a boy is not yet hard and unfeeling, he will soon become so.
Again, it is much harder to concentrate our minds on very "Abstract or
Immaterial things." For instance, it is hard to think of the nature of the
human soul after its separations from the body. In fact, in the teaching of
thoughts and ideas to children, we always make use of things that they can
see and hear; else their minds would wander away in a few seconds. In the
same way, "it would be difficult to concentrate our minds purely on God for
any length of time without the use of words and gestures." Hence, the
sacrificial action is expressed externally by words and actions, so that
our internal sacrifice of the mind can be helped on by means of the senses.
And the external action goes on by degrees since only by stages can we get
to a more perfect mental union of ourselves with God. The successive
external actions will help the development of the mental action. This
simply the way human nature is constituted. And we should recognize that
fact in our religious acts as well as in all the rest of life.
Submission To God: Before going on to the next section, we shall take up
another point. "Some men today proclaim that it is degrading too man to
make any kind of Act or gesture or Submission." Therefore, the act of
sacrificial oblation, they would say, makes us smaller. It takes away our
independence, makes us lose our self-respect. And life is worth living only
if we are whole men.
There are certain laws to which all the world is subjected. We must expect
to fall to the ground if we step off the roof of a building into the air,
and no number of declarations of independence from submission to the laws
of nature will change this. In fact, we must be careful to submit
practically to these laws, no matter how we feel about them; else we shall
only succeed in making ourselves ridiculous, to say the least.
It would be equally ridiculous for anyone to deny that he depended on his
parents for coming into the world. The man who would go about loudly
denouncing and denying such dependence on his parents would considered
insane. "We are not less perfectly, but more perfectly, men if we
acknowledge our dependencies." Submission to inevitable laws is not an
imperfection in us; it is only natural.
Now, we are all creatures of God. "Whether we will or not, we are as
dependent on Him as all other creatures are." To deny this is to try to
tear ourselves loose from God, without whom we would have no existence at
all. Refusing to acknowledge our dependence on God is really as ridiculous
as refusing to submit to the law of gravity and trying to walk on air.
Denying our dependence on God is equal to trying to make gods out of
creatures. It is unnatural for creatures; it divides the creatures against
themselves, for they deny in words what they are in reality; namely,
subject to the law of God. Creatures thereby deny their own nature.
On the other hand, the "Proper submission to God, acknowledgment of
dependence on Him, is but expressing most truly what is our real nature."
It is therefore not a cheapening of our nature, but the fullest development
of it. The free acknowledgment of this dependence puts us, both as to our
mind and our will, where we are in reality, where we truly belong, and
where alone we develop our nature fully and in complete harmony; namely, in
our proper relation to God. Truly, as Scripture tells us, "The fool has
said in his heart" There is NO God." (Ps.-13,1).
SUMMARY-
Summing up the last paragraph in brief, we saw that the external
action of sacrifice serves two purposes. It helps us to join together in
the common sacrificial offering, and it helps us to make the internal
sacrifice of ourselves which is indicated by the external action. Since the
action of submission to God expresses our true relation with God, it is not
a lowering of our nature, but a perfection of it. The truth does not injure
us.
And. with this we have developed the first answer to our question, Why Do
Catholics Attend Mass? which I had expressed in the words: "Because the
Mass is the sacrifice of the New Law." The Mass, however, is by no means an
ordinary sacrifice. Christ instituted it to supplant all other sacrifices.
It must therefore be of special value and dignity in the sight of God. This
value and dignity we shall try to explain further in the second section of
our study "Why The Mass."
Why The MASS?-Because the Mass is the sublime sacrifice of Christ Himself:
The second part of our study.
If the Mass is a sacrifice at all, there must be and object offered in it.
We shall start by examining the action of Holy Mass, in order to see in
what way the Mass is a sacrificial offering, and by what right we call the
Mass the sacrifice of Christ Himself.
