The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass page
(Novus Ordo / Ordo / Roman Missal of Pope Paul VI)
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church
IV. THE LITURGICAL CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST
The movement of the celebration
 1348
All gather together. Christians come together in one
place for the Eucharistic assembly. At its head is Christ
himself, the principal agent of the Eucharist. He is
high priest of the New Covenant; it is he himself who
presides invisibly over every Eucharistic celebration.
It is in representing him that the bishop or priest acting
in the person of Christ the head (in persona Christi
capitis) presides over the assembly, speaks after the
readings, receives the offerings, and says the Eucharistic
Prayer. All have their own active parts to play in the
celebration, each in his own way: readers, those who
bring up the offerings, those who give communion, and
the whole people whose "Amen" manifests their
participation.
1349 The Liturgy of the Word
includes "the writings
of the prophets," that is, the Old Testament, and "the
memoirs of the apostles" (their letters and the
Gospels). After the homily, which is an exhortation to
accept this Word as what it truly is, the Word of God,175
and to put it into practice, come the intercessions for
all men, according to the Apostle's words: "I urge
that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings
be made for all men, for kings, and all who are in high
positions."176
1350 The presentation of the
offerings (the Offertory). Then, sometimes in procession,
the bread and wine are brought to the altar; they will
be offered by the priest in the name of Christ in the
Eucharistic sacrifice in which they will become his
body and blood. It is the very action of Christ at
the Last Supper - "taking
the bread and a cup." "The Church alone offers
this pure oblation to the Creator, when she offers what
comes forth from his creation with thanksgiving."177
The presentation of the offerings at the altar takes
up the gesture of Melchizedek and commits the Creator's
gifts into the hands of Christ who, in his sacrifice,
brings to perfection all human attempts to offer sacrifices.
1351 From the very beginning Christians
have brought, along with the bread and wine for the Eucharist,
gifts to share with those in need. This custom of the
collection, ever appropriate, is inspired by the example
of Christ who became poor to make us rich:178
Those who are well off, and who are also willing, give
as each chooses. What is gathered is given to him who
presides to assist orphans and widows, those whom illness
or any other cause has deprived of resources, prisoners,
immigrants and, in a word, all who are in need.179
1352 The anaphora: with the Eucharistic Prayer - the
prayer of thanksgiving and consecration - we come to
the heart and summit of the celebration:
In the preface, the Church gives thanks to the Father,
through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, for all his works:
creation, redemption, and sanctification. The whole community
thus joins in the unending praise that the Church in
heaven, the angels and all the saints, sing to the thrice-holy
God.
1353 In the epiclesis, the Church asks the Father to
send his Holy Spirit (or the power of his blessing180)
on the bread and wine, so that by his power they may
become the body and blood of Jesus Christ and so that
those who take part in the Eucharist may be one body
and one spirit. (Some liturgical traditions put the epiclesis
after the anamnesis.)
In the institution narrative, the power of the words
and the action of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit,
make sacramentally present under the species of bread
and wine Christ's body and blood, his sacrifice offered
on the cross once for all.
1354 In the anamnesis that follows, the Church calls
to mind the Passion, resurrection, and glorious return
of Christ Jesus; she presents to the Father the offering
of his Son which reconciles us with him.
In the intercessions, the Church indicates that the
Eucharist is celebrated in communion with the whole Church
in heaven and on earth, the living and the dead, and
in communion with the pastors of the Church, the Pope,
the diocesan bishop, his presbyterium and his deacons,
and all the bishops of the whole world together with
their Churches.
