The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

The very core of Catholicism is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Since the Last Supper, the Mass has been offered to the present day without ceasing and it will continue to be offered until the Lord comes to judge the living and the dead at the end of the world.

The Mass is very often misunderstood. Catholics on an average believe they are attending a celebratory commemoration of the Last Supper. Many too believe that it is simply a ceremony celebrating the community which has gathered. Often, Priests (misguided ones) alter the Mass to 'meet local needs' adding or omitting parts prescribed in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.

The Mass is not a symbolic action nor a celebration of the community. It is not supposed to reflect the acting abilities of the Celebrant, the skills of musicians and choirs and certainly not supposed to reflect anything less than the solemn events actually taking place. There is far too much noise, busyness, and distraction for one to grasp fully the seriousness of what is taking place on the altar. Musical interludes become concerts complete with clapping; one is far more apt to think they are at an ecclesiastical concert of sorts rather than kneeling at Calvary as the Son of God is offered to His Father in atonement for our sins.

The Mass is not about us in the sense of having to be entertained. The homilies are not supposed to be discourses on the Celebrant's personal opinions about social issues avoiding at all costs the mentioning of sin and repentance. The role of the laity within the celebration of the Mass is restricted and for a reason and no Celebrant or any other authority has a right to stretch the role of the laity into what it is not nor cannot be.

When we are present at Holy Mass, we are privileged to be at Calvary - not symbolically - really present at Calvary. We stand and kneel there in quietude lamenting the sufferings and death of the Son of God as He offers Himself to His heavenly Father on our behalf. We are there, with Mary His Mother, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the Mother of Clophus. Saint John is holding Our Lady supporting her and she him. They cling to one another and hear the words of Jesus from the Cross, "Son behold your Mother; Mother behold your son." John represents us and Mary represents the Church.

We are present through an act of love from Almighty God Himself at the very same, one-time sacrifice which took place over two thousand years ago. There's nothing symbolic about it - we are at Calvary through a suspension of time at the moment the Priest says the sacred words of Consecration. The Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity becomes present, truly and substantially on the altar. There is a principle known as circumincession (perichoresis) which states that where one Person of the Trinity is, there are the other two. They are inseparable. With the Trinity, present at Calvary, are also the heavenly hosts, the Angels and Archangels, the heavenly court and all time and space is suspended for a momentary glimpse into eternity.

If you are one who says, "I don't get anything out of Mass..." or "Mass is boring", think again and reflect on where you are and what is really happening. The Mass is not about you and me...it is about sacrifice on our behalf, offered by the Priest who is an alter Christus. It should be offered with sacredness and silence, reverence and demeanor appropriate to what is happening in our very midst. One of the points of the Tridentine Mass which many of us remember concerns the Priest with his "back to the people"; he really wasn't turning his back to the people as a sign of anything specific against them. He was facing East and we were too and the reason was, he (in our place) was offering (on our behalf) the Supreme Sacrifice of the Cross, Jesus Christ, to His Father. All of us were facing the same direction in unity.

The next time you attend Mass, reflect on this. You are on your way to Calvary to witness first hand the most awesome event history will ever know, the first Mass on Calvary.

Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Jesus, I trust in You.

The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity... 

On the evening of the last day of his October 1995 visit to the United States, John Paul II was scheduled to greet the seminarians at Saint Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. It had been a very full day that began with a Mass at Oriole Park in Camden Yards, a parade through downtown streets, a visit to the Basilica of the Assumption, the first cathedral in the country, lunch at a local soup kitchen run by Catholic Charities; a prayer service at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in North Baltimore; and finally a quick stop at Saint Mary’s Seminary.The schedule was tight so the plan was simply to greet the seminarians while they stood outside on the steps. But the Pope made his way through their ranks and into the building. His plan was to first make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament.When his wishes were made known, security flew into action. They swept the building paying close attention to the chapel where the Pope would be praying. For this purpose highly trained dogs were used to detect any person who might be present.The dogs are trained to locate survivors in collapsed buildings after earthquakes and other disasters. These highly intelligent and eager dogs quickly went through the halls, offices and classrooms and were then sent to the chapel. They went up and down the aisle, past the pews and finally into the side chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. Upon reaching the tabernacle, the dogs sniffed, whined, pointed, and refused to leave, their attention riveted on the tabernacle, until called by their handlers. They were convinced that they discovered someone there.We Catholics know they were right — they found a real, living Person in the tabernacle!

"O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you."