#38: The Communion Rite: Sacrifice Revisted. Understanding the Mass and Its Parts

We consider now the Third Major Part of the Mass: the Communion Rite.

 

A passage from the Second Vatican Council on liturgy says that "all who are made sons [and daughters] of God by faith and baptism should come together to praise God in the midst of His Church, to take part in the sacrifice, and to eat the Lord’s supper." (SC#10)

 

The Decline and Rise of Communion in History

 

To eat the Lord’s supper is of course to partake in Holy Communion in the Mass. This statement also mentions the sacrifice of the Mass (see my entry "Sacrifice of the Mass "HERE). As we shall see, in the early Church, the Sacrifice and the Communion of the Eucharist were complementary and unified. However, due to certain historical reasons (one of them being an over exagerated sense of the unworthiness of the laity to receive Holy Communion), the reception of Communion by the People declined over the centuries and the offering of the Sacrifice of the Mass remained and became more emphasized.

 

If one were to attend Mass even 100 years ago, one would notice that very few people at Mass were receiving Holy Communion. The Pope around that same time, Pius X (d. 1914) issued a decree that First Communion should be lowered from age 14 or so to age 7, and that Communion should be taken more frequently if one was in a state of grace. Yet more frequent Communion as a practice came slowly.

 

Such a state of affairs of the past might surprise many Catholics today. The reception of Communion is very frequent today and the understanding of the Mass as the Sacrifice of Christ and his Church is currently less known or emphasized. If you asked most Catholics why they attend Mass on Sunday, they probably would say to receive Holy Communion, but nothing about offering the Sacrifice of the Mass.

 

The purpose of the Second Vatican Council was in part a retrieval of "the best teaching and practices" of the early Church while still recognizing the development of Church teaching and practice over time. To understand the Church’s practice of Holy Communion it will be helpful to revisit the reality of sacrifice in Jewish, Christian, and pagan circles and appreciate how Sacrifice and Holy Communion go together.

 

The Modern and Ancient Concept of Sacrifice
 

Most modern people think of sacrifice mostly in negative terms and usually involving the loss of something, especially involving death; we say that the death of a soldier in the defense of the nation is the "the ultimate sacrifice." This makes sacrifice a rather sad affair and even morbid.

 

We also see animal sacrifice practiced in the past or even today as repulsive. It seemed to focus only on the death of the animal and nothing more.

 

Animals to be sacrificed from ancient carving

However, in the ancient world religious sacrifice was seen in a positive way. It was not only an offering to God but it was an occasion for celebration, because most religious sacrifices involved something one could eat (animal meat or agricultural produce) and so the offering usually included a shared meal together: with the gods or God and with fellow worshipers.

 

An animal sacrifice, if it were part of what is now termed a "Communion-sacrifice," necessarily required the death of the animal and its preparation to be put to the fire on the altar; but that cooked the animal so that it could be eaten. Because the food now belonged to God, the worshipers shared God’s meal among themselves. This was a joyful celebration, then.

 

In a way, the religious sacrifices of old were like "sacred barbeques." We don’t usually concentrate today on the fact that the meat we are eating at a barbeque had to be butchered. We moderns suppress that. It is fair to say, then, that most (but not all) religious sacrifices in the ancient world were also sacred meals to establish communion with God and one another.

 

 

The Jewish Communion Sacrifice
 

The whole Jewish religious system involved such Communion-sacrifices among other types:

 

1. First a person (usually with his family) brought a choice lamb or cattle to offer in the Temple.

 

2. The Jewish priest accepted the offering if it was worthy (you didn’t give God second best). The one offering then killed the animal and dressed it.

 

3. He then gave it to the priest who was chosen to offer the sacrifice worthily to God on the altar and with fire. The blood of the animal was also offered, and it represented life. It also belonged to God.

 

4. The choicest part of the animal was left to God and was burned up releasing a sweet-smelling fragrance to God (Cf to Ephesians 5:2 HERE ). Then the priests and the worshipers, the offerer and his family and any others, especially the poor, shared in the meal that was part of the sacrifice.

