Liturgy Q & A

What is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? (continued from November 12, 2023 bulletin)

While the Mass is first, and essentially, the sacramental offering of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, it is also very much a sacred banquet. After the sacrifice has been made on the altar, and the bread and wine become the true Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus, He gives Himself to us in Holy Communion as the culmination of the sacrifice. Far from being simply a shared meal, or a “reminder” of Jesus, as many other Christian communities believe, this is truly the sacramental eating of the sacrificed Lamb of God, the celebration of the Eucharist that Jesus instituted at the Last Supper. “To receive Communion is to receive Christ Himself who has offered Himself for us” (CCC 1382) The unspeakably awesome gift of Holy Communion is the most intimate and profound union with God you can have during your life on earth!

From the time of the apostles, the Holy Mass has been the central act of Christian worship. It is a sacred action, beyond all others, re-presenting the redeeming sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus on the cross. The Mass cannot be reduced to the idea of just a communal meal at a table, recalling or symbolizing Jesus’ death on the cross. While the “meal” aspect of the liturgy, more appropriately described as the “sacred banquet”, is integral to the whole celebration, it is only possible for it to take place within the context of the essential sacrifice of Jesus. The Holy Mass makes Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary, which redeemed us from our sins, truly and actually present sacramentally. On consecrated altars in Catholic churches throughout the world, “the same Christ, who offered Himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is present and offered in an unbloody manner.” (Council of Trent) Only after this holy sacrifice is re-presented on our altar can the sacred banquet occur.