The Complete Ascetical Works of St. Alphonsus/Volume 6/The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ/Short Explanation of the Prayers of Mass

by Alphonsus Liguori

 

Short Explanation of the Prayers of Mass.

Mass is rightly divided into six parts. The first part is the preparation for the sacrifice; and this is made at the foot of the altar. The second part extends from the Introit to the Credo, inclusively—and was formerly called the Mass of the Catechumens, who had to leave the church after the Credo. The third part contains the Offertory and the Preface. The fourth part comprises the Canon with the Pater Noster; for the Canon in olden times finished with the Pater Noster, as a learned author concludes from a passage in the writings of St. Gregory the Great.^[1] The fifth part begins with the prayer Libera nos, quæsumus, Domine ("Deliver us, O Lord, we beseech Thee"), which is a preparation for Communion, and includes Communion. The sixth and last part comprises under the form of thanksgiving the rest of the Mass.

 

FIRST PART.

The Preparation that is made at the Foot of the Altar.

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen ("In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen").

In order to sacrifice a victim one must have the power over its life and death; but as God only has the power over the life of his incarnate Son, who is the victim of the Sacrifice of the Mass, the priest needs divine authority in order to be able to offer Jesus Christ to his heavenly Father. Yet as he is invested with the authority that belongs to the priesthood, he says, in union with Jesus Christ, who is the principal one that offers that sacrifice, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; thus declaring that he offers the sacrifice by the authority of the three Persons.

The priest afterwards recites the antiphon Introibo ad altare Dei ("I will go unto the altar of God"), and the psalm Judica me Deus ("Judge me, O God"). He implores the help of God against the enemies who are laying snares for him. Then expressing the pain that he feels of seeing himself, as it were, rejected by the Lord, he begs him to assist him with his light, and to console him with the graces that he promised by leading him into his tabernacle. Finally, he reproaches himself for indulging in fear, for why should he be troubled when he has with him his God in whom he should confide?

Innocent III.^[2] attests that the recitation before Mass of the psalm Judica me was the custom of his time, that is, in the twelfth century; and Cardinal Lambertini, afterwards Benedict XIV.,^[3] assures us that it was recited before the eighth century. The psalm is concluded with the Gloria Patri. It was Pope St. Damasus who ordained that each psalm should be concluded in this manner. It is, however, believed that the Gloria Patri was introduced by the Council of Nice, or, as we are told by Baronius^[4] and St. Basil, even by the Apostles, the Council of Nice having added only these words, Sicut erat, etc.

Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini ("Our help is in the name of the Lord"). Affrighted by the grandeur of the act he is about to perform, and by the thought of his unworthiness, the priest asks God's help in the name of Jesus Christ; and acknowledging himself guilty, he accuses himself of his sins, not only before God, but before the Blessed Virgin and all the saints, who on the last day, with Jesus Christ, will pronounce judgment upon sinners.

Deus, tu conversus, vivificabis nos ("Thou, O Lord," says the priest, "wilt turn and bring us to life"). The sinner remains in death so long as God in his goodness does not come to restore to him the life of grace. Then he implores anew the divine mercy: Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam (" Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy"); and supplicates the Lord to hear him: Domine, exaudi orationem meam ("O Lord, hear my prayer").

Before leaving the people to go up to the altar, the priest says to them, Dominus vobiscum ("The Lord be with you"). By these words he wishes and asks that Jesus Christ may grant to the people as well as to himself the effects of the prayers that he has said; and the server expresses to him the same wish when answering for all the people: Et cum spiritu tuo ("And with Thy spirit"). These reciprocal wishes indicate the union of faith in Jesus Christ that exists between the priest and the people.

Aufer a nobis, etc. ("Take away from us our iniquities, etc."). In going up the steps of the altar, the priest begs the Lord to deliver him from all iniquities, in order that he may approach the Holy of Holies with a pure heart; that is to say, in order that he may worthily offer up the great sacrifice.

Oramus te, Domine, per merita Sanctorum tuorum, etc. ("We beseech Thee, O Lord, by the merits of Thy saints, etc."). Having reached the altar, he kisses it, to unite himself to Jesus Christ, represented by the altar; and, through the merits of the holy martyrs whose relics are therein enclosed, he conjures our Lord to deign to pardon him all his sins.

From the first ages the Church was accustomed to offer up the Eucharistic sacrifice on the tombs of the martyrs who had sacrificed their lives for God, and who for this reason have always been particularly honored in the Church. During the first period of the Church there were no other festivals than those of the mysteries of Jesus Christ, those of the Blessed Virgin, and the anniversaries of the martyrs. However, it is not to the saints, but only to God that altars are erected, "and," as St. Augustine says, "we have not erected an altar to the martyr, Stephen, but with the relics of the martyr Stephen we have erected an altar to God."^[5]

 

SECOND PART.

From the Introit to the Credo.

It is usually in the Introit that the Church proposes the subject of the feast that is celebrated. Mention is therein made of some divine mystery, of the Blessed Virgin, or of some other saint whom the Church honors on that day, so that we simply render this honor to the saint, since the sacrifice, as we have said, is offered only to God. It is asserted that the author of the Introit is St. Gregory the Great, as may be seen in the works of Benedict XIV.^[6]

Kyrie, eleison; Christe, eleison. These are Greek words that mean "Lord, or Christ, have mercy." This prayer is addressed three times to the Father, three times to the Son, and three times to the Holy Ghost. Durand^[7] says that Mass was begun to be said in Greek in the Oriental Church at the time of the Emperor Adrian I., about the year 140. Pope St. Sylvester ordered that, after the example of the Greeks, the Kyrie eleison should be said in the Latin Church. According to Cardinal Bellarmine^[8] this custom was introduced into Italy about a hundred and fifty years before St. Gregory. Thereby is shown the union that exists between the Greek and the Latin Church.

