[The Mass Explained to Children] [Previous]
THE OFFERTORY
In olden times, as we have seen, the Catechumens went away after that Dominus vobiscum, which was their farewell salutation; because only the initiated, that is, Christians already instructed and baptized, were allowed to be present at the Mass of the Faithful.
Numbers of the faithful now brought their offerings up to the altar. During this coming and going alms were asked for the poorer brethren and the names of benefactors were read out. But all the bustle was covered by the singing of a Psalm intoned in chorus. This varied from day to day and came to be called the Offertory.
Little remains now of that ancient scene. Those who do not know the Mass hardly notice this passage, except perhaps on a Sunday, if offerings are collected at this time. Then you will see a number of people going round the church with a plate or a bag in their hands, or perhaps carrying the bag at the end of a long stick to collect offerings from the congregation. This is the last vestige of a very ancient custom. And instead of the Psalm, which was sung in its entirety in olden days, only three little verses are read in the present-day rite, and these vary according to the Mass for the day. This is called the Offertory of the day. The priest turns to read it out of the Missal at the left, and then returns to the middle of the altar.
The first thing he does now is to uncover that mysterious wrapping, which has been left standing all this time on that part of the altar over the holy stone.
Usually at the beginning of Mass he has taken the Burse and put it at the left-hand side, resting it upright carefully, after having taken out the Corporal and spread it on the altar stone. He now takes off the Veil and puts it at the right side. The Chalice now stands uncovered save for the Pall and Paten. He takes off the Pall, puts it on his right, and reverently lifting the Paten with the Host on it, he offers the Host to God, saying: "Receive, O my God, this spotless host. . . . "
With the Paten he makes a small Sign of the Cross, and then tipping it, lets the Host slip on to the Corporal. Then he puts the Paten a little to the side.
Now for the Chalice, which is empty.
The priest wipes it first with the Purificator, and then moves with it to the right of the altar. The server is standing there ready with the cruets in his hand; the priest pours the wine into the Chalice and adds a little water, blessing it and praying: "O God, who in creating man didst exalt his nature very wonderfully and yet more wonderfully didst form it anew, grant that by the mystery of this water and wine we may become sharers in His Divinity, who did not disdain to share in our humanity."
The priest then offers the Chalice, holding it raised up a little from the Corporal: "We offer up to Thee, O Lord, the Chalice of Salvation." Then, having traced with it the Sign of the Cross, he puts it down where it was before and covers it with the Pall.
Now the bread and wine, not yet consecrated, have been offered up.
The priest stands absorbed and bowed a little, with his eyes fixed on them, and his hands joined, resting on the edge of the altar. He recalls how a man's soul must be prepared if it is to reach God:
"Humbled in mind and contrite of heart, may we find favour with Thee, O Lord."
Then you will see him raise his head. He unclasps his two hands, then raises them up as if they, too, were drawn towards heaven, and looking upward a moment in supplication to the Holy Ghost, he says:
"Come, Thou the Sanctifier, God Almighty and Everlasting, and bless this Sacrifice."
As he says the last words, with his hands he blesses the bread and wine.
In a few minutes these hands will touch the Body of Christ!
Just as he prayed that his lips should be purified, before he read the Gospel, so now he feels the need of purifying his hands.
He goes to the right. There, the boy is ready with the cruet of water, the dish, and the finger-towel, and he pours a little water over the priest's fingers.
While the priest washes them, he says a psalm containing these words, and others :
"I will wash my hands among the innocent: O Lord, I have loved the beauty of Thy house! Take not away my soul, O God. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost."
He returns to the centre.
It is to the Blessed Trinity he makes the offering, and he must state it formally and express his intention:
"Receive, O Holy Trinity, this oblation offered up by us to Thee, in memory of the Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ . . . . "
Now, he must remember the great souls of the Saints. Yes, we wish our offering to be in their honour, in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints. We remember them on earth, that they may in their loving-kindness intercede for us when the great moment comes.
That is what the priest prays for, with his head bowed and his hands joined.
The people wait in silence.
And sec, the priest does not forget them. When he has kissed the altar, he turns to them, saying:
"Pray, my brothers, that this sacrifice, both mine and yours, may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty."
The boy hastens to reply, in the name of all present: "May the Lord receive this Sacrifice from thy hands, to the praise and glory of His name, for our good likewise, and for that of all His holy Church."
Both the priest and the boy say those prayers out loud.
Then they are silent. The "Amen" which the priest answers can hardly be heard. When the priest goes to the Book, he reads the "Secret Prayers" in a voice which cannot be heard at all.
