One Single Sacrifice

The Eucharistic Liturgy is not only earthly, it is also heavenly. It exists only in relation to the heavenly Liturgy. It follows then, that the primary celebrants of every Eucharistic celebration are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The presence of these three divine Persons makes the Mass more than a memorial depiction of the Last Supper. Indeed, it is a sacred meal, but it is also a sacrifice, a true sacrifice. Actually, the sacrifice on Calvary and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are but one single sacrifice. The victim is one and the same, offered now through the instrumentality of a validly ordained priest. It is only the manner of offering that is different.

The Eucharistic Liturgy is a holy and sacred action because at every Mass Christ is present and he is acting. Utilizing the voice and gestures of the priest, he is the “offerer” and the “offered.” He is the “consecrator” and the consecrated.” When speaking through the words of the priest he says, “This is my body,” he adds, “which is given for you.” And when he says, “This is my blood,” he also adds, “which is poured out for you.” Thus, every Mass is a sacrificial offering because in every Mass Christ continues to “give” his body and to “pour out his blood” for the remission of our sins.

Epiclesis: More precisely, how does the earthly Liturgy participate in the heavenly Liturgy? The agent who makes this possible is the Holy Spirit. Epiclesis is a Greek word meaning “invocation.” It is the prayer of intercession before the consecration in which the priest begs the Father to send the Holy Spirit to change the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. The epiclesis for Eucharistic Prayer III is as follows:

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts.
We ask you to make them holy by the power of your Spirit,
that they may become the body + and blood
of your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ,
at whose command we celebrate this Eucharist.

Here we see the Father showing his love for us which is manifested through the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Anamnesis: Anamnesis is a Greek word which means that something is done in memory of someone. In the Mass, the anamnesis is the memorial of Christ’s passion, the making present and sacramental offering of his unique sacrifice on Calvary. When Christ said, “Do this in memory of me,” he empowered the meal with the paschal mystery, which is the saving action of his death and resurrection. Those memorial words are actively redeeming the world in every Eucharistic Liturgy. In fact, the work of our Lord’s death and resurrection become really present and our redemption is being accomplished in accordance with our inner dispositions, while we are there at Mass.

At the invitation of the priest, the faithful then proclaim together the mystery of faith: “Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory.” When these words are prayed, we acknowledge that the gifts of bread and wine which we offered to the Father, have been changed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit, through the instrumentality of the priest, brings about this change.

The Great Amen: The Eucharistic prayer reaches its final point when the priest sings or says: “Through him, with him, in him in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, forever and ever.” The faithful respond with the Hebrew exclamation “Amen” which indicates emphatic assent or agreement. In our response, we participate in Christ’s sacrificial offering by willingly offering our total self to the Father so that we too, might take part in his redemptive work. In this way, we join Christ and the Holy Spirit in giving all glory and honor to the Father forever and ever.

In every Eucharistic Liturgy, then, Christ’s sacrificial offering on the Cross is made present. In this way, he has left to his beloved Church a visible sacrifice by which the bloody sacrifice on the Cross will be re-presented in an unbloody manner for the remission of sins until the end of time.

References:
Catechism of the Catholic Church
John Paul II, Dominicae Cenae (1980)
John Paul II, Ecclesia De Eucharistia, Encyclical Letter (2003)

Sister Evelyn Ann Schumacher, O.S.F.
Holy Family Convent
2409 S. Alverno Road
Manitowoc, WI 54220-9320