Gloria in excelsis Deo, etc. ("Glory be to God on high, etc."). This canticle or prayer is formed of the words that the celestial choirs used when the Angel came to announce to the shepherds the birth of the Saviour; "Glory to God in the highest: and on earth peace to men of good will."^[9] The remaining words were added by the Church. In it God is thanked for his glory, be cause God has used our salvation for his glory by saving us through Jesus Christ, who, in offering himself as a sacrifice to his Father, has procured salvation for men, and has given, at the same time, infinite glory to God. Then the Church, addressing herself to Jesus Christ, asks him by the merits of his sacrifice to have pity on us; and she concludes by proclaiming him: Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen ("For Thou only art holy; Thou only art Lord; Thou only, O Jesus Christ, art Most High in the glory of God the Father. Amen"). For our Saviour, who sacrifices himself as a victim, is at the same time God, equal to Him to whom the sacrifice is offered.

Then follows the prayer or Collect, thus called because the priest, performing the office of mediator between God and men, collects all the prayers of the people, and presents them to God. The Collect is said in a suppliant manner, with outstretched and raised hands. In these prayers are asked of God the graces that have reference to the mystery of the day: for example, at Easter, the grace to rise with Jesus Christ, and at the Ascension to dwell with him in spirit in heaven; or we ask for those graces that we wish to obtain through the intercession of the saint whose feast we are celebrating. But all these prayers are concluded with the name of Jesus Christ: Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum ("Through our Lord Jesus Christ"). Because all the graces that we obtain are given to us chiefly in view of the merits of Jesus Christ. It is not true, as the innovators say, that we offer the Sacrifice of the Altar to the saints. It is altogether false; for we know very well that the sacrifice, being a cult or worship that is due to the sovereign Lord of the universe, can be offered only to God; and if at the Mass we make mention of the saints, we do so only because of the favors that they have received from God, to whom they acknowledge they are indebted for all the happiness that they possess.

Here follow the Epistle and the Gospel. While listening to the reading of the Epistle, we must hear it as if it is God himself who speaks by the mouth of his prophets and apostles.

The Epistle is followed by the Gradual, which, according to Bellarmin, was sung in former times while the deacon ascended the steps of the ambo—an elevated pulpit—to read the Gospel. The Gradual was followed by the Alleluia, a Hebrew word that signifies Praise the Lord. But in Lent the Alleluia, which expresses joy, is replaced by the Tract, which Abbot Rupert calls the lamentation of penitents (Pœnitentium lamentum).

The priest then leaving the left side of the altar, which represents the Jewish people, passes to the right side, which represents the Gentiles, who accepted the Gospel that was rejected by the Jews. We should listen to the Gospel as if we heard the words of our divine Saviour instructing us himself, and we should at the same time ask him for the necessary help to put in practice what he teaches. It is an ancient custom to stand during the reading of the Gospel, to show that we are ready to follow the precepts and counsels that our Lord points out to us.

Credo ("I believe"). While the priest is reciting the symbol, we should renew our faith in all the mysteries and all the dogmas that the Church teaches. By the symbol was formerly understood a military sign, a mark by which many recognize one another, and are distinguished from one another: this at present distinguishes believers from unbelievers. Benedict XIV.^[10] tells us that at Rome the recitation of the symbol during Mass was begun only in the eleventh century.

 

THIRD PART.

The Offertory and the Preface.

The Offertory embraces everything from the Dominus vobiscum till the Preface. In offering the bread and wine the priest calls them the immaculate Host, the Chalice of salvation. We should not be astonished at this; for all the prayers and all the ceremonies before and after the consecration have reference to the divine Victim. It is at the moment of consecration that the Victim presents himself to God, that he offers himself to him, and that the sacrifice is offered; but as these different acts cannot be explained at the same time, they are explained one after the other. The priest then offers by anticipation the bread prepared for the sacrifice, and while saying, Suscipe, sancte Pater, hanc immaculatam Hostiam, etc. ("Accept, O holy Father, this immaculate Host, etc."); and he offers the wine as if it had already been consecrated, by saying, Offerimus tibi, Domine, Calicem salutaris, etc. ("We offer unto Thee, O Lord, the Chalice of salvation, etc."); because this wine, being afterwards changed into the blood of Jesus Christ, becomes our salvation. St. Augustine says that as at the Eucharistic Table our Saviour offers us to eat and to drink his body and his blood, we should also offer to him our body and our blood by giving ourselves entirely to him, being ready to sacrifice our life for his glory, should it be necessary. These are the beautiful words of the holy Doctor: "You know what this banquet is, and what nourishment is offered you at this table. Since Jesus Christ gives entirely his body and his blood, let no one approach without giving himself entirely to the Lord."^[11]

A little water is mixed with the wine to represent the mixture or the union that takes place in the Incarnation of the Word between the divinity and the humanity, and also to represent the intimate union that is effected in the sacramental Communion between Jesus Christ and the person who communicates a union which St. Augustine calls Mixtura Dei et hominis ("A mixture of God and of man"). Hence the priest, in the prayer which he recites while mixing the water with the wine, beseeches God to grant that, as his divine Son became partaker of our humanity, we may be made partakers of his divinity. The Council of Trent declares that this mingling of water and of wine in the chalice is prescribed: "The holy Synod admonishes that it is enjoined on the priests by the Church that they should mix water with the wine that is to be offered in the chalice, as it is believed that the Lord has done the same thing."^[12] However, this is only an ecclesiastical, not a divine precept.