 



Rouault the Crucifixion

Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross

 

Of course the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross was one where he was killed and where he shed his blood. But his sacrifice changed all subsequent ideas of sacrifice in the Church. There was no fire or altar when he was sacrificed, but the Church would see the Cross as his altar. He was buried, not eaten! His Resurrection and Ascension into heaven are also part of his Sacrifice, for as our High Priest, his offering of himself is eternally offered in heaven; not that he is eternally dying on the Cross, but the act of his self-giving love, is taken up in the eternal "now" of God.  The Sacrifice of Christ can be celebrated at all times and places. His One Sacrifice fulfills all others. He is also Really Present in the Sacrifice of the Mass where indeed we do eat and drink his Risen Body and Blood.

 

The Eucharist as Sacrifice

 

The way that the Church came to celebrate the Eucharist which Christ commanded us to offer, has much the same form as a Communion-sacrifice so prevalent in the religious and pagan cultures of the time:

 

1. An offering was made by all present at the Eucharist, that of bread and wine. It was placed into the hands of the Priest.

 

2. The Priest[representing Christ] offered the bread and wine with the People at the Lord’s Table, which would soon be called also the Altar. The bread and wine became the Risen Body and Blood of Christ; what was being done on earth as a sacrifice is united to the sacrifice and worship of the Crucified and Risen Christ in Heaven.

 

3. And then the Eucharistic Sacrifice, which re-presents (or makes present) the One  Sacrifice of the Cross and Resurrection is consumed. Thus all had Communion through Christ with God the Father in the Holy Spirit and with one another as belonging to Christ.

 

Thus, we see that the One Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and in the Resurrection redefined many things: it abolished the animal sacrifices, but the Church also retained the pattern of the Communion-sacrifice because it fitted the celebration of the Eucharist as a sacrifice. The Eucharist is a Communion-sacrifice which served as a sacrament of the One Sacrifice of Christ.

I hope you see, now, why in the Eucharist the concept of Sacrifice should not be separated from the concept of Holy Communion. We are sharers in Christ’s Sacrifice of love for us. By celebrating the Sacrifice of the Mass and receiving that Sacrifice in Communion, we should gradually become a People who make sacrifices regularly to show the sacrificial love of Christ. Our sacrifices arise from the Sacrificial love of Christ and witness to his Sacrifice. This is a joy, not a sad thing, and it is for the salvation of the world.

 

 Next Week: The Lord's Prayer and the Exchange of Peace in the Communion Rite

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#33. The Offering of the Sacrifice of the Mass. Understanding the Mass and Its Parts.

Now the Light of the Resurrection Illumines the Sacrifice of the Cross

After the Consecration of the Bread and Wine and their transformation into the Risen Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, and after the Memorial Acclamation and Memorial Prayer (proclaiming the Paschal Mystery that Christ has died and risen), next comes the Offering of the Sacrifice of the Mass. This is referred to also the Oblation (from the Latin for "offering a sacrifice").

Recall that at the Consecration Christ is Really Present in his Crucified and Risen Body and Blood, that is, in his entire self. Present also is his Death and Resurrection which is proclaimed after the Consecration. We can say Christ himself is the Oblation: he offered his entire self, body and blood, soul and divinity on the Cross and was wholly raised from the dead in his Resurrection.

In the Mass as we offer what God has given us: the whole Christ, we as members of his Body the Church are also offered to God.

 

The Sacrifice of the Mass is united to the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and his Resurrection. Or we may say, as the Catechism does: "The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice" (#1367)

The Priest acting in the person of Christ the Head of his Church is consecrated to make the One Sacrifice of Christ present on the Altar by the word of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. (See Catechism #1375 HERE) But the People of God are also present as the Body of Christ the Church. They also offer the Sacrifice of Christ in offering themselves as a "spiritual sacrifice." (See Romans 12:1-2 HERE)

What this means is that the Priest makes present by the Holy Spirit the sacramental Sacrifice of the Eucharist (under the appearance of the Consecrated Bread and Wine). This sacramental Sacrifice is one with the Sacrifice of Christ. Thus the Priest can offer up this sacramental Sacrifice in the form of the Eucharist.   The People of God are a Royal Priesthood in virtue of their Baptism through and with the Priest  also offer their gifts and lives as part of this One sacrifice of Christ.

So the Catechism states:

"The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the Church. The Church which is the Body of Christ participates in the offering of her Head. With him, she herself is offered whole and entire....In the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his Body. The lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with his total offering, and so acquire a new value. Christ's sacrifice present on the altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians to be united with his offering." (#1368)

Is this not beautiful and awesome in its implications for each and all of us? We become part of Chrsit’s One Sacrifice made in love for us. We become part of his love, his self-giving, sacrificial love given for all times. He died once only on the Cross; but his sacrificial love is eternal.

 

This also why before the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer, as is permitted, I make a brief exhortation for all present to remember and give thanks to God for all God’s gifts to us. And to offer those gifts and ourselves to be joined to the One Sacrifice of Christ in his Dying and Rising."

 

Again the Catechism states:

"Hence the laity, dedicated as they are to Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit, are marvelously called and prepared so that even richer fruits of the Spirit may be produced in them. For all their works, prayers, and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit - indeed even the hardships of life if patiently born - all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. In the celebration of the Eucharist these may most fittingly be offered to the Father along with the body of the Lord. And so, worshipping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives." (Catechism #901)

 

At the Mass, and especially at the Oblation Prayer, we are to offer everything we have and are and experience to be transformed and made part of this Sacrifice of Christ, an expression of love and self-giving in the Holy Spirit. Whatever we do that is not worthy of this Sacrifice, that is sinful and therefore unloving, must be repented and forgiven or healed. This takes most us a life-time. The Eucharist reminds us, Sunday by Sunday, the "standard" by which we are called to live: Christ Jesus who gave himself for us on the Cross in sacrifial love and in his Resurrection we see that this kind of love never ends.

 

Finally, we do not offer something apart from the Sacrifice of Christ as if we could somehow win favor or merit salvation on our own. No; Christ is the One who offers an acceptable sacrifice to God because he can offer himself totally in God’s love. Our offerings are because of this first love and perfect Sacrifice to which we are united in Baptism and which we express in worship in the Eucharist. Thus the Sacrifice of Christ is the fountain from which we draw the "living water" of the life of Christ and are able to make sacrifices and show love as a result.

Here, then, are examples of these Oblation Prayers in the Four Eucharistic Prayers I-IV in the Roman Rite:

Eucharitic Prayer II
 

"Therefore, as we celebrate

the memorial of his Death and Resurrection,

we offer you, Lord,

the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation..."

Eucharitic Prayer III

"Therefore, O Lord...

we offer you in thanksgiving

this holy and living sacrifice."

Eucharitic Prayer IV

"Therefore, O Lord...

we offer you his Body and Blood,

the sacrifice acceptable to you

which brings salvation to the whole world."

Eucharitic Prayer I

"Therefore, O Lord...

we, your servants and your holy people,

offer to your glorious majesty

from the gifts that you have given us,

this pure victim,

this holy victim,

this spotless victim,

the holy Bread of eternal life

and the Chalice of everlasting salvation."

A Note on the use of the word "Victim." The original meaning of the Latin word "victim" referred to a living being sacrificed to the gods (or later the One God). Thus a victim in this religious sense referred also to the oblation or the sacrifice itself. Christ, then, is this kind of "victim" in his sacrificial offering of himself.

Since the victim of such a sacrifice suffers death, it is easy to see how the word "victim" came to mean also a person who suffers at the hands of another, unwillingly and oppressed. Jesus was also a victim in this sense, though his act of offering himself was a free one, but the violence shown him was unjust and unwelcome (see HERE)

Next Week: The Prayer for Unity in the Eucharistic prayer.

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# 26 The Sacrifice of the Mass. Understanding the Mass and Its Parts.

 

The Mass re-presents the One Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross which also includes his Resurrection from the dead. There is no Cross without the Resurrection and there is no Resurrection without Christ’s death on the Cross. His Dying and Rising are called his Paschal Mystery or Passover Mystery.

Catechism #654: "The Paschal mystery has two aspects: by his death, Christ liberates us from sin; by his Resurrection, he opens for us the way to a new life."

The meaning of Christ’s Sacrifice is the total gift of himself in Divine and Human love to God the Father for our salvation. As humans we had sinned and still do. Sin is the refusal to love as God loves; our healing is the superabundance of Christ Jesus’ love offered on the Cross and "this love is poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom God has given us." (Romans 5:5) Therefore Christ’s Death and Resurrection saves us through the forgiveness of sins. It is this love shown on the Cross which the Resurrection reveals will never end.

Catechism #616: "It is love ‘to the end’ that confers on Christ's sacrifice its value as redemption and reparation, as atonement and satisfaction. He knew and loved us all when he offered his life [on the Cross]."

It takes a life-time (including eternal life) to comprehend these "mysteries" of the Cross and Resurrection and the love re-presented to us through the sacraments. (A sacrament is a visible sign of the invisible life of Christ and the grace he gives us to share in his life). It is in the sacramental celebration of the Mass that we have "primary contact" with the Dying and Rising of Christ. We are united to Christ’s One Sacrifice in the Mass.

But how does the Mass unite us to the One Sacrifice of Christ? How can we say the Mass is a sacrifice when there is only One Sacrifice of Christ? If the Mass is the sacrament of this One Sacrifice, how is this Sacrifice made visible in the way sacraments make visible something which is invisible?

It is easy to misunderstand the Teaching of the Church about "the sacrifice of the Mass." The Mass is a sacrifice, but what it is re-presenting is the One Sacrifice of Christ.

Catechism #1104: "Christian liturgy not only recalls the events that saved us but actualizes them, makes them present. The Paschal mystery of Christ is celebrated, not repeated. It is the celebrations that are repeated, and in each celebration there is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that makes the unique mystery present."

Christ is not eternally dying on the Cross, but historically his offering of himself on the Cross was the way he made visible at the time his act of total love and worship of the Father. Now he is Risen from the dead and ascended to heaven where he continues to offer his humanity in love to God in the Spirit. Nothing has to be made visible in heaven; but here on earth we still need a visible expression of the One Sacrifice and that is what the Sacrament of the Mass does.

Catechism #614: "This sacrifice of Christ is unique; it completes and surpasses all other sacrifices."

 

Let us look at this more closely because in our day we don’t always appreciate the sacrificial nature of the Mass:

(1) A sacrament makes Christ’s life visible. The visible or physical elements of the Eucharist are the Bread and Wine offered in the Mass. Through the Consecration of the Bread and Wine the Risen Body and Blood of Christ become Really Present on the altar. As Christ gave himself to us on the Cross, so he gives himself to us in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood.

(2) There are words that always accompany a sacrament. In this case the words are those of Christ at the Last Supper: "This is my Body which will be given for you...this is my Blood which will be shed for you..." The Priest repeats a version of these words. Notice that the words of Christ are sacrificial language: his body given, his blood shed.

(3) There is also an action that accompanies a sacrament. In this case in the Mass it is Christ himself, acting through the ministry of the Priest, who offers his One Sacrifice, the Gift of his life and love. In the Sacrament of his Sacrifice in the Mass, Christ personally gives himself and his life and love to us and for us, for our salvation. He still says, as he said at the last Supper, "Take and eat this, this is my Body...Take and drink this, this is my Blood..."

(4) A sacrament gives us grace, i.e. a share in the life of Christ in his union with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. A sacrament unites us to the life of Christ. In the case of the Mass, we are given grace to make our own self offering, to be united to the One Sacrifice of Christ.

Catechism #1368: "In the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his Body. The lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with his total offering, and so acquire a new value. Christ's sacrifice present on the altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians to be united with his offering."

(5) Finally, a sacrament reminds us how we are to live in Christ. In Mass, we are reminded that we are called to share Christ’s sacrificial love in this world. We are members of his Body the Church and he said at the Last Supper, "A new commandment I give you: love one another as I have loved you." (John 13:34) Thus there is a secondary sign made visible at the Mass: His Body the Church. He gives us his Body and Blood in the Mass so that we can be his Body the Church, his Family (his Blood or kin). We are then to make his love visible in the world.

 

Next Week: "The Consecration of the Eucharist."