1355 In the communion, preceded
by the Lord's prayer and the breaking of the bread,
the faithful receive "the
bread of heaven" and "the cup of salvation," the
body and blood of Christ who offered himself "for
the life of the world":181
Because this bread and wine have
been made Eucharist ("eucharisted," according to an ancient expression), "we
call this food Eucharist, and no one may take part in
it unless he believes that what we teach is true, has
received baptism for the forgiveness of sins and new
birth, and lives in keeping with what Christ taught."182
V. THE SACRAMENTAL SACRIFICE THANKSGIVING, MEMORIAL,
PRESENCE
 1356 If from the beginning Christians
have celebrated the Eucharist and in a form whose substance
has not changed despite the great diversity of times
and liturgies, it is because we know ourselves to be
bound by the command the Lord gave on the eve of his
Passion: "Do this
in remembrance of me."183
1357 We carry out this command of the Lord by celebrating
the memorial of his sacrifice. In so doing, we offer
to the Father what he has himself given us: the gifts
of his creation, bread and wine which, by the power of
the Holy Spirit and by the words of Christ, have become
the body and blood of Christ. Christ is thus really and
mysteriously made present.
1358 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.
Thanksgiving and praise to the Father
1359 The Eucharist, the sacrament of our salvation accomplished
by Christ on the cross, is also a sacrifice of praise
in thanksgiving for the work of creation. In the Eucharistic
sacrifice the whole of creation loved by God is presented
to the Father through the death and the Resurrection
of Christ. Through Christ the Church can offer the sacrifice
of praise in thanksgiving for all that God has made good,
beautiful, and just in creation and in humanity.
1360 The Eucharist is a sacrifice
of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which
the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his
benefits, for all that he has accomplished through
creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist
means first of all "thanksgiving."
1361 The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of praise by
which the Church sings the glory of God in the name of
all creation. This sacrifice of praise is possible only
through Christ: he unites the faithful to his person,
to his praise, and to his intercession, so that the sacrifice
of praise to the Father is offered through Christ and
with him, to be accepted in him.
The sacrificial memorial of Christ and of his Body,
the Church
 1362 The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover,
the making present and the sacramental offering of his
unique sacrifice, in the liturgy of the Church which
is his Body. In all the Eucharistic Prayers we find after
the words of institution a prayer called the anamnesis
or memorial.
1363 In the sense of Sacred Scripture the memorial is
not merely the recollection of past events but the proclamation
of the mighty works wrought by God for men.184 In the
liturgical celebration of these events, they become in
a certain way present and real. This is how Israel understands
its liberation from Egypt: every time Passover is celebrated,
the Exodus events are made present to the memory of believers
so that they may conform their lives to them.
1364 In the New Testament, the
memorial takes on new meaning. When the Church celebrates
the Eucharist, she commemorates Christ's Passover,
and it is made present the sacrifice Christ offered
once for all on the cross remains ever present.185 "As often as the sacrifice
of the Cross by which 'Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed'
is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption
is carried out."186
1365 Because it is the memorial
of Christ's Passover, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice.
The sacrificial character of the Eucharist is manifested
in the very words of institution: "This
is my body which is given for you" and "This
cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in
my blood."187 In the Eucharist Christ gives us the
very body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very
blood which he "poured out for many for the forgiveness
of sins."188
1366 The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice
because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice
of the cross, because it is its memorial and because
it applies its fruit:
[Christ], our Lord and God, was
once and for all to offer himself to God the Father
by his death on the altar of the cross, to accomplish
there an everlasting redemption. But because his priesthood
was not to end with his death, at the Last Supper "on the night when he was betrayed," [he
wanted] to leave to his beloved spouse the Church a visible
sacrifice (as the nature of man demands) by which the
bloody sacrifice which he was to accomplish once for
all on the cross would be re-presented, its memory perpetuated
until the end of the world, and its salutary power be
applied to the forgiveness of the sins we daily commit.189
1367 The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the
Eucharist are one single sacrifice: "The victim
is one and the same: the same now offers through the
ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the
cross; only the manner of offering is different." "And
since in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in
the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in
a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained
and is offered in an unbloody manner. . . this sacrifice
is truly propitiatory."190
1368 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. She unites herself to his intercession
with the Father for all men. 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.