The offering which he now makes may be secretly repeated for himself by each one present. Since the bread and wine have been offered . . . well, let us offer our hearts too. So each one, in silence, makes an offering of himself; and in that moment of silence, it is as though altar and people were lifted up together, beseeching Heaven.
THE CENTRE OF THE MASS
The consecration is the centre of the whole Mass and is so solemn that it begins with a Preface, that is, with a kind of preparation or act of welcome .
The moment of consecration, or the Sacrifice, follows later.
That moment, in which the words of the Last Supper are spoken and the Living Christ descends, commemorates the Passion, and particularly that time in the life of the Messias when He offered Himself for us in sacrifice on the Cross . The centre of the whole action is the sacrifice, and therefore this word gives its name to the whole Mass: THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.
First, however, there is a salutation to honour and glorify the Messias, just as really happened in history, when Jesus was made welcome in Jerusalem by the hosannas, and greeted with branches of palm: "Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!"
The Preface (or the Hosanna) .-In the rite of Mass, the beginning of the Preface is signalled by the priest's raising his voice.
He had been reading the Secret in silence and he ends up a prayer, which he had begun to himself, by saying in a loud voice:
"World without end, Amen."
The people are roused out of their silent meditation. They hear the priest giving them that greeting, which nearly always means that he wants to call their special attention:
Dominus vobiscum!
Then the priest cries:
"Lift up your hearts!"
"Ah," the boy answers him gladly, "we have them already lifted up to God!"
Priest and people are all penetrated with the same joy; HE is about to arrive!
"Let us then give thanks to God," says the priest, who feels the need of expressing his gratitude and saluting the Lord. And in this thanksgiving he wants the people to support him, and to share with him.
"It is meet and just!" the boy answers.
The priest goes on: "It is truly meet and just, right and profitable for us, at all times, and in all places, to give thanks to Thee, O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Everlasting God, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Through Whom Angels praise Thy Majesty, Dominations adore it, and the Powers tremble with awe before it . . . while the Blessed Seraphim rejoice in it with one voice. O Lord, we beseech Thee, command that it be permitted to our lowliness to join our voices with them . . . "
Immediately the boy reaches out his hand to the bell and rings it strongly in token of solemnity; and all the people kneel down, joining with the priest in calling out salutations to the Lord:
"Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God of Hosts!
The heavens and the earth are full of Thy glory!
Hosanna in the Highest!
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the Highest!"
SACRIFICE
The Ancient Rite.-The central part of the Mass of the Faithful which is now about to begin and is called "The Sacrifice," corresponds with and for ever replaces the old rites of pagan religions, and also the religion of the Chosen Race.
These rites were made up not only of prayers, but also of"offerings" to the divinity, to whom a gift-a material present-was offered. But since the people could not in reality give anything to an invisible god, something was made over in his honour, and usually some live animal was killed: the victim of the holocaust (a word meaning "whole burnt offering"). This was done with great solemnity when the chosen victim had been made over to the god on a high place or altar.
This action of making something sacred was called the sacrifice. And since the action was carried out on an altar, it was, therefore, called the sacrifice of the altar. In ordinary language, the word "sacrifice" has taken on the meaning of "giving up," since the object presented to the divinity represented a privation felt by those who offered it: for always the most worthy and dearest thing was offered. The Bible tells us about Abel, the just man, 'who sacrificed to God the most beautiful lamb of his flock; and it shows us Abraham, the patriarch, who was ready to obey God at once, when he was ordered to sacrifice his only son, because no sacrifice ever seemed to him sufficiently worthy of God. It was the function of the priest in the Old Law to make the victim sacred by imposing his hands upon it and stretching them out over it. (In Latin, the consecrated victim was called hostia, the host.)
The act of consecration was carried out with striking ceremonies and great pomp. Then followed the slaying, the sacred animal being usually killed in such a way that its blood was shed.
The object of offering up a victim on the altar was to make an act of homage to God, and also to appease him if he had been offended, and to conciliate him so as to obtain his protection.
These religious customs may seem surprising to us Christians, and yet they were the expression of a feeling very natural to man. Even in ordinary life, somewhat similar offerings are often made: for example, when we cut off a beautiful flower with a pair of scissors and offer it to someone in homage, we are making a victim because we cut short the life of the flower. If we wish to show honour to a great personage, we look for the rarest , most sweet-smelling flowers, and we set them off by wrapping them in pretty paper or silk and tying them with showy ribbons. The person who makes the offering dresses specially for the occasion and studies beforehand the right gestures and the curtsey proper for presenting the offering.
You can understand that the same desire was expressed with much more wealth and magnificence when the offering was made to an omnipotent God.
Thu New Rite.-It was Jesus who taught us a richer doctrine, surpassing the ideal based on human instincts, a doctrine corning from on high and full of divine wisdom.