THE ACTION OF OFFERING-
In the Mass prayers there is not merely a single act
of offering. The sacrificial oblation develops in a progressive manner with
increasing beauty and dignity. In it we can distinguish three separate
stages of offering.
The first stage begins with the Offertory. Before this, there are various
preparatory prayers, a general confession of human sinfulness, prayers for
forgiveness, and readings from the prophets or the Letters of the Apostles,
and the Gospels. These prepare the mind for a better performance of the
spiritual offering of the sacrifice of the Mass.
The officiating priest takes the Host, the white wafer of bread prepared
beforehand, and offers it up to Almighty God in this manner; and following
words holding the paten He utters these words: "Suspice, sancta
pater..Accept, O Holy Father, almighty and eternal God, this host for the
all-holy sacrifice, which I, Thy unworthy servant, offer unto Thee, my
living and true God, to atone for the numberless sins of wilfulness and
neglect; on behalf of all here present and likewise for all the faithful
Christians living and dead, that it may profit me and them as a means of
salvation unto life everlasting. Amen. The the priest pours wine and a
little water into the chalice and likewise offers that: "We offer unto
Thee, O Lord, the chalice of salvation, humbly begging of Thy mercy that it
may arise before the presence of Thy divine majesty with a pleasing
fragrance, for our salvation and that of all mankind. Amen." After two more
short prayers, the following one, is addressed to the Holy Trinity, with
these words: "Suscipe sancta trinitas,...Accept Most Holy Trinity; this
offering which we are making to Thee in remembrance of the Passion,
Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ our Lord...etc.
In the above prayers, in imitation of Melchisedech of old, bread and wine
have been offered to God by the priest in the name of all the people. But
the sacrifice of the Mass is not ended. This first stage of offering is
only the beginning of the sacrificial action. The gifts of bread and wine
have by this first offering been set aside for a Holy purpose.
In the second stage of Oblation they are offered again, but this time with
a distinct mention of the higher, sublime character of the Mass. The second
stage of offering begins with the prayer: "And now, Most gracious Father,
we humbly beg of thee and entreat Thee, through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our
Lord, to deem acceptable and bless these gifts, now set apart for the Holy
and all-perfect sacrifice.. etc. The second stage ends with the prayers:
"We further beseech Thee, O Lord, to receive in atonement this
sacrifice....Do Thou, O God, deign to bless what we offer...that it may
become for our good the Body and Blood of Thy dearly beloved Son, Jesus
Christ, our Lord."
The Third Stage Of Sacrificial Offering-With the last words just quoted,
which ended the second stage of the offering, the full purpose of the
previous action is indicated. They also show us in what the sublime
character of the sacrifice of the Mass is to consist. Immediately after
them follows the Gospel words of the Last Supper, and the act of
consecration, in which the priest pronounces the words of Christ: "This is
My Body," etc.
In the sacrament of Holy Orders the officiating Priest recovered the
priestly power of Christ, handed down in the Mother Church in an unbroken
succession from the Apostles. When he says the momentous words:
"For this is my Body"....For this is the Chalice of my Blood," he is not
speaking in his own private person, but as priestand in the Name of Christ.
He is then fulfilling the command Christ gave the Apostles and their
successors when He said to them: "Do this for a commemoration of Me."
Thereupon the third stage of the sacrificial offering commences.
The words of the consecration, just as at the Last Supper; change the
oblations of bread and wine into the living Christ. Christ is as truly and
really present on the altar in the consecrated bread and wine that He gave
to His Apostles at the Last Supper. The Mass prayers now continue the
offering in these words: "Wherefore, O Lord, we thy servants, and likewise
They holy people, calling to mind not only the blessed passion of the same
Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, but also His resurrection from the dead, and
finally His glorious ascension, offer unto Thy supreme majesty, of Thy
gifts....the all-perfect sacrifice...the Holy Bread of life eternal, and
the Chalice of unending salvation. and in the Name of Christ.