In the catacombs the Church is often represented as
a woman in prayer, arms outstretched in the praying position.
Like Christ who stretched out his arms on the cross,
through him, with him, and in him, she offers herself
and intercedes for all men.
1369 The whole Church is united with
the offering and intercession of Christ. Since he has
the ministry of Peter in the Church, the Pope is associated
with every celebration of the Eucharist, wherein he is
named as the sign and servant of the unity of the universal
Church. The bishop of the place is always responsible
for the Eucharist, even when a priest presides; the bishop's
name is mentioned to signify his presidency over the
particular Church, in the midst of his presbyterium and
with the assistance of deacons. The community intercedes
also for all ministers who, for it and with it, offer
the Eucharistic sacrifice:
Let only that Eucharist be regarded as legitimate, which
is celebrated under [the presidency of] the bishop or
him to whom he has entrusted it.191
Through the ministry of priests the spiritual sacrifice
of the faithful is completed in union with the sacrifice
of Christ the only Mediator, which in the Eucharist is
offered through the priests' hands in the name of the
whole Church in an unbloody and sacramental manner until
the Lord himself comes.192
1370 To the offering of Christ are united not only the
members still here on earth, but also those already in
the glory of heaven. In communion with and commemorating
the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, the Church
offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. In the Eucharist the
Church is as it were at the foot of the cross with Mary,
united with the offering and intercession of Christ.
1371 The Eucharistic sacrifice
is also offered for the faithful departed who "have
died in Christ but are not yet wholly purified,"193
so that they may be able to enter into the light and
peace of Christ:
Put this body anywhere! Don't trouble yourselves about
it! I simply ask you to remember me at the Lord's altar
wherever you are.194
Then, we pray [in the anaphora] for the holy fathers
and bishops who have fallen asleep, and in general for
all who have fallen asleep before us, in the belief that
it is a great benefit to the souls on whose behalf the
supplication is offered, while the holy and tremendous
Victim is present. . . . By offering to God our supplications
for those who have fallen asleep, if they have sinned,
we . . . offer Christ sacrificed for the sins of all,
and so render favorable, for them and for us, the God
who loves man.195
1372 St. Augustine admirably summed
up this doctrine that moves us to an ever more complete
participation in our Redeemer's sacrifice which we celebrate
in the Eucharist:
This wholly redeemed city, the
assembly and society of the saints, is offered to God
as a universal sacrifice by the high priest who in
the form of a slave went so far as to offer himself
for us in his Passion, to make us the Body of so great
a head. . . . Such is the sacrifice of Christians: "we who are many are one Body in
Christ" The Church continues to reproduce this sacrifice
in the sacrament of the altar so well-known to believers
wherein it is evident to them that in what she offers
she herself is offered.196
The presence of Christ by the power of his word and
the Holy Spirit
 1373 "Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised
from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed
intercedes for us," is present in many ways to his
Church:197 in his word, in his Church's prayer, "where
two or three are gathered in my name,"199 in the
poor, the sick, and the imprisoned,199 in the sacraments
of which he is the author, in the sacrifice of the Mass,
and in the person of the minister. But "he is present
. . . most especially in the Eucharistic species."200
1374 The mode of Christ's presence
under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises
the Eucharist above all the sacraments as "the perfection of the spiritual
life and the end to which all the sacraments tend."201
In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the
body and blood, together with the soul and divinity,
of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ
is truly, really, and substantially contained."202 "This
presence is called 'real' - by which is not intended
to exclude the other types of presence as if they could
not be 'real' too, but because it is presence in the
fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence
by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and
entirely present."203
1375 It is by the conversion of the
bread and wine into Christ's body and blood that Christ
becomes present in this sacrament. The Church Fathers
strongly affirmed the faith of the Church in the efficacy
of the Word of Christ and of the action of the Holy Spirit
to bring about this conversion. Thus St. John Chrysostom
declares:
It is not man that causes the things offered to become
the Body and Blood of Christ, but he who was crucified
for us, Christ himself. The priest, in the role of Christ,
pronounces these words, but their power and grace are
God's. This is my body, he says. This word transforms
the things offered.204
And St. Ambrose says about this conversion:
Be convinced that this is not what nature has formed,
but what the blessing has consecrated. The power of the
blessing prevails over that of nature, because by the
blessing nature itself is changed. . . . Could not Christ's
word, which can make from nothing what did not exist,
change existing things into what they were not before?
It is no less a feat to give things their original nature
than to change their nature.205
1376 The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith
by declaring: "Because Christ our Redeemer said
that it was truly his body that he was offering under
the species of bread, it has always been the conviction
of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares
again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine
there takes place a change of the whole substance of
the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our
Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the
substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic
Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation."206
1377 The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the
moment of the consecration and endures as long as the
Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole
and entire in each of the species and whole and entire
in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking
of the bread does not divide Christ.207
1378 Worship of the Eucharist.
In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in
the real presence of Christ under the species of bread
and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or bowing
deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord. "The Catholic Church has always offered
and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the
cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside
of it, reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost
care, exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful,
and carrying them in procession."208
1379 The tabernacle was first intended for the reservation
of the Eucharist in a worthy place so that it could be
brought to the sick and those absent outside of Mass.
As faith in the real presence of Christ in his Eucharist
deepened, the Church became conscious of the meaning
of silent adoration of the Lord present under the Eucharistic
species. It is for this reason that the tabernacle should
be located in an especially worthy place in the church
and should be constructed in such a way that it emphasizes
and manifests the truth of the real presence of Christ
in the Blessed Sacrament.
1380 It is highly fitting that
Christ should have wanted to remain present to his
Church in this unique way. Since Christ was about to
take his departure from his own in his visible form,
he wanted to give us his sacramental presence; since
he was about to offer himself on the cross to save
us, he wanted us to have the memorial of the love with
which he loved us "to the end,"209
even to the giving of his life. In his Eucharistic presence
he remains mysteriously in our midst as the one who loved
us and gave himself up for us,210 and he remains under
signs that express and communicate this love:
The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic
worship. Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let
us not refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration,
in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends
for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. Let
our adoration never cease.211
1381 "That in this sacrament are the true Body of
Christ and his true Blood is something that 'cannot be
apprehended by the senses,' says St. Thomas, 'but only
by faith, which relies on divine authority.' For this
reason, in a commentary on Luke 22:19 ('This is my body
which is given for you.'), St. Cyril says: 'Do not doubt
whether this is true, but rather receive the words of
the Savior in faith, for since he is the truth, he cannot
lie.'"212
Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.
Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived;
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed;
What God's Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth himself speaks truly or there's nothing true.213
 VI. THE PASCHAL BANQUET
1382 The Mass is at the same time, and inseparably,
the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice of the
cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of communion
with the Lord's body and blood. But the celebration of
the Eucharistic sacrifice is wholly directed toward the
intimate union of the faithful with Christ through communion.
To receive communion is to receive Christ himself who
has offered himself for us.
1383 The altar, around which
the Church is gathered in the celebration of the Eucharist,
represents the two aspects of the same mystery: the
altar of the sacrifice and the table of the Lord. This
is all the more so since the Christian altar is the
symbol of Christ himself, present in the midst of the
assembly of his faithful, both as the victim offered
for our reconciliation and as food from heaven who
is giving himself to us. "For
what is the altar of Christ if not the image of the Body
of Christ?"214 asks St. Ambrose. He says elsewhere, "The
altar represents the body [of Christ] and the Body of
Christ is on the altar."215 The liturgy expresses
this unity of sacrifice and communion in many prayers.
Thus the Roman Church prays in its anaphora:
We entreat you, almighty God,
that by the hands of your holy Angel
this offering may be borne to your altar in heaven
in the sight of your divine majesty,
so that as we receive in communion at this altar
the most holy Body and Blood of your Son,
we may be filled with every heavenly blessing and grace.216
"Take this and eat it, all of you": communion
1384 The Lord addresses an invitation
to us, urging us to receive him in the sacrament of
the Eucharist: "Truly,
I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of
man and drink his blood, you have no life in you."217
1385 To respond to this invitation
we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy
a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience: "Whoever, therefore,
eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy
manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood
of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of
the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats
and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks
judgment upon himself."218 Anyone conscious of a
grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation
before coming to communion.
1386 Before so great a sacrament,
the faithful can only echo humbly and with ardent faith
the words of the Centurion: "Domine,
non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum
dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea" ("Lord,
I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word and my soul will be healed.").219
And in the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom the
faithful pray in the same spirit:
O Son of God, bring me into communion
today with your mystical supper. I shall not tell your
enemies the secret, nor kiss you with Judas' kiss.
But like the good thief I cry, "Jesus, remember
me when you come into your kingdom."
1387 To prepare for worthy reception of this sacrament,
the faithful should observe the fast required in their
Church.220 Bodily demeanor (gestures, clothing) ought
to convey the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment
when Christ becomes our guest.
1388 It is in keeping with the
very meaning of the Eucharist that the faithful, if
they have the required dispositions,221 receive communion
when they participate in the Mass. 222 As the Second
Vatican Council says: "That more perfect
form of participation in the Mass whereby the faithful,
after the priest's communion, receive the Lord's Body
from the same sacrifice, is warmly recommended."223
1389 The Church obliges the faithful to take part in
the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days and, prepared
by the sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist
at least once a year, if possible during the Easter season.224
But the Church strongly encourages the faithful to receive
the holy Eucharist on Sundays and feast days, or more
often still, even daily.
1390 Since Christ is sacramentally
present under each of the species, communion under
the species of bread alone makes it possible to receive
all the fruit of Eucharistic grace. For pastoral reasons
this manner of receiving communion has been legitimately
established as the most common form in the Latin rite.
But "the sign of
communion is more complete when given under both kinds,
since in that form the sign of the Eucharistic meal appears
more clearly."225 This is the usual form of receiving
communion in the Eastern rites.
VII. THE EUCHARIST - "PLEDGE
OF THE GLORY TO COME"
 1402 In an ancient prayer the
Church acclaims the mystery of the Eucharist: "O sacred banquet in which Christ
is received as food, the memory of his Passion is renewed,
the soul is filled with grace and a pledge of the life
to come is given to us." If the Eucharist is the
memorial of the Passover of the Lord Jesus, if by our
communion at the altar we are filled "with every
heavenly blessing and grace,"242 then the Eucharist
is also an anticipation of the heavenly glory.
1403 At the Last Supper the Lord
himself directed his disciples' attention toward the
fulfillment of the Passover in the kingdom of God: "I tell you I shall not drink
again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I
drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."243
Whenever the Church celebrates the Eucharist she remembers
this promise and turns her gaze "to him who is to
come." In her prayer she calls for his coming: "Maranatha!" "Come, Lord Jesus!"244 "May
your grace come and this world pass away!"245
1404 The Church knows that the
Lord comes even now in his Eucharist and that he is
there in our midst. However, his presence is veiled.
Therefore we celebrate the Eucharist "awaiting
the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus
Christ,"246 asking "to share in your glory
when every tear will be wiped away. On that day we shall
see you, our God, as you are. We shall become like you
and praise you for ever through Christ our Lord."247
1405 There is no surer pledge
or dearer sign of this great hope in the new heavens
and new earth "in
which righteousness dwells,"248 than the Eucharist.
Every time this mystery is celebrated, "the work
of our redemption is carried on" and we "break
the one bread that provides the medicine of immortality,
the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live
for ever in Jesus Christ."249
Ordo Mass links of interest
|
