The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
“The Perpetual Celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass"
By Rev. J. Fuhlrott
"For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation" - (Malach. i, ii.)
In the course of these instruction of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we repeatedly said that: "Sacrifice was known to all people is a necessary element; indeed, even regarded by them as the center of divine worship. There was no religion with sacrifice." We have also again and again expressed our joy that we Christians of the new law possess the most sublime and perfect sacrifice in the Holy Mass. It is well known how the reformers of the sixteenth century maintained that the Christian Church, in the course of centuries, had become greatly degenerated, and that many strange innovations had crept in which were neither ordained by Christ, nor were they known in the time of the Apostles. Among these strange innovations they counted the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and they did away with it, by which they made themselves the only people upon earth, and the only religion, without a sacrifice in their divine service.
So as to convince ourselves anew how real our joy is, and how great our happiness in possessing the sublime sacrifice of the Mss, we will to-day consider the history of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and meditate:
I - How
Christ first of all celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
II - How the Apostles celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
III - How the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated subsequently.
I
The clean oblation prophesied by the Prophet Malachias, which should be offered up all over the world from the rising of the sun until its setting, was offered up by Jesus Christ for the first time the evening before His passion, when He offered Himself up to the heavenly Father as a sacrifice, under the substance of bread and wine. What the Lord did on that occasion were the actions of sacrifice as they were performed by the Levites at their sacrifices; the laying on of hands, prayer, the breaking in pieces of the sacrificial offering, and its distribution among those present. The Lord took the bread and the chalice in His hands; He gave thanks to His heavenly Father with His eyes uplifted to heaven; He broke the bread; He divided what He had in His hands and in the chalice among His Apostles. The words used thereby by the Lord were words and expressions belonging to the sacrifice; "This is my body which shall be delivered for you; this is My blood which shall be shed for you." This can only be understood as a true gift, as a true sacrifice. What the Lord ordained then, we the fulfilment of the prophecy of Malachias - the institution and authorizing of the everlasting priesthood. The alliance which Christ founded was to be a perpetual one; the blood of the alliance which was offered here should be offered up for evermore as the blood of expiation for sin. For this reason a perpetual priesthood must be established. Therefore, Christ spoke in the authority which was His as the only-begotten Son of the Father, to His Apostles, and, therefore, of course, to all those who would lawfully succeed them in their office: "Do this in commemoration of Me." As Christ was the Savior and Redeemer not only for His contemporaries, but for the men of all times, so then all the arrangements which He made for the salvation of mankind, were for all times, and for all men. Therefore, the first sacrifice offered and instituted by Him was for all time. The calling of the Apostles to the priesthood, and their authorization, was established, therefore, for all time, and for all men. For all time there had to be priests, who could offer up the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, instituted and offered up first of all by Christ.
II
This is how the Apostles understood the words of the Lord, they acted accordingly, and thee celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass s the Master did, as the history of the Apostles, and the letters of the Apostles testify.
After the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles St. Peter preached publicly "Christ Crucified," and three thousand were converted, and were baptized. The Evangelist, speaking of this, says: "They were persevering in the doctrine of the Apostles, and in the communication of the breaking of bread, and in prayers." (Acts ii. 42) The communication of the breaking of bread, and prayer, is none other than that Holy Communion which the Lord Himself celebrated with His Apostles the evening before His passion - the breaking of bread, and prayer. According to the precedent of the Master, the Apostles celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the commencement in a room where all the faithful assembled. When, however, the numbers of the faithful increased, as we have just heard that it did by the thousands, they had to meet in a number of houses. The head of any of the houses where they assembled, was like the pastor of the community. After the bread of sacrifice was broken, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated, they all partook of a meal, at which, as St. Chrysostom tells us, the poor were served before the rich, and the latter were not ashamed to sit down at the same table with them.
The Apostle Paul speaks plainly of an altar of sacrifice. "We have an altar, whereof they have no power to eat who serve the tabernacle" (Heb xiii. 10.) If the Christians had an altar of sacrifice at the time of the Apostles, they must also have had a sacrifice. It can not mean the Jewish sacrifices, because at the death of Jesus they were abolished, and done away with because they had become purposeless. The sacrifice of the cross was not meant either, because none of it could be eaten. St. Paul can mean no other sacrifice then the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass which they celebrated in their assemblies from which the Jews and the pagans were shut out.