He is then fulfilling the command Christ gave the Apostles and their
successors when He said to them: "Do this for a commemoration of Me."
Thereupon the third stage of the sacrificial offering commences.
The words of the consecration, just as at the Last Supper; change the
oblations of bread and wine into the living Christ. Christ is as truly and
really present on the altar in the consecrated bread and wine that He gave
to His Apostles at the Last Supper. The Mass prayers now continue the
offering in these words: "Wherefore, O Lord, we thy servants, and likewise
They holy people, calling to mind not only the blessed passion of the same
Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, but also His resurrection from the dead, and
finally His glorious ascension, offer unto Thy supreme majesty, of Thy
gifts....the all-perfect sacrifice...the Holy Bread of life eternal, and
the Chalice of unending salvation.
The next prayer asks the eternal Father to look as favorably upon this
sacrificial offering, as He had looked upon the sacrifices of Abel,
Abraham, and Melchisedech. We are now at the height of the sacrificial
action of the Mass. Now..."Christ Himself is the sacrificial gift which is
being offered up to the heavenly Father." No better victim, no sublimer
gift, can be thought of than Christ. He is the universal Mediator between
God and Man, the Savior and Redeemer of the human race, through whom all
things are made, as the Gospel of St. John at the end of the Mass so well
says. The sacrificial action of the Mass, in this third stage, is at once a
grand act of homage to God, and the exercise of Christ's mediatorship.
Both of these ideas are well expressed in the closing words of the action
of offering: "Through Him, and with Him, and in Him, is to Thee, God the
Father almighty, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honor and glory, for
ever and ever. Amen."
THE MASS AND CALVARY:
The sublimity of the sacrifice of the New Law is seen
in the fact that the offering made to the heavenly Father is that of Christ
Himself. "At every Mass Christ is present upon the altar as the sacrificial
victim." The most acceptable offering that could be made to the Father, and
on infinitely more perfect and sublime that the sacrifices of the Old
Testament..."For," says St. Paul...if the blood of goats and oxen, and the
ashes of a heifer being sprinkled, sanctify such as are defiled, to the
cleansing of the flesh: How much more shall the Blood of Christ, who by the
Holy Ghost offered Himself un-spotted unto God, cleanse our conscience from
dead works, to serve the living God? taken from the (Book of Hebrews
9,13-14).
By reason of the offering up of Christ Himself in the MASS, and through its
connection with the Last Supper, in which Christ spoke of the shedding of
His Blood for all mankind, the Mass is most closely connected with the
sacrifice of Calvary. "The Mass is in fact a continuous enactment of the
sacrifice of Calvary" Every time that Mass is celebrated the same divine
Victim as at Calvary is being offered up to the Father for the expiation of
the sins of mankind, and for the glory and honor of God. There is only one
difference, that the Mass is an unbloody presentation of the bloody
sacrifice of Calvary. Christ does not die again in the celebration of Mass;
but "His death is symbolized by the separate consecration of the bread and
the wine-which is a figure of the separation of His blood from His body.
Yet Christ continues to sacrifice Himself as truly and freely in the Mass,
as He had once done on Calvary. Christ's whole life had been a continuous
sacrificing of Himself for the glory of the Father in heaven and for the
sanctification of Man. The bloody immolation on Calvary was the supreme
realization of His offering of Himself and for all mankind.
After this sublime sacrifice Christ did not cease to love man and to serve
the needs of man. Hence the sacrifice of Calvary is daily continued in
celebration of Holy Mass. There Christ renews innumerable times the
offering of Himself for the glory of God and for the spiritual benefit of
men.
A RENEWAL OF CALVARY NECESSARY?-
Two questions have perhaps been asked
repeatedly during reading of the above paragraphs: (1) If Christ offered
Himself once at Calvary, was that not sufficient? Why should He be offered
every day in so many Masses? And again, if Christ is so supremely
acceptable to the heavenly Father, why must we pray so earnestly in the
third stage of the sacrificial action of the Mass? Why must we ask the
Father to accept the sacrificial offering? Christ was accepted by the
Father on Calvary as a most acceptable gift. God could not refuse this
gift, since it is not only human but also divine, and offered by His divine
Son. Why then should the Mass Prayers ask so earnestly for acceptance, as
if a refusal were possible A general hint of the answer to the question,
why the sacrifice of Calvary is daily renewed, was contained in the
statement, that: "In the Mass Christ continues the work He performed on
Calvary as Mediator between God and Man."
The death of Christ on Calvary, we know, was the acceptable sacrifice that
made amends for man's original rebellion against his God. By the atonement
of Christ on Calvary, man was redeemed from the effects of his rebellion.
He again became acceptable to God. Through the mediation of Christ, heaven
was again open to man; it was again possible for man to be intimately
united to his heavenly Father, like a child to its parents.
All this was made possible for fallen man through Calvary. However, no man
is saved without his or her own free will to choose, and make a free choice
and decision. Man is endowed with a free will; and as man freely chose to
rebel, so must man freely choose to be saved through Christ, to be united
to God. Now the way to be united with Father, is through Jesus Christ His
Son, when we become a true child, chosen by Christ. On Calvary He offered
all mankind to God together with His own divine Person. By becoming man He
took upon Himself the sins of all men, and thus through their union with
His human and divine nature all men became an offering acceptable to God.
But no man is saved except through his own free will and consent. Each one
of us must freely choose God for himself, and must freely unite himself
with the sacrifice of Christ in order to become perfect. Hence the Mass was
instituted as a perpetual continuation of the sacrifice of Calvary. The
Mass, by being repeated daily all over the world, "gives to all the people
the opportunity of uniting themselves actively with Christ's own sacrifice.
Christ becomes present upon the altar in order to put Himself at our
disposal, in order to give us a sacrificial gift that can not be refused by
His Eternal Father"....And Christ, as the gift offered, most truly
represents us, since He at one time took upon Himself a human nature in
order to represent us more fully, and since He Himself was the first to
offer all of us up to God in His Person on Calvary.
The sacrifice of the Mass puts the fruits of the redemption wrought on
Calvary within the reach of every man. By taking active part in the Mass,
the Christian gives his personal consent to the general sacrifice Christ
made for all men on Calvary; and through Christ, he thus offers himself up
to God as an acceptable child. The fruits made possible for all by the
sacrifice on Calvary, are in the Mass made real for all who offer up the
sacrifice of the Mass properly. Now we have come to the answer to the
second part of the questions often asked...Why we should pray in Mass for
the acceptance of Christ's oblation, as if the eternal Father could refuse
His only-begotten Son, or had not already accepted Him. In offering of
bread and wine, all the people associated with the action of the priest
offers themselves up to God. Whether God accepts a person always depends on
the good will, the condition of the soul and mind, of that person. When at
the consecration Christ enters into our gifts, the chances for the
acceptance of the sacrifice become supreme.
But there is always a chance of our not being received with Christ because
of our own sins and weakness. The more we are freed from them, the more
closely can we be united with Christ, and therefore we are able to be
united to God through Christ. It is for this that we pray in the
Mass...when we beseech God so earnestly in the words of the Mass after the
consecration. Christ then has become our offering, and in Christ we are
offering ourselves. When we ask God to accept our gifts, we mean that He
should accept us together with Christ, and it is for the acceptance of
Christ as our offering, and for greater acceptance of ourselves with
Christ, that we are praying.
The then brings us to the third general answer that we gave at the
beginning to the question, "Why to Catholics attend Mass?....The Son Of Man
is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister...Christ had said of
Himself long ago...(Matt. 20,28). We have seen how Christ continues His
ministry in the sacrifice of the Mass for all times. Christ there renews
the sacrifice of Calvary in an unbloody manner for our sake. But we also
have seen how that there would be little meaning in the renewal of the
sacrifice of Calvary, did not give to the people of all times an
opportunity of actively entering into the sacrifice of Christ.
