XXVII — HOLY MASS

Presence of God. — O Jesus, grant that your Sacrifice of the Altar may be the source and model of my sacrifice, so that my whole life may be a holocaust of praise to you.

Meditation

1 — The center of liturgical worship is Holy Mass. As Jesus’ redemptive work culminates on Calvary in his death on the Cross, so liturgical action, which prolongs Jesus’ work in the world, culminates in Holy Mass, which renews and perpetuates on our altars the Sacrifice of the Cross. Jesus willed that the precious fruits of redemption merited by Him on Calvary for the whole human race be applied and transmitted to each of the faithful in particular through his participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. On our altars, therefore, that fountain of grace Jesus opened on Calvary continues to flow, a fountain to which all the faithful are bound to draw near at least once a week by attending Sunday Mass, but to which we can also join ourselves every day, every time we participate in the Sacrifice of the altar. Holy Mass is truly “the source of life”: Jesus, continually offering and immolating himself on our altars, repeats to us: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink!” (Jn. 7, 37).

“The august Sacrifice of the altar” says the Encyclical Mediator Dei, “is not a pure and simple commemoration of the passion and death of Jesus Christ, but a true and proper sacrifice, in which, immolating himself in an unbloody manner, the High Priest does what He once did on the Cross.” The Victim is the same, the Priest is the same; only the manner of making the offering is different: on Calvary in a bloody way, on the altar in an unbloody way. But if in Holy Mass we do not see, as Mary saw on Calvary, Christ’s torn Body and the Blood flowing from his wounds, nevertheless, by virtue of the Consecration, we truly have present that same Body and Blood and moreover, this divine presence being realized under distinct species, the bloody death that took place on Calvary is mystically renewed by the real separation of the Savior’s Body and Blood.

2 — The best way to assist at Holy Mass is the one that enables us to participate most in the sublime action taking place on the altar. To this end, the liturgical method is highly recommended, because by having us recite the same prayers as the priest, it allows us to follow more closely the various parts of the holy Sacrifice. Nevertheless, more than being concerned with the integrity of the recitation - which is obligatory only for the celebrant - one should attend to penetrating the meaning of the various prayers and above all of those accompanying the principal points of Holy Mass, such as: the Offertory, the Consecration, Communion. The liturgical method, however, though excellent, is not the only one; the Encyclical Mediator Dei expressly notes that “the needs and dispositions of souls are not equal in all, nor do they always remain the same in each individual.” It is not rare, for example, that after having followed the liturgical method for a long time and with fruit, certain souls feel the need to close their missal in order to “savor” more deeply the very substance of Mass, to “penetrate” further into it. Evidently, this is not a regression but a progress. More than attending in a distinct way to the various ceremonies and prayers, the soul feels the need “to place itself in intimate contact with the High Priest” (Med. Dei) in order to associate itself interiorly with his action, his offering, his immolation. In this case the soul follows Mass in a more contemplative than liturgical way, that is, with simple “loving attention,” which is the characteristic of contemplative prayer. Without necessarily following in all its various parts the unfolding of the sacred Rite, the soul fixes mind and heart on it with a general gaze, but one made penetrating by love, and thus enters into an ever greater understanding of the Holy Sacrifice, acquires an ever deeper “sense” of it, and there is awakened in it a more effective desire to associate itself with it. Nevertheless it will always be good that, from time to time, it return to its missal - particularly to follow there the liturgy of Sundays and feasts - and each time it will discover new lights there, new meanings that will help it to penetrate ever better the substance of the Holy Sacrifice.

Colloquy

“O Eternal Father, permit me to offer you the Heart of Jesus your most beloved Son, just as He himself offers himself to you in the holy Sacrifice of the altar. Accept, if it please you, this offering for me; accept all the desires, sentiments, affections, impulses, and acts of his most sacred Heart: they are all mine, because He sacrifices them for me, and I protest that henceforth I desire never to have any desires but his. Receive them in satisfaction for my sins and in thanksgiving for all your benefits; receive them to grant me, by virtue of their merits, all the graces necessary for me, especially that of final perseverance. Receive them as so many acts of love, of adoration, of praise that I offer to your divine Majesty” (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque).

“My God, I offer you your beloved Son, in thanksgiving for all the good You do me, as my offering, my adoration, and my all. Receive Him, O Eternal Father, for all that You desire from me, for I have nothing to offer you that is not unworthy of you, except Him whose enjoyment You grant me with so much love” (cf. E.T. II, 7 and 14).

“What shall I render to the Lord for all the benefits I have received from Him? Behold: I will take the chalice of salvation. Yes, my God, I will take this chalice made crimson by the Blood of my Master, and in thanksgiving I will mingle my blood with that of the holy Victim; then my sacrifice will, so to speak, be made infinite and will be able to render you, O Father, splendid praise; then my suffering will become a message that transmits your glory. O Jesus, deign to identify me so well with yourself that I may continually express you before the Father’s eyes. Coming into the world You said: ‘Behold, I come, O God, to do your will!’ Grant that this prayer may be the heartbeat of my heart. You who gave yourself wholly to fulfill the Father’s will, grant that this will may be my food and also the sword that immolates me. And so, together with you, adored Master, I shall joyfully go to meet whatever immolation, rejoicing that I have been acknowledged by the Father, since He crucifies me together with you” (cf. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque).