ABOUT THE MASS SERIES VOL 2.
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| The Mass at Nazareth: About the Mass Vol 2 Series Icon. |
2. ‘Words of Institution-Consecration’.
Christ is truly present to us in the
Mass in at least four ways at Mass. They are:
1. In the Consecrated bread
and wine.
2. In the presence of the
priest representing Christ in our midst.
3. In the Proclamation of the
Scripture.
4. In the presence of
each of us as the congregation.
Each of these 4 ways are important,
as they are the means by which Christ nourishes his Church and gives us food
for the journey here on earth. He provides the means for his
people.
When the priest says the
words of institution-consecration ‘This is my Body’ and ‘This is my
Blood’, the bread and wine are transformed and Christ is truly present,
yet under the form of bread and wine. In other words, we are provided
with food for the journey, so that we can be fed, nourished and strengthened by
Christ himself. This transformation is a mystery, yet in our beliefs, it is not
an optional extra. It is a core Catholic belief. Christ is truly
present, yet under the form of bread and wine. Naturally it follows then that when the new English translation of the Mass was introduced in 2010, there were changes in some texts as we have been discussing, but when it came to the words of institution-consecration, the words were not as they cannot be changed since Jesus Himself said them.
During this crucial part of the
Mass Christ becomes truly present to us. It is not a
symbol or a re- representation of the Last Supper. The bells being rung alert
us to the importance of this moment in the Mass. It is a wonderful opportunity to focus again on what is really happening at Mass and to pray with our whole hearts, souls and minds with gratitude.
The Catechism of the Catholic
Church (1994) says:
‘It is by the conversion of the bread
and wine into Christ’s body and blood that Christ becomes present in his
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. 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’. (Para 1375 p.
346)
The Catechism goes
on to comment:
‘The Eucharistic presence of Christ
begins at the moment of the consecration and endures at long 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’. (Para 1377 p.347)
How do we welcome
Christ truly present at Mass?
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