That the Holy Mass of St. Pius V. instituted by Christ, is indeed a
sacrifice for the people, as well as a sacrifice of the people themselves,
and thus has been hinted at in the preceding paragraphs. In the next
paragraphs I will try to explain more fully how these characteristics are
developed in the action of the Mass, how the very text of the Mass
indicates that the sacrifice is intimately associated with the people, and
calls for active participation on their part.
BECAUSE THE MASS IS ALSO THE SACRIFICE OF THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE
The sublime nature of the sacrifice of the Mass derives from the fact, as
we have see, that Christ Himself is offered up in it. It is most truly the
sacrifice of Christ...We have also mentioned that only the ordained priest,
who received his power from a direct descendant of the Apostles, and with
this gift of the Holy Ghost also has the power of celebration and of
consecration. These truths, if considered by themselves, might still make
the Mass appear to us as something very distant from the ordinary Christian
attending it. Even if it be known that the priest really represents the
people, yet will the distance of the people from the Mass seem great to all
whose knowledge of the true nature of the Mass is limited. As a matter of
fact, the Mass is a collective act of worship, in which the faithful have
the right and duty to play also an active part. The Mass is in a true sense
also the sacrifice of the people.
THE MASS AS A COLLECTIVE ACT:
The text of the Mass, that is, the whole of
the prayers which the priest says in offering the sacrifice of the Mass, is
set down very strictly by the law of the Church. These prayers are
therefore official, and can be taken as a safe indication of the nature of
the Mass.
Now, according to these prayers, not only is the priest the spokesman of
the people that attend the Mass, when he offers the latter; but at times
the action of the Mass contains a sort of dialogue, in which the people
have their part as well as the priest.
Formerly all Masses were sung; they were what we now call High Masses. In
the early times certain parts were sung by the people, and the rest sung or
recited by the priest. The parts sung by the people were then not recited
by the priest at all. The people took an active part in the very text of
the Mass. Today the servers in ordinary Masses answers the prayers of the
priest. But these answers are still made by the servers for all the people
present. (NOTE- we are speaking of the true Mass of St. Pius V. the Latin
Mass)...Hence it is even today the intention of the prayers of the Mass
that the people join at least in mind, if not in word, in the answers of
the servers and in the prayers of the priest.
The very words of the text of the Mass show that all present should join
their minds and hearts to the action of the priest, so that all offer up
the sacrifice together under the leadership of the priest. The people
should, as Pius X; indicated, not pray in the Mass, but pray the Mass. And
the reason for this can only be, that the Mass is the sacrifice of all the
people.
During the Mass the priest recites a certain special prayers of petition.
Before beginning them he turns to the people, extends his hands to include
all present and says: The Lord be with you. The server or choir answers for
the people: And with Thy Spirit.... Then the priest asks all to pray with
he say aloud: Oremus-Let us pray...He recites the special prayers, in which
he always uses the pronoun we, or our, since he is speaking not only for
himself but for all those attending Mass. At the end of these prayers the
server or choir answers.. Amen for the people, which means...So be it...It
is the assent of the people to the prayers of the priest. In the same
manner the offerings are made for the people by the priest. At the end of
the first stage of the offering, as we have seen, the priest expressly
turns to the people to exhort them in these words: Pray, brethren, that my
sacrifice and yours,...etc. And by the answer, May the Lord receive the
sacrifice at thy hands,.. the people distinctly indicate the priest is also
their representative and is offering the sacrifice for them. The second
prayer of the Canon reads: Be mindful, O Lord, of Thy servant and
handmaids, N. N. {this refers to the special intentions of the priest} and
of all here present whose faith is known to Thee and likewise their
devotion, on whose behalf we offer unto Thee, and who themselves offer unto
The....etc. Similarly, at the beginning of the offering of the consecrated
Bread and Wine, the prayer reads: Wherefore, O Lord, we Thy servants, and
likewise Thy holy people...offer unto Thy supreme majesty,...etc. The
entire prayer of the offering through the three successive stages is a
collective prayer, showing that all should together enter in the
sacrificial action. The Mass is thus meant to be a collective sacrifice of
all united with the priest; and all who attend the Mass should therefore
unite themselves actively with the words and sentiments of the officiating
priest.
THE ANCIENT OFFERTORY PROCESSION:
The parts of the Mass taken by the
people, were very obvious by the so-called offertory procession. When the
parts of the Mass preparatory to the action of offering was ended, the
priest turned to the people.
The latter came up to him in procession and delivered their offerings of
bread, wine, oil, vegetables, or whatever it might be, into his hand part
of the bread and wine was put on the sacrificial table for the sacrifice of
the Mass itself. The remainder of the offerings were set on side tables for
the support of the church, and especially for the poor.
In this way the sacrificial oblations offered by the priest came directly
from the people attending Mass. The objects offered were directly their
own. The Mass was therefore very much indeed their own sacrifice, and the
gifts offered represented all of those who had given anything to the
procession.
This custom died our centuries ago. Likewise, after money had come into
more general use as a means of buying and selling, and as a general
convenient way of carrying around one's goods or giving donations, the
custom of money donations at the offertory began to be substituted for that
of giving other, bulkier goods. About the same time the custom of a money
stipend for Mass can into more general use.(many abuses also). These
practices, as we have them today, are really not so different from the old
offertory procession as they may at first seem to be. They are just as much
a way of giving the offertory gifts for the Mass, as was that of the old
procession. They are this same procession translated into terms of modern
life.
THE MASS AS THE PEOPLE'S SACRIFICE:
It is therefore as true today as ever
that the offerings of the Mass are those of the people. Not only the
offerings, but everything necessary for the sacrifice of the Mass, today
comes from the people.
For the sacrifice of the Mass many things are necessary. There are first of
all the properly ordained priests; there are needs of churches and chapels,
altar vessels and the vestments, candles, etc...And of this, everything
connected with the sacrifice, comes from the people, is obtainable only
through the free donations of the people. St. Paul had said long ago that
those who serve the altar should live from the altar. To bad many
Christians have forgotten the words of St. Paul.. The priest, who
officially celebrates the Mass, get their support from the people. Without
the offerings of the people, there would be no support for the priest.
Likewise the church building, the altar, the utensils, the vestments,
etc...are obtained only through the contributions and offerings of the
people. All of these represent real self-denial, real self-sacrifice on the
part of all the people as a whole body in union with Christ's love.
In the same way, the bread and wine offered in the Mass are truly given by
the people themselves. Hence all who have in any way contributed of their
own goods for the support of the church and its sacrifice, have the utmost
right to consider the wine and bread offered in the Mass as their own
personal offering. This is true, therefore, not only of the person who has
offered a stipend in order to have a Mass offered for his special
intention.
It is just as true of all those who make their proper offering at the
collection taken up during the offertory at the Mass; and just as true of
all others who have in any way contributed to the construction or upkeep of
the church and its belongings-and this, regardless of what the amount of
contribution, as long as it represents any kind of self- denial. The
widow's mite, we know, was of the greatest value in the eye of Christ.
Viewed also from this standpoint, then, the people have the right to
consider the offerings of the Mass as their own Offerings. And they should
feel the strict propriety of uniting themselves; hear and soul with the
prayers of the priest. Especially should they by right consider that in the
offering of the bread and wine they are offering themselves to God, since
the offerings so truly represents them. The bread and the wine are the
truest symbols of the offers themselves; they have come out of the living
energy of the giver, are part of the sweat and blood of their daily toil.
