"The Eucharistic sacrifice is the sacramental continuation of the sacrifice of the Cross. Every time we celebrate the divine mysteries, we announce the death of the Lord: Mortem Domini annuntiabitis (1 Cor 11:26). The Council brings out the full sense of the words of St. Paul: “It is the same Christ Who offers Himself now through the ministry of His priests and Who then offered Himself through His own ministry on the Cross”: Idem nunc offerens sacerdotum ministerior qui seipsum tunc in cruce obtulit.
If we can grasp the full significance of these words the propitiatory character of the Mass will be clearly manifest to us.
For God there is no past and no future. He possesses in an unchangeable present the whole infinity of His life of knowledge, and of love, and of beatitude. St. Thomas has adopted the illuminating definition of the divine eternity given us by Boethius: Interminabilis vitae tota simul et perfecta possessio. This means that God in a Nunc Stans, that is to say, in a Now which is above all limits and all succession, possesses perfectly, totally and always “in act” (tota simul) the plenitude of a life which knows no beginning and no end. For us there is always a succession of time; existence is meted out to us instant by instant. That is why it is measured by time. But God, in His eternity, embraces in one glance the succession of events which constitute for man the past, the present and the future.
We must realize that, at the consecration, the whole drama of Calvary, and with all the consequence of sufferings and humiliations which it involved for Jesus, is present before God. It may be said in all truth that we are displaying before the eyes of the Eternal One all this divine past; that is why the Apostle says so aptly that at every Mass “we announce to the Father the death of His Son.”
You remember the story of the brothers of Joseph (Gen 37:31-32). After having plotted his destruction and sold him to strangers, he soaked his cloak in blood and sent it to Jacob, so that it might be a sign to him of the death of his son.
Every time that a priest celebrates Mass, he is not displaying to the Father the garment of Jesus as a proof of His Passion, but presenting the Son Himself under the sacred species making, for love, a true immolation, though in sacramental form.
Let us dwell a little on this thought. What does the Father see on the altar stone on which the holy sacrifice is offered? He sees the body and blood of the Son of His love: Filius dilectionis suae (Col 1:13). And what is it that the Son is doing on the altar? Annuntiat mortem: He is placing before the eyes of the Father His love, His obedience, His suffering, the oblation of His life. And the Father casts on us a look of mercy."
2 comments:
My husband directed me to your blog this evening and I admit I was rather upset reading Mr. Melnyk's letter. It was a painful reminder of why we left the Episcopal Church over 2 decades ago.
I skimmed the rest of your postings, but came across something that stopped me in my tracks. Please do me a favor and correct the 2 spelling errors in this title (one of my pet peeves). The correct spellings are "altar" and "sacrifice."
Blessings on you and your mission for the deep south. I will do all I can from the great unwashed Northwest to help out. My husband has relatives in Scooba, Mississippi - a place where they put on the whole hog and I learned to eat grits. These are great people and we enjoyed memorable hospitality. I am looking forward to a return in the not too distant future.
Thank you Kathleen, Although I'm not the author of that title I did correct it. Like you, mispellings are a pet peeve of mine too. Thank you for pointing them out. I'm sure there will be many more.
Please, you are more than welcome to bring any need for corrections to my attention. I'm most embarrassed by overlooking them. Thanks again.
By the way, my oldest daughter will transfer to Mississippi University for Women in Columbus this fall, not far from Scooba.
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