On Some Rites of Holy Mass (2)(2024-01-21)

Introduction

Last time, I explained the meaning of some ceremonies of the Mass: the double Confiteor, the moves of the Missal, the mixing of a drop of water with the wine, and the way of incensing the host and wine at Offertory. Today I will continue the same topic, explaining the meaning of a few other ceremonies.

The Hanc Igitur.

The third part of the Mass runs from the Preface to the Our Father. It is called "the Canon". This is the most important part of the Mass, during which the priest changes the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

    

Before doing the transubstantiation of the bread and wine, the priest lays his both hands over the chalice. The Mass server rings the bell once at this point. What does this gesture mean? The first meaning of this laying of the hands is to transfer to our Lord all our sins, so that He expiates them in His Blood. This rite had already been established by God in the Mosaic liturgy in the Old Testament: "Putting both hands upon his head, let Aaron confess all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their offences and sins: and praying that they may light on his head, he shall turn him out into the desert.” (Lev 16:21). The second meaning of this rite of laying the hands on the chalice is to signify our willingness to immolate ourselves for the love of God, to destroy in ourselves all that is displeasing to God, to devote ourselves entirely to Him.

At the same time as the priest transfers our sins to Christ the Victim, he prays to God to grant us the fruits of the expiation done by Our Lord. These fruits are interior and social peace on earth, preservation from hell and admission to Heaven.

Double Consecration.

Now let us talk about the Consecration. Why does the priest make a double consecration? Why does he change the bread into the Body, and then the wine into the Blood of Jesus? After the Consecration, Our Lord is fully present in the Host, with his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Would not it be enough, then, to consecrate only the Host and thus offer Jesus to God? No, it would not be enough. The Mass is the renewal of the sacrifice of the Cross; during the Mass, Jesus immolates Himself, that is, gives His life, as He did on the Cross, for the love of His Father. During Mass, this immolation must therefore be signified as it is realized.  But it is signified by the double consecration. By changing first the bread into the Body of Jesus, then the wine into his Blood, the priest separates the Body and Blood of Jesus. To empty someone of his blood is to put him to death. So, by the double consecration, the priest mysteriously signifies and realizes Jesus' death on the Cross.

    

In the 12th century, a heretic named Berenger denied the real presence of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine after consecration. In reaction against this heresy, the rite of elevation of the Host and chalice was developed. The purpose of these two elevations is to honor Our Lord and give the faithful the opportunity to make an act of faith in the Real Presence of Christ. This is why, at the time of the Elevation, the faithful are advised to look with love at the Host and the Precious Blood, and to make an act of Faith in their hearts by saying "My Lord and my God". It was with these words that St Thomas the Apostle professed his faith in Jesus risen from the dead.

The Minor elevation

Let us now consider the Minor Elevation, which concludes the third part of the Mass, the Canon. The priest makes three signs of the Cross above the chalice with the Host, then two more signs of the Cross in front of the chalice, and finally raises the chalice and Host a little together. The Mass server rings the bell once at this point. What do these gestures mean? These gestures go with the prayer said by the priest. Speaking of Our Lord, the priest says: "By 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, world without end." By saying "By Him, and with Him and in Him", the priest indicates who "He" is, making the sign of the Cross over the chalice each time. "He" is Jesus Christ crucified, really present under the species of bread and wine.

Then while naming God the Father and God the Holy Ghost, the priest makes two signs of the Cross with the Host, not above the chalice but in front of it. The priest does so because he is no longer speaking of Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine, but of God, to whom the sacrifice of the Cross and the Mass is offered. Finally, the priest raises the chalice and Host together in a gesture of glorification of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The faithful then say "Amen". This Amen by the faithful is important, as it expresses their union to the immolation and the prayers offered by the priest during the Canon.

The Pater Noster.

The fourth part of the Mass is called “Communion”. It runs from the Our Father to the end of the Mass. This part starts with the recitation of the Our Father. Why do we say this prayer at this time of the Mass, immediately after the Canon? Simply because the immolation of Jesus, performed at the Canon of the Mass, reconciles us with God and restores us to our divine filiation. So, the immediate effect of the Canon of the Mass is to enable us to call God: "Our Father".

     

Please note an interesting detail of our beautiful liturgy. The priest must look at Jesus in the Host as he says the Our Father. Why to do so? It is a bit surprising, because it is Jesus who is in the Host, not God the Father... Well, the priest looks at the Host as he says the Our Father, because Jesus said: "He that seeth me, seeth the Father also.” (Jn 14:9).

The fraction of the Host.

Finally, let us consider the breaking of the Host. After the Our Father, the priest breaks the Host and mixes a small piece of it with the Precious Blood in the chalice. Why this rite? By breaking the Host, the priest imitates Our Lord Jesus who, at the Last Supper, broke the Eucharist before giving it to his Apostles. But besides this, the priest signifies the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus. By consecrating the Body and Blood of Jesus separately during the Canon, the priest signified the death of Jesus. By reuniting the Body and Blood of Jesus in the chalice, the priest signifies the return to life, i.e. the Resurrection of Jesus. 

    

It is important to remember and signify Our Lord's Resurrection during Mass. The Mass is not simply a memorial of a past event, namely Jesus' death on Calvary. At Mass, it is the living Jesus who is acting, who mysteriously renews in Heaven and on the altar his sacrifice on the Cross. It is also important to signify Jesus' Resurrection during Mass, for it is the sign that the expiation for our sins through the sacrifice of the Cross and of the Mass has been accepted by God.

Conclusion:

Dear Faithful, I will conclude this sermon as we conclude Holy Mass: by saying Deo Gratias, thanks be to God. Yes, thanks be to Our Lord Jesus Christ who instituted Holy Mass to renew his Sacrifice indefinitely; thanks be to God the Father who gave us the possibility to offer Him a sacrifice worthy of Him through Holy Mass; thanks be to God the Holy Ghost who gave us, through the Roman liturgy, an extraordinary means of expressing in a human way a so marvelous mystery.

fr. E. Demornex