In that way the Mass becomes a living oblation of the people. "Honor the
Lord with thy substance, and give him of the first of thy fruits,: the
inspired Word Of God exhorts the people. (Proverbs 3,9). The Mass, because
its offerings come from the labors of the people, is the fulfillment of
this command.
CHRIST AND THE PEOPLE: Joining the above thoughts with what has been said
previously of the Mass as the sacrifice of Christ Himself, we obtain some
sort of idea of the great value of the Mass for all the people that are in
any way connected with it.
It is for the faithful attending Mass that Christ becomes present upon the
altar at the Consecration. His becoming present happens, in a way, to the
people attending the Mass; it is an event most intimately connected with
them.
A moment's reflection will make this more evident. We have seen that the
oblations offered in the sacrifice of the Mass are the gifts of the people.
These represent the people, especially those who by attending the Mass also
actively enter in the action of offering, and actively associate themselves
with the gifts offered. Now as the Mass progresses, it is into these very
gifts that Christ enters. Christ substitutes Himself for that which was
offered by the people as representing themselves, identifies Himself with
that which stands for those attending Mass. Christ thus enters actively
into the action of the Mass, in order to complete the offering of the
people in a more perfect manner.
The thought is sublime in its meaning, and inexhaustible. St. Paul has told
us that we were baptized with Christ, buried and risen with Him in the same
death and resurrection, that we must live with Christ. (Rom.6).
This is realized most fully in the sacrifice of the New Law. In the Mass,
Christ Himself takes the first step towards a most intimate union with us,
and makes it possible for those who attend Mass with proper disposition to
become true sharers in Himself. This is indeed the living-out of the great
event that occurred when Christ first took upon Himself a human nature and
came upon this earth.
When the chalice is being prepared for the offering, wine and water are
mixed. The wine represents Christ, and the water the people, according to
the accompanying prayer, which reads in part: "O God, who has established
the nature of man in wondrous dignity and still more admirably restored it,
grant that through the mystery of this water and wine, we may be made
partakers of His divinity, who has deigned to become partaker of our
humanity, Jesus Christ..etc. It is through the Consecration, when Christ
enters into the gifts of the people, that this prayer is realized in the
Mass.
Christ one time deigned to partake of human nature, to take upon Himself
the "form of man." The purpose of this was, that men might become partakers
of the divine nature of Christ. The sacrifice of Calvary made this possible
for all men. In Baptism we realize this possibility the first time. But it
is the daily sacrifice of the Mass that continues ever to turn this
possibility into greater reality for all who enter properly into the spirit
of the Mass.
CONTACT WITH THE DIVINE: As we have said, it is Christ who in Mass takes
the first step by changing the gifts of the people into Himself. Thereby it
becomes possible for the people to unite themselves to Christ in a intimate
spiritual union....Thus united with Christ, they can now, through Christ
offer themselves to the Father with much greater assurance of being
accepted by Him. In Christ they have an offering of infinite value, and by
uniting themselves to Him, they are offering themselves in the very manner
chosen and perpetuated by Christ Himself for their salvation and
redemption.
A deep spiritual part of the people in the Mass is manifold. By
participating in the offering, the people come together to offer of the
sacrifice with the priest. It is the desire of Holy Mother Church that she
exhorts the people to participate in the offering, for he who offers in the
oblations unites his own self to the victim by a special intention. Thus
the mystery of the mystic body of Christ is fulfilled, when all the members
unite to offer themselves in and through Him......
In closing our discussion, Why The Mass...is to bring to mind.. that the
sacrifice of the Mass begins by an offering to God by the people, which
represent the giving of themselves to God. With the changing of the gifts
of the people and Christ is effected. Thereafter the people and the priest
offer themselves together with Christ; they are in union with Him and the
oblation offered. And Christ united with the priest and the people in
offering the sacrifice to the Father. Christ therefore both offers and is
offered in the Mass, and through Christ all the people become more
efficacious; and at the same time a more acceptable offering is rendered.