Christ showed us that God wants something greater than holocausts.
One only sacrifice is offered, and that is of the Son of Man for our sake. Our sacrifice is to offer that same Victim, uniting ourselves to Him, giving our whole hearts as a gift with Him.
As a matter of fact, what is a holocaust? It is a sign, and its only value is its meaning of devotion and homage. But if the person receiving it is our king and absolute master, he cannot be content with it. What a king desires is that his subjects should love him, that they should be faithful to him, that they should labour to produce riches and monuments, immortal works; in short, that they should build up a powerful kingdom.
Jesus offered Himself in sacrifice, in the very way God had ordained and willed, down to the last detail: and in doing this, He was obedient to the Father even unto death, even unto the death of the Cross.
Ah! In those hours when the Blood of Jesus was poured out on Golgotha, the whole world was an altar: and yet one single drop of that Blood would have been enough to wash away all the crimes of the world.
The Mass of the present day represents the sacrifice of the altar and the offering up of a victim in conciliation, by the shedding of its blood. This offering is made to God, who has cause to be angered by the sins of men; and the offering is made to adore Him and to thank Him, to appease Him and to obtain mercy, grace and blessing.
But in the new rite the victim is always Jesus Christ, who offers Himself in sacrifice for us, that He may redeem us so fully as to make us partakers in His Divinity. In the new rite the Host is the consecrated Bread-the Living Body of Christ.
The Mass perpetually re-presents the sacrifice in that moment when Our Lord comes upon the altar under the appearance of the bread and wine: and the Elevation of the Host and Chalice represents His Elevation on the Cross.
The Canon.-The ceremonies of the sacrifice of the altar have been laid down by laws governing the rite and ceremonial of the Mass.
And particularly in this mystical part of the sacrifice and offering, every single action is prescribed. That is why this central part of the rite is called the "Canon," a word which means "Rule."
The action representing the Last Supper takes first place in the rite. That scene is repeated by the priest, who represents Christ, and when he repeats the actions and words, there is the same effect: the bread and wine become Our Lord's Body and Blood.
"Sing, O my tongue, the mystery of the glorious Body, and the precious Blood, which the King of all nations shed as the price of the world.
"In the night of the Last Supper, when seated at table with His brethren . . . the Word Incarnate, by a word, made real bread become His Flesh, and made the wine become the Blood of Christ. And if our senses cannot understand how such a prodigy can be renewed, Faith alone is enough to convince a sincere heart.
"Let us bow down in adoration of such a Sacrament, wherein the ancient forms give place to the new rite."
The Diptychs .-In the Canon of the Mass, certain prayers are said to recommend the living and the dead to God and to ask the saints for the help of their prayers and merits. Now, to make clear the central part of the Mass of the Faithful, you must distinguish such prayers from what strictly refers to the offering and the sacrifice of the altar. These prayers are called diptychs, because in ancient times diptychs (or folding tablets of wood, metal or ivory) were used for registering in a long list the names of living or dead people whom one wanted to mention in the "Memento of the Living" and m the "Memento of the Dead."
For invoking the Saints, too, a long list of proper names occurs.
This custom is a proof of love and great faith. The Lord is about to come; He who said to us:
"Ask and it shall be given unto you."
While the priest invokes Him with that power which comes to him from the promise of Christ, and while he follows out the ritual established in the Canon, it is natural that the people (and the priest himself) should come forward to ask graces for themselves and for those they love in this life; and that they should implore mercy from Him who descended into Limbo to obtain the deliverance and peace of the souls of those who had died in His faith.
In Palestine, too, when Our Lord was passing by, many used to come round Him to ask Him to cure someone who was not present, like the centurion who asked Him to save his dying servant, or Mary and Martha, who besought Him to raise Lazarus from the dead.
When we truly believe that it is the same Living Christ who comes to us mystically in the Mass, we are immediately inspired to ask for things, exactly as the people did whom He met during His life on earth.
In consideration of such feelings, these petitions are permitted in the rite of Mass. During the "Memento of the Living," which occurs almost at the beginning of the Canon, and the "Memento of the Dead," which occurs towards the end of it, all present recommend and name those dear to them and the people for whom they want to pray. This is done in the deepest silence and stillness.
In the same way, mentioning the Blessed Virgin Mary and a long list of Saints by name is an act of spiritual union inspired by faith. Because in great moments of our life we feel ourselves united to people we know, as though our memory were illuminated to enable us to distinguish these persons separately.
Something very much the same happens in worldly affairs.
If a crowd is waiting for the arrival of some great personage, a stir runs through them when he comes, and people belonging to the same family call each other by name and push forward. Then everyone looks hard to see if they know anyone among the people in authority, and if they do they call out to their acquaintance to ask some privilege, perhaps for a better place where they can see the great person more closely.