Offerimus tibi, Domine, Calicem salutaris, etc. ("We offer unto Thee, O Lord, the Chalice of salvation, etc."). The chalice of salvation is offered to the Lord, so that it may arise in his divine presence as an agreeable odor, for our salvation and for the salvation of the whole world. Cardinal Bona,^[13] in his Liturgy, assures us that neither in the Sacramentarium of St. Gregory, nor in other authors, is any prayer found for the offering of the bread and of the wine; however, the same Cardinal says that in the ancient Liturgy which he caused to be published we find the prayers that were recited by the clergy as well as by the faithful when the latter presented to the priest their offerings. Moreover, our French author says that the prayers recited at present by the priest at the oblation of the bread and of the wine have reference to the offerings which the faithful formerly made, not at the altar, but at the balustrade of the choir.

In spiritu humilitatis et in animo contrito suscipiamur a te, Domine, etc. ("In the spirit of humility, and with a con trite heart, let us be received by Thee, O Lord, etc."). The priest presents himself before our Lord with an humble and a contrite heart, and begs him to bless the great sacrifice that is about to be offered: Veni, Sanctificator, etc. ("Come, O Sanctifier, etc.").

Then he goes to wash his hands, out of respect for this divine sacrifice, while reciting the psalm Lavabo inter innocentes manus meas, etc. ("I will wash my hands among the innocent, etc.").

Suscipe, Sancta Trinitas, etc. ("Receive, O Holy Trinity, etc."). By this prayer the priest offers to God Jesus Christ as a victim already immolated by his death on the Cross. Heretics calumniate us when they affirm that we offer to God two different sacrifices, namely, the sacrifice of the Cross and that of the altar. We reply to them that there are not two sacrifices, since, as we have already explained elsewhere, the sacrifice of the altar is a memorial of the sacrifice of the Cross; it is really the same sacrifice as that of the Cross, Jesus Christ being there the principal offerer and the victim that is offered.

Orate, fratres, etc. ("Brethren, pray, etc."). By these words the priest exhorts the people to supplicate the Lord to receive this sacrifice for the glory of his name and the good of the faithful. The server then answers in the name of the people by praying to God to accept this sacrifice: Suscipiat Dominus Sacrificium de manibus tuis, etc. (" May the Lord receive this sacrifice from thy hands, etc.").

Then follows the Secret, a prayer that refers to the offerings made by the people, namely, of the bread and wine that are to be changed into the body and the blood of Jesus Christ. The Church asks the Lord to bless them and to render them profitable, not only to those who present them, but to all the faithful, just as may be seen in the Secret of the fifth Sunday after Pentecost: "Mercifully receive, O Lord, these offerings of thy servants; that what each hath offered to the honor of thy name, may avail to the salvation of all."^[14] Thus the Offertory is concluded.

Before passing to the Canon, the priest reads the Preface, in which he exhorts the faithful to raise their hearts to God: Sursum corda ("Lift up your hearts"). The people answer that they have already done so: Habemus ad Dominum ("We have lifted them to the Lord"). And the priest continues by inviting them to unite with him in thanking the Lord: Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro ("Let us give thanks to our Lord God"). He afterwards says that it is just and salutary to render thanks through Jesus Christ, who alone can worthily give thanks for the eternal salvation and for so many benefits granted to men and also to angels, who also give thanks to God through Jesus Christ for all the gifts that they have received. The priest entreats the Lord to accept our prayers united with those of the angels, who celebrate his glory by repeating without ceasing the can ticle, Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth!^[15] ("Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts!"); and he concludes by repeating the words used by the Jewish people in their acclamations at the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem: Benedictus, qui venit in nomine Domini! Hosanna in excelsis!^[16] ("Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!")

 

FOURTH PART.

The Canon.

Te igitur, clementissime Pater, etc. ("We therefore humbly pray and beseech Thee, most merciful Father, etc."). Here begins what we call the Canon of the Mass, which the Council of Trent declares to be free from every error,^[17] since it is composed of the very words of our Lord, of the traditions of the apostles, and of pious regulations of the Holy See.^[18] The Canon is very ancient: it was already in use in the fourth century, according to the testimony of St. Ambrose.^[19] The priest first prays to his heavenly Father in the name of the whole Church, and through the merits of Jesus Christ, to accept and to bless the offerings that are made to him, and that are called gifts without spot: Hæc dona, hæc munera, hæc sancta sacrificia illibata ("These gifts, these presents, these holy unspotted sacrifices"). These words apply not only to the bread and the wine that have been offered, but refer by anticipation to the body and the blood of Jesus Christ, into which the bread and the wine are soon to be changed; hence they are called unspotted sacrifices. Innocent III. refers these last words to the purity of the heart and of the body with which the priest should celebrate Mass: "We call them by this name because of the purity of heart and of body with which the priest should offer them."^[20] But this is rather a spiritual and mystical reflection, the proper explanation is that which precedes it above.

The Holy Sacrifice is, before all, offered for the Catholic Church by praying to God that he may preserve her in peace, may defend her, maintain her in unity, and govern her through the ministry of the pastors, by communicating to them his Holy Spirit. It must be observed that the prayers of the Church, during the Holy Sacrifice, should be addressed to God the Father, as was ordained by the Third Council of Carthage: "During the August Function the prayer should be addressed to God the Father."^[21] It does not follow that the other divine Persons should be excluded from these prayers; but they are considered together in the Person of the Father, their first principle, and this is the reason why the Church is accustomed to pray to the Father, with the Son, in the Holy Ghost.

At the first Memento, the priest recommends, at first, all those persons for whom he wishes most especially to pray; then he recommends all those who, happening to be present, offer with him the Holy Sacrifice; finally, he recommends all their relatives and friends. He says: 1. Pro quibus tibi offerimus, vel qui tibi offerunt ("For whom we offer, or who offer up to Thee"). It must be re marked that the disjunctive particle vel, "or," is sometimes conjunctive, and that it is probable that it is here taken in this last sense according to St. Gregory, as we are told by Benedict XIV. Moreover, it must be observed that there is a great difference between sacrificing and offering: to the priest alone belongs the right to sacrifice, whilst all those who are present may offer the sacrifice. 2. Quorum tibi fides cognita est, et nota devotio ("Whose faith is known, and devotion apparent unto Thee"). By these words we are to understand that in order to participate in the fruit of the sacrifice we must have faith and devotion, which spring from charity. 3. Pro redemptione animarum suarum ("For the redemption of their souls"). The first effect of the sacrifice of the Cross, which is applied to us by the sacrifice of the altar, is to become free from the power of the devil. 4. Pro spe salutis et incolumitatis suæ ("For the hope of their safety and salvation"). These words comprise all the spiritual and temporal graces that God grants to us by virtue of this sacrifice, through which alone we can render to God the thanks that we owe him.

Communicantes et memoriam venerantes, etc. ("Communicating with the saints and honoring the memory, etc."). This prayer is said in order to enter into communion with the Church triumphant. Thereby we honor, in the first place, the memory of the Mother of God, then that of the apostles, then that of the martyrs and of all the other saints, through the merits and the intercession of whom we beg our Lord's protection in all our necessities. We who are travellers upon earth form only one body with the saints who are in heaven, and united with them in the same spirit, we offer to God the same sacrifice.

Hanc igitur oblationem, etc. ("We therefore beseech Thee, O Lord, graciously to accept this oblation, etc."). The priest spreads his hands over the bread and the wine, and, through the merits of Jesus Christ, who redeemed us from the power of the devil, he prays to the Eternal Father favorably to accept this offering that his servants and his whole family make to him. He also asks God to help us to enjoy peace in this life, to preserve us from hell, and to admit us among the number of the elect: Et in electorum tuorum jubeas grege numerari ("And number us in the flock of Thine elect"). Estius observes that by these last words we do not ask of God predestination, as if God could change his eternal decrees, but we ask of him the effects of predestination, that he may draw us to himself and conduct us to eternal happiness.^[22] In the Old Law he who offered sacrifice placed his hands on the victim to signify that just as this animal was soon to lose its life by immolation, so he also offered up his own life to God. It is with the same spirit of sacrifice that every priest should offer himself to God, when he spreads his hands over the host and the chalice.^{[ed. 1]}

Quam oblationem tu, Deus in omnibus, quæsumus, benedictam, adscriptam, ratam, rationabilem, acceptabilemque facere digneris; ut nobis corpus et sanguis fiat dilectissimi Filii tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi ("Which oblation do Thou, O God, vouchsafe in all respects to make blessed, approved, ratified, reasonable, and acceptable, that it may become to us the body and blood of Thy most beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord"). In this prayer the priest asks God to cause this oblation to be blessed (benedictam), that by this blessing the bread and the wine may be changed into the body and the blood of Jesus Christ; that it may be admitted (adscriptam),—that is, substracted from all profane usage and wholly consecrated to the divine Majesty; ratified (ratam), that is, approved as a perfect sacrifice; reasonable or rational (rationabilem),—this includes an allusion to a passage in the Epistle to the Romans, in which St. Paul says: "I beseech you … that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your reasonable service;"^[23] acceptable (acceptabilem),—that is, altogether agreeable and worthy of being received, differently from the victims and the oblations of the Hebrew people, which were not sufficient to appease the divine justice incensed against sinners; and, finally, Ut nobis corpus et sanguis fiat dilectissimi Filii tui ("That it may become to us the body and blood of Thy most beloved Son"). The priest, according to St. Thomas, does not thereby ask that the consecration, be accomplished, but that it be profitable to us.^[24]

Qui, pridie quam pateretur, etc. ("Who the day before he suffered," etc.). Here the priest, renewing the memory of the Passion of Jesus Christ, relates what the Lord did on the evening before his death, when he instituted the Sacrament and the sacrifice of his body and blood. Then the priest does the same thing, and consecrates by pronouncing the very words used by Jesus Christ, as St. Ambrose remarks: "He uses not his own words, but the very words of Jesus Christ."^[25]

The form of the consecration is taken from St. Matthew: Hoc est corpus meum ("This is my body").^[26] These words need no explanation, since they themselves declare what mystery is accomplished, namely, the change of the bread into the body of Jesus Christ.

The form of the consecration of the chalice is as follows: Hic est enim calix Sanguinis mei, novi et æterni Testamenti, mysterium fidei, qui pro vobis et pro multis effundetur in remissionem peccatorum ("For this is the chalice of my blood of the new and eternal testament, the mystery of faith, which shall be shed for you, and for many, to the remission of sins"). These words the Church has taken from different texts of the Gospel, partly from St. Luke, partly from St. Matthew. St. Luke says: This is the chalice, the new testament in my blood, which shall be shed for you.^[27] St. Matthew: For this is my blood of the new testament which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins.^[28] The word æterni, "everlasting," is found in St. Paul: In the blood of the everlasting testament.^[29] The other words, Mystery of faith, the Roman catechism declares are taught by sacred tradition, which is the guardian of Catholic truths. This divine mystery is called Mystery of faith, not to exclude the reality of the blood of Jesus Christ, but to show that in it the faith shines forth in a wonderful manner, and triumphs over all the difficulties that may be raised by human reason, since it is here, says Innocent III.,^[30] that we see one thing and believe another. We believe, he adds, that the form that we read in the Canon was received from Jesus Christ by the Apostles, and that they transmitted it to their successors.^[31] The Roman catechism,^[32] moreover, says, that the words of consecration should be thus understood: It is my blood that is contained in the chalice of the New Testament. This signifies that men receive no longer the figure of the blood of Jesus Christ, as was the case in the Old Law; but they really receive the true blood of the New Testament. The words Pro vobis et pro multis ("For you and for many") are used to distinguish the virtue of the blood of Christ from its fruits; for the blood of our Saviour is of sufficient value to save all men, but its fruits are applicable only to a certain number and not to all, and this is their own fault. Or, as the theologians say, this precious blood is (in itself) sufficiently (sufficienter) able to save all men, but (on our part) effectually (efficaciter) it does not save all—it saves only those who co-operate with grace. This is the explanation of St. Thomas, as quoted by Benedict XIV.^{[ed. 2]}

The consecration is followed by the elevation of the host and of the chalice: this is done, writes Sassi, in order to prove the truth of the Eucharist which was attacked by Berengarius at the beginning of the twelfth century. The same truth is again professed at the second elevation shortly before the Pater noster, when the priest says, Omnis honor et gloria ("All honor and glory"). It was also at the time of the heresy of Berengarius that the custom was introduced of ringing the bell at the elevation of the Host and of the chalice.

Hæc quotiescumque feceritis, in mei memoriam facietis ("As often as ye do these things, ye shall do them in remembrance of me"). After the two consecrations the priest repeats the words of Jesus Christ, by which our Saviour commanded his Apostles and their successors to do, in memory of his Passion, what he had just done himself in their presence.

Unde et memores, Domine, etc. ("Wherefore, O Lord, … calling to mind," etc.). Here the priest calls to mind the Passion of our Lord, his resurrection, and ascension. He offers to the divine majesty in the name of the Church the consecrated victim, which he calls a pure Host, exempt from every sin; holy, being united with the divinity in the person of the Word; immaculate, with out any stain; and then, "The holy bread of eternal life, and the chalice of everlasting salvation." While pronouncing these words he blesses the bread and the chalice with the sign of the cross. On this subject Luther turns to ridicule the Roman Church by asking how the priest blesses Jesus Christ—how the creature blesses the Creator. We answer here that the priest blesses the Host, not by his own authority, nor in his own name, but in the name and by the authority of the Eternal Father, who alone can bless Jesus Christ—as man and as victim. Such is the answer given on this point by Innocent III. St. Thomas answers differently by saying that after the consecration the priest does not make the sign of the cross to bless, but only to remind us of the power of the cross and of the death of our Lord.^[33]

Supra quæ propitio, etc. ("Upon which vouchsafe to look," etc.). The priest then prays to the Lord that he may accept with pleasure this sacrifice, just as he accepted the offerings of Abel, the sacrifice of Abraham, and that of Melchisedech. In recalling to mind the sacrafice of Abel, of Abraham, and of Melchisedech, we regard less the value of the things offered than the sanctity of those who offered them, because they were holy men. Conquently, if God, because of his sanctity, favorably received their sacrifice, how much more should please him the sacrifice of the Saint of saints—of our Lord Jesus Christ! But the most decisive reason on account of which the Church makes special mention of these three sacrifices is, because they represented in an excellent manner the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Supplices te rogamus, etc. ("We most humbly beseech Thee," etc.). The priest continues humbly to ask the Saviour that the consecrated Host be presented to his divine Majesty through the hands of his holy Angel, in order that all those who are going to receive the body and the blood of his adorable Son may be filled with blessings and all celestial gifts through the merits of Jesus Christ. By the Angel of whom mention is made in this prayer, we may understand the Angel who presides at the Sacrifice of the Altar, or, as our French author says, we may understand Jesus Christ himself, who is pre-eminently the Holy Angel, called in Scripture the Angel of the Great Counsel. But the explanation of St. Thomas seems to be the most natural. The priest, he says, speaks for the Church, and asks that the Angel who presides at the divine mysteries may present to God the prayers of the celebrant and of the people.^[34]

Memento etiam, Domine, etc. ("Be mindful, O Lord," etc.). The priest asks the Lord to remember his servants who have passed to the other life and are slumbering in the sleep of peace, and to grant them a place of refreshment, light, and peace, through the merits of Jesus Christ. When the charity of the souls that depart from this life is not sufficient to purify them, the fire of purgatory will supply this defect. Yet the charity of the Saviour supplies it best by means of the Eucharistic sacrifice, which procures for these holy souls great mitigation of their sufferings, and often deliverance from their torments. The Council of Trent says: "The souls there detained are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but principally by the acceptable sacrifice of the altar."^[35] And it adds^[36] that this is a tradition of the Apostles. St. Augustine exhorts us to offer the sacrifice for all the dead, in case the souls that we recommend cannot receive our help.

Nobis quoque peccatoribus, etc. ("And to us sinners," etc.). Here the Church prays for sinners, in order that God may vouchsafe, in his mercy, to permit them to enter the society of the saints; and she asks this grace through the merits of Jesus Christ. She then adds:

Per quem hæc omnia semper bona creas, etc. ("By whom, O Lord, Thou dost always create," etc.). By the Word Thou hast created this bread and wine, and now, by the same Word, Thou hast sanctified (sanctificas) them by reserving them for the sacrifice. Thou hast quickened them (vivificas) by changing them into the body and the blood of Jesus Christ; Thou hast blessed (benedicis) them and transformed them into a source of benediction for the Church of Christ; and, finally, Thou hast given us all these good things (et præstas nobis) by distributing them to the faithful in Holy Communion. And all these favors the Church asks through the merits of Jesus Christ: Per ipsum, that is, through him; cum ipso, in union with our Saviour; in ipso, in him as the members are in the body, since God recognizes as his own only those who are united with Jesus Christ.

 

THE PATER NOSTER.

Oremus. Præceptis salutaribus moniti, etc. ("Instructed by Thy saving precepts, etc."). The Church militant regards herself as entirely composed of sinners; she thinks herself unworthy to call God her Father, and to address to him the seven petitions, which in the name of the faithful she is going to address to him by reciting the Pater noster, ("Our Father"). Hence she protests that she only dares to address to God this prayer because God himself has commanded her to do so. She then teaches us that we may venture to present to God the seven petitions which contain the whole economy of our salvation, because it is pleasing to him and he him self gives us the command. We are so miserable, and our mind is so limited, that we do not even know what graces we should ask of God in behalf of our own salvation. Regarding our poverty and our insufficiency, Jesus Christ himself deigned to compose our prayer or to indicate the subjects on which we should address Almighty God. He instructs us to say:

Pater noster, qui es in cœlis ("Our Father, who art in heaven," etc.). The Apostle St. John says: Behold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called, and should be the sons of God.^[37] It is assuredly only by the effect of extreme love that we worms of the earth have been enabled to become the children of God, not by nature, but by adoption; and such is the immense grace that the Son of God has obtained for us by becoming man; for St. Paul says: You have received the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry, Abba (Father).^[38] Can a subject wish for greater happiness than to be adopted by his king? or a creature to be adopted by its Creator? This is what God has done for us; and he wishes that we should address to him with filial confidence the following prayer:

1. Sanctificetur nomem tuum ("Hallowed be Thy name"). God cannot possess a greater sanctity than that which he possesses from all eternity, because he is infinite; hence what we ask in this prayer is merely that God may make known in every place his holy name, and that he may make himself loved by all men: by unbelievers, who know him not; by heretics, who do not know him in the right manner; and by sinners, who know him but do not love him.

2. Adveniat regnum tuum ("Thy kingdom come"). Two kinds of dominion God exercises over our souls—the dominion of grace and the dominion of glory. By these words we ask for both, namely, that the grace of God may reign among us in this life, that it may direct and govern us, so that one day we may be judged worthy of glory, and may have the happiness to possess God and be possessed by him for all eternity.

3. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cœlo, et in terra ("Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven"). The whole perfec tion of a soul consists in the perfect accomplishment of the will of God, as is done by the blessed in heaven. Hence Jesus Christ wishes us to ask the grace to ac complish the will of God upon earth, as the angels and saints accomplish it in heaven.

4. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie ("Give us this day our daily bread"). Such is the text as we find it in St. Luke.^[39] By this prayer we ask God for the temporal goods of which we stand in need to sustain our present life. The words "Our daily bread" teach us that we should ask for this kind of goods with moderation, after the example of Solomon, who asked only what was necessary: Give me only the necessaries of life.^[40] It is to be remarked that in the Gospel of St. Matthew, instead of the daily bread, we read, Give us this day our supersubstantial^[41] bread.^{[ed. 3]} By this supersubstantial bread we must understand, according to the explanation given by the Roman catechism, Jesus Christ himself in the Sacrament of the Altar, that is, in Holy Communion. We ask this heavenly bread every day, Give us this day, because every good Christian should communicate every day, if not really at least spiritually, as we are exhorted by the Council of Trent.

5. Et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris ("And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us"). To eat worthily of this heavenly bread, we must be free from mortal sin, or at least be washed of it by the blood of the Lamb in the sacrament of penance. We say, free from mortal sin; but it must be observed that if anyone should communicate with an actual affection for some venial sin, he could not be said to communicate without offering some indignity to our Lord—at least if he communicates often.

6. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem ("And lead us not into temptation"). How are these words to be understood? Does God sometimes tempt us—does he lead us into temptation? No; for St. James says: God is not a tempter of evils, and He tempteth no man.^[42] This text we must understand as we do that of Isaias: Blind the heart of this people … lest they see.^[43] God never blinds any sinner, but he often refuses to grant to some, in punishment for their ingratitude, the light that he would have given them had they remained faithful and grateful. Hence when it is said that God makes any one blind, it is meant that he withholds the light of his grace. This, therefore is the sense of the prayer, and lead us not into temptation; we ask God not to permit us to have the misfortune of being in those occasions of sin in which we might fall. Hence we should always watch and pray as the Lord exhorts us to do, in order not to fall into, temptation: Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation.^[44] To enter into temptation means the same as to find one's self in the danger of falling into sin; we should therefore often say to God, Lord, lead us not into temptation.

7. Sed libera nos a malo ("But deliver us from evil"). There are three kinds of evils from which we should ask the Lord to deliver us—the temporal evils of the body, the spiritual evils of the soul, and the eternal evils of the next life. As for the temporal evils of this life, we ought always to be disposed to receive with resignation those that God sends us for the good of our souls, such as poverty, sickness, and desolation; and when we ask God to deliver us from temporal evils we should always do so on condition that they are not necessary nor useful for our salvation. But the true evils from which we should absolutely pray to be delivered are spiritual evils, sins, which are the cause of eternal evils. Moreover, let us be convinced of this infallible truth, that in the present state of corrupt nature we cannot be saved unless we pass through the many tribulations with which this life is filled: Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.^[45]

The priest finishes the Lord's prayer with the word Amen, which he pronounces in a low voice, because he represents the person of Jesus Christ, who is the foundation of all the divine promises.^{[ed. 4]} This word is a summary of all the petitions that have been made petitions the repetition of which pleases the Lord, for the more we pray to God the more he will hear our prayers. The great people of this world are not pleased when they are importuned by petitions; but this importunity is pleasing to God, says St. Jerome.^[46] Cornelius à Lapide even assures us that God wishes that we should persevere in this importunity in our prayers.^[47]

 

FIFTH PART.

From the Prayer "Libera nos" till the Communion.

Immediately after the Pater noster the priest recites the prayer Libera nos, quæsumus, Domine ("Deliver us, O Lord"), by which he asks the Lord for himself and for all the faithful to grant, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, of the apostles and of all the saints, a continual peace during the days of the present life, so that his divine mercy may preserve them from every sin and from all confusion.

He then says, Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum ("May the peace of the Lord be always with you"). He wishes the peace of the Lord for all his brethren, who answer him with the same wish: Et cum spiritu tuo ("And with thy spirit"). He makes at the same time upon the chalice, with the particle of the Host which he holds in his hand, three signs of the cross, which indicates, according to St. Thomas,^[48] the three days that Jesus Christ spent in the tomb.

The priest then drops the sacred particle into the chalice and says these words: Hæc commixtio et consecratio Corporis et Sanguinis Domini nostri Jesu Christi fiat accipientibus nobis in vitam æternam! ("May this mixture and con secration of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ be to us that receive it effectual to eternal life"). Explaining these words, Consecratio … fiat, Bellarmin says that we do not here ask that the consecration should take place, but that it be profitable for eternal life to those who are about to receive Jesus Christ in Holy Communion.^[49] This mixture of the holy species represents the union of the divinity with the humanity which was at first effected in the womb of Mary through the Incarnation of the Word, and which is renewed in the souls of the faithful when they receive him in the Eucharistic Communion.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi ("Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world"). Before Communion the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, as the victim of the sac rifice, is invoked, and is invoked three times, to point out the need that we have of his grace, in order to be reconciled with God and to receive his peace.

Here follow the three prayers that precede Communion.

In the first prayer—Domine Jesu Christe, qui dixisti Apostolis tuis, Pacem relinquo vobis ("Lord Jesus Christ, who said to Thy Apostles, I leave you peace")—prayer is offered to God that he may vouchsafe to grant peace to the Church in consideration of her faith, and keep her in union, according to his will, by delivering her from the division produced by false doctrines, and from all that is contrary to the divine will.—And here the Church has introduced the custom that the faithful should give one another the kiss of peace, to remind them that their hearts should be united in charity. Before giving the kiss of peace, the priest kisses the altar, to show that he cannot give the peace unless he has first received it from Jesus Christ, who is represented by the altar.

In the second prayer, Domine Jesu Christe, Fili Dei vivi, the priest asks Jesus Christ, by virtue of his adorable body and blood, to deliver him from all evils, and to keep him always united with him.

In the third prayer he beseeches the Lord that this Communion may not turn to his condemnation, but may be for the salvation of his soul and body.—The Holy Eucharist protects the soul against temptations and passions; it extinguishes the fire of concupiscence that burns in our bodies, and is a powerful remedy against the death of the soul.

After these prayers the priest says, while invoking the name of the Lord, Panem cœlestem accipiam, et nomen Domini invocabo ("I will take the bread of heaven, and call upon the name of our Lord"). In order that the earthly food may be of benefit to us, we must eat it when we are hungry; in like manner, in order that Communion may produce in us much fruit, we should receive it with great desire to possess Jesus Christ and to love him ardently. As John Gerson says, we ought, at the moment in which we are about to receive Jesus, invoke him anew, in order to obtain the grace to receive him with great profit to our souls.

Corpus (Sanguis) Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam meam in vitam æternam ("May the Body (Blood) of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my soul to life everlasting"). While pronouncing these words the priest receives the body and the blood of Jesus Christ. This prayer recalls to our mind that this precious body and blood are given to us as a pledge of eternal life, and as a viaticum in order to pass from this exile to our heavenly country. Hence when we receive Communion we ought to be so disposed as if we had to leave the earth at once, to enter eternity.

 

SIXTH PART.

Thanksgiving.

Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quæ retribuit mihi? ("What shall I render to the Lord for all he hath rendered unto me?") The priest says, For all, etc., because he who receives Jesus Christ in Communion receives all the gifts and all the goods that one can desire, according to the words of St. Paul: How hath He not also, with Him, given us all things.^[50] He says, What shall I render? because man is not capable of thanking God as he should thank him. Jesus Christ only can worthily thank the Eternal Father for the gifts that he bestowed upon men. The priest therefore adds: Calicem salutaris accipiam, et nomen Domini invocabo (" I will take the chalice of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord"). He supplicates the Divine Redeemer to thank the heavenly Father for himself and for all men.

After having taken the precious blood he renews his thanks to God in the following words: Quod ore sumpsimus, Domine, pura mente capiamus, et de munere temporali fiat nobis remedium sempiternum ("Grant, O Lord, that what we have taken with our mouth we may receive with a pure mind, that of a temporal gift it may become to us an eternal remedy"). By this prayer the Church makes us ask God that, as our mouth has received this divine food and drink, our hearts may also receive them, so that they may be for us an eternal remedy that may forever heal us of all our infirmities.

Finally the priest says, Corpus tuum, Domine, quod sumpsi, et Sanguis quem potavi, adhæreat visceribus meis ("May Thy body, O Lord, which I have received, and the blood which I have drunk, cleave to my bowels"). In this prayer, and in the last prayer called Post-communion, he asks, through the merits of Jesus Christ in this mystery, and through the intercession of the saint whose memory is celebrated, that this divine Saviour may al ways preserve him in this intimate union with him, and that no stain may rest on his soul, which has been nourished by a sacrament so holy and so pure.

Ite, Missa est ("Go, the Mass is ended"); or, Benedicamus Domino ("Let us bless the Lord"). It is with these words that the priest dismisses the people, just as if he said, The Sacrifice is accomplished; and those who are present while thanking God by the mouth of the server, say, Deo Gratias ("Thanks be to God"). "To give thanks to God," says St. Augustine, "is to acknowledge that all good things come from God, and to thank him for them."^[51]

The priest afterwards passes to the right side of the altar, and recites the Gospel of St. John: In principio erat Verbum ("In the beginning was the Word"). William de Bury says that it was St. Pius V. who ordained that this Gospel should always be recited at the end of Mass; as formerly some said it, and others omitted it.

 

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This explanation of the prayers of Mass may be serviceable to all to the faithful as well as to priests.

 

1. Epist. l. 7, ind. 2, ep. 63.
2. De Alt. Myst. l. 2, c. 13.
3. De Missæ S. l. 2, c. 3.
4. Ann. 325.
5. "Nos, in isto loco, non aram fecimus Stephano, sed de reliquiis Stephani aram Deo."—Serm. 318, E. B.
6. De Missæ S. l. 2, c. 4.
7. Ration. l. 4, c. 1.
8. De Miss. l. 2, c. 16.
9. Luke, ii. 14.
10. De Missa S. l. 2, c. 8.
11. "Mensa quæ sit, nostis; ibi est corpus et sanguis Christi; qui accedit ad talem mensam, præparet talia."—In Jo. tr. 47.
12. "Monet sancta Synodus præceptum esse ab Ecclesia Sacerdotibus, ut aquam vino in calice offerendo miscerent; quod Christum Dominum ita fecisse credatur."—Sess. 22 c. 7.
13. Lib. 2, c. 9, § 2.
14. "Domine, has oblationes benignus assume, ut, quod singuli obtulerunt, cunctis proficiat."
15. Isa. vi. 3.
16. Matt. xxi. 9.
17. "Ab omni errore purum."
18. "Is enim constat, cum ex ipsis Domini verbis, tum ex Apostolorum traditionibus, ac Sanctorum quoque Pontificum piis insiilutionibus."—Sess. 22, c. 4.
19. De Sacr. l. 4, c. 4.
20. "Illibata, quæ sine macula cordis et corporis oportet offerri."—De Alt. Myst. l. 3, c. 3.
21. "Cum altari assistitur, semper ad Patrem dirigatur oratio."—c. 23.
22. "Non petimus immutari æternum Dei propositum, sed causam pro effectu ponimus, orantes ut Deus nos ad se convertat atque ad æternam felicitatem perducat; qui sunt effectus prædestinationis."—In Sent. l. 1, d. 40, § 22.
23. "Exhibeatis corpora vestra hostiam viventem, sanctam, Deo placentem, rationabile obsequium vestrum."—Rom. xii. 1.
24. "Non ut consecratio impleatur, sed ut nobis fiat fructuosa."—P. 3, q. 83, a. 4.
25. "Non suis sermonibus, sed utitur sermonibus Christi."—De Sacr. l. 4, c. 4.
26. Matt. xxvi. 26.
27. "Hic est calix novum Testamentum in Sanguine meo, qui pro vobis fundetur."—Luke, xxii. 20.
28. "Hic est enim Sanguis meus novi Testamenti, qui pro multis effundetur in remissionem peccatorum."—Matt. xxvi. 28.
29. "In sanguine Testamenti æterni."—Heb. xiii. 20.
30. "Quoniam aliud ibi cernitur, aliud creditur."—De Alt. Myst. l. 4, c. 36.
31. "Sane formam istam verborum ab ipso Christo acceperunt Apostoli, et ab ipsis Apostolis accepit Ecclesia."—Ibid. c. 5.
32. P. 2, c. 4, q. 20.
33. "Sacerdos, post consecrationem, non utitur crucesignatione ad benedicendum et consecrandum, sed solum ad commemorandum virtutem crucis et modum passionis Christi quæ ad crucem est terminata."—P. 3, q. 83, a. 5.
34. "Sacerdos petit hoc pro corpora mystico, ut scilicet orationes Sacerdotis et populi Angelas assistens divinis mysteriis Deo repræsentet."—P. 3, q. 83, a. 4.
35. "Animas ibi detentas, fidelium suffragiis, potissimum vero acceptabili altaris Sacrificio juvari."—Sess. 25, Decr. de Purg.
36. Sess. 22, c. 2.
37. "Videte qualem charitatem dedit nobis Pater, ut Filii Dei nominemur et simus."—1 John, iii. i.
38. "Accepistis Spiritum adoptionis, in quo clamaraus: Abba (Pater)."—Rom. viii. 15.
39. Luke, xi. 3.
40. "Tribue tantum victui meo necessaria."—Prov. xxx. 8.
41. "Supersubstantialem."—Matt. vi. 11.
42. "Deus enim intentator malorum est; ipse autem neminem tentat."—James, i. 13.
43. "Excæca cor populi hujus … ne forte videat."—Isa. vi. 10.
44. "Vigilate et orate, ut non intretis in tentationem."—Matt. xxvi. 41.
45. "Per multas tribulationes oportet nos intrare in regnum Dei."—Acts, xiv. 21.
46. "Oratio, quamvis importuna, plus amica est."—Hom. in Matt.
47. "Vult Deus nos in oratione esse perseverantes usque ad importunitatem."—In Luc. xi. 8.
48. P. 3, q. 83, a. 5.
49. "Non enim petimus ut nunc fiat Consecratio, sed ut Consecratio, antea facta, sit nobis ad vitam æternam salutaris."—De Miss. l. 2, c. 27.
50. "Quomodo non etiam cum illo omnia nobis donavit?"—Rom. viii.
51. "Deo gratias agere, est sentire omnia bona a Deo data esse, et pro ipsis Deum laudare."

 

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Editor's notes:

1. Such should also be, in this grave ceremony, the sentiments of all the faithful, who, we should not forget, offer the holy sacrifice jointly with the priest.—Ed.
2. De Miss. Sacr. l. 2, c. 15.—Benedict XIV. here observes that St. Thomas (P. 3, q. 18, a. 3) seems to favor the opinion of those who make the essential form of the consecration of the chalice consist in all the words that the priest pronounces as far as Hæc quotiescumque; because the words that follow, Hic est enim calix sanguinis mei, are determinationes prædicati, that is to say, sanguinis Christi, and consequently, belonging ad integritatem ejusdem locutionis, are de substantia formæ. St. Pius V. caused the contrary opinion to be erased from the commentary of Cajetan.
3. These two expressions are not opposed to each other; on the contrary, one explains the other. We ask, in the one as in the other, what is each day necessary for the subsistence of the body and of the soul; but we chiefly ask for spiritual nourishment, and, above everything else, for the Holy Eucharist, which is pre-eminently and beyond comparison called the bread of life and the true bread of the children of God: Panis vita, vere Panis filiorum.—Ed.
4. This signifies that the divine Mediator gives support to our prayer and renders it efficacious.—Ed.