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#17 The Liturgy of the Eucharist: Understanding the Mass and Its Parts

 

The first post of this series "Understanding the Mass and Its Parts" discussed some of the actions and meanings of the Mass ( HERE)

I also stated that the Mass has two tables by which the Lord nourishes us: the Table of the Word (corresponding to the Liturgy of the Word) and the Table of the Eucharist (corresponding to the Liturgy of the Eucharist). ( HERE)

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, which regulates the worthy celebration of the Mass, states:

"The Mass consists in some sense of two parts, namely the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, these being so closely interconnected that they form but one single act of worship. For in the Mass is spread the table both of God’s Word and of the Body of Christ, and from it the faithful are to be instructed and refreshed. There are also certain rites that open and conclude the celebration." (GIRM#28)

It may be a bit confusing to speak of the Liturgy of the Eucharist because we can also call the entire Mass the Eucharist. Just note that when the Church uses the specific phrase "Liturgy of the Eucharist" she means the second major part of the Mass.

We have just finished the teaching on the Liturgy of the Word. It was pointed out that Christ speaks to us in the Liturgy of the Word (through the proclamation of the Scripture Readings and Gospel and through the Homily). Though there are certain nonverbal actions which accompany the Liturgy of the Word (such as the gesture and actions which accompany the proclamation of the Gospel: See HERE), mostly Christ is speaking to us in audible words which involve the ear which hears.

In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, Christ is also communicating with us, in words, but also in visible signs and actions. Here the eyes and other senses are involved, including the sense of touch, taste and sometimes smell.

Before examining the various parts of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, I want to give an overview of what happens in this part of the Mass. The Catechism conveniently sums it up for us:

"We must therefore consider the Eucharist as:

 

- thanksgiving and praise to the Father;
- the sacrificial memorial of Christ and his Body;
- the presence of Christ by the power of his word and of his Spirit." (#1358)

The Catechism is actually noting 4 realities here: the Liturgy of the Eucharist is (1) thanksgiving and praise to the Father; (2) the sacrifice of Christ and (3) the memorial of Christ; and (4) the Presence of Christ (under the signs of the Consecrated Bread and Wine).

 

Eucharistic Prayer III of the Roman Missal also refers to these four active realities; after the Consecration of the Bread and Wine whereby Christ is Really Present, the Priest prays:

"Therefore, O Lord,

as we celebrate the memorial
of the saving Passion of your Son,
his wondrous Resurrection
and Ascension into heaven,
and as we look forward to his second coming,
we offer you in thanksgiving
this holy and living sacrifice."

What we give thanks for are all the gifts of God to us: the gift of God’s love, the gift of Christ and the Holy Spirit living within us, the gift of our Faith, spiritual gifts, the gift of our life, the gifts of human relationships, the gift of creation, the gifts of our talents, the gift of our material resources, etc.

We give thanks in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the very name of "Eucharist" means "thanksgiving" in Greek, the original language of the Mass.

The memorial which is made requires a careful understanding. In establishing the Eucharist at the Last Supper Jesus says "Do this in memory of me." The word translated "memory" which Jesus uses is in the Greek  the word "anamnesis." As one source writes:

 

"This Greek word is practically untranslatable in English. ‘Memorial,’ ‘commemoration,’ ‘remembrance’ all suggest a recollection of the past, whereas anamnesis means making present an object or person from the past. Sometimes the term 'reactualization' has been used to indicate the force of anamnesis." (The New Dictionary of Sacramental Worship, p. 45)

More will be said about this when we come to the Eucharistic Prayer in the Mass; however, suffice it to say that the memorial of the Mass refers to re-presenting the saving actions of Jesus in the Liturgy. There is also a sense where God is asked to remember his People as his people are asked to remember him in the present as God has acted in the past and for the future.

 

The Sacrifice of the Mass is naturally part of this memorial presentation of the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus. His sacrifice is his sacrificial love offered for us on the Cross and made everlasting in his Resurrection. By the action of the Holy Spirit, we join our lives to Christ’s One Sacrifice so that we may live in his sacrificial love.

In the Liturgy of the Eucharist all this—the thanksgiving, the memorial sacrifice, the Real Presence–is made present by the ordained Priest or Bishop in their ministry through the Word of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. But all the Baptized also make offering united to this objective sacrifice of the Mass. As the Priest invites the Assembly at the Offertory "Pray, my brothers and sisters , that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to the Lord our God."

Next Week: The Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Incarnation

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