The prayers of the diptychs are a very special sharing of the congregation in the Mass of the Faithful. Now, you will not hear the boy answer the priest, only he kneels closer to him and holds the bell ready, because that is the only voice now that may ring out in the church.
It all takes place between the priest and God in a mysterious colloquy.
The priest does not now move from the middle of the altar; the book is near him, placed slantwise at the left, so that he can read from it without moving.
The hands of the priest, in their gestures, express more than words, since words are no longer heard. The priest murmurs inaudibly, now raising his eyes to heaven, now looking down on the offerings, which, however, he never touches until the moment of the consecration. His hands are raised up nearly all the time, motionless and apart, in an act of invocation; or they are joined in prayer. In contrast with the immobility and tension of the hands when praying, you see them repeatedly making a rapid Sign of the Cross over the offerings. These gestures are like God's answer in this mysterious dialogue. The man invokes and prays; and God blesses.
The Consecration.-We left the priest after the Sanctus, standing upright and motionless at the centre of the altar, before the Host and Chalice which he has just presented as an offering, raising them up a little from the Corporal.
But now he does not touch them. The solemn gestures of his hands seem to invoke on them the divine blessing.
He throws out his hands and immediately joins them; raises his eyes to heaven and then lowers them. Lastly he ponders, bending low over the altar and resting his hands upon it.
Te Igitur: "Wherefore, most Merciful Father, we very humbly beg and beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ .... "
At that name he bends his head still lower, and kisses the altar; and his hands, which had been resting on it, he now joins before his breast:
". . . to receive and to bless . . . " Then immediately he moves his right hand and makes three little crosses over the offerings,
". . . these gifts, these oblations, these holy and spotless hosts."
Now he opens his hands and holds them out wide in a gesture of solemn invocation.
Then comes that insertion, which we have already noted, of the "Memento of the Living" and the Communicantes (Commemoration of the Saints).
The offerings remain exposed there, waiting. The priest knows that what is soon to become the Victim is lying there on the Corporal to be offered up. And just as the high priests did in the ancient rites, when they consecrated the victim on the altar, he imposes his hands, holding them out motionless over the Host and the Chalice.
"Wherefore, we beseech thee, O Lord, to be appeased by this Oblation which we, Thy servants, and with us Thy whole family, offer to Thee, and to receive it ... that we may be numbered in the flock of Thine elect."
The white Host and the wine in the Chalice are set out ready on this mystical table just as, so many centuries ago now, the bread and wine were put ready on the table of the Last Supper, waiting to be consecrated by the word of Christ.
The same scene will be repeated in a moment:
and the priest will have the same power!
But first he asks God to make the offerings worthy of the great change about to take place:
"Do thou, O God, in all ways vouchsafe to bless this same Oblation, to take it for Thy very own, to approve it, to perfect it, and to render it well-pleasing to Thyself, so that, on our behalf, it may be changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, Thy most dear Son, our Lord."
Every desire expressed by word is accompanied by the blessing of the Cross; first three crosses are made over the Host and Chalice together, then one only over the Host and one only over the Chalice (at the words italicised).
And now the scene of the Last Supper is beginning. The priest relates it in the words of the Gospel and actually carries out the first gestures of it.
"Who [that is, Thy most dear Son] the day before He suffered (the priest takes the Host into his hands] took bread into His holy and venerable hands."
[The priest raises his eyes to heaven.]
". . . and having lifted up His eyes to heaven, to Thee, God, His Almighty Father,"
[The priest bends his head in salutation]
" . . giving thanks to Thee "
[Taking the Host in his left hand, he makes the Sign of the Cross over it with his right hand.]
". . . He blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying: Take ye, and eat ye all of this."
Now the priest holds the Host between the first finger and thumb of each hand and bends down, pronouncing his words one by one very slowly:
"FOR THIS IS MY BODY."
When the priest has said these words, he kneels, adoring the Sacred Body of Christ. The bell is rung in the deep silence of the people.
Then rising, the priest elevates the Host on high, that all present may see It and breathe with him:
"My Lord and my God!"
The boy reverently lifts the hem of his chasuble to take the weight off his shoulders and leave his arms free to move. The bell rings again.
The priest rests the Consecrated Host on the Corporal; but those fingers that held it, the thumb and first finger of both hands, remain pressed together as though they could never again be separated. He kneels and again adores: and again the bell rings.
He uncovers the Chalice, putting the Pall to one side, and resumes the scene of the Last Supper.
"In like manner, after they had supped [the priest takes the Chalice with both hands, but still never separating the thumb from the first finger of each hand], taking also into His Holy and venerable hands this goodly Chalice..."