The Apostle Paul had selected his disciple Timothy as his constant companion on his apostolic journeys. When he was consecrated by St. Paul as priest and Bishop of he community of Ephesus, he received from his former master two letters, containing the wisest and most glorious precepts for the management of his episcopal office. In one of the letters (I Tim. ii. I) St. Paul gives directions on the holding of divine worship in public, and designates the parts thereof: supplications and intercessions, prayers and instructions, and finally thanksgivings. Let us compare these prayers with those used and prescribed in the celebration of Holy Mass, and we shall find that their essence is just the same, and we shall see that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated than according to the directions of the Apostles, as it is now. At Antioch, in the time of the Apostle Paul, there was a flourishing community of Christians, in which there were several priests. The Acts of the Apostles relates of this community (Acts xiii. 2): "And as they were ministering to the Lord, and fasting, the Holy Ghost said to them" 'Separate me Saul and Barnabas, for the work whereunto I have taken the.'" The expression "ministering to the Lord," can only mean, according to the Greek text, as they were celebrating the mysteries of religion, as they were offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We also learn from these communications, that the Apostles had already consecrated several priests, who offered up the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, although they were not yet invested with the apostolical office - the episcopal office. At Corinth, too, in the lifetime of the Apostles, a flourishing community of Christians existed. Paul himself had labored there for six months. When he left there and went to Ephesus, all kinds of religious quarrels and jealousies occurred in the community at Corinth. This cause St. Paul to write his first letter to the Corinthians, in which he advises them in their quarrels, and exhorts them unanimity. In particular, many erroneous ideas had spread concerning the participation in the sacrifices of the Jews and pagans. Paul instructed the Corinthians with impressive severity, that those who took part in pagan worship, sat at the table of Satan, and could have no part in the sacrifices offered up by Christians. "You can not drink the chalice of the Lord, and the chalice of the devils. You can not be partakers of the table of the Lord and of the table of devils." (1 Cor. x 20,21) This shows us, without any doubt, that at the time of the Apostles there was celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in all Christian communities; that, indeed, it was the center of all religious functions, and that the faithful considered it their duty to be present at it.
III
It is most instructive, edifying, and interesting to follow the celebration of Holy Mass through the post-apostolic times up to our present day. Going through the history of the centuries, we would gain the conviction that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated at al times, and in all places where the Christian religion was announced. We should learn that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was always considered the acme of Christian religion, the center of Christian worship. We would be edified at the the holy zeal with which the faithful took part in this Holy Sacrifice. We should be astonished at the eagerness with which the altars were erected, and the generosity by which they were endowed with the most precious jewels and richest ornaments.
During the first centuries after the apostolic age, when the followers of Christ were persecuted, and found themselves obliged to celebrate the holy mysteries in secret and hidden places, the mention of them in the writings of the Holy Fathers was more restrained; but we find it confirmed, without any doubt, that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered daily, and that it was offered up for the living as well as for the dead, as a sacrifice of praise, thanksgiving, propitiation, and supplication.
The Church acquired, after the reign of Constantine the Great, more freedom, and gradually the celebration of Holy Mass became more public, and was surrounded more and more by outward splendor. How convinced the faithful were of the sublimity and immeasurable value of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mss, was proved by the great munificence with which kings and princes presented to the Church all kinds of precious gifts of gold, ivory, pearls, and precious stones, to be used for the erection and ornamentation of altars, upon which the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was to be celebrated.
But why further examine the records of history? Let any man who has the inclination, time, and money for this purpose, travel through all parts of the earth; let him visit all the largest cities and the smallest country places. Wherever he goes and finds a Catholic church, he will find therein an altar, or altars, upon which the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated. He will find that the prophecy of the prophet Malachias has been fulfilled literally. "For from the rising of the sun, even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name oblation." What is it, then, that we have learned in these Lenten discourses about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? If we had gained by them nothing more than the conviction that by assisting devoutly at a single Mss we offer our Lord more honor and praise than we could do by anything else, I should be more than compensated for my labor.
Yes, my dear friends, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, by which we can please God more, and give Him more praise and honor, than by our devout presence at the Sacrifice of Holy Mass, and, therefore, there is nothing by which we can make God inclined more to be merciful toward us than by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Let us, therefore, make the most frequent and the best use of this Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Do not let us neglect this sacred duty at any time when we have a chance to hear Mass, and when we have the happiness of being present at one, let us be most devout and thankful.
But we may consider it as a fruit of our observation, as established fact, that if you will snatch from our labor, your business, or your housework, only a half an hour every morning, for the purpose of hearing Mass, the time will not be lost. If you are in trouble and anxiety, and oppressed by sorrow, go and hear Mass and God will console you. If you are afflicted by sickness, either yourself or in your family, and the doctor has tried his best to help you, in vain, go and hear Mass, and the Lord will hear your prayer, and put an end to that sickness. If you are surrounded by grave dangers and violent temptations to the salvation of your soul, and you feel the strong chains of passion hemming you in on all sides, go and hear Mass, and the Lord will give you strength to break the bondage of your passions, and He will save your soul. If you fear the wrath of God and His punishment on account of the multitude and gravity of your sins, go and hear Mass, and for the sake of His beloved Son, God will be merciful to you, and give you the grace of being converted. Amen.