In other words, the Mass is a sacrifice that gives the people intimate
contact with God the Father. And this contact is perfected sacramentally in
other parts of the Mass, which we have not discussed in these writings. In
sacramental Communion this intimate union of the people Christ is
perfected....In both of these contacts with the Divine, the sacrificial and
the sacramental, lies the sublime and inexhaustible spiritual value of the
Mass for all the people....
Through this contact in the Mass the whole life of the Christian is
influenced. In the Mass the people offer themselves. From the very
beginning the gifts offered truly represent part of their own lives. In
return they receive of the divine life. They receive ever greater spiritual
strength to live the life of Christ all the moments of the day. By offering
themselves in the Holy sacrifice of the Mass, therefore, they receive the
grace to fulfill the words of St. Paul also outside the Mass: "Present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy , and pleasing unto God." (Romans 12:1).
Finis......May God the Father, God The Son, His Blessed Mother Mary and St.
Joseph bless and keep each of you who have taken the time to give God a few
moments to understand "WHY THE MASS?" PAX TECUM
Noto Bene:
THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS:
DEFINITION: The Sacrifice of the Mass is really the holy living
representation and at the same time the unbloody and efficacious oblation
of the Lord's Passion and that blood-stained sacrifice which was offered
for us on the Cross...The Cath. Encyl./Nelson- page 375.
TEACHINGS: Christ's own association of what He did at the Last Supper with
what he was to do on Good Friday has been the Church's teachings for
intimately relating the two. The sacrifice of the altar, then, is no mere
empty commemoration of Calvary, but at true and proper act of sacrifice,
whereby Christ the high priest by an unbloody immolation offers Himself a
most acceptable victim to the eternal Father, as he did on the cross...It
is one and the same victim; the same person now offers it by the ministry
of his priests, who then offered Himself on the Cross. Only the manner of
offering is different. The priest is the same, namely, Jesus Christ, whose
divine person the human minister represents at the altar...By reason of his
ordination, he is made like the high priest and possesses the power of
performing actions in virtue of Christ's very person. Canon-9.
The victim is also the same, namely, the Savior in his human nature with
his true body and blood. Worth stressing is that which makes the Mass a
sacrifice is that Christ is a living human being with a human will, still
capable of offering (hence priest) and being offered (hence victim) no less
truly than which occurred on the Cross. (The Cath.
Catechism/Doubleday--pages-465-466.)
TRANSUBSTANTIATION:
TEACHINGS: When Catholic Christianity affirms, that "in the nourishing
sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, after the consecration of the bread and
wine, our Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man, "is present" under the
appearances of those sensible things," it rest its faith on the words of
Scripture and the evidence of Sacred Tradition...(The Cath. Cathechism,
page 453).
DEFINITION: Transubstantiation-The way Christ is made present in this
sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is none other than by the change of the
whole substance of the bread into His body, and of the whole substance for
the wine into His blood...this unique and wonderful change the Catholic
Church rightfully calls..Transubstantiation. (Encyclical "Mysterium Fidei"
of Pope Paul VI-Sept.3,1965) The first official use of the term was made by
the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215 AD. Authoritative teaching on the
subject was issued by the Council of Trent. This change takes place at the
consecration of the Mass. Although it is not preceptible to the senses, it
is commonly called a miracle...(1979-Cath. Almanac- pages 387).
BIBLIOGRAPHY: The New American Bible, St.Joseph's edition, N. Y. Cath Book.
1970. 2.The Catholic Catechsim..Nelson 1976. 3.The teachings of the
Catholic Church..Vol.1, Macmillan Co.,1960. 4.The Canons and decrees of the
Council of Trent. Tan Publishers.1978. 5.Traditional Little Missal,
Cullman,Ala. (Benedictines) 6.Thomastic Theology on the Mass. Macmillan Co.
1959.
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