Eucharist: Holy Sacrifice

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is an idea that has fallen into disfavor in modernity, for various reasons. In Protestant circles, of course, the notion that the Mass could be a sacrifice is often seen as a repudiation or usurpation of the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, as though it’s an either/or choice. Perhaps the all-time favorite Bible verse among such critics Hebrews 9:25-26:

Such critics allege that the Mass “sacrifices Jesus again and again” whereas Scripture says the sacrifice was offered “once for all”. In reality, however, the Mass does not sacrifice Jesus again and again but is rather a participation in the one and only sacrifice there ever has been, will be, or even could be for the sins of the world: the sacrifice of Christ.

The Church knows perfectly well that Christ is risen and cannot be crucified again. He’s is, after all, in Heaven at the right hand of the Father and no Pope’s arms are long enough to reach him—even if one was dumb enough to think we need to yank Him off his throne and keep crucifying Him over and over again. That why Catholic priests pray (out loud so nobody will miss the point) ““Father, calling to mind the death your Son endured for our salvation, his glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven, and ready to greet him when he comes again, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice.”

So what’s up with all the sacrificial language applied to the Mass? The Council of Trent tells us:

Where did they get that cockamamie unbiblical Dark Age notion from? The apostle Paul, who uses exactly the same language of participation, not repetition or re-sacrifice when he speaks of the Eucharist:

Since it is a real participation, it is a real sacrifice, for Christ is our Paschal Sacrifice. But since it is a participation, it is not a repetition. The Christ Who is present on the altar under the appearance of bread and wine is the very same Christ Who died on the cross two thousand years ago. The sacrifice into which we enter is the one and only sacrifice He ever offered on Calvary. And the new life we receive from Him Who is really present in the Eucharist is the Risen Life He brought with Him out of the tomb. The Sacrifice of the Mass no more adds to the Sacrifice of Christ than our prayers add to His Providence.

The odd thing these days is that it is possible to find Catholics who dislike and avoid the fact that the Mass is a sacrifice just as much as Fundamentalists do. However, this is probably small consolation to the anti-Catholic fundamentalists of the world, since such folk are also equally uncomfortable with the idea that the death of Jesus was a sacrifice either. Delores S. Williams, a “womanist” theology professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, sums up the latest trendiness by remarking at a Re-Imagining conference a few years ago, “I don’t think we need a theory of atonement at all.” She went on, “Atonement has to do so much with death,” she said. “I don’t think we need folks hanging on crosses and blood dripping and weird stuff.” She added, “We do not need atonement, we just need to listen to the god within….If Jesus conquered sin, it was in the wilderness and life, not his death (resurrection). The first incarnation of God was not `some dove on the shoulder,’ but in Mary and her body.” Naturally, her remarks were greeted with enthusiastic applause not only from trendy Protestants but also from trendy Catholics, who happily agree that Christianity needs to be “re-imagined” as something which is no longer Christian but instead as something that their itching ears want to hear about.

Catholic teaching, however, does not heed the fundamentalist dissenter or the progressive dissenter on this point. It hails the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary as the great act of atonement wrought for us by the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and it enters into that great sacrifice in the Sacrifice of the Mass, which Jesus Himself gave to us so that we might have the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting through His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, fully present in the Eucharist.

It's nice to see a decent explanation of the "Mass" and the so-called "sacrifice" of it. I've had to explain this to many ex-Catholics who joined the various churches and try to tell them not to spread a somewhat false idea they had. Many of those attending the congregation I now affiliate with are ex-Catholics and occasionally one of them will bring up this "sacrifice" as a non-Christian ritual. It's hard to realize that many ex-Catholics had this idea when I never had it as a Catholic. Hmmm...maybe things are changing for the good, and the "dark age" preaching and dogmatic statements are slowly fading away. BTW, I did hear this false idea presented by Priests many, many years ago.

Yesterday, we celebrated Cana Sunday. It's a small congregation and those that generally show up for Mass on Sunday, are fairly knowledgeable in the faith. He used his homily to address the Real Presence. He always delivers excellent homilies but this one is up there at the top of the list. He went into detail, in clear English (not his native tongue) and made it quite clear to all of us that, unless one is properly disposed, they should not present themselves for communion. "This is not hokus pokus" he said. :-) I'm still grinning ear to ear.

BTW - Lent began for us today, Ash Monday. Mass is at 7pm with distribution of ashes (he makes his own and mixes them with holy water), painted on the forehead (as in the following news photos). The entire parish will be there tonight, even the infants, with large black +s on their foreheads.

A priest uses ash to mark a cross on a Christian Maronite's forehead at a church during a traditional Ash Monday service in Beirut February 15, 2010. Monday marked the first day of the 40-day period of the Christian season of Lent in Lebanon.

The First Week of Lent
Ash Monday

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:7
So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says: "In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you." Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We cause no one to stumble in anything, in order that no fault may be found with our ministry; on the contrary, in everything we commend ourselves as ministers of God, through much endurance, in afflictions, hardships, constraints, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, vigils, fasts; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, in a holy spirit, in unfeigned love, in truthful speech, in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness at the right and at the left. Praise be to God always.

Matthew 6:16-21
"When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. This is the Truth. Peace be with you.

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