"...again [the priest bows his head] giving thanks to Thee [supporting the raised Chalice in his left hand, he makes the Sign of the Cross in blessing over it with his right hand] He blessed it..."
"...and gave it to His disciples, saying : Take ye, and drink ye all of this."
Now, holding up the Chalice slightly, the priest says over it the words of consecration carefully and without pause, but separating each word from the others :
''FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, OF THE NEW AND EVERLASTING TESTAMENT, THE MYSTERY OF FAITH, WHICH FOR YOU AND FOR MANY SHALL BE SHED, FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS."
He rests the Sacred Chalice on the Corporal.
The priest has had the same power as Jesus: what is now in the Chalice is the Blood of Christ, the very same that dropped down on Golgotha, bathing the wood of the Holy Cross.
"As often as ye do these things, ye shall do them in memory of Me," says the priest silently. Then he kneels and adores the Precious Blood and rises immediately and elevates the Chalice on high, that all present may see and adore It.
When he has laid It down again on the Corporal, he covers It with the Pall, kneels, and again adores.
The boy, bowed down in adoration, has again taken hold of the hem of the priest's chasuble; and he rings the bell three times as before, so that it resounds in every heart like a commemoration of the sacrifice of Christ.
The Consecration is over . . .
The Offering.-The moment has come to offer to the Eternal Father the Host which is to appease and conciliate the Divine Majesty.
When making the Offering, the priest commemorates Christ, as He commanded:
"Wherefore, O Lord, bearing in mind the blessed Passion of the same Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, His Resurrection likewise from the grave, and His glorious Ascension into Heaven, we, too, Thy servants- nay, rather, Thy holy people - offer up to Thine excellent Majesty from among the things Thou hast given to us and bestowed upon us, a Victim pure, a Victim holy, a Victim stainless. . . ."
As he says this, the priest makes the Sign of the Cross three times over the Chalice and the Host together. Then, distinguishing between the two different Species, under each of which the whole of Christ is contained, he makes a single Sign of the Cross over the Host, saying: "The holy Bread of life everlasting," and one over the Chalice, saying: "And the Cup of eternal salvation."
Separating his hands, he implores acceptance of the Offerings, recalling all the Just, the Patriarchs and Priests who offered their holocausts to God from the beginning of time.
"Vouchsafe to look upon them with a gracious and tranquil countenance, and to accept them, even as Thou wast pleased to accept the offerings of Thy righteous servant, Abel, the sacrifice of Abraham, our Patriarch, and that which Melchisedech, Thy high priest, offered up to Thee, a holy sacrifice, a spotless host."
He bows down so deeply that his forehead almost touches the altar ; then he rests his joined hands on the edge of the altar and says:
"Humbly, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, to command that by the hands of Thy holy Angel , this our Sacrifice be uplifted to Thine Altar on high, into the very presence of Thy Divine Majesty, and to grant that as many of us [here he kisses the altar] as, by this partaking of the Altar shall have received the adorable Body and Blood of Thy Son [he makes the Sign of the Cross once over the Host and once over the Chalice, then over himself, saying:] may from heaven be filled with all blessing and grace [he joins his hands]. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen."
Reflecting on the plenitude of graces and blessings poured down on those present at the Mass, he is reminded of those who can no longer take part in it. He prays for the dead, who are waiting in longing expectation and burning desire of God, but who cannot yet reach Him. His heart is moved, especially when he remembers his own dead. All the faithful join silently in this act of petition for the dead, the second of the Diptychs.
Then suddenly you hear the priest's voice raised a little. His hands which, whether joined or parted, had all this time been in an attitude of prayer, remind you now of that repentant man at the foot of the altar, because he beats his breast with his right hand:
"Nobis quoque peccatoribus !" "On ourselves, too, who are sinners..."
It is as if the man who has been immersed in God and forgetful of himself suddenly brings his attention back to himself, acknowledging that he is a sinner.
But then, recollecting the need of great respect, he goes back to the low-voiced murmur of the prayers, making petition for himself and for all those present. He asks for a great deal, because in the presence of the King one can ask for much. All those present at Mass are almost in the position of the first Apostles, who gathered closely round Our Lord in intimacy, surrounding Him while He talked to them of the Kingdom of Heaven.
"On us, who put our trust in the multitude of Thy tender mercies, deign to bestow some place and fellowship with Thy saints.
And he mentions these by name:
"With thy holy Apostles and Martyrs, with John, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas, Ignatius, Alexander, Marcellinus, Peter; Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia, and all Thy saints."
And he justifies himself for this greatest of all requests by adding :
"We beseech Thee, not weighing our merits but freely pardoning us our sins."
The faithful will not be rebuked, like the sons of Zebedee, for having made this request. True, they have asked for the greatest thing of all, but not the impossible. We may all aspire to holiness; indeed, it is to attain it that we seek for union with Christ. He became Man and continually returns among us, uniquely for this: to lead us to the Kingdom of Heaven, to the glory of the Blessed Trinity.
The very loftiest aspirations are made possible by the merits of Christ, so he adds: Per Christum Dominum nostrum-"through Christ our Lord,
"By whom, O Lord, Thou dost, at all times, create, hallow, quicken, bless [here again the priest makes the threefold Sign of the Cross] and bestow upon us all these good things..."
Then he uncovers the Chalice, putting the Pall aside to accomplish the last action of the great mystical ceremonial.
He takes the Host between the thumb and first finger of his right hand and the Chalice with his left (but always keeping pressed together the two fingers of this hand that had held the Sacred Host) and once more, while he says the words:
"Through Him, and with Him, and in Him''
he makes the Sign of the Cross three times, slowly, with the Host over the Chalice, from one edge of the cup to the other.
Then, still with the Host, he makes the Sign of the Cross twice between the Chalice and his own breast:
". . . is to Thee, who art God, the Father Almighty, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and all glory."
While he is saying these last words, he slightly raises the Chalice with the Host on it. Laying them down again on the Corporal in the usual place, he covers the Chalice with the Pall, and genuflects.
Then in a clear, audible voice he calls out to all present that the beatitude to which we aspire is everlasting:
Per omnia saecula saeculorum. "World without end."
Amen, cries the boy, as though to show that he and the people have been united with the priest in everything he has done and said from the beginning to the end.
After requesting such great grace, a final prayer must be offered up.
Who could compose a prayer worthy of such a great moment? Only Christ Himself.
"Let us pray," exhorts the priest, his hands now joined.
"Thereto admonished by wholesome precepts, and in words commanded us by God Himself, we dare to say:
"Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation."
And the boy's voice takes it up, crying out :
"But deliver us from evil."
To which the priest silently answers :
Amen.
PEACE
In the Last Supper, after the consecration of the bread and wine, Our Lord waited while His disciples obeyed His command: "Drink ye and cat ye all of this." The Most Sacred Chalice was passed round from lip to lip, and even Judas drank of it; then the Bread was divided, and each of the Apostles took a piece of it.
The action in the last part of the Mass of the Faithful is the very same.
In the Mass of the Faithful, which is a copy of the Last Supper, the great ceremonial of the consecration of the Host and the Wine has now ended, that part of the mystical action closing with the recital of the Pater Noster.
The people, through the mouth of the boy, had prayed: "Deliver us from evil": because the action which the priest and the faithful are now preparing for will have a twofold effect, according as those who receive it work for good or for evil, whether in word or in deed.
He who dares to receive the communion of Jesus while in mortal sin shall have no more peace: like Judas , he shall taste of eternal death. But the good who eat the Bread of angels shall taste the perfect Peace that is found in the Kingdom of Heaven.
"Deliver us, we beseech Thee, 0 Lord, from all evils, past, present and to come ... "
says the priest in an undertone. He. has taken the Paten between the first and second fingers of his right hand: it is the plate from which he is now preparing to eat at the Sacred Table; but all this time those fingers-the thumb and first finger-which have held the Body of Christ, may not be separated . He continues the prayer in a low voice:
"and by the intercession of the Blessed and Glorious Mary, ever a Virgin, Mother of God, of Thy holy Apostles Peter and Paul, of Andrew, and of all Thy Saints .... "
Here he makes the Sign of the Cross, and since he is holding the Paten, he makes it with the Paten.
"of Thy loving kindness, grant peace in our time . . .. "
He is asking for the peace that can come to us only through communion with Christ. Then he kisses the Paten, remembering that it is the plate from which his soul shall receive the food of angels.
". . . so that in the help Thy mercy shall afford us, we may all the days of our life find both freedom from sin and safety in every trouble."
Preparation for Holy Communion.-The priest now begins to make the preparations for receiving the Body and Blood of Our Lord. He accompanies the first actions with the three succeeding parts of the prayer in honour of the Blessed Trinity, which returns so often to his lips:
"Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord,
"Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
"World without end."
In his first action the priest slips the Paten under the Host on the Corporal, and uncovers the Chalice, putting the Pall to one side. On the Corporal, therefore, there is now the Paten containing the Host and the uncovered Chalice.
Then he takes the Host from the Paten with the first finger and thumb of each hand, just as he did for the Elevation: but now he does not elevate It; he holds It over the Chalice with both hands and breaks It in two, saying the first part of that prayer:
"Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord."
