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Fr. John Gallas

..omni benedictione caelesti et gratia repleamur.

January, 2010

 

A curious Catholic asked me about the part of the mass where the priest says, "..as we receive from this altar the sacred body and blood of your son, let us be filled with every grace and blessing," and then makes the sign of the cross. This moment draws us specifically to the sacrificial nature of the mass. Let's look at the full text in the new translation of the mass:

 

The current version: Almighty God, we pray that your angel may take this sacrifice to your altar in heaven. Then, as we receive from this altar the sacred body and blood of your Son, let us be filled with every grace and blessing.

 

The new, accurate version: In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God: command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy Angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty, so that all of us who through this participation at the altar receive the most holy Body and Blood of your Son may be filled with every grace and heavenly blessing.

 

This prayer shows the connection between heaven and earth in the mass. An altar is a place for death and sacrifice to cleanse the guilt of sins. We have mass because of sins. Our altar is one with God's altar in heaven. This is why it should be beautiful. The sacrifice on Calvary happened, not only because of our sins, but also because Christ's love impels Him to this moment. He reveals the worth of our race. Our "gifts" are now become the body and blood of Christ. They are borne by an angel before the face of God, the "divine majesty." How does God look upon the body and blood of Christ? With approval. We saw this on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, "Behold, this is my beloved Son, on whom my favor rests." But it is not only Jesus who receives the Father's approval. At mass we participate at the altar (a) by being present physically, mentally, morally, spiritually, and (b) by worthy reception of communion, with no mortal sins on our soul. When the Father approves of the sacrifice (and Christ's love, which is the cause of the sacrifice), He sends the consequence. What is the consequence? We are filled with "every grace and blessing." The priest makes the sign of the cross at this point. Whenever a priest blesses you, you make the sign of the cross. So, at this moment in the mass, the priest is being blessed (and through him the whole congregation is being blessed), and so he makes the sign of the cross as he receives "every grace and blessing" from God.

 

Moreover, in the Traditional Latin Mass, three more gestures are part of this ritual. First, the priest kisses the altar after he says "participation at this altar." The altar represents Christ. It is a gesture of acknowledging and returning Christ's love, a gesture of atonement for Judas' kiss of betrayal. Then as he says "the most holy body and blood of your son" he makes the sign of the cross over the host and then the chalice, not to bless them (because they are already blessed) but to point to them as our act of faith in the Real Presence. These three gestures complement the next moment when the priest blesses himself. Note the connection between crossing the host and chalice and the priest crossing himself. The liturgy is saying: In order to be a priest, a man must do as Christ did, he must sacrifice his life for his flock. This identifies the union between the priest and Christ. In the priest is Christ Himself. The One saying the words in the priest is the very Person who is offering the sacrifice and being offered in sacrifice.