Even if you are a fairly long distance from the altar, you can hear the noise of that breaking of the Host, and it is profoundly impressive to those who love the Mass. They seem to be present at the cruel deed of that soldier who pierced with a lance the heart of Christ! But breaking the Host does not divide the living Body of Our Lord.
After this, he replaces on the Paten the right half of the Host; then with his free hand, he breaks off a fragment of the Host from the left half, keeping it between the first finger and thumb of his right hand.
While performing the second action, the priest says the second part of the prayer:
"Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost."
Then with his left hand, he lays down on the Paten the remaining part of the Host, alongside the complete half which is there already, and holding the fragment in his right hand over the Chalice, he completes the prayer, raising his voice:
"World without end."
The boy again answers: Amen.
Now the priest addresses the people:
Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum. (The peace of the Lord be ever with you.)
As he says these words, the priest makes the threefold Sign of the Cross with that little particle of the Host over the Chalice. Through the mouth of the boy, the people fervently unite with the priest in his wish for peace:
"And with thy spirit ."
Then the priest drops the fragment of the Host into the Chalice, silently saying . .this prayer:
"May this commingling and consecrating of the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ be to us who shall receive It unto life everlasting."
Then he covers the Chalice and genuflects before the Sacred Species, which are now ready for the mystical banquet.
The priest stops and meditates for an instant; then he beats his breast three times, asking mercy and peace. He knows that it is no longer merely the altar which he approaches, as at the Confiteor, but he must receive God Himself, in the Communion of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ:
"Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world," the priest twice exclaims aloud, "have mercy on us!"
"Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, grant us peace!"
The marvellous gift he is about to receive will be life or death to him, according as he is good or wicked. But his heart burns with desire to be united with Our Lord. Like a panting hart running to the fountain of water, so his soul runs towards God; he loves this spiritual food with the hunger of a new born babe.
But, before proceeding to carry out the sublime act, he prays God first to grant peace to the whole Church, then to prepare his heart to receive Him worthily. With his hands joined and resting on the altar, he bows down, saying silently:
"Lord Jesus Christ, who didst say to Thine Apostles : 'Peace I leave you, My peace I give unto you'; look not upon my sins but upon the faith of Thy Church, and according to Thy will deign to give her peace and unity in herself...Thou who by Thy death hast given life to the world, free me from all my wickedness and from every evil . . .Suffer not that at any time I be separated from Thee . . .Let not the partaking of Thy Body, which I, all unworthy, presume to receive, turn to my judgment and condemnation; but, do Thou, in Thy loving kindness, make it to avail me to my healing and safe-keeping in body and in soul."
He genuflects before the Blessed Sacrament of the altar and then declares what he is about to do:
"I will take the Bread of heaven and will call upon the name of the Lord."
The Priest's Communion.-Bending a little, he takes both parts of the Host which are resting on the Paten between the thumb and first finger of his left hand; he keeps the Paten between the first and second fingers of the same hand, so that it may be always under the Host, for fear some tiny fragment might fall and get lost. Then he beats his breast three times with his right hand, repeating thrice the humble prayer of that centurion full of faith, who besought from Jesus the miracle of curing his sick servant in the house, without going in, because his house was not fit to receive Him: "Say but the word and my servant shall be healed!"
As the priest repeats this prayer, he says aloud only the first words, which all the people hear: "Lord! I am not worthy." And each time he continues in a low voice that phrase which pleased Our Lord Himself so much: ". . . that Thou shouldst enter into my house, but say only the word and my soul shall be healed!" Then he crosses himself with the Host, holding It over the Paten with his right hand, and says: "May the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ keep my soul unto life everlasting. Amen." And bowing down, he reverently cats the two parts of the Host.
Replacing the empty Paten on the Corporal, he joins his hands and meditates for a few seconds on the Most Holy Sacrament, which is now no longer on the altar, but enclosed within him, as in a Tabernacle.
Then, knowing that Jesus is whole and entire in every least particle of the Host, he moves the Paten all around on the Corporal, as if to collect the minutest remains of the Sacred Host. Then he proceeds to purify that shining, gold Paten, now completely empty. Holding it aslant over the Chalice, he brushes it all round carefully with his finger, as if to cast into the Chalice all that his finger can remove. While he is carrying out this task, he says:
"What shall I render unto the Lord for all the good things He has rendered unto me?"
"I will take the Chalice of salvation and will call upon the name of the Lord. With praises will I call upon the Lord, and I shall be safe from mine enemies."
Then he takes the Chalice in his right hand and crosses himself with it, saying:
"May the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ keep my soul unto life everlasting. Amen."
Whereupon, holding the Paten under the Chalice with his left hand, so that it would receive the least drop that might fall, he reverently takes all the Blood with the particle of the Host contained in it.
The Communion of the Faithful.-Our Lord has come down on the altar, through the action of the priest, and He has come for all.
At the Last Supper there were only the twelve Apostles to receive His Sacred Body, but after His glorious resurrection and ascension all humanity can share in Him throughout the centuries. And so the faithful who are in a state of grace are allowed to approach the altar. At this moment, the ineffable mystery of the union between God and man is about to take place. No one will be turned away, because all are called: men, women, the old and the young.
Keep in mind what is needed to open the gates of God: humility; a contrite heart. So now, all the faithful repeat that same confession which the priest made before he could go up the steps of the altar. Devoutly and recollectedly, with their hands joined, they walk up to the altar rail, while the boy says the Confiteor for them all.
When he comes to the words: "Through my fault . . . " they beat their breasts as an act of contrition.
At the end of the Confiteor the priest gives them absolution, blessing them with the Sign of the Cross.
Meanwhile, he has opened the Tabernacle to take out the Ciborium, which he uncovers. Then he takes a Particle in his hand, showing It to those kneeling before the altar, and saying as a sort of invitation:
"Behold the Lamb of God!
"Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world!"
Then, on behalf of the people, he repeats the centurion's prayer:
"Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof; but say only the word, and my soul shall be healed."
And they beat their breasts three times, as the priest did when he said this prayer for himself.
Now they are ready to take part in the mystical banquet; the priest passes along, stopping before each one to give him a Particle, with this greeting of great comfort:
"May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ keep thy soul unto life everlasting. Amen."
"And when they had sung a hymn they went forth. "-These words conclude in the Gospel the description of the Last Supper. Likewise in the Mass the faithful rise up again and retire to their places, and the priest says certain prayers, which all may repeat in their hearts. First he says:
"With a pure heart, O Lord, may we receive the Heavenly Food which has passed our lips; bestowed upon us in time, may it be our healing for eternity."
Then he proceeds to purify his hands, which have touched Christ's Body, and the Chalice which has held His Blood. He holds out the Chalice to the boy at the right-hand side of the altar, and the boy pours in wine, which the priest drinks. Then he prays that the Grace of God may penetrate his whole soul:
"May Thy Body, O Lord, of which I have eaten, and Thy Blood, of which I have drunk, cleave to mine inmost parts: and do Thou grant that no stain of sin remain in me, whom Thou hast comforted with Thy pure and holy Sacraments."
Taking up the Chalice, and holding over it the thumbs and first fingers of both hands (those fingers which have never parted except to hold the Sacred Host), he allows the boy to pour over them wine and water. He drinks this mixture containing the last trace of the Sacrament which his fingers had touched, and now at last he separates these fingers and wipes them. Finally, he wipes his mouth and the Chalice with the purificator, puts the purificator over the top of the Chalice, the Paten on top of the purificator, and the Pall on top of the Paten; he folds up the Corporal and puts it in the Burse, and puts everything back in the middle of the altar as it was at the beginning of Mass.
Meanwhile, the boy has gone for the Book, which is at the left of the altar, and he puts it back at the right-hand side, exactly where it was at the beginning of Mass.
The priest goes to it and reads out the prayers which are proper to the day.
The Mass is almost over now. From the middle of the altar, the priest greets the faithful with a Dominus Vobiscum, and he adds:
"Go, the Mass is finished."
But the priest remains at the centre of the altar, and all can join in his silent final prayer, his parting words to the Almighty Trinity.
"May the lowly homage of my service be pleasing to Thee, O Most Holy Trinity: and do Thou grant that the Sacrifice, which I, all unworthy, have offered up in the sight of Thy Majesty, may be acceptable to Thee and, because of Thy loving-kindness, may avail to atone to Thee for myself, and for all those for whom I have offered it up. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen."
Then he turns once more to the kneeling crowd and gives them the answer from the Most High:
"May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen."
And he blesses them with the Sign of the Cross.
All present solemnly make the Sign of the Cross just as they did at the beginning of Mass.
But still the priest does not go away, nor the people. They are all waiting there together to hear yet one more word that speaks to them of Jesus .
The priest moves to the left of the altar, to the place where he had read the Gospel before. The Book is there no longer, but a card stands there, with the beginning of St. John's Gospel written on it. All the people stand up to listen to the words of this Saint, who knew Jesus for such a long time, and who loved Him so much:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . ...
All things were made by Him ....
He was the true light which lights every man that comes into this world.
The world was made by Him: and the world knew Him not.
He came to His own, and His own received Him not.
But to those who received Him He gave power to be made the sons of God ... "
The boy answers: "Thanks be to God"
DEO